KHAN "SPACE SHANTY" DERAM SDL-R-11 UK ORIG *RARE* EGG

	£		30
	$		40

YOU ARE BIDDING ON KHAN's "SPACE SHANTY" - VERY RARE AND COLLECTABLE!!!!

NOTE: THIS IS A VERY RARE 1st ISSUE BY FUTURE MEMBERS OF EGG AND GONG!!!

MATRIX NUMERS ARE: ZAL-11366.P-1W / ZAL-11367.P-1W

CONDITION:-

Cover:     EX  MINOR RINGWEAR ON FRONT & REAR, (SEE PHOTO)

Inner:      ORIGINAL FACTORY INNER SLEEVE

Vinyl:       VG+  - SCUFFS & MINOR SCRATCHES THAT DO NOT INTERFERE WITH PLAY!

Space Progressive Acid Rock with Steve Hillage & Dave Stewart from Arzachel, later in EGG

 

Studio Album, released in 1972

Track Listings

1. Space Shanty (8:59)
2. Stranded (6:35)
3. Mixed Up Man Of The Mountains (7:14)
4. Driving To Amsterdam (9:22)
5. Stargazers (5:32)
6. Hollow Stone (8:16)

Total Time : 46:09

Line-up/Musicians

- Nick Greenwood / bass, vocals
- Steve Hillage / guitars, vocals
- Eric Peachy / drums
- Dave Stewart / organ, piano, skyceleste, marimbas

Progarchives reviews 

Review by Sean Trane
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Prog-Folk Specialist Another one of those albums that is a prime example of one of the facets of Canterbury- style prog . Khan started much sooner than this release and came after Egg , Arzachel/Uriel (early Egg plus Hillage ) and was the first album after Hillage came back from university. They made one album and then he went on to GonG and the solo carreer we are all familiar with.

As for the music , this is solid prog rock with slight jazz influences ( Canterbury , right?) with a very solid line-up . The vocals are parsimonious but present , leaving the music do the talking . Strictly from memory , one number is relatively weaker than the rest ( on an otherwise very even album ) , I think it is Mountains , but cannot be sure because my album is on loan.

Report this review (#31552) | Posted Wednesday, June 23, 2004 | Review Permalink

Review by loserboy
PROG REVIEWER Now here is an album you have to track down for sure ! KHAN’s "Space Shanty" is a scrumptious album full of Steve HILLAGE’s vintage psychy-blues guitar playing with perhaps Dave Stewart’s best Hammond work ever ! Overall the music really covers the Canterbury prog psych genre with some wicked tones and instrumental interplay. "Space Shanty" is really 6 interrelated songs giving the listener a very conceptual feel throughout the album. Musically this guys hit dimensions of YES, DRUID, CARAVAN and even CAMEL. For those familiar with HILLAGE’s ARZACHEL will simple drool over "Space Shanty" and in many ways takes ARZACHEL and pulls it out of the psych into the centerbury.. of course ARZACHEL is another classic as well.This is simply a must-have mind-blowing recording with some great expressionism.

Report this review (#31553) | Posted Thursday, June 24, 2004 | Review Permalink

Review by greenback
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Neo-Prog Specialist   Steve Hillage and Dave Stewart made this English/Dutch-styled remarkable album. The music corresponds to the progressive Canterbury style; you listen to it from the beginning to the end with a great satisfaction. Hillage is very structured on this record: he plays a coherent electric guitar that participates to the music, although he sometimes add some psychedelic & spacey guitar sounds, a bit like on his solo albums. Hillage sometimes uses acoustic guitars, which soothes the already mellow music. The tracks sound a bit like Hatfield & the North and Caravan, since the keyboards are quite similar: one can recognize the typical lagged wah-wah organ of the Canterbury style and some electric piano notes. Dave Stewart gives some effects to his basic keyboards, and I must admit the result is quite impressive. The lead & backing vocals are a STRONG point here: the male vocals are rather highly pitched, perfectly suited for the Canterbury style. I'm sure the album is not very well known, but it should!

Rating: 4.5 stars

Report this review (#31554) | Posted Tuesday, July 13, 2004 | Review Permalink

Review by Gatot
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator   Canterbury Progressive Rock album that you should not miss!

