National Health was a leading light of the latter end of England's Canterbury scene of the 1960s and '70s, which mixed progressive rock with jazz sensibilities for a frequently fusion-oriented sound. In their initial incarnation, they only released two albums, but both are regarded as high-water marks of the genre. Former Hatfield and the North keyboardist Dave Stewart was the driving force, but the band also included members of Gilgamesh, Gong, and Matching Mole. After second keyboardist Alan Gowen died of leukemia in 1981, the band re-formed for the 1982 elegy D.S. al Coda.