National Health (album)

National Health is the first album recorded by the progressive rock and jazz fusion group National Health, one of the last representatives of the artistically prolific Canterbury scene.[3] Although it was created during the rise of punk, the album is characterized by lengthy, elaborate and mostly instrumental compositions that combine prog and jazz elements.

For the Maxïmo Park album, see The National Health.

National Health
Studio album by National Health
Released	February 1978
Recorded	February – March 1977
Genre	Jazz fusion, progressive rock, avant-garde
Length	49:58
Label	Affinity Records, Get Back Records
Producer	Mike Dunne
National Health chronology
National Health (1978) Of Queues and Cures (1978)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
The Encyclopedia of Popular Music	[2]

Critical reception

In a retrospective review, All About Jazz wrote that "revisiting the disc over 30 years later reveals a strength in composition, improvisation and orchestration/arrangement that makes it another high point in the careers of everyone involved."[4] The Billboard Guide to Progressive Music called the album "easily the best of [National Health's] three releases."[3]

Track listing

No.	Title	Writer(s)	Length
1.	"Tenemos Roads"	Dave Stewart	14:43
2.	"Brujo"	Alan Gowen	10:19
3.	"Borogoves (Excerpt from Part Two)"	Stewart	4:16
4.	"Borogoves (Part One)"	Stewart	6:37
5.	"Elephants"	Gowen, Stewart	14:37

Personnel

• Phil Miller – electric guitar
• Dave Stewart – acoustic piano, electric piano, organ (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5), Clavinet (track 3)
• Pip Pyle – drums, glockenspiel (tracks 2, 5), pixiphone (track 5), gong (track 1), cowbell (track 1), tambourine (track 1), finger cymbals (track 2), shakers (track 2), bells (track 2)
• Neil Murray – fretless bass guitar

with

• Alan Gowen – acoustic piano (tracks 2, 5), electric piano, moog synthesizer
• Jimmy Hastings – flute (tracks 1–3, 5), clarinet (tracks 3, 4), bass clarinet (track 1)
• John Mitchell – percussion (track 1), güiro (track 2), temple block (track 2), conga (track 3)[5]
• Amanda Parsons – vocals (tracks 1, 2, 4, 5)

References

1. Nickson, Chris. "National Health – National Health | AllMusic". Allmusic. Retrieved 27 August 2011.
2. Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Volume 6: MUZE. p. 126.CS1 maint: location (link)
3. Smith, Bradley (1997). The Billboard Guide to Progressive Music. Billboard Books. pp. 137–138.
4. Jazz, All About. "National Health: National Health / Of Queues and Cures article @ All About Jazz". All About Jazz.
5. "AllMusic Review by Dave Lynch". allmusic.com. Retrieved 13 September 2010.

External links

• National Health at Progarchives
• Biography at Calyx Club
• Discography
• Gnosis website