What prog music would look like if Khan is still alive? That’s really a very tough question to answer because as we know it later that the band is actually a “one album” band and short lived. The history of the band is centered around Steve Hillage (guitar player, vocals, and songwriter / composer), Canterbury alumnae who invited Nick Greenwood (bass, vocals co-writer of one song “Mixed Up man of The Mountain”), Pip Pyle (drums) and Dick Henningham (organ). Pip Pyle then decided to join GONG and was later replaced by Eric Peachey. Just before the band entered studio to record the first album (that it turned out to be the only one), organist Henningham left the band. Hillage summoned his old mate Dave Stewart and asked him to play on the album, which Stewart of course did on the spot. That’s why there is a special note on the back cover of the LP that says: “Our special thanks to DAVE STEWART who fitted in our sessions in between commitments with his band Egg”. As a matter of fact we knew it later that Dave Stewart plays wonderful organ work in this album that has become his sound trademark. No one would argue with it if s/he listens to this record!

The term “Canterbury” has made an automatic reference to a heavy jazz-influence music, while the music of KHAN was composed in the structure of rock music actually (my view). That’s why I categorized KHAN music as Canterbury Progressive Rock. Sounds weird, doesn’t it? But, look at its structure and compositions, you might agree with me. Historically, I knew the band in its early year of release, 1972, through two songs only “Space Shanty” and “Mixed Up Man of The Mountain”. The songs were recorded at the leftover space of C60 cassette of Uriah Heep “Demons and Wizards”. But at the time I knew nothing about jazz or Canterbury, therefore I associate KHAN music as typical hard rock music (in the vein of Heep, Purple, etc) with some flavors of improvisation. It’s in the direction of bands like Hatfield and The North, National Health, Egg. Only couple years later, I knew the full album of the band from friend’s LP. I was amazed by the wonderful composition and performance of the band through this debut album.

Let’s have a look at track level …

Space Shanty (Hillage)

The song starts with a music that sounds like an ending part of a song but it continues with a quieter passage when the vocal sings “I need you and you need me …” in a punctuated, low register notes style. It’s a very classic rock style and memorable. The intertwining work of organ and guitar at approx min 1:27 (not exact, as I’m refering it through an LP) is really fantastic here – after the opening vocal line. The bassline is also wonderful. The music then enters a smooth transition that later brings the music into a faster tempo style demonstrating great organ solo augmented with stunning guitar solo and dynamic bass line. The drum helps accentuate the song especially in filling in the in between spots. It turns then to a beautiful guitar solo that serves as a transition to next style of organ work that later brings the music back to the original tagline melody. I observe the bass guitar has gone really crazy in this part as it sounds very dynamic in forming the solid composition. The vocal returns back to the music at the ending part – in quieter mood, augmented with soft organ, guitar fills and great bassline and drumming. I’m fully satisfied with this superb track!

Stranded (Hillage)

It opens with a simple acoustic guitar rhythm with a soft background of organ. The vocal line enters in a slow tempo style. Again, I observe an excellent bass guitar and powerful voice quality. At approx min 2:55 the music turns louder and quieter again to let the organ enters for a short solo. The bassline plays important role during transition and set the atmosphere for double guitar solo work followed with acoustic guitar solo. The vocal returns back to the music with the same opening melody. It’s a nice mellow track, packed with an excellent music. It ends up with a transition piece in atmospheric mood to set the tone for next beautiful track.

Mixed Up Man of The Mountain (Hillage, Greenwood)

The opening nuances of this song is really fantastic: a repeated guitar fills with wonderful organ played softly and great singing. The music then enters in its full swing in medium tempo with an obvious dynamic bass guitar. At approx min 2:00 the music turns quieter that features voice line and soft organ and guitar work. At the end of singing, the music turns into faster tempo with improvisation works of bass, guitar, and organ. It’s a wonderful interlude, I would say! This is the part where the influence of jazz is so obvious. The vocal choir is also excellent. The guitar solo during the ending passage is stunning!

Driving to Amsterdam (Hillage)

The opening part of this track is truly a Canterbury outfit with great organ work augmented with guitar fills. Sometimes the two instruments play together with the same notes. Fantastic opening! The vocal line then enters to the music and makes an excellent composition harmony. “We look ahead for miles down our avenues of lights …” is a very nice lyrical passage that brings me to a full enjoyment listening to this track. Again, guitar and organ harmony augmented with dynamic bass guitar has made an excellent music passage. Another lyrical passage that I used to emulate is “Staring at the ground for I knew not what to do ….” Uuughhh …. Mannnn ….!!! That’s really wonderful passage that is very hard to forget. It’s damn memorable! (especially if you also observe the soft organ work that plays at background).

