Henry Cow

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(1968 – 1978)

Henry Cow was an English avant-garde rock group, founded at Cambridge University in 1968 by multi-instrumentalists Fred Frith and Tim Hodgkinson. An inherent anti-commercial bias kept them at arm’s length from the mainstream music business, enabling them to experiment at will. They remained in existence for 10 years, breaking up in 1978, and produced a body of music that was challenging, provocative and influential for years to come. Collaborations with the similarly-minded band Slapp Happy led to an eventual merging of the two bands. Many of the members continued on as Art Bears. Henry Cow was among the founding members of the movement dubbed Rock in Opposition (RIO).

A number of people passed through Henry Cow over the years:

* Georgie Born - Cello, Bass
* Lindsay Cooper - Bassoon, Reeds
* Chris Cutler - Drums, Percussion
* Fred Frith - Guitar, Violin, Bass, Piano, Xylophone
* John Greaves - Bass, Piano
* Tim Hodgkinson - Keyboards, Reeds
* Dagmar Krause - Vocals
* Geoff Leigh - Flute, Reeds
* Anthony Moore - Keyboards

Henry Cow’s repertoire included elaborately scored pieces (often with complex time signatures), tape manipulations, free improvisation and songs. It incorporated elements of jazz, rock, classical music and the avant-garde. Dagmar Krause’s vocals added another dimension to their sound, giving it a dramatic, almost Brechtian flair.

Their music was often experimental, making classification all but impossible. However, the following styles (amongst others) are often associated with Henry Cow:

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Popular tags: avant-garde, progressive rock, experimental, rio, canterbury  See more

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