So Many Confused Words

I missed Kevin Ayers' 80th birthday on 16th August so by way of compensation, here's an hour long, 15-track selection for your listening pleasure.

Although I've had Joy Of A Toy and whatevershebringswesing for a few years, I'm still very much a beginner when it comes to Kevin's music. This selection draws from a limited number of albums and odds and sods, covering 1969 to 1973. 

I don't love everything that Kevin recorded and some of the lyrics are teeth-grindingly bad or off-colour at times, but there is so much gold to discover. 

I won't attempt a biography or to write about Kevin's origins in Soft Machine, as I don't know enough and there are much better-written blogs out there. What will I say is that sometimes compiling a selection is more than just a pleasure. I enjoy creating every one but this was one of the 'special ones', where sequencing each track was a joy.

When I started, I had in mind a 'quick' post, maybe 10 songs and 45 minutes. It ended up that the music dictated the shape, the form and duration, so you get 15 songs and 60 minutes instead. Lose yourself for an hour in the strolling bass, the guitar and piano harmonies, the duck calls and that deep, rich voice.

Nearly brought tears to my eyes.

 

1) Singing A Song In The Morning (Single Version): Kevin Ayers & The Whole World (1970)

2) Stars (Single Version): Kevin Ayers & The Whole World ft. The Ladybirds (1971)

3) whatevershebringswesing: Kevin Ayers (1972)

4) The Lady Rachel (Unreleased Single Version): Kevin Ayers & The Whole World ft. The Ladybirds (1972)

5) When Your Parents Go To Sleep: Kevin Ayers ft. Archie Legget (1973)

6) Gemini Chile (Alan Black Session): Kevin Ayers (1970)

7) Song For Insane Times: Kevin Ayers ft. Soft Machine (1969)

8) May I?: Kevin Ayers & The Whole World (1970)

9) The Interview (Top Gear Session): Kevin Ayers (1970)

10) Hymn: Kevin Ayers ft. Robert Wyatt (1973)

11) Clarence In Wonderland (Album Version): Kevin Ayers & The Whole World (1970)

12) Oh! Wot A Dream: Kevin Ayers (1973)

13) The Oyster And The Flying Fish: Kevin Ayers & The Whole World ft. Bridget St. John (1970)

14) There Is Loving / Among Us / There Is Loving: Kevin Ayers (1972)

15) All This Crazy Gift Of Time: Kevin Ayers (1969)

 

1969: Joy Of A Toy: 7, 15

1970: Shooting At The Moon: 8, 11, 13

1970: Singing A Song In The Morning EP: 1

1971: Stranger In Blue Suede Shoes EP: 2

1972: whatevershebringswesing: 3, 14

1973: Bananamour: 5, 10, 12

1976: Odd Ditties: 4 

2005: The BBC Sessions 1970-1976: 6, 9

So Many Confused Words (1:00:05) (KF) (Mega)

Daylight Saving

Seventy four minutes of Ultramarine aka Ian Cooper and Paul Hammond.

I think the first music I heard of theirs would have been the single Kingdom featuring Robert Wyatt, released in the summer of 1993. It was like nothing else I'd heard: an adaptation of a 19th century song, sung by the man I'd first encountered on Top Of The Pops, performing Shipbuilding, backed by music that was contemporary electronica yet pastoral and folky. I was hooked.

Ian and Paul have been making music together for over four decades now, initially as part of 5-piece A Primary Industry, who released a trio of singles and a sole album in 1986 titled, you guessed it, Ultramarine. Their debut album Folk emerged in 1990, they had a 13-year 'break' between 1998 and 2011, and their most recent release was a remix EP of $10 Heel (featuring Anna Domino) in 2022. 

 

In between, there have been multiple albums, EPs, remixes and collaborations. Far too many to reliably cover in a 12-song selection, but here's my attempt to capture the sunshine.

 

Robert Wyatt collaborated on several songs on 1993 album United Kingdoms. Happy Land featured here in April 2021 and was also released as a single, remixed by Aswad founder member Drummie Zeb as a glorious vocal and dub reggae sunsplash anthem.

Chris Coco remixed Ultramarine on the Nightfall In Sweetleaf EP way back in 1992. Nearly quarter of a century later, Ultramarine repaid the favour with a remix from his album How To Disappear Completely.

Japanese artists (and/or their labels) have a particular fascination with electronic artists reworking their back catalogue: Yellow Magic Orchestra, Fantastic Plastic Machine, Soft Ballet have all got in on the act. Tokyo-based female pop group Nav Katze released two volumes of Never Mind The Distortion in the 1990s, both worth looking up. Ultramarine opened the first of these in 1994 with an excellent remix of Nobody Home.