Stargazers (Hillage)

It starts Canterbury style with a complex composition combining organ work, drumming, bass and guitar that turns quieter when the vocal sings “Open your eyes if you dare ….”. Yes, I can sell a heavy influence of jazz music in this song, but its’ not any typical kind of jazz you may encounter in the market. It’s probably the kind like Egg, Hatfield and the North, National Health, etc. I like the music has a very strong punctuation in many segments of the album.

Hollow Stone (Hillage)

It a mellow track with a nice vocal line. Instead of jazz and rock influence, I can smell the influence of blues as well. This time the guitar and organ are played in a soft way but still maintain wonderful solos. It’s a great track to conclude this masterpiece album.

OVERALL: Highly Recommended!

This is a true masterpiece of prog rock album that you should not miss. Oh by the way, I forget to mention that all songs in this album have a very nice and strong melody on top of tight musical composition and immaculate performance by the four members of the band. As I’m aware the standard CD version is currently out of print. If you are lucky, there is a replica version printed in Japan. The enhanced CD version is currently being released internationally. You may check your local store or internet shop. But seriously, this is a great album. After release of this album, the band tried to make an effort for the follow-up record but it failed to do so and ended up with a Steve Hillage solo album “Fish Rising”. Keep on Progging!

Progressively yours,

GW – Indonesia.

Report this review (#31558) | Posted Monday, January 24, 2005 | Review Permalink

Review by Proghead
PROG REVIEWER   This is perhaps the one Canterbury album that's is most strictly progressive rock, without the fusion elements or the whimsical nature many of their brethren (HATFIELD & THE NORTH, CARAVAN). Certainly there are some jazz elements in some of the passages, but not fusion. Dave Stewart (not of the Eurythmics fame) had already been a member of EGG, and Steve HILLAGE was in an early version of that band when they were known as URIEL and ARZACHEL. This early lineup did record as ARZACHEL (with the famous contractual difficulties that forced the band to record under pseudonymns). HIKKAGE left and then came EGG as we know them with two albums under their belt. HILLAGE went to study at Kent University. EGG broke up by 1971 following the release of "The Polite Force", and came KHAN. HILLAGE intended to form the band with bassist Nick Greenwood (ex-CRAZY WORLD OF ARTHUR BROWN), drummer Eric Peachy and keyboardist Dick Henningham, but then Dave Stewart came around and Henningham was out of the picture, which established KHAN as we know them.

"Space Shanty" was released in 1972 on Deram, which was the same label Egg was recording for. It was their only album. And even if you're not fond of bands like GONG or HATFIELD & THE NORTH, no problem here as the music is straight-up progressive rock, dominated by the organ of Dave Stewart and guitar of Steve HILLAGE. HILLAGE at this point had yet to develop his trademark lead guitar like you hear on the GONG albums (or his solo albums, of course), although there is a guitar solo on the title track that points to the style he would perfect with GONG. The album starts off with the title track, which goes through several changes. I especially like the guitar solo that I already mentioned. There are some jazzy passages as well, not of the HATFILD & THE NORTH or NATIONAL HEATH variety of fusion. "Stranded" features some use of electric piano, it's more or less a ballad, but then there's a heavy guitar and organ solo in the middle. It segues in to "Effervescent Psychonovelty No. 5" which is some bizarre messing about with Stewart's Wurlitzer electric piano, which then segues in the the next actual piece, "Mixed Up Man of the Mountains". This piece is quite '70s sounding, especially the vocals and organ. The band gets in to a jazzy passage in the middle. The rest of the album more or less is the same, you're not exactly sure what to expect. While the whole album is pretty much early '70s progressive rock, there is still that Canterbury element of fuzz organ (of the David Sinclair and Mike Ratledge variety), that Dave Stewart uses throughout the album, although there's some occasional use of the heavy fuzz organ that's more typical of a DEEP PURPLE or ATOMIC ROOSTER album. Plus he also uses the normal Hammond organ sound as well. Unlike HATFIELD & THE NORTH, he pretty much kept the electric piano to only one cut, letting his organ dominate the rest of the album.

We all know what happened to KHAN after this: they broke up, HILLAGE teamed up briefly with Kevin Ayers, before joining GONG (then leaving by 1975 to pursue a solo career), and Dave Stewart forming HATFIELD & THE NORTH with two albums under their belt, a brief Egg reunion in 1974 (with the album "The Polite Force"), then playing on HILLAGE's own "Fish Rising", playing with Bill BRUFORD's band (no one could have ever imagined Bill BRUFORD being associated with the Canterbury scene when he was still a member of YES and then KING CRIMSON, but he did when he formed his own band that had Dave Stewart in it) and with NATIONAL HEATH (which BRUFORD was in briefly, before PIP PYLE stepped in).

