CATERBURY PROG
VA - Hidden Maps of Imagination, Canterbury Journeys (a Butterboy Compilation) (4 x CDs)
When I look back at the Canterbury scene and its orbit, I’m struck not just by the music but by the times that shaped it. This wasn’t a movement born in isolation, it was the sound of post-war Britain finding its eccentric voice, of young musicians blending jazz clubs with art schools, of humor and melancholy walking hand in hand.
The Canterbury scene has always been less a genre than a landscape of imagination. It is a place where pastoral melodies, jazz improvisations, surreal humor, and brooding mystery coexist, each corner offering a different mood. With Hidden Maps of Imagination, Canterbury Journeys, I’ve tried to chart that terrain across four expansive discs, each one a chapter in a larger story.
The journey begins in the sunlit meadow, where playful eccentricity and pastoral folk touches set the tone. Caravan’s melodic charm, Kevin Ayers’ whimsical psychedelia, and Gryphon’s folk‑prog textures create a warm, witty invitation into Canterbury’s lighter side. From there, the path flows into rivers of jazz, where Gilgamesh, National Health, and Egg stretch the boundaries of improvisation. These tributaries converge into a current of cerebral invention, reminding us how deeply Canterbury was rooted in jazz‑rock interplay.
As the listener wanders further, the streets grow stranger. Gong’s cosmic whimsy, Matching Mole’s melancholy, and Comus’ eerie folk conjure surreal villages populated by dreamlike characters. This is Canterbury at its most eccentric, a carnival of oddities where humor and avant‑garde experimentation meet. And finally, the journey descends into shadowed forests. Van der Graaf Generator’s brooding art rock, Univers Zero’s dense avant‑prog, and Magma’s zeuhl intensity lead us into darker, contemplative spaces. It is the night journey, unsettling at times, but always rewarding, with mystery at every turn.
Across ninety‑six tracks, the set balances canonical names with rare obscurities, weaving a narrative that is both archival and imaginative. It is a collector’s map, an invitation: to wander, to discover, and to hear Canterbury not as a fixed sound but as a living landscape of imagination. (B)
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Track lists
CD1
01 Caravan - Golf Girl 5:01 1971
02 Hatfield and The North - Share It 3:03 1975
03 Kevin Ayers & The Whole World - May I 4:01 1970
04 GONG - The Octave Doctors and The Crystal Machine 1:59 1973
05 Robert Wyatt - Sea Song 6:33 1974
06 Egg - Contrasong 4:24 1970
07 Matching Mole - O Caroline 5:04 1972
08 Steve Hillage - Palm Trees (Love Guitar) 5:21 1978
09 Spirogyra - Dangerous Dave 4:34 1972
10 Comus - Diana 4:36 1971
11 Curved Air - Back Street Luv 3:38 1971
12 Gryphon - The Unquiet Grave 5:46 1973
13 Khan - Stargazers 5:31 1972
14 Daevid Allen - Peace Train 10:39 1988
15 Slapp Happy - The Drum 3:35 1974
16 Renaissance - Island 3:38 1969
17 Gentle Giant - Pantagruel's Nativity 6:52 1971
18 Barclay James Harvest - Mockingbird 6:39 1971
19 Audience - House on The Hill 7:28 1971
20 Stackridge - The Road to Venezuela 4:53 1974
21 Khan - Driving to Amsterdam 9:21 1972
22 Delivery - Harry Lucky 3:42 1970
23 Gilgamesh - With Lady and Friend 4:29 1975
24 Soft Machine - Moon in June 19:09 1970
CD2
01 Gilgamesh - One End More 10:21 1975
02 National Health - Tenemos Roads 14:30 1977
03 Delivery - Blind to Your Light 5:06 1970
04 Quiet Sun - Bargain Classics 5:48 1975
05 Henry Cow - Living in The Heart of the Beast 16:12 1974
06 Isotope - Spanish Sun 9:47 1974
