Episode 1

Looking at the origins of the so-called "Canterbury Sound": first singles, first albums, early recordings, etc.

Listen Here
1. Soft Machine — "Why Are We Sleeping?" (from The Soft Machine, 1968)

2. Gong — "A Sprinkling of Clouds" (live somewhere in the UK, 1974 from the Gong Appreciation Society tape You Do Have to Give Up Dope)

3. Steve Hillage — "Canterbury Sunrise" → "Hiram Afterglid Meets the Dervish" (from Fish Rising, 1975)

4. The Wilde Flowers — "Impotence" (from The Wilde Flowers compilation, 1994)

5. Caravan — "Hello Hello" (first single, 1968 — wrong! see below...)

6. Caravan — "Place of My Own" (from Caravan, 1968)

7. Kevin Ayers — "Singing a Song in the Morning" (first solo single, 1969)

8. Kevin Ayers — "Lady Rachel" (from Joy of a Toy, 1969)

9. The Wilde Flowers — "Parchman Farm" (from The Wilde Flowers compilation, 1994)

10. Egg — "Symphony 2: Movement 4" (from Egg, 1970)

11. Arzachel (Uriel) — "The Garden of Earthly Delights" (from Arzachel, 1969)

12. Syd Arthur — "Secrets of the Planet Soul" (from Kingdoms of Experience EP, 2008)

13. Syd Arthur + The Quartet — "Facelift" (recorded live at Orange Street Music Club, Canterbury 2009-05-01)

14. Soft Machine — "Love Makes Sweet Music" (first single, 1967)

15. Soft Machine interview (BBC? 1966 or 1967?)

16. Hatfield and the North — "Calyx" → "Son of 'There's No Place Like Homerton'" (from Hatfield and the North, 1974)

17. Spirogyra — "Cogwheels, Crutches and Cyanide" (from St. Radigunds, 1971)

18. The Daevid Allen Trio — "Capacity Travel" (from Live 1963, released 1993)

19. Robert Wyatt — "To Caravan and Brother Jim" (from The End of an Ear, 1970)

20. Matching Mole — "Dedicated to Hugh But You Weren't Listening" → "Beer as in Braindeer" (from Matching Mole, 1972)

21. Hugh Hopper — "Minipax I" (from 1984, 1972)

22. Gorky's Zygotic Mynci — "Why Are We Sleeping?" (from Llanfwrog EP, 1995)

23. Kevin Ayers — "Ballbearing Blues" (from The Confessions of Dr. Dream and Other Stories, 1974)

[voiceover ambience: Soft Machine — "Out-Bloody-Rageous" (from Third, 1970)]

Errata: In this episode I'm in error about the date of that version of The Wilde Flowers' "Impotence". This turns out to have been recorded, post-Wildflowers, on August 6th, 1969, in a London studio, some of the members (plus Mike Ratledge on organ) having decided to revisit some of their old repertoire. "Parchman Farm" was taken from a session which took place at Wout Steenhuis' studio in Broadstairs, Kent on 16th March 1965. More detail on all this here. I'm also completely wrong about "Hello Hello" — this was Caravan's second single, the first having been "Place of My Own" in 1968. "Hello Hello" wasn't released until August 1970 and did feature on an album (their second one). I don't know how I missed that!