By the way, while the original version of "Space Shanty" was released on Deram in 1972, in 1978 it received an American release on the PVC label (which was related to Passport Records, some Passport titles ended up on PVC, like the later version of Anthony PHILLIPS' "The Geese & the Ghost"). This American version describes the history of the band on the back cover, and the front cover now said "Featuring Steve HILLAGE and Dave Stewart" (but still with the original artwork intact), which the original did not have. They did that to advertise who was in this band probably to sell a few copies to the American audience (since HILLAGE had by this point been an established solo artist, his album "Green" being his then-latest effort).

Regardless how you feel of the Canterbury scene, this is the one Canterbury album I most highly recommend for the more traditionally prog-minded out there. And of course, those who are fans of GONG, EGG, and HATFIELD & THE NORTH, because of the musicians involved.

Report this review (#31561) | Posted Wednesday, May 04, 2005 | Review Permalink

Review by erik neuteboom
PROG REVIEWER   This re-release (2 bonustracks, running time 55 minutes) CD is originally an album from 1972 with 6 songs. It featured two ‘Canterbury legends’ named Steve Hillage (Gong) and Dave Stewart (Hatfield And The North and National Health) and both played together in the great bands Arzachel and Egg. The dynamic rhythm-section on this CD consists of Nick Greenwood (bass and vocals) and Eric Peachey (drums) but the focus is on mr. Hillage and Stweart, they are colouring the compositions with their distinctive play, loaded with breaks, soli and shifting moods. Steve Hillage his guitarplay alternates from lues and rock to spacey, from dreamy twanging guitar to moving soli and fiery and biting licks. Dave Stewart is a master on the Hammond organ along other keyboards, skyceleste and marimba. The vocals are good and the compositions are elaborated. EXCITING PROGROCK!!

www.progwalhalla.com

Report this review (#38891) | Posted Friday, July 08, 2005 | Review Permalink

Review by Trotsky
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator   Space Shanty was a one-off shot by a little-known group led by soon-to be Gong star Steve Hillage. This inspired work is almost certainly the rockiest and least jazzy album to emerge from the vibrant Canterbury scene, thus rendering it among the most accessible. Khan's lyrics and vocals may be passable at best, but there are some incredible exchanges from two Canterbury icons Hillage and keyboardist Dave Stewart (who also starred in Egg, Hatfield And The North and National Health) and that alone makes this record indispensible.

Khan is not as typically quirky as the likes of Hatfield, no does it have quite the trippy vibes of Gong or indeed the Hillage masterpiece Fish Rising, but my goodness when our heroes get going, this is truly compelling stuff (I must say that the rhythm section of bassist Nick Greenwood, who also handles most lead vocals, and Eric Peachy aren't outstanding, but they are far from weak either).

My favourite pieces are the free-flowing (and occassionally hard-rocking!) title track, Mixed Up Man Of The Mountains (which starts off with a great blues-rock riff before launching into a kick-ass exchange of solos between our two heroes, with some great basswork from Greenwood thrown in as well) and Driving To Amsterdam (which alternately rages and reflects) but they are all good. Stranded is a dreamier, laid-back electric piano dominated piece that curiously evokes an image of a ragged-sounding America, also features a rare acoustic guitar solo from Hillage. Hollow Stone Escape Of The Space Pirates is a charming Caravanesque psych epic that includes a mesmerizing multi-tracked solo from Hillage and Stargazer also has some dizzying moments.

Even though it's a hard album to track down, I'm going to have to insist that you do. I seriously doubt you'll regret it. ... 84% on the MPV scale

Report this review (#41043) | Posted Sunday, July 31, 2005 | Review Permalink

Review by lor68
PROG REVIEWER   The label Deram (remember the works of Caravan but also the early Camel in the period of "The Snow Goose"...) could deserve a major attention as for this Canterburian work, only by means of the modern compact discs, which make us re-discover another very interesting work like this, along with others...well the contribution of Dave Stewart (already mastermind of the ensemble called "Egg" and afterwards such a great composer with Bill Bruford and National Health), with the collaboration of Steve Hilage, at that time a rising star of such light experimental progressive, are important examples of the old 70's Canterburian style. Their remarkable approach can be appreciated in a few but remarkable epic numbers such as "Stargazers", "Space shanty" or "Escape of the space pirets".All the typical features, regarding the famous school that was developed afterwards by Hatfield and the North and Gong (without forgetting the ensemble of Soft Machine), are present here, especially the well structured and simple harmonic solutions at the guitar, except on the psychedelic elements...check it out anyway!!

