The Canterbury Scene is the name given to a sub-genre of Progressive Rock music due to the flourishing psychedelic pseudo-jazz music coming out of County Kent, England, in the late 60s through the 1970s. Dave Stewart, Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, Hugh Hopper, David and Richard Sinclair, Phil Miller, Richard Coughlin, Pye Hastings, Alan Gowen, Daevid Allen, Steve Hillage, Pierre Moerlin, Pip Pyle, Mont Campbell, Allan Holdsworth, and even Phil Manzanera and Bill Bruford were some of the key players from that scene. Having only discovered the wonderful music from this scene in the last ten years, I am finally ready to come up with a pretty solid list of "favorites" according to the purchases and listening I've done in that time.
1. HOMUNCULUS RES -- Limiti all'eguaglianza della parte con il tutto (2013)
2. PICCHIO DAL POZZO -- Picchio dal Pozzo (1976)
3. KHAN -- Space Shanty (1972)
4. CARAVAN -- In The Land of Grey and Pink * (1971)
5. EGG -- The Polite Force (1970)
6. SUPERSISTER -- To The Highest Bidder (1971)
7. COS -- Postaeolian Train Robbery ** (1974)
8. HATFIELD AND THE NORTH -- Hatfield and The North (1973)
9. HOMUNCULUS RES -- Della stessa sostanza dei sogni (2018)
10. CARAVAN -- If I Could Do It All Over Again, I'd Do It All Over You (1970)
11. VIOLETA DI OUTONO -- Volume 7 (2007)
12. SUPERSISTER -- Present from Nancy (1970)
13. ANTIQUE SEEKING NUNS -- Mild Profundities (2003)
14. ZYMA -- Thoughts (1978)
15. SETNA -- Guérison (2013)
16. MOTHER GONG - Fairy Tales (1979)
17. COS -- Viva Boma (1976)
18. GILGAMESH -- Gilgamesh (1975)
19. SUPERSISTER -- Pudding in Gisteren (1972)
20. CARAVAN -- For Girls Who Grow Plump in The Night (1973)
21. SOFT MACHINE -- Third (1970)
22. PATRICK FORGAS -- Cocktail (1977)
23. VIOLETA DI OUTONO -- Espectro (2013)
24. BRUFORD -- One of a Kind (1979)
25. SOFT MACHINE -- Volume 2 (1969)
26. ROBERT WYATT -- Rock Bottom (1974)
27. AMOEBA SPLIT -- Second Split (2016)
28. EGG -- The Civil Surface (1974)
29. ANTIQUE SEEKING NUNS -- Double Egg With Chips And Beans (2006)
30. MAGIC BUS -- Transmissions from Sogmore's Garden (2015)
31. EGG -- Egg (1970)
32. NATIONAL HEALTH -- Of Queues and Cures (1978)
33. DEDALUS -- Dedalus (1973)
34. THE WINSTONS -- The Winstons (2015)
35. MOVING GELATINE PLATES -- The World of Genius Hans (1972)
36. HOMUNCULUS RES -- Come si diventa ciò che si era (2015)
37. GONG -- You (1974)
38. HATFIELD AND THE NORTH -- The Rotter's Club (1975)
39. MANNA / MIRAGE -- Blue Dogs (2015)
40. AMOEBA SPLIT -- Dance of the Goodbyes (2010)
41. BRUFORD -- Feels Good to Me (1977)
42. CARAVAN -- Caravan (1970)
43. CAMEL -- Mirage (1974)
44. VOLARÉ -- The Uncertainty Principle (1997)
45. SUPERSISTER -- Iksander (1973)
46. GONG -- Radio Gnome Invisible Part 2: Angel's Egg (1973)
47. THE MUFFINS -- Manna/Mirage (1978)
48. COS -- Babel (1980)
49. STEVE HILLAGE -- Fish Rising (1975)
50. MOVING GELATINE PLATES -- Moving Gelatine Plates (1971)
51. HUGH HOPPER & ALAN GOWEN -- Two Rainbows Daily
52. NATIONAL HEALTH -- National Health (1977)
53. MANNA / MIRAGE -- Rest of the World (2018)
54. CARAVAN -- Waterloo Lily (1975)
55. SOFT MACHINE -- Volume One (1968)
56. STEVE HILLAGE -- Green 1976)
57. MATCHING MOLE -- Red (1972)
58. MATCHING MOLE -- Matching Mole (1971)
59. GONG -- Camembert (1971)
60. ZYMA -- Brave New World (1979)
61. GONG -- Flying Teapot (1972)
62. STEVE HILLAGE -- L
* CARAVAN's 1971 classic, In the Land of Grey and Pink, originally contained only five songs but the CD version I picked up in the Naughties had five extra "bonus" songs of reworked or previous versions of other songs or of segments of the "Nine Feet Underground" epic. I am ranking this album according to the whole of the later version--including the effect that all of the bonus versions have on me.
** COS' debut album, Postaeolian Train Robbery, originally contained six songs--six great songs. The CD I acquired contained four "bonus tracks" which were attributed to a pre-COS formation of the same band which called itself CLASSROOM. These four tracks are easily my favorite Canterbury songs I've ever heard. Included within the Postaeolian Train Robbery album, these four songs would propel PTR to the top of my favorite Canterbury album list.
P.S. A very recent phenomenon I have discovered is the resurgence of Canterbury-style music coming from young bands all over the world, including: Devon's MAGIC BUS, Kent's SYD ARTHUR, San Francisco's INNER EAR BAND, France's SETNA, ANTIQUE SEEKING NUNS, Italy's HOMUNCULUS RES and THE WINSTONS, plus the resuscitation of old bands using their same style, including: Robert Wyatt, Gong, Picchio dal Pozzo. Given a little more time, five or six of these bands' releases will probably appear in my list above. DF - 3/17/2015
P.P.S. 2/19/19 - Here's the very latest updated list--modern albums included!