 

Black Hearted Brother are a super group of sorts, a 4-piece formed around the core of Mark Van Hoen (Locust) and Neil Halstead (Slowdive). There was a sole album - Stars Are Our Home - in 2013 and Got Your Love received the remix treatment from Ultramarine the following year.

Iain Ballamy is a noted composer and saxophonist. In 1996, the compilation Music With No Name Volume One (also highly recommended) included Ultramarine's remix of All Men Amen, the title track of Iain's 1994 album.

I discovered Tranquility Bass aka Michael Kandel via an Astralwerks sampler CD. We All Want To Be Free was remixed from the 1997 album Let The Freak Flag Fly and is the longest track on this selection, nine minutes of blissed out beats and circular vocals. Sadly, Michael passed on 17th May 2015. You can find some of the final Tranquility Bass releases on Bandcamp.

Woo are brothers Clive and Mark Ives who have been making music even longer than Ultramarine. However, their worlds finally converged in 2020, Ultramarine providing a remix of Arc II to close Woo's album Arcturian Corridor.

 

The selection began with a prog legend and so it ends in the same way, with fellow Soft Machine alumni Kevin Ayers, er, covering one of his own songs.

Hymn originally appeared on Kevin's 1973 album Bananamour and Ultramarine recorded their own version, until legal bullshit nearly put paid to the single's release, full stop. Happily, Hymn finally saw the light of day in 1996 with two CD singles packed full of songs and remixes. The 'lead' version and several reworks feature the gorgeous vocals of David McAlmont. However, it could only ever be Kevin's version to bring this selection to a fitting close.

If you like what you hear, you can find many of the more recent Ultramarine releases via the Real Soon label on Bandcamp.

 

1) Happy Land (Remixed By Drummie Zeb): Ultramarine ft. Robert Wyatt (1994)

2) It An Tells Ya (Ultramarine Remix): Chris Coco (2016)

3) Nobody Home (Ultramarine Mix): Nav Katze (1994)

4) Hooter (Album Version): Ultramarine (1993)

5) Got Your Love (Ultramarine Remix): Black Hearted Brother (2014) 

6) British Summertime (Album Version): Ultramarine (1991)

7) All Men Amen (Ultramarine Remix): Iain Ballamy (1996)

8) Citizen: Ultramarine ft. Pooka (1995)

9) $10 Heel: Ultramarine ft. Anna Domino (2019)

10) We All Want To Be Free (Ultramarine Remix): Tranquility Bass (1997)

11) Arc II (Ultramarine Remix): Woo (2020)

12) Hymn (Ultramarine - Kevin Ayers Version): Ultramarine (1996) 

 

1991: Every Man And Woman Is A Star: 6

1993: United Kingdoms: 4

1994: Barefoot EP: 1

1994: Never Mind The Distortion: 3 

1995: Bel Air: 8 

1996: Hymn EP: 12

1996: Music With No Name Volume One: 7 

1997: We All Want To Be Free EP: 10

2014: Got Your Love EP: 5

2016: It An Tells Ya EP: 2 

2019: Signals Into Space: 9

2020: Arcturian Corridor: 11

 

Daylight Saving (1:14:09) (KF) (Mega)

Summer's End Gathered In The Dampened Grass

Even further back today, with some heavy hitters from 1967 to 1969. Aretha! Beatles! Stones! Marvin! Bowie! Byrds! Monkees! Scott! Jimi! And more, much more.

 

Before I go into that though, a few words about today's photo, which was taken during a visit to Oceanogràfic València on day 2 of the recent Clan K tour. Billed as the largest aquarium in Europe, we spent a full seven or eight hours there and even that wasn't enough. I have mixed feelings about places such as these. I recognise the important conservation work and protection of endangered species. At the same, I feel utterly heartbroken that there are sentient creatures who, no matter how 'big' the space or millions of gallons of water used are still confined and caged. It was simultaneously an enlightening and enervating experience. In an ideal world, places like this wouldn't need to exist.

Back to today's selection, I originally had in mind a relaxed, acoustic heavy set but that kind of went off track as soon as I picked the delightfully unsettling Oleh Oleh Bandu Bandong by Kevin Ayers as the opening song. Choosing to follow it up with Aretha Franklin's cover of I Say A Little Prayer and there was no turning back.

