News from Babel was an English avant-rock supergroup formed by Henry Cow veterans Chris Cutler, Lindsay Cooper, and Dagmar Krause. They mixed cabaret and art pop on the 1984–86 Rē albums Work Resumed on the Tower and Letters Home, the latter with Robert Wyatt. Members: Chris Cutler (drums, electronics, percussion, marimba), Dagmar Krause (vocals), Zeena Parkins […]
Slapp Happy was a multi-national art-pop trio, formed in Hamburg, Germany, in 1972 by American singer/songwriter Peter Blegvad, English avant-garde musician Anthony Moore, and German cabaret singer Dagmar Krause. They debuted with a UK/German release on Polydor, followed in 1974 by Casablanca Moon on Virgin. In 1975, Virgin paired them with avant-rockers Henry Cow for […]
Letters Home is the second of two albums by avant-garde/art-rock supergroup News from Babel, released in 1986 on Rē Records. Tracklist: A1. “Who Will Accuse?” (2:39) A2. “Heart of Stone (Megalopolis)” (3:04) A3. “Banknote” (3:20) A4. “Moss” (3:58) A5. “A Dragon at the Core” (4:43) B1. “Dark Matter” (4:22) B2. “Waited/ Justice” (5:09) B3. “Fast […]
In Praise of Learning is a collaborative album between English avant-garde/jazz-rock quintet Henry Cow and multinational folk/pop trio Slapp Happy, released in May 1975 on Virgin Records. Musically, the album deviates from the chamber/free-jazz approach of prior Cow efforts with a rockier edge replete with vocals — something lacking from all earlier recordings apart from […]
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 […]