07 Affinity - Night Flight 7:17 1970
08 Nucleus - Elastic Rock 4:05 1970
09 Back Door - Plantagenet 1:37 1972
10 Centipede - Septober Energy (Part 2, extract) 9:43 1971
11 Warm Dust - Loosing Touch 7:44 1970
12 If - I'm Reaching Out on All Sides 5:44 1970
13 Catapilla - If Could Only Happen to Me 6:45 1971
14 Brian Auger's Oblivion Express - Dragon Song 4:29 1971
15 Soft Machine - Slightly All the Time 18:13 1970
16 Colosseum - Lost Angeles 5:30 1970
17 Patto - Money Bag 10:05 1970
18 Steve Hillage - The Salmon Song 8:28 1975
19 Pierre Moerlen's Gong - Faerie Steps 5:32 1979
20 Soft Heap - Fara 6:40 1979
21 Egg - Boilk 0:59 1970
22 National Health - Paracelsus 1:42 1978
23 Polite Force - Childsplay 5:59 1976
24 Gilgamesh - Island of Rhodes 6:58 2000
CD3
01 Henry Cow - Nirvana for Mice 4:56 1973
02 Curved Air - Vivaldi 7:29 1970
03 Soft Heap - Petit 3's 6:18 1979
04 Principal Edwards Magic Theatre - The Death of Don Quixote 13:32 1969
05 Comus - The Bite 5:31 1971
06 Supersister - Memories Are New 3:46 1970
07 National Health - Portrait of a Shrinking Man 5:36 1977
08 Gong - Fohat Digs Holes in Space 6:20 1971
09 Lol Coxhill & Morgan Fisher - Pretty Little Girl 1:57 1979
10 Fred Frith - No Birds 12:46 1974
11 Steve Hillage - Hurdy Gurdy Glissando 9:00 1976
12 Robert Calvert - The Right Stuff 4:25 1974
13 Etron fou leloublan - Madame Richard Larika 9:25 1977
14 Samla Mammas Manna - Folkvisa I Morse 2:11 1971
15 Dave Sinclair - The Piano Player 4:47 1993
16 Magick Brothers, The - Wise Man in Your Heart 7:55 1995
17 Robert Wyatt - Unmasked 3:42 1982
18 Didier Malherbe - Zeff Over The Dunes 6:22 1983
19 Phil Miller - in Cahoots - Riffy 8:19 1982
20 Pip Pyle's Equipe Out - Jocelyn 4:13 1981
21 Supersister - A Girl Named You 3:15 1971
22 Quiet Sun - Mummy Was an Asteroid, Daddy Was A Small Non-Stick Kitchen Utensil 6:05 1975
23 Cos - Postaeolian Train Robbery 4:07 1974
24 Picchio dal Pozzo - Seppia 10:17 1976
CD4
01 Van Der Graaf Generator - House With No Door 6:30 1970
02 Univers Zero - Dense 12:26 1977
03 Jade Warrior - Dark River 6:38 1971
04 Art Zoyd - Musique Pour L'Odyss e 17:08 1979
05 Gryphon - The Unquiet Grave 5:46 1973
06 Peter Hammill - A Louse is Not A Home 12:11 1974
07 Comus - The Herald 12:08 1971
08 Gentle Giant - Think of Me With Kindness 3:32 1972
09 Renaissance - Black Flame 6:21 1973
10 King Crimson - Starless 12:16 1974
11 Camel - Air Born 5:02 1976
12 Steve Hackett - Shadow of The Hierophant 11:39 1975
13 Anthony Phillips - The Geese and The Ghost (Part 1) 7:57 1977
14 Ange - Le Cimetiere Des Arlequins 8:47 1973
15 Bill Bruford's Earthworks - Beelzebub 3:33 1978
16 Pekka Pohjola - The Madness Subsides 2:51 1972
17 Jakko - The Hands of Che Guevara 4:22 1983
18 John Graves - Kew. Rhone 5:27 1977
19 Hugh Hopper Band - Golden Section 5:36 1989
20 Moving Gelatine Plates - London Cab 7:33 1971
21 Daevid Allen - Why Do We Treat Ourselves Like We Do 6:51 1971
22 Khan - Space Shanty 8:59 1972
23 Area - Luglio, Agosto, Settembre 4:27 1973
24 Pulsar - Halloween Part I 20:00 1977
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Music weaves itself into the fabric of our emotions, dances through the corridors of memory, and whispers to the soul of who we are. Sharing these stories deepens the connection, turning the experience into something timeless and profound.
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I was about 20 when this music style started, newly married working in the City. It did not move me. I am now 75, time to give a second chance. It will be interesting. Thanks BB.
ReplyDeleteHi lemonflag.