 

Most of these songs will be familiar by virtue of being stone cold classics but I've lobbed a few rarities in to spice things up. 

Get Behind Me is lifted from Scott 4, Mr. Engel's first album entirely featuring his own songs and one which I only heard for the first time in 2018. Very, very late to discovering this but wow, what an album.

 

Time And Time Again by The Monkees was a 'lost' song originally recorded for the album Changes but unused and unreleased until the Missing Links compilation in 1988. I first heard it tucked away on the limited edition 2CD of The Definitive Monkees, a 60-track budget price treasure trove released in 2001. Time And Time Again is essentially Davy Jones solo with a team of session musicians. Peter Tork had left at this stage and the three remaining Monkees were recording their own songs separately.

The version of Little Doll by The Stooges featured here is the original mix by John Cale featured as a compare-and-contrast re-release of their eponymous debut album in 2005. Much as a I love the original, there's a charm and grit to these alternate versions too.

 

Dandelion by The Rolling Stones was originally the B-side of We Love You. The original single version featured an outro of the latter A-side, which has been edited from most of it's subsequent compilation appearances, including the one I own. None of that detracts from the song's general brilliance, though. And a mere B-side!!

The Innocence was the studio creation of songwriters Pete Andreoli (Pete Anders) and Vini Poncia, who released a handful of singles and a self-titled album in 1967. Vini co-wrote and appeared on five of Ringo Starr's solo albums in the 1970s and co-wrote Kiss' disco-rock classic, I Was Made For Lovin' You.

The Beatles and David Bowie seemed liked obvious companions and a natural way to close this selection, which ventured way off from my original idea but hey, that was the Sixties man, go with the flow.

More attempts to fake that I have a clue what I'm doing tomorrow. Stay tuned!

 

1) Oleh Oleh Bandu Bandong (Album Version By Kevin Ayers & Peter Jenner): Kevin Ayers (1969)

2) I Say A Little Prayer (Album Version By Burt Bacharach & Hal David) (Cover of Dionne Warwick): Aretha Franklin (1968)

3) Get Behind Me (Album Version By John Franz): Scott Walker (1969)

4) Ain't No Mountain High Enough (Album Version By Harvey Fuqua & Johnny Bristol): Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell (1967)

5) Time And Time Again ('Changes' Session Outtake): The Monkees (1969)

6) This Wheel's On Fire (Cover of Bob Dylan & The Band): The Byrds (1969)

7) Little Doll (Original John Cale Mix): The Stooges (1969)

8) Come On (Let The Good Times Roll): The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1968)

9) Dandelion (Single Version By Andrew Loog Oldham) (Edit): The Rolling Stones (1967)

10) All I Do Is Think Of You: The Innocence (1967)

11) Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds (Album Version By George Martin): The Beatles (1967)

12) Memory Of A Free Festival (Album Version By Tony Visconti): David Bowie (1969)

 

1967: The Innocence: 10

1967: Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band: 11

1967: United: 4

1968: Aretha Now: 2 

1968: Electric Ladyland: 8

1969: Dr. Byrds & Mr. Hyde: 6

1969: Joy Of A Toy: 1

1969: Scott 4: 3

1969: Space Oddity: 12

1988: Missing Links: 5

2005: The Stooges (Expanded Edition): 7

2007: Rolled Gold +: The Very Best Of The Rolling Stones (Expanded Edition): 9

 

Summer's End (45:05) (KF) (Mega)

Into Numberless Reflections

A slightly premature celebration of the birth of Christa Päffgen aka Nico, who would have been 84 on 18th October. Sadly, Nico passed on 18th July 1988, shy of 50, a bicycle accident bringing an untimely end to a complex, troubled and brilliant life.

 

Today's selection is pretty much all I have by Nico, a mixture of her lead vocals with The Velvet Underground, solo and live tracks from the mid-60s and early 70s, a mid-80s album track from the excellent One Pound Ninety-Nine compilation and a few live covers of David Bowie, the Velvets and The Doors. Pops, crackles and hisses betray the original source material.

The title is a line from Nico's 1968 song Frozen Warnings, here presented as a John Peel session a few years later. The photo is a chance discovery in September of a mythical beast, carved in wood, and seemingly abandoned atop a shipping container in a yard on the outskirts of Gloucester Quays.

 

Oh, and we've got hot water again. Hooray for Clan K.

 

1) All Tomorrow's Parties (Album Version By Andy Warhol): The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)

2) Win A Few (Album Version By John Cale): Nico + The Faction (1985)

3) "Heroes" (Live @