This substantial book was written in 1984/85, soon after the band broke up and while memories were still fresh. It was written very much from the perspective of the time – that’s more important than it may sound in such a project: hindsight has its own value, but it loses the essence of the moment, the context, the freshness; the feel of unfamiliarity. Originally written as a master’s degree thesis, it was updated and published in book form in 2000 by the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. This limited edition translation, further updated, makes it available in English for the first time. Written with the full cooperation of the band, the book concentrates (unlike Ben Peikut’s) on the music – and includes many pages of original scores (both printed and handwritten by the composers), song texts (ditto) and (perfectly understandable) analyses. And, of course, the book also tells the story of the band itself, through a combination of research, analysis and interviews (published and unpublished). It also includes a bibliography and a discography - both of Henry Cow’s own releases, official and unofficial, and all the band-members’ many subsequent projects. A valuable addition to the history of the band and of the period. For fans, scholars, musicologists and the generally curious