New Release: Various Artists – Dedicated To You (But You Weren’t Listening)
A new 3CD anthology explores the Canterbury Scene, bringing together 42 recordings from 1967 to 1979
Various Artists – Dedicated To You (But You Weren’t Listening)
Format: 3CD Clamshell Box Set
Label: Grapefruit
Release date: January 15, 2027
On January 15, 2027, Grapefruit Records, part of Cherry Red Records, will release ‘Dedicated To You (But You Weren’t Listening)’, a three-disc collection documenting one of Britain’s most distinctive progressive rock movements.
Spanning the years 1967 to 1979, the anthology traces the development of the Canterbury Scene, a loosely connected musical community whose work combined psychedelic rock, jazz improvisation, experimental compositions and an unmistakably English sense of humour.
Soft Machine and Caravan were among the central figures in this movement, alongside musicians whose paths repeatedly crossed through changing bands, collaborations and solo projects. Rather than following a single musical formula, the Canterbury artists explored unusual rhythms, extended instrumental passages and unconventional songwriting.
Across 42 tracks, the collection features recordings by Soft Machine, Caravan, Kevin Ayers, Robert Wyatt, Gong, Egg, Hatfield & The North and Steve Hillage. Also represented are Matching Mole, Nucleus, National Health, Quiet Sun, Gilgamesh and several lesser-known artists associated with the wider Canterbury network.
The selection includes familiar compositions such as Caravan’s In The Land Of Grey And Pink, Soft Machine’s Moon In June and Robert Wyatt’s Sea Song, alongside alternative versions and recordings that illustrate the connections between the various musicians.
The three CDs provide a chronological perspective on a musical movement that developed alongside British progressive rock while retaining its own experimental identity.
‘Dedicated To You (But You Weren’t Listening)’ is presented in a clamshell box with a 48-page booklet containing detailed historical notes and rare photographs. With approximately four hours of music, the anthology offers an overview of the artists, collaborations and stylistic developments that shaped the Canterbury Scene during its formative years.
Website: www.cherryred.co.uk
Tracks:
Disc One
01. The Soft Machine – Save Yourself (demo version)
02. Caravan – Place Of My Own
03. Egg – Seven Is A Jolly Good Time
04. Kevin Ayers – The Lady Rachel
05. Nucleus – Elastic Rock
06. Gong – Five And Twenty Schoolgirls
07. Soft Machine – Moon In June
08. The Keith Tippett Group – Stately Dance For Miss Primm
09. Carol Grimes & Delivery – Fighting It Out
10. Robert Wyatt – To Caravan And Brother Jim
11. Egg – A Visit To Newport Hospital
12. Caravan – In The Land Of Grey And Pink
13. Lol Coxhill – Little Triple One Shot
14. Daevid Allen – Fred The Fish And The Chip On His Shoulder
Disc Two
01. Daevid Allen – Memories (lead vocals: Robert Wyatt)
02. Gong – Tropical Fish: Selene
03. Kevin Ayers – Song From The Bottom Of A Well
04. The Coxhill-Bedford Duo – Mood
05. Matching Mole – O Caroline (single version)
06. Khan – Driving To Amsterdam
07. Spirogyra – A Canterbury Tale
08. CMU – Lightshine
09. Gong – The Pothead Pixies
10. Hatfield & The North – Lobster In Cleavage Probe
11. Robert Wyatt – Sea Song
12. Isotope – Golden Section
13. Lady June – Bars
14. Hatfield & The North – Fitter Stoke Has A Bath (single version)
15. Robert Wyatt – I’m A Believer (extended version)
Disc Three
01. Steve Hillage – The Salmon Song
02. Quiet Sun – Mummy Was An Asteroid, Daddy Was A Small Non-Stick Kitchen Utensil
03. Caravan – A Very Smelly, Grubby Little Oik
04. Soft Machine – Song Of Aeolus
05. John G. Perry – Sunset Wading
06. Quantum Jump – Barracuda
07. National Health – Tenemos Roads
08. Gilli Smyth – Shakti Yoni
09. Camel – Down On The Farm
10. National Health – The Bryden Two-Step (For Amphibians) Pt. 1
11. Gilgamesh – T.N.T.F.X.
12. Soft Heap – Circle Line
13. Gizmo – Gravity Brings You Down
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Read also:
Want to discover more from the artists featured on this Canterbury Scene anthology and related musicians? Click on the titles below to read earlier articles on Bluestown Music.
Kevin Ayers – All This Crazy Gift Of Time
A retrospective collection covering the early solo recordings of the Soft Machine co-founder.
Ozric Tentacles – Space For The Earth
A review exploring the British band’s psychedelic space rock and its connections to Gong and Steve Hillage.
Nebular Wave – Chicxulub
An adventurous progressive rock release drawing on jazzrock, experimentation and influences associated with Soft Machine and Matching Mole.