Name: Health and Efficiency
Brand: This Heat

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

thisis3

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Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2013-01-07

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Shellshock

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

Total Cap

1 / CD / Extended format: No / Rough Trade Exclusive: No / Signed copies: No

Artist

This Heat

Genre GB

New Wave / Post Punk

Label GB

In 1976, Charles Hayward of Gong (and Phil Manzanera's Quiet Sun) joined with Charles Bullen and Gareth Williams to form This Heat. Though arising from art-rock and the British school of fusion jazz, This Heat quickly developed into an experimental band largely dependent on tape loops and production tricks.
This Heat dissolved in 1982-1983 following a European tour in which Trefor Goronwy replaced Gareth Williams who had recently departed the band. Charles Bullen went on to solo work and put together his own studio in the late 1980s; he has recently issued a CD under his own name.
Charles Hayward decided to keep up public performances and formed The Camberwell Now along with Trefor Goronwy and several others.

'health and efficiency' was originally released in 1981 as a 12" ep, it foreshadowed the more rock-oriented sound of 'deceit' ( 1981 ), the band's second and final album. taking its name from the long running uk naturist publication this is an off kilter rocker which matches faust's classic 'it's a rainy day, sunshine girl' as a piece of avant bootboy stomp. the opening 2 line refrain gives way to a lumbering section driven by proto industrial rhythms, the coda being a deconstruction of the original riff which features henry cow's piano played through a fuzzbox. essential stuff, the essence of this heat distilled into eight and a half minutes of joyous noise. the flip 'graphic / varispeed' was a total contrast, an oddly unsettling electronic drone that (as the title implied) could be played at any speed. this piece could be the birth of illbient; although slow and apparently tranquil, it's an oddly unsettling noise that mutates abruptly from time to time. this is a side of this heat that was rarely in evidence during their lifetime, but which can be sampled further on the excellent album 'repeat'.

Health and Efficiency

Music GB