Report this review (#43536) | Posted Saturday, August 20, 2005 | Review Permalink

Review by BaldFriede
PROG REVIEWER   This is one of the collaborations of Steve Hillage and Dave Stewart. There is something strange about this album: It really is not anything special, good melodious prog with lots of soloing from both Hillage and Stewart, supported by a very solid rhythm section, and yet...

For some reason this album haunts me, and I return to it again and again. Is it the excellent interplay of Hillage and Stewart? Is it the huge variety of meters on the album (about every meter up to 13/8 is present on it)? It is an eerie quality I can't quite grasp. The rational half of my mind tells me I should give this album 3 stars, but it is too close to my heart for that. On the other hand the 5 stars my heart would not be justified, as my brain tells me, so I will give it 4.

Report this review (#48329) | Posted Sunday, September 25, 2005 | Review Permalink

Review by Certif1ed
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator   Make the time investment and this one pays dividends

The opening few minutes would have you believe that "Space Shanty" is, in fact, a Deep Purple tribute album: The opening crashing chord echoing, in a small way, the beginning of "In Rock" (U.K. Release), and the slightly cheesey riff that follows, topped off with cheesey lyrics makes you wonder if you're about to suffer a somewhat sub- par Purple outing.

But there's something happening in the percussion dept; the drum licks twist and turn around the riff. Then, at 1:20 or so, we are told that we can "Stop feeling confused", as the vocal melody takes an unexpected turn, and the music steps down in what we can now recognise as a Hillage trademark - this motif appears later on Fish Rising, L and Green.

Now the music enters into a more unique proggy atmosphere, and more Hillage trademarks ease themselves out of the background, the bass and keyboards winding around creating an organically developing sonic soundscape. Around 3:00, the bass presents a riff with some urgency, building up nicely into a development from some other world! A minute later, there is an unexpected twist and we enter some kind of bizarre fairground before soaring off into a sublime HIllage solo. The music snakes and twists through more moods than it should really be possible to twist through, showcasing Hillage's inventiveness to the max. When the vocals are reprised, however, it feels a bit of a let-down.

I'm put in mind of Gentle Giant in the sheer inventiveness of it all, the "soft" harmonies and the consistently strong and tight musicianship. There are almost too many ideas in this track - anyone looking for simple, repetitive riffs will not find anything to latch on to and may feel somewhat lost.

"Stranded" begins gently, and again, Hillage's style is stamped all over the music, and his vocals shine well, without being ambitious. Dave Stewarts keyboards are sublime, although I'd really like to hear more. Nick Greenwood's bass ambles around, keeping everything moving. Around 3:00, my prayers are kind of answered, with a complete change and all-too-brief keyboard solo, but it's the jazzy double guitar solo around 4:00 that really captivates... then Hillage picks up the acoustic... I wonder how this was carried off live.

At 6:00, I am assuming that we are hearing "Effervescent Psycho Novelty No. 5" - a most sublime and spacey little afterthought to the piece.

"Mixed Up Man of the Mountains" picks up from the sublime spacey feel, kicking into a rather basic riff - it is apparent that vocal sections are not really a strength of this band, although there's nothing desparately wrong with them, they're not particularly progressive as a rule. It's the instrumental textures and sonic soundscapes that really stand out here.

Around 2:40 we get a great instrumental section - I am reminded of Camel quite strongly (a year or so before the release of the debut by the latter). However, Dave Stewart's style is very different to Bardens, and we soon move into more "way out" and experimental territory.

The vocal harmony section at 4:30 is quite brilliant, and the guitar solo section that follows is amazing, not just for the solo, but also for the instrumental backing, and the impressive way that it is woven into a single complex texture. Around 6:20 we are treated to a really hard-rockin' driving section that I would have liked to have heard MUCH more of.

The truly amazing thing about all of this is that, like Gentle Giant, it all feels improvised, but is quite clearly not just a jam. Real prog, ladies and gentlemen!

There is so much happening in the music that I really don't want to spoil any more surprises. "Driving to Amsterdam" is more of the same, "Stargazers" has a phenomenal intro, and a wonderful jazz-flavoured instrumental section, and "Hollow Stone" has the fantastic "Escape of the Space Pilots" burn-out.

