Slapp Happy / Henry Cow ‎– Desperate Straights (1975)

Desperate Straights is one of two albums by the merged entities of multinational cabaret/pop trio Slapp Happy and English avant-garde/jazz-rockers Henry Cow, released in February 1975 on Virgin. Characterized primarily by the trio’s art-pop style, the album was recorded during the same sessions that produced the more Cow-dominated In Praise of Learning, released the following May.

Tracklist:
A1. “Some Questions About Hats” (1:53)
A2. “The Owl” (2:17)
A3. “A Worm Is at Work” (1:52)
A4. “Bad Alchemy” (3:06)
A5. “Europa” (2:48)
A6. “Desperate Straights” (4:14)
A7. “Riding Tigers” (2:02)
B1. “Apes in Capes” (2:16)
B2. “Strayed” (1:54)
B3. “Giants” (1:57)
B4. “Excerpt From the Messiah” (1:49)
B5. “In the Sickbay” (2:09)
B6. “Caucasian Lullaby” (8:25)

Credits:
Dagmar Krause — vocals, Wurlitzer, songwriter
Peter Blegvad — guitar, vocals, cover art, artwork, songwriter
Anthony Moore — piano, songwriter
John Greaves — bass, piano, songwriter
Chris Cutler — drums, songwriter
Tim Hodgkinson — clarinet, piano
Fred Frith — guitar, violin
Geoff Leigh — flute
Muchsin Campbell — French horn
Mongezi Feza — trumpet
Nick Evans — trombone
Lindsay Cooper — bassoon, oboe
Pierre Moerlen — percussion

Slapp Happy — producer
Henry Cow — producer
Simon Heyworth — producer
Georg Friedrich Händel — composer (B4)