National Health (album)

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

For the Maxïmo Park album, see The National Health.

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

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.

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[]

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

External links[]

National Health at Progarchives
Biography at Calyx Club
Discography
Gnosis website

[1] Nickson, Chris. "National Health – National Health | AllMusic". Allmusic. Retrieved 27 August 2011.

[CL-2] Larkin, Colin (2006). The Encyclopedia of Popular Music. Volume 6: MUZE. p. 126.CS1 maint: location (link)

[BL-3] Jump up to: ^a ^b 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.

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