The main thing that drags this album down from masterpiece status is that despite the myriad ideas, the perfection in execution the masterful developments and wonderful sudden changes, somehow it ends up sounding rather samey, overall, as the exploration is within a fairly narrow musical field, and a single style is stamped all over the music.

That is not necessarily a bad thing, as more of the same of this kind of stuff is exactly what I want from this album, and it is a masterpiece in itself. However, in the broader field of Prog Rock, it is not, as it does end up a little predictable (for prog!) - and the vocal sections, on the whole, let the whole thing down. Blemishes too big to go unnoticed, sadly.

The instrumental sections are so good that it's worth sitting through the vocal sections for them, and lead me to recommend this album to ANYONE exploring progressive music - despite the fact that I can't bring myself to call it a masterpiece of the genre. A purchase that you will not regret.

Prog Rating (Is it progressive): 9.5/10

Rock Rating (Does it rock?): 9/10

Creativity Rating (Are the artists pushing their style to the limits?): 7/10 (10/10 for Steve Hillage).

Musicianship Rating (Do the artists execute the music well?): 8/10 (10/10 for Steve!)

Enjoyment Rating (Do I like it?): 9/10

Total : 42.5/50 = 85%. Technically 5 stars, but dragged down by the vocal sections.

Report this review (#50060) | Posted Wednesday, October 05, 2005 | Review Permalink

Review by Tom Ozric
PROG REVIEWER The time has come for me to submit my thoughts on this album. Personally I have a strong obsession with this album so I couldn't rate it less than 6 stars - heck, it is one of my top 10 prog albums I've ever heard, period !!! The mix is perfect ; awesome Bass playing from Nick Greenwood (whose rare solo album 'Cold Cuts' should be included on the Archives - superb, bluesy proto-prog with symphonic and psych touches - 5 star for sure), Eric Peachy's precise Drumming, Hillage's out-of-this-world spacey guitaring and my favourite, or let that be OUR favourite, keyboard player Dave Stewart, with his trademark Fuzz- Organ taking equal lead with Hillage's guitar. I can't add more to what has been already said about this album - Hillage is GOD, and anything with Stewart's buzz-saw organ rates highly for me. For those music lovers who go for super spacey guitar work and outrageous organ playing with a tight, busy rhythm section - this is THE ONE. Half Space- Rock and half Canterbury - I guess I could go on.....and on.....

Report this review (#89234) | Posted Friday, September 08, 2006 | Review Permalink

Review by sinkadotentree
PROG REVIEWER   How great is this to see Steve Hillage and Dave Stewart so early in their careers,before Steve's solo stuff and GONG and HATFIELD AND THE NORTH and NATIONAL HEALTH.This was Steve's project and he asked Dave to play on the record to which he obviously obliged.The highlight for me on this record is the interplay between the hammond organ of Dave Stewart and the guitar of Steve Hillage,it's all over this album and it makes me giddy! The first song "Space Shanty" is mostly an instrumental,but the vocals that appear are very good,but check out the guitar solo and the riffs and the wonderful organ play.Both men do a solo on "Stranded"."Mixed Up Man of the Mountain" features some emotional vocals,and more organ,guitar interplay."Driving to Amsterdam" is a catchy song with some seering guitar."Stargazers" begins with a guitar,organ melody.Man! Can Hillage play or what?"Hollow Stone" features some fantastic drumming and Steve comes in at the end of the song on fire!The singing on this record is terrific and fits very well,as a matter of fact i can't find anything i don't like about this album.

Report this review (#96035) | Posted Saturday, October 28, 2006 | Review Permalink

Review by clarke2001
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Eclectic Prog Team   There are several albums that I consider as a truly masterpieces of progressive rock and music in general. All of them are flawless, challenging, and you will discover something new every time you put it in your CD player. However, there are as many tastes as individuals themselves and every masterpiece is not for everyone. There is no point to convince someone that some symphonic progressive album is a masterpiece, if that person prefers, let's say, fusion, or progressive metal or something else. You have to be careful every time and to check even the albums of highest rank.

However, KHAN's "Space Shanty" is maybe the only album that I could easily recommend to literally anyone. It's got the artistic value, the history value, the methodology value. It is undoubtedly a masterpiece and I can't imagine anyone disliking this one, with all the respect for the differences.

