Episode 55

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1. Gong — "A Sprinkling of Clouds" (live in Rotterdam, 1974-12-07, from You Do Have To Give Up Dope!? GAS cassette tape, 1992)

2. Freddie Hubbard — "Blue Spirits" (from Blue Spirits, 1965)

3. Syd Arthur — untitled (live at Talking Heads, Southampton, 2017-11-09)

4. Woods — "Spring Is In The Air" (from Love Is Love, 2017)

5. Arlet/Humble Pious — "Big Red Sun (NOOKING remix)" (online release, 2017)

6. Robert Wyatt — "Shrink Rap" (from Dondestan, 1991)

7. Matching Mole — "intro" → "March Ides I" → "Smoke Rings" (from Smoke Signals, live April and May 1972)

8. "Canterbury in Finland" guest mix

• Wigwam — "Must be the Devil (7" single, 1969)
• Pekka Pohjola — "Virtoyen Kiharat" (from Pihkasilmä Kaarnakorva, 1972)
• XL — "Sir Real" (from Surreal, 2002)
• Zetaboo — "InterRail" (from OuterRail, 2006)
• Pekka Streng — "Olen Erilainen" (from Magneettimiehen Kuolema, 1970)
• Pekka Pohjola — "Image of a Passing Smile" (from Visitation, 1970)
• Ilmiliekki Quartet — "Kanave" (from Take It With Me, 2006)
• Jukka Perko Avara — "Like Father Like Son" (from Invisible Man, 2015)
• Klima Kalima — "We Still Don't Understand" (from Chasing Yellow, 2007)
• Jim Pembroke — "Island Town" (from Corporal Cauliflowers Mental Function, 1978)
• Jarmo Saari — "Scroll" (from Solu, 2004)
• Jarmo Saari — "Raw Beauty" (from Solu, 2004)
• Pekka Pohjola — "Armaton Idylli" (from Pihkasilmä Kaarnakorva, 1972)
• XL — "Mrs" (from Visual, 2003)

9. Hatfield and the North — "Hatitude" → "Strand of the Green" → "Hotel Luna" → "The Lonely Bubbling Song" → "Stay Jung and Beautiful" (from 1973-75 Hatwise Choice, 2005)

10. Frank Zappa — "Big Swifty" (from Waka/Jawaka, 1972)

11. Splink — "Canterbury" (from Free, 2017)

12. Henry Cow — "Nirvana For Mice" (from Legend, 1973)

13. Yoav Merom — "Eleanor's Cake Which Ate Her" (home recording, 2013)

14. Haiku Salut — "The No-Colour Of Rain Or Dust" (from Etch & Etch Deep, 2015)

15. Soft Machine — "Gentle Turn" (from Rubber Riff, 1976)

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[Anthony Shaw's notes on the "Canterbury in Finland" mix:]

The first inclination to assemble a collection of Finnish Canterbury sounds came as an aside to the message about order details for the Canterbury book, You Are Here. Having been there for about 4 years of my early life, formative years not easily understood even at 50 years distance, I realised how the town has haunted me, maybe even still influencing the music I choose to listen to now.

So I must confess that the selection assembled here is more or less a personal choice of just those artists I enjoy, who may have nothing but a very tenous link with anything Canterbury — one is included partly on the basis of being released on the label run by the man who promoted a tour in Finland by National Health in 1979. Tenuous roads.

Just a note about the musical heritage of Finland, a country with a 1500km border with Russia, a population of 5 million, and a great sense of its own musical value. (The summer here features multitudinous rock, jazz, folk and classical festivals located in the subliest of places, at least when the weather permits).

In a highly literate country, great reverence seems to be awarded to classical authors and composers. After all, the country is only 100 years old this year, and having fought a vicious civil war 95 years ago is still dealing with its aftermath. This autumn a major new film version was released of The Unknown Soldier, based on the book by Vaino Linna, which highlighted the national bonding resulting from 2 major skirmishes with Russia during the Second World War. Sibelius is of course a national hero, and many prominent rock musicians, especially those selected here, have attended lessons at the Academy in Helsinki named after him.

In fact maybe I should just have selected a movement or two from Sibelius's own, more obscure symphonies to convey the notion of the darkest, and also the silliest, Finnish musical ideas.