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The 40th Anniversary Henry Cow Box Set
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The 40th Anniversary Henry Cow Box Set
The 40th Anniversary Henry Cow Box Set (also known as The Road) is a nine-CD plus one-DVD limited edition box set by English avant-rock group Henry Cow, and was released by RēR Megacorp in January 2009. It consists of almost 10 hours of previously unreleased recordings made between 1972 and 1978 from concerts, radio broadcasts, one-off projects, events and the studio. Included are new compositions, over four hours of free improvisation, and live performances of some of Henry Cow's original LP repertoire.
Chris Cutler, of Henry Cow and RēR Megacorp, planned and coordinated the whole project. Assembly of the recordings began in the mid-1990s and were edited by Cutler. He also prepared and edited two books that are included in the box set. Bob Drake remastered and, where possible, non-invasively remixed the original recordings at Studio Midi-Pyrenees in France between 2004 and 2008.
The box set was expected to be ready before the end of 2008 to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the formation of Henry Cow, but the discovery of additional material delayed its release. Volume 6 of the box set, Stockholm & Göteborg was released separately by RēR Megacorp in September 2008 in advance of the box set's release. A limited edition bonus CD, A Cow Cabinet of Curiosities was given to subscribers of the box set.
In March 2017 Volumes 1 to 5 and 7 to 10 of the box set, plus the bonus CD were each released by RēR Megacorp as separate albums.
"[This is] one of the best collections ever released about a group that most people have never heard."
In a review of The 40th Anniversary Henry Cow Box Set, John Kelman at All About Jazz said that it "offers, for the first time, a comprehensive account of Henry Cow's breadth and depth." He went on to say that "If ever there were a group with a wrong to be righted, it would have to be Henry Cow. With a wellspring of unreleased material, an impressive editing and mastering job that's made even audience cassette recordings sound crystal clear ... [this] is the set die-hard fans have been waiting for." This review was listed third in All About Jazz's "Top 50 Most Recommended CD Reviews" for 2009.
François Couture at AllMusic described the box set as a "monument" and a "treasure trove". He said that it "present[s] for the first time a complete picture of Henry Cow, from the rehearsal-intensive compositions to the ever-important improvisations, through all incarnations of the band and including both highs and lows." A reviewer at Dusted Magazine stated that the compilation "fills in many missing historical and compositional links" and that it is a "fitting monument to one of the most interesting and eclectic groups to come out of the 1970s."
Reviewing the box set in Exposé, K. Leimer wrote that this demonstrates just how important and influential Henry Cow still are. He found it interesting that the anthology tracks the development of some of the band's composed pieces, from early demos to studio recordings to subsequent live performances. But Leimer added, "unlike those more typical historical recoveries, the earliest incarnations of Henry Cow’s work arrive with a completeness and presence that does not diminish in comparison to later live or studio manifestations of the 'same' piece". Many of these pieces are "flexible environments" rather than static compositions. He called Bremen and Stockholm & Göteborg "benchmark performances", and the Vevey DVD "an appropriate enough summa: hearing and seeing". Finally, Leimer complimented the box set's booklets, saying that "[t]he writing is articulate, honest, insightful and above all gives listeners something they rarely get with such candor and intelligence".
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The 40th Anniversary Henry Cow Box Set
The 40th Anniversary Henry Cow Box Set (also known as The Road) is a nine-CD plus one-DVD limited edition box set by English avant-rock group Henry Cow, and was released by RēR Megacorp in January 2009. It consists of almost 10 hours of previously unreleased recordings made between 1972 and 1978 from concerts, radio broadcasts, one-off projects, events and the studio. Included are new compositions, over four hours of free improvisation, and live performances of some of Henry Cow's original LP repertoire.
Chris Cutler, of Henry Cow and RēR Megacorp, planned and coordinated the whole project. Assembly of the recordings began in the mid-1990s and were edited by Cutler. He also prepared and edited two books that are included in the box set. Bob Drake remastered and, where possible, non-invasively remixed the original recordings at Studio Midi-Pyrenees in France between 2004 and 2008.
The box set was expected to be ready before the end of 2008 to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the formation of Henry Cow, but the discovery of additional material delayed its release. Volume 6 of the box set, Stockholm & Göteborg was released separately by RēR Megacorp in September 2008 in advance of the box set's release. A limited edition bonus CD, A Cow Cabinet of Curiosities was given to subscribers of the box set.
In March 2017 Volumes 1 to 5 and 7 to 10 of the box set, plus the bonus CD were each released by RēR Megacorp as separate albums.
"[This is] one of the best collections ever released about a group that most people have never heard."
In a review of The 40th Anniversary Henry Cow Box Set, John Kelman at All About Jazz said that it "offers, for the first time, a comprehensive account of Henry Cow's breadth and depth." He went on to say that "If ever there were a group with a wrong to be righted, it would have to be Henry Cow. With a wellspring of unreleased material, an impressive editing and mastering job that's made even audience cassette recordings sound crystal clear ... [this] is the set die-hard fans have been waiting for." This review was listed third in All About Jazz's "Top 50 Most Recommended CD Reviews" for 2009.
François Couture at AllMusic described the box set as a "monument" and a "treasure trove". He said that it "present[s] for the first time a complete picture of Henry Cow, from the rehearsal-intensive compositions to the ever-important improvisations, through all incarnations of the band and including both highs and lows." A reviewer at Dusted Magazine stated that the compilation "fills in many missing historical and compositional links" and that it is a "fitting monument to one of the most interesting and eclectic groups to come out of the 1970s."
Reviewing the box set in Exposé, K. Leimer wrote that this demonstrates just how important and influential Henry Cow still are. He found it interesting that the anthology tracks the development of some of the band's composed pieces, from early demos to studio recordings to subsequent live performances. But Leimer added, "unlike those more typical historical recoveries, the earliest incarnations of Henry Cow’s work arrive with a completeness and presence that does not diminish in comparison to later live or studio manifestations of the 'same' piece". Many of these pieces are "flexible environments" rather than static compositions. He called Bremen and Stockholm & Göteborg "benchmark performances", and the Vevey DVD "an appropriate enough summa: hearing and seeing". Finally, Leimer complimented the box set's booklets, saying that "[t]he writing is articulate, honest, insightful and above all gives listeners something they rarely get with such candor and intelligence".