The most difficult thing is to explain why it is so good. Well, I'm not sure how to explain, but there is no absolutely one single second of filler time on the record, all the songs are perfectly floating into into another (although this is not a concept album), and all the tracks are well-balanced instrument-wise, representing the perfect, homogenic blend of styles at the same time. Musicians are the top class, providing us enjoyable moments all the time without any unnecessary virtuoso extravaganza. Hillage's solos are unique and gorgeous, and again so unmistakeably his very own. Stewart gave us here the fines Hammond sound in rock history, with palette with chosen timbres which are fitting perfectly into the story. Incredible.

Report this review (#98471) | Posted Sunday, November 12, 2006 | Review Permalink

PROG REVIEWER   I’ve to admit I wasn’t aware of this wonderful album before one or two years ago but I just can confirm what other reviewers wrote already about it. This one and only release by short-living formation Khan featuring Steve Hillage and Dave Stewart had been one of the most pleasant but as well very sophisticated records in the Canterbury style. The six tracks on here are offering a highly versatile and interesting style mix between jazz and hard progressive rock with some classical leanings and a very slight space touch mainly due to Hillage’s echoed guitar solos. There are plenty sudden rhythm breaks and frequent shifts from mellow to hard rocking sections. Dave Stewart presented here one of his most energetic and powerful organ work, especially in his solos. What else can I say that hadn’t been told yet elsewhere? Actually it’s hard to name any highlights since all tracks are equally excellent and I don’t see any reason for not giving a full-score rating for this work. I think this unique gem fully deserves to be called a masterpiece of progressive music!!

Report this review (#102926) | Posted Wednesday, December 13, 2006 | Review Permalink

Review by Atavachron
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Art Rock Specialist   Khan was a remarkable coming together of talent that topped-off a period in English rock never to be recaptured again, a pinnacle of Canterbury sounds, tough Sabbatic hard rock, and fugue organ flash-- no surprise with Dave Stewart and Steve Hillage working together, supported by the more than capable rhythm section of Nick Greenwood and Eric Peachey.

The band was an offspring of the Stewart-Hillage relationship going back to Uriel in 1968 (an outfit that mainly played Cream, Nice, and Hendrix covers) which re-emerged as Egg in '69 and the short-lived Arzachel that same year. In Khan we hear one of a handfull of keystone groups that filled-in the gaps in Prog's evolutionary history, taking from psychedelic blues but adding a more musically educated sensibility. Though a winning combination, these elements would soon disappear from popular music and 'Space Shanty' remains an axial link in the bubbling but doomed progressive/psych milieu. Hillage had formed the original band in 1971 with bassist Greenwood, keyboardist Dick Henningham (both with Arthur Brown), and Pip Pyle drumming. But it was the second line up - a product of the small and incestuous art scene - of Greenwood and Peachey with Dave Stewart's helping hands (while still with Egg) that birthed this album. The set is a complete spectrum of British rock, Canterbury, psych, post-modern classical and hippie-dippy hints of patchouli, risen to the surface and affixed in time, a bit too late for its own good but compelling just the same. There may have been superior bands; Caravan, and Stewart's own Egg and National Health, but this session has a singular, unified quality and is less pretentious than others of its ilk. A graveyard vocal opens the 9-minute title but quickly becomes prog as we know it with winding organ-guitar harmonies, jazzy motifs and Stewart's circus tent play. 'Stranded' starts pastoral and drags a bit with whiney sentiment but picks up by the middle, building nicely, and 'Mixed Up Man of the Mountains' is a pretty reflection with Hillage's searing axe and an organ/guitar/voice scat. And nine minutes of 'Driving to Amsterdam' peaks this album out in classic English jazz-rock form. 'Stargazers' is angled and adventurous with a bit of theater and many tempo shifts, a great piece, and the soft and sundrenched 'Hollowstone' concludes. The Eclectic Discs reissue has two bonus tracks; the Caravan-esque 'Break the Chains' and a preliminary version of 'Mixed Up Man of the Mountains'. A vital if tiny amuse-bouche in the progressive first course, not to be missed.

Report this review (#136101) | Posted Monday, September 03, 2007 | Review Permalink

Review by Prog-jester
COLLABORATOR Post Rock Team   Amazingly great one-shot band, featuring talents of Steve Hillage and Dave Stewart. Imagine DEEP PURPLE or any other Heavy Prog 70s band going Canterbury! Intense musicianship, wonderful melodies, long and varied tracks showing band members’ outstanding level of maturity but without falling into pointless show-up. If you’re into Classic Prog and don’t care much for labels (Art, Symphonic, Canterbury etc), this is definitely a Must. This is simply one of those albums that make you believe all best Prog things had been played in 70s, and any contemporary Retro Prog band fails short to achieve the Classics’ knees. Almost flawless, and the only complaint is that it gets a bit samey to the end – it would sound better as a plate, when you can have a break turning it from one side to another ;) Highly recommended and not to be missed!!!

