The 40th Anniversary Henry Cow Box Set
| The 40th Anniversary Henry Cow Box Set | ||||
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| Box set by Henry Cow | ||||
| Released | January 2009 | |||
| Recorded | 1972–1978 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 596:28 (excluding bonus CD) | |||
| Label | Recommended (UK) | |||
| Producer | Henry Cow | |||
| Henry Cow chronology | ||||
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| Professional ratings | |
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| Review scores | |
| Source | Rating |
| All About Jazz | favourable |
| AllMusic |    |
| Dusted | favourable |
The 40th Anniversary Henry Cow Box Set (also known as The Road) is a nine-CD plus one-DVD limited editionbox set by English avant-rock group Henry Cow, and was released by RēR Megacorp in January 2009. It consists of almost 10 hours of previously unreleased recordings made between 1972 and 1978 from concerts, radio broadcasts, one-off projects, events and the studio. Included are new compositions, over four hours of free improvisation, and live performances of some of Henry Cow's original LP repertoire.
Chris Cutler, of Henry Cow and Recommended Records, planned and coordinated the whole project. Assembly of the recordings began in the mid-1990s and were edited by Cutler. He also prepared and edited two books that are included in the box set. Bob Drake remastered and, where possible, non-invasively remixed the original recordings at Studio Midi-Pyrenees in France between 2004 and 2008.
The box set was expected to be ready before the end of 2008 to coincide with the 40th anniversary of the formation of Henry Cow, but the discovery of additional material delayed its release. Volume 6 of the box set, was released separately by RēR Megacorp in September 2008 in advance of the box set's release. A limited edition bonus CD was given to subscribers of the box set.
"[This is] one of the best collections ever released about a group that most people have never heard."
In a review of this box set, John Kelman at All About Jazz said that it "offers, for the first time, a comprehensive account of Henry Cow's breadth and depth." He went on to say that "If ever there were a group with a wrong to be righted, it would have to be Henry Cow. With a wellspring of unreleased material, an impressive editing and mastering job that's made even audience cassette recordings sound crystal clear, [...] The 40th Anniversary Henry Cow Box Set is the set die-hard fans have been waiting for." This review was listed at position 3 in All About Jazz's "Top 50 Most Recommended CD Reviews" for 2009.
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