• NEWLY REMASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL RCA TAPES, THE CLASSIC DOUBLE ALBUM FROM 1971 BY THE LEGENDARY ENSEMBLE CENTIPEDE. PRODUCED BY ROBERT FRIPP.
• FEATURING KEITH TIPPETT, JULIE TIPPETT, ROBERT WYATT, IAN McDONALD, ELTON DEAN, JOHN MARSHALL, BRIAN GODDING, ROY BABBINGTON, KARL JENKINS, IAN CARR, BRIAN BELSHAW, MIKE PATTO, ZOOT MONEY, MAGGIE NICHOLS AND MANY MORE.
• FULLY RESTORED ARTWORK WITH AN ILLUSTRATED BOOKLET AND ESSAY BY SID SMITH.
Celebrated free jazz pianist and composer Keith Tippett’s legendary jazz/progressive rock ensemble Centipede, a group of more than 50 musicians formed in 1970 to perform his extended work ‘Septober Energy’ on the concert stage. The musicians involved were the finest performers in the worlds of British jazz and progressive rock and featured members of Soft Machine (Robert Wyatt, Elton Dean, Nick Evans, Mark Charig), Nucleus (Ian Carr, Karl Jenkins,Jeff Clyne, Roy Babbington, John Marshall) King Crimson (Robert Fripp, Ian McDonald, Boz Burrell) and Blossom Toes (Brian Godding, Brian Belshaw) and vocalist Julie Tippett. The first Centipede concert took place at The Lyceum in London in November 1970 and was enthusiastically received by both critics and aficionados (including Mike Oldfield who was inspired to compose ‘Tubular Bells’ as a result of attending the concert).
In April 1971 the group was signed to RCA Records’ “progressive” imprint Neon, and the album ‘Septober Energy’ was recorded at Wessex Studios in London in June 1971. Robert Fripp would concentrate his talents solely on the role of producer of the sessions and a number of vocalists including Julie Tippett, Mike Patto, Zoot Money and Maggie Nichols would also bring their abilities to the sessions. The resulting album was issued in October 1971.
This new Esoteric Recordings edition has been newly remastered from the original RCA Records master tapes and includes an illustrated booklet with a new essay by Sid Smith.