Report this review (#136852) | Posted Friday, September 07, 2007 | Review Permalink

Review by UMUR
PROG REVIEWER   What a nice surprise this album is to me. I´ve never heard of this band before I read a review in Prog Archives. This means that I had never heard of Steve Hillage before either. BIG MISTAKE. What a fantastic guitarist he is and a great singer too. Steve sounds a lot like Rob Halford ( Judas Priest) when he sings in mid-range ( Not his high pitched screams) and sometimes like Ozzy. Actually the whole band is bloddy magnificent. There are other hints to early Judas Priest ( Rocka rolla and Sad Wings of Destiny) along the way, but these are only hints. Don´t expect Heavy metal on Space Shanty though only some really mean hard rock riffs.

The compositions on Space Shanty are 6-10 minutes, and in these minutes much happens. There are both some of the meanest hard rock riffs I have ever heard, great rock/ jazzy instrumental passages, nice vocal melodies and an overall feel that these musicians are having fun. Too bad they only made this one album.

I don´t know if I would catagorize this as canterbury prog rock, but genres don´t matter when you are dealing with music like this. It´s really good. I´m not sure if this is a 5 or a 4, but on second thought it will be a 4, as it lacks the last things to be a complete masterpiece. This is a very worthy purchase though and a great surprise for me.

Report this review (#153881) | Posted Monday, December 03, 2007 | Review Permalink

Review by SouthSideoftheSky
PROG REVIEWER   Khan is listed under Canterbury Scene, but this seems to have been more due to geography and the members involved than with the actual music. The sound of Khan is often close to the Psychedelic/Space rock of Nektar, and sometimes it is close to some bands in Symphonic Prog and Heavy Prog. So this is not at all your typical Canterbury album and it is all the better for it (Canterbury is not my favoured sub-genre of Prog). However, there are many jazzy passages that often creep up in Canterbury music, but happily the Jazz influences are never allowed to dominate the music. The result is a very interesting and quite unique piece of music.

The guitars and keyboards are very well played and the vocals are surprisingly strong. Indeed, the vocals are very different from what we would expect from a Canterbury band. And the music rocks harder than any other Canterbury band I have heard. The lyrics are quite “spacy” and bit “trippy” at times but there is thankfully no silly attempt at being humorous.

As far as I am concerned this is the best album Steve Hillage has ever made and also the best of the whole Canterbury sub-genre.

Recommended!

Report this review (#196987) | Posted Saturday, January 03, 2009 | Review Permalink

Review by CCVP
PROG REVIEWER   One of the best albums from Canterbury, if not the best

Khan is yet another case of a one album band in progressive rock that made an incredible album and then disappeared, what is always disappointment, since good music is never enough.

The main thing that made this album click in me was the strange dialectic with King crimson that this album has: its music is considerably alike the In the Court of the Crimson King album from King Crimson / it has the same mood, but yet it does not sound like King Crimson. I know, i know, but it is pretty hard for me to explain also, so let's just move along. . .

Their music can be described, very shortly, as a blend between hard rock, space rock, psychedelia and jazz. The guitars are the most prominent instrument here, being responsible for most of the solos through the album. The organ is, however, pretty important because it is used as the second voice or secondary soloist instrument. The bass and the drums, although doing an excellent job, only have a background spot here in Space Shanty. One very interesting thing about this albums is that, by having two competent vocalists, the band have a great versatile vocal department.

The songs, despite being quite complex, have the traditional rock structure of theme - chorus - theme used in may different ways, since they have a significant number of different musical themes throughout each song.

Another thing that deserves to be mentioned are the lyrics. Although english is not my first language, it is not hard for me to appreciate the lyrics of Space Shanty, which fit quite well with the band's music in general. The vocals also help the lyrics considerably, since each vocal sings the lyrics that, in my opinion, fit better for it.

Grade and Final Thoughts

Space Shanty is definitely a memorable album for me. It was my first Canterbury album and it one of the best albums I have ever listened in my life. All songs are great, just like the instrumentation and the vocalization. Besides that, Khan managed to avoid a big part of the Canterbury clichés, making this album quite different from the others from this genre.

A great album such as this one deserves a great grade, so 5 stars

This is a great bargain! No reserve. Just check out Popsike to see what this album is going for!!!!!!