Khan

One album and a break-up

Khan was the English Canterbury-scene band formed in London by the guitarist Steve Hillage, not to be confused with other acts of the name. Hillage had played in Uriel in 1967 and 1968, whose other members became Egg, and he studied at the University of Kent in Canterbury, befriended Caravan and Spirogyra, and wrote many Khan songs there. A demo made with Dave Stewart got him a Deram deal in late 1970, through Terry King, who also managed Caravan. The first line-up in April 1971 was Hillage, Greenwood from Arthur Brown's Crazy World, the keyboardist Dick Heninghem and the drummer Pip Pyle; Pyle left for Gong and Eric Peachey replaced him before the first gig in June 1971. Heninghem left just before recording, and Stewart agreed to play on the album at short notice; Hillage said Dave was brilliant.

Space Shanty was recorded between December 1971 and March 1972 and released on June 2, 1972. Hillage told Psychedelic Baby that it was not a concept album, but almost like his first solo album and his first release as a professional musician. The band supported Caravan on a UK tour in June 1972, and played Montreux's Rose d'Or festival on April 29, 1972. Greenwood left that summer, frustrated that the album did not sell better, in Hillage's account, or over musical disagreements, per Wikipedia; Nigel Griggs replaced him and Stewart became a full member. In late October 1972, Hillage ended Khan aged 21, discouraged that the label would not commit to a second album, and went on to Kevin Ayers's band and Gong. Khan material was reused on Fish Rising (April 11, 1975), including "Solar Musick Suite" and "Salmon Song", which Hillage called the second Khan album that never was.

Setlist.fm lists only nine Khan setlists, from 1971 and 1972, with no song data. The Calyx Canterbury site calls Space Shanty a definite classic of cosmic-jazzy-progressive rock; Hillage said in Prog in 2024 that he never saw a penny but is proud of what they did musically.