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As the Soft Machine's first bassist and original principal songwriter, Kevin Ayers was an overlooked force behind the group's groundbreaking recordings in 1967 and 1968. This, his solo debut, is so tossed-off and nonchalant that one gets the impression he wanted to take it easy after helping pilot the manic innovations of the Softs. Laissez-faire sloth has always been part of Ayers' persona, and this record's intermittent lazy charm helped establish it. That doesn't get around the fact, however, that this set of early progressive rock does not feature extremely strong material. Ayers' command of an assortment of instruments is impressive, and his deep bass vocals and playful, almost goofy song-sketches are affecting, but they don't really stick with the listener. It's no accident that some of the tracks recall early Soft Machine: Robert Wyatt drums on most of the songs, and "Song for Insane Times" is virtually a bona fide Soft Machine performance, featuring actual backing from the group itself. A likable but slight album that is at its best when Ayers is at his folkiest.
© Richie Unterberger /TiVo
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Kevin Ayers, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist
© 2003 Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company ℗ 2003 Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company
Kevin Ayers, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist
© 2003 Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company ℗ 2003 Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company
Kevin Ayers, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist
© 2003 Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company ℗ 2003 Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company
Kevin Ayers, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist
© 2003 Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company ℗ 2003 Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company
Kevin Ayers, Composer, Producer, Vocals, MainArtist - Peter Jenner, Producer
© 2003 Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company ℗ 1969, 2003 Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company
Kevin Ayers, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist
© 2003 Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company ℗ 2003 Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company
Kevin Ayers, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist
© 2003 Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company ℗ 2003 Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company
Kevin Ayers, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist
© 2003 Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company ℗ 2003 Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company
Kevin Ayers, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist
© 2003 Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company ℗ 2003 Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company
Kevin Ayers, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist
© 2003 Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company ℗ 2003 Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company
Kevin Ayers, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist - Syd Barrett, Performance, FeaturedArtist
© 2003 Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company ℗ 2003 Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company
Kevin Ayers, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist
© 2003 Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company ℗ 2003 Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company
Kevin Ayers, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist
© 2003 Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company ℗ 2003 Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company
Kevin Ayers, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist
© 2003 Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company ℗ 2003 Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company
Kevin Ayers, Composer, Vocals, MainArtist - Andrew King, Producer
© 2003 Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company ℗ 2003 Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company
Kevin Ayers, Composer, Producer, Vocals, MainArtist - Peter Jenner, Producer
© 2003 Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company ℗ 2003 Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company
Album review
As the Soft Machine's first bassist and original principal songwriter, Kevin Ayers was an overlooked force behind the group's groundbreaking recordings in 1967 and 1968. This, his solo debut, is so tossed-off and nonchalant that one gets the impression he wanted to take it easy after helping pilot the manic innovations of the Softs. Laissez-faire sloth has always been part of Ayers' persona, and this record's intermittent lazy charm helped establish it. That doesn't get around the fact, however, that this set of early progressive rock does not feature extremely strong material. Ayers' command of an assortment of instruments is impressive, and his deep bass vocals and playful, almost goofy song-sketches are affecting, but they don't really stick with the listener. It's no accident that some of the tracks recall early Soft Machine: Robert Wyatt drums on most of the songs, and "Song for Insane Times" is virtually a bona fide Soft Machine performance, featuring actual backing from the group itself. A likable but slight album that is at its best when Ayers is at his folkiest.
© Richie Unterberger /TiVo
About the album
- 1 disc(s) - 16 track(s)
- Total length: 01:07:06
- Main artists: Kevin Ayers
- Composer: Kevin Ayers
- Label: Parlophone UK
- Genre: Pop/Rock Rock
© 2003 Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company ℗ 2003 Parlophone Records Ltd, a Warner Music Group Company
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