CENTIPEDE 'SEPTOBER ENERGY' MINT VINYL CPL2-5042 1974 PROG/FREE JAZZ ROBERTFRIPP
$
30
Favourite Auctions
To save auctions to your favourites, please login
If you don't have an account, please register
Description
CENTIPEDE 'SEPTOBER ENERGY' MINT VINYL CPL2-5042 1974 PROG/FREE JAZZ EXPERIMENT PRODUCED BY . . . ROBERT FRIPP! HIGHLY SOUGHT AFTER VERSION!
Septober Energy Review & Excerpted Bio
by Bruce Eder All Music.com
THE BACK STORY . . .
Centipede was a 50-piece jazz-rock orchestra assembled late in 1970 by pianist Keith Tippett in order to perform his large-scale conceptual work "Septober Energy." Made up of a core of musicians drawn from Tippett's own band and the orbit of the Soft Machine and King Crimson, and augmented by various established professional players (including solid jazz men like Alan Skidmore) and student musicians, the group didn't sound quite like anything else to come out of the progressive rock boom.
Centipede gave live performances for the Jazz Center Society "Sigma" Organization of Bordeaux in France, the Lanchester Arts Festival, the Bristol University Student Union, and the Rotterdam Arts Council, garnering uneven reviews in the process. Some critics found the Tippett's music to be long and leaden, others saw it as a bold extension of the kind of free-form experimentation that Tippett and his band were already engaged in on a smaller scale -- Centipede merely added saxes, trumpets, and violins to the mix.
It must've impressed somebody at RCA's British arm, however, where -- apparently eager to get in on the progressive rock boom sweeping England's college campuses -- they signed Tippett and Centipede to a contract in the spring of 1971. At the time, he was neck-deep in the workings of King Crimson, having participated in the recording of three LPs by the band (In the Wake of Poseidon, Lizard, Islands), and had even been invited into the group formally, which he declined. Tippett did get Robert Fripp to produce the Septober Energy album. which was recorded that June in Wessex. Also on hand was ex-Crimson saxman Ian MacDonald on alto, alongside Elton Dean, while Crimson's Boz Burrell contributed vocals (along with Julie Tippett, Mike Patto, Zoot Money, and Maggie Nicols.
MY NOTE: The resulting two-LP set by Centipede came out as a British-only release in 1971 on the Neon label distributed by RCA and this US version was released by RCA during the height of the Progressive Rock Era in 1974!
The Review . . .
The initial tendency is to dismiss this recording as one of those failed experiments from the progressive-rock era, and the opening side definitely invites that treatment with what appears to be an almost deliberately provocative aimlessness. as do parts of side two, which seem buried in noise and masses of sound that don't go anywhere over many minutes, and have similar problems. In between, however, are sublimely beautiful virtuoso passages for various soloists and small units within the orchestra. Alan Skidmore, Elton Dean et. al. get some great moments on the core of the first side, which evolves out of the annoying big-band noodling of the opening into a swinging, big-band progressive-rock sound with elements of bop as well. There are vocal passages on this record, mostly built around Julie Tippett's gloomy, doom-laden Crimson-like words, and they're pretty but they're not a major part of "Septober Energy." Unfortunately, there is also more meandering, and just as it looks like the finale has pulled it together, with a very pretty and understated acoustic piano section featuring a Keith Tippett solo, the piece loses it in an extended and very repetitive part for the full orchestra that goes nowhere and takes forever to fade. In fairness, the sound is excellent, and the second half of Side One in particular is worth hearing. but there's too much here that isn't -- and too much that also sounds like those crashing sax-based sound explosions that punctuate King Crimson albums like Islands.
The Conclusion . . .
Septober Energy* isn't for everyone, except hardcore fans of Soft Machine, Matching Mole, or the underrated Manfred Mann's Chapter III excursion into progressive jazz-rock, among other examples. (*My closing note!)
On the Market Side . . . Privatecol48 IS NOW SHIPPING GLOBALLY VIA eBay International Shipping!
This particular release of this album (CPL2-5042) is still in demand because there are much fewer available. Global sales of decent copies have ranged in between the $35 - $50 range. This copy has NEVER been played and the Vinyl is in glossy Mint condition. Absent a slight 1/4" separation of the cover at the bottom corner this gatefold cover is in extraordinary condition. All albums ship in 'Invest In Vinyl' 3 Mil plastic sleeves to protect your complete package!
price rating
