Bob Stanley & Pete Wiggs Present: English Weather

A fascinating compilation, English Weather shines a light on a very particular period of UK rock. The flavour of the tracks on the album is described well in compiler Bob Stanley’s sleeve notes as “melodic, melancholy with jazz and folk touches and the same similar shrug of resignation”. Stanley’s thesis paints UK rock and pop music of 1970-1971 as staggering about in a no man’s land between psychedelia and progressive rock but, like all shorthand, it tells only half the story. The other half – the development of the singer-songwriter, the growth of heavy rock and the early stirrings of the pop revival emerging in glam – is as detailed in David Hepworth’s book, 1971. There’s none of that here. Instead, the overwhelming emotion in these songs is downbeat pessimism, and many of them sound as if they’d been recorded by musicians suffering from massive hangovers which, in a sense they were, at the “end of the Aquarian dream”, as Stanley labels the era.The compilation has been expertly assembled so, while there are no poor tracks, neither does any one really stand out. However, worthy of note are the lovely symphonic ballad “JLT” by T2, the wonderfully strange collision of folk, prog and Eno-esque vocal washes in “Watching White Stars” by the Way We Live, and the affecting folk ballad “Bottles” by Belle Gonzalez, brought to life with a great string arrangement by Jimmy Horowitz reminiscent of Jean-Claude Vannier’s work. And the BBC Radio 1 Sounds of the Seventies/Top Gear favourite, Matching Mole’s O Caroline, arguably Robert Wyatt’s best vocal from the ‘70s, is always welcome.To preserve its musical unity, the compilation sometimes strays a little far from its underlying proposition that the songs are a product of end-of-the-60s UK rock nihilism: John Cale hardly qualifies as a proto-prog UK musician, having lived and recorded in the US for over 5 years by 1971, the Daevid Allen track is from 1976 and it’s difficult to shake the suspicion that the inclusion of two library music tracks, whilst complementing the atmosphere of the album perfectly, have been included purely for obscurity value, as pretty much no-one would have actually heard them at the time. And you suspect that thirty-something session musicians and composers Roger Webb, Alan Parker and Alan Hawkshaw were probably not hanging out in Ladbroke Grove in 1971, drowning their regrets over the failure of the 60s’ dream with cheap wine and Mandrax.But that’s being picky. There are few compilation albums that evoke a mood and a sense of time and place as skilfully as English Weather. If you are at all interested in early 70s rock it’s well worth your time.One issue - more than half of Bob Stanley’s introductory notes appear to be missing from the CD booklet –the text on the Ace website page for the album seems to contain the full version. Apart from that, the 16 page booklet is just fine and contains well-written illuminating notes on each track.Also recommended if you are keen to dig further into this era: the Mixed Up Minds series of compilations on Particles, a less focussed take on the same period concentrating on pop rather than rock. Up to volume 11 and still going, I think.

In a parallel universe somewhere, time has frozen at 2.45 on a dreary afternoon in February 1970. The rain is not heavy but it is persistent. There is weak, sweet tea to drink.This CD is the soundtrack to that universe.I''m not sure I can add much to the other reviews, except to increase the chorus of approval. As the other reviews have noted, this is the musical sound of the morning after the decade before, with musicians responding to the disillusion of the early '70s as the Utopian dreams of the '60s rapidly fade into the distance. Or to ashes, depending on how gloomy you're feeling.The sounds here are mostly from prog bands operating in the focused, melodic settings of their range. Whether their response to their saddened times is conscious or nay, it's expressed with a stiff, if heavily moustachioed, upper lip and the overall mood is melancholic rather than miserable. My favourite track is Matching Mole's "O Caroline". Yours may vary. It matters not. What matters is how Stanley and Wiggs' selections sustain the exquisite mood throughout the CD, and what an insight it offers into a very specific time in our musical and social history.A fantastic and unique compilation.

You probably don’t need me to tell you that Bob Stanley’s compilations are generally essential purchases. For “English Weather” he has teamed up with Saint Etienne bandmate Pete Wiggs. As the liner notes state.."The autumnal sound of Britain at the turn of the 70s, looking out through wet window panes to a new decade with a mixture of melancholy and optimism for what might come next. With The Beatles gone and the pound sinking, a new and distinctive sound emerges, led by flutes and mellotrons."It’s great. I’ve long had a strong attraction for that immediate post-hippy era - the chilly, autumnal no mans land, the hangover after the party - when it was clear the counterculture had failed with nothing to replace the shattered dreams.I have been playing this incessantly since getting it a few weeks ago. Superb.

I received this on a suitably rainy day here in Edinburgh. Shame the comp wasn't entitled 'British Weather' given the non-English representation included, but that's just me wanting to feel included too no doubt :-)I'm not familiar with most of the artists represented but had faith in Pete and Bob to deliver (thoroughly recommend their Paris 1968 comp too) and, as hoped, that faith was not misplaced. The CD sets a pleasantly lazy early 70s vibe which is, thankfully, not overly self-indulgent as a fair amount of 'serious' rock was becoming at that time. Nor does it float too close to the folky whimsy of other music of the period (check out some of the content of Grapefruit's 'Dust on the Nettles' comp) but does introduce some interesting stuff I'd previously been unaware of. Mission accomplished then, cheers.One little niggle though. The sleeve-notes start with a story about Bob taking shelter from the rain in a Newcastle record shop and, I assume, this provided the spark for the compilation. May have been nice had this been more explicit and a shout given to the shop or a full credit/thanks given to Craig behind the counter. Looking at the notes it seems almost as if a paragraph doing just that may have been missed out as Bob's story doesn't really conclude but rather goes straight in to the (really interesting) track notes. As I say, a minor quibble and one which has nothing to do with the music.

Unusual album sleeve, but fits the music well, a nicely put together prog compilation with some obscure tracks, always interesting and harks back to the days of listening to john peel on my tranny in bedroom after school homework. Before life got complicated with having to pay for your own stuff, psycho girlfriends, office politics, insomnia, anxiety attacks, nutters on the streets, maggie thatcher, mortgages, family fallouts, scroungers, queues everywhere,