National Health
National Health was a progressive rock band associated with the Canterbury scene. Founded in 1975 by keyboardists Dave Stewart (from Hatfield and the North) and Alan Gowen (from Gilgamesh), the band also included guitarists Phil Miller and Phil Lee and bassist Mont Campbell as original members. The band was named after Stewart's National Health glasses. Bill Bruford (late of Yes) was the initial drummer but was soon replaced by Pip Pyle. Campbell was replaced by Neil Murray and then John Greaves.
A frequently changing lineup, toured extensively and released their first album, National Health in 1977. Although it was created during the rise of Punk, the album is characterized by lengthy, mostly instrumental compositions. Their second record Of Queues and Cures, which included Peter Blegvad (recitation on "Squarer For Maud") and Georgie Born (cello), is currently held as the fourth best record ever (of 53,000 candidate records) on the Gnosis web site. After the May 1981 death of Gowen, remaining members reconvened to record the album D.S. Al Coda, a set of compositions by Gowen, most previously unrecorded. The original albums and additional archival material have subsequently been released on CD.
Discography
- National Health (1977)
- Of Queues and Cures (1978)
- D.S. Al Coda (1982)
- Complete (1990; previous three studio albums plus two bonus tracks)
- Missing Pieces (1996; archival material largely from before National Health)
- Playtime (2001; live recordings from 1979)