DeleteIt’s great how music can circle back to us at different stages of life. What didn’t connect then can feel completely different now, with new ears and a bit more living behind us. I hope this revisit brings a few surprises and maybe even a spark you didn’t expect.
Cheers.
I've only got old ears but I'm trying.
DeleteA very nice eclectic collection, I will enjoy listening to this tonight - thanks and Happy Holidays. Rich
ReplyDeleteHi Rich.
DeleteGlad you enjoyed the mix.
this one was a pleasure to put together. Hope it makes for a great listen tonight.
Wishing you a very Happy Holidays as well.
Cheers.
What a fantastic selection! I appreciate how you have included groups who could claim a Canterbury postcode and ones who had the spirit of Canterbury flowing through their music. Your effort and dedication are clear - especially as you must have had to think about liminal groups (Greenslade, anyone?) and choose representative tracks. Thank you for the cup of tea on the local Golf course and for the slice of Camembert Electric.
ReplyDeleteSs always, awondrous delight.
Thank you, twinsoulz.
DeleteDelighted you picked up on that balance, the postcode bands and the ones who simply breathed the same curious, jazz‑tinged air. Glad the journey and the refreshments hit the spot.
Cheers.
ΒΒ thank you for a comprehensive collection of songs of a genre worthy of attention!
ReplyDeleteThis collection is an experienced guide whenever someone decides to travel through the colors of Canterbury scene!
Thanks, John.
DeleteThe Canterbury scene really does feel like a palette of shifting colours. I’m glad the set reads as a guide rather than just a pile of tracks; that journeying quality is exactly what I hoped would come through.
Thanks for taking the trip and for saying it so thoughtfully.
Cheers.
Thanks BB - it certainly was a time and a place - great music.
ReplyDeleteHi Dr Robert.
DeleteThose years really did have their own atmosphere, a mix of curiosity, experimentation, and that slightly off-center charm that made the whole scene feel alive. Glad it resonated for you.
Cheers.
Muchas gracias, amigo. Felices fiestas.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Juan.
DeleteWhen you spend time with this, I hope the journey rewards you as you wander through the paths of the set.
Cheers.
Like lemonflag I'm giving this a second shot. Didn't like it back in the 70's and constantly told my brother to turn that bleep off. He loved it. So hopefully like the German prog rock I've come to enjoy as an older soul, I hope the imagination finds me in a forgiving mood. Thanks for your effort to re-educate me!
ReplyDeleteHi RichardR.
DeleteThe Canterbury sound isn’t always love at first listen, it’s more of a slow‑burn world, full of quirks that only reveal themselves when you’re ready for them.
If German prog has already opened a few doors, there’s every chance this journey will meet you in a more forgiving mood. Either way, I’m glad you’re giving it another wander.
Cheers.
It's funny, I've always like a wide variety of music and gravitate from one to the next fluidly and no matter what I am listening to most recently, I drift quite often back to this world. Nice to get that nudge back again! Thanks!
ReplyDeleteHi Pol.
DeleteSome musical worlds just have a way of calling us back, no matter how far we wander.
Canterbury has that pull, always welcoming when you return.
Glad this set gave you that gentle nudge.
Cheers.
Superb! Sadly,can't get that lovely front cover art here in the UK,for some reason,except for a small version I googled. Would it work if you put it in each individual CD folder?
ReplyDeleteHi Montax.
DeleteGlad you like the set. I really enjoyed pulling it together.
I always include the artwork for each CD in each folder. I am not sure what you mean or why you don't see them.
Since this is a Butterboy compilation, the artwork was designed by me. Here is the artwork for the set including a separate box cover - https://pixeldrain.com/u/HuKX5U8N
Cheers.
Thanks...yeah,the individual CD artwork is always there in the individual CD folders...no problem. But...as I think you did mention in a previous post, you're having problems putting up the usual pic at the top of each post that normally includes the main cover image plus the individual CD covers? For a few days now, all I get is a blue box saying 'content not viewable in your region'...Don't know what the solution would be but what I meant was you could maybe include the box cover image in each,or one of, the individual CD folders along with each CDs cover to get around the problem. Still,as we music obsessives often say,as we buy yet another hard to find original copy of an LP with a slightly battered sleeve, 'You don't play the cover...' - have a happy and healthy New Year,buddy. Sorry for rambling on!
ReplyDelete