Comus: First Utterance 1971 + To Keep From Crying 1974

Comus are a British progressive folk band who had a brief career in the early 1970s. Their first album,

First Utterance, brought them a cult following, which persists. They reunited in 2009, and have played several festivals and released a new album called Out of the Coma.
            

Taking their name from a character in a John Milton poem, Comus was a short-lived but powerful folk-

rock band that seems to have made an attempt to mix elements of King Crimson with the influences of Pentangle, Fairport Convention and other more traditional folk outfits. The result was a sometimes unnerving mix of ethereal and dark tones.
                       

Comus was formed in 1969 by art students Roger Wootton and Glenn Goring, who developed their

musical style performing in folk clubs in and around Bromley in Kent. The band was named after Comus (a masque by John Milton), and also after the name of the Greek god Comus. The band grew from an early folk duo to a six-piece ensemble; in that later form, David Bowie came to appreciate them. They appeared regularly at his Arts Lab project in Beckenham, Kent. He also invited them to be his support act in a 1969 concert at London's Purcell Rooms.
                       

The cover of their debut, First Utterance (1971), bears a striking and likely deliberate resemblance to the cover of In The Court of the Crimson King. After the album, woodwind player Rob Young was

replaced by Lindsay Cooper, and the new lineup developed material for a never-released second album. No recording by this lineup would see the light of day for another 40 years. The group disbanded for a time, but Wootton, Andy Hellaby and Bobbie Watson reformed the band with new members for their second album, To Keep from Crying, in 1974, moving into a more experimental position. Original copies of the first album still command remarkable prices, despite recent reissues by BGO in the U.K. and Si-Wan in Asia.
                      

A reunion album, Out of the Coma, was released in June 2012. It contains three new tracks: "Out of the

Coma", "The Sacrifice" (both written by Wootton) and "The Return" (written by Goring), plus a 1972 live recording of unfinished material from their abandoned follow-up to First Utterance, "The Malgaard Suite". Sputnik Music rated Out of the Coma 3.5 out of 5.Louder Sound rated it four stars out of five.
                 

CURRENT MEMBERS

Roger Wootton – acoustic guitar, lead vocals (1969–1972, 1974, 2008–present)
Glenn Goring – 6–12 acoustic guitar, electric guitar, slide, hand drums, backing vocals (1969–72, 2008–present)
Andy Hellaby – Fender bass, slide bass, backing vocals (1969–1972, 1974, 2008–present)
Colin Pearson – violin, viola (1969–72, 2008–present)
Bobbie Watson – lead and backing vocals, percussion (1969–1972, 1974, 2008–present)
Jon Seagroatt – flute, oboe, hand drums (2008–present)

FORMER MEMBERS

Rob Young – flute, oboe, hand drums (1969–71)
Gordon Coxon – drums (1974)
Keith Hale – keyboards (1974)
Lindsay Cooper – bassoon (1972, 1974)

FIRST UTTERANCE  1971

                    

First Utterance is the debut album of the progressive folk band Comus. It was released in 1971, with the opening song "Diana" being released as a single. First Utterance was notable for its unique blend of progressive rock, folk, psychedelia, and elements of paganism and the macabre. The overall thematic

tone of the album is of vulnerable innocence facing abusive power,[1] with songs dealing with such themes as necrophilia ("Drip Drip"), rape ("Diana", "Song to Comus"), and criticism surrounding electroconvulsive therapy ("The Prisoner"). These themes contrast starkly with the acoustic sound of the record, featuring acoustic guitar, violin, flute, and lyrical, almost Arcadian, female harmonies. References to Comus by other bands and artists include Opeth, citing its lyrics in album and song titles and tattoos. Experimental outfit Current 93 also covered "Diana" as the opening song on their 1997 LP Horsey.

Comus – First Utterance
Label: Arcàngelo – ARC-8004
Format: CD, Album, Remastered, Reissue Dec 19, 2008
Country: Japan   
Released: 1971   
Genre: Rock
Style: Folk Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Prog Rock

TRACKS

                   

01. Diana    4:36
02. The Herald    12:20
03. Drip Drip    11:07
04. Song To Comus    7:34
05. The Bite    5:34
06. Bitten    2:19
07. The Prisoner    6:29

BONUS TRACKS       

    
08. Diana (Single Version)    4:24
09. In The Lost Queen's Eye    2:49
10. Winter Is A Coloured Bird    8:00
11. All The Colours Of My Darkness   7:21

MP3 @320 Size: 152 MB
Flac  Size: 359 MB

TO KEEP FROM CRYING  1974

                 

To Keep from Crying is the second album by progressive folk band Comus, released in 1974. It featured a notably different lineup from their other releases, with the violin/viola and woodwind spots replaced by keyboards and a conventional drum kit. After the dark twisted masterpiece of First

Utterance, Comus came back a few years later with a second LP, To Keep From Crying. Even with Henry Cow bassoonist Lindsay Cooper and Gong saxophonist Didier Malherbe added to the ranks, To Keep From Crying does not get anywhere near the power of the first album. There are some dark folk songs here with both female and male vocals and a lot of progressive touches, but at the same time the record has a far more conventional rock sound, especially on the bouncy opening tracks on each side of the record, "Down (Like a Movie Star)" and "So Long Supernova.

Comus – To Keep From Crying
Label: Strange Days Records – WAS-1068
Series: British Rock Masterpiece – Part 6
Format: CD, Album, Reissue Nov 29, 2005
Country: Japan
Released: 1974   
Genre: Rock, Folk, World, & Country
Style: Prog Rock, Psychedelic Rock

TRACKS

                

01. Down - Like A Movie Star   4:08
02. Touch Down   5:41
03. Waves And Caves   1:35
04. Figure In Your Dreams   3:13
05. Children Of The Universe   5:40
06. So Long Supernova   3:23
07. Perpetual Motion   4:08
08. Panophany   0:32
09. Get Yourself A Man   7:10
10. To Keep From Crying   5:41
11. After The Dream   1:02

MP3 @320 Size: 99 MB
Flac  Size: 228 MB