Of Queues And Cures

Sound DNA

• Rock
• Prog Rock

• layered
• playful
• cerebral

About

National Health's 1977 debut album and its follow-up, <i>Of Queues and Cures</i>, were only separated by a year, but the latter release revealed some major changes for the band who blazed into being at the tail end of U.K. prog/jazz-rock's Canterbury scene. While the debut featured several vocals by guest Amanda Parsons, <i>Queues</i> is almost entirely instrumental. And where the first record sported a two-keyboardist team of Alan Gowen and Dave Stewart (no, not the Eurhythmics member), Stewart goes it alone here. In fact, the album is something of a spotlight for Stewart's playing. From his freaky, frenetic, effects-laden organ solo on "Dreams Wide Awake" to his fluid synthesizer statements on "The Bryden 2-Step (for Amphibians)," he emerges as an enormously gifted musician. <i>Queues and Cures</i> leans more toward burning jazz fusion than the expansive prog rock of the previous album, but it bears an equal amount of complexity in the compositions, to which each band member contributed.

via Apple Music

Tracklist

Credits