The Henry Cow Leg End

First things first: The band did not derive their name from American composer Henry Cowell, and the album, released in the US as Henry Cow, is also known as The Henry Cow Leg End (get the sock covers now?). The band began in 1968 when guitarist Fred Frith, alto saxophonist/organist Tim Hodgkinson and bassist John Greaves were students at Cambridge University. Andrew Powell, who would later work with The Alan Parsons Project and others, was an early member. By October 1972, drummer Chris Cutler had joined. That year, they played concerts under the name Cabaret Voltaire and The Explorers' Club. Their distinctive sound represents some of the most avant-garde in the timeline, and certainly the highest brow of the era, especially for a bunch of leftists! "Nirvana for Mice" is trademarked by Frith's sideways electric guitar and Geoff Leigh's woodwinds (bassoon was overdubbed for the 1990 remix). The improvisational "Teenbeat Introduction" gives way to the complicated arrangement of "Teenbeat;" clever titles and all, the band was not without humor. Of course, this was not easy listening by any stretch; although a track like "Amygdala" isn't that far off from the free and jazzy styling of their Virgin labelmates Hatfield and the North. And underneath it all is an amazing rhythm section, one that helps "Teenbeat Reprise" approach rock music. Signed to Virgin Records, the band toured extensively with labelmate Faust.