National Health

National Health was a progressive rock band associated with the Canterbury scene. Founded in 1975 by keyboardists Dave Stewart (from Hatfield and the North) and Alan Gowen (from Gilgamesh), the band also included guitarists Phil Miller and Phil Lee and bassist Mont Campbell as original members. Bill Bruford was the initial drummer but was soon replaced by Pip Pyle. Campbell was replaced by Neil Murray and then John Greaves.

A frequently changing lineup toured extensively and released two LPs of often lengthy, mostly instrumental, complexly scored compositions before splitting up in 1980. After the May 1981 death of Gowen, remaining members reconvened to record the album D.S. Al Coda, a set of compositions by Gowen, most previously unrecorded. The original albums and additional archival material have subsequently been released on CD.

Their 1978 record Of Queues and Cures, which included Peter Blegvad (guitar, vocals) and Georgie Born (cello), is currently held as the third best record ever (of 53,000 candidate records) on the Gnosis web site.

Discography

• National Health (1977)
• Of Queues and Cures (1978)
• D.S. Al Coda (1982)
• Complete (1990; previous three studio albums plus two bonus tracks)
• Missing Pieces (1996; archival material largely from before National Health)
• Playtime (2001; live recordings from 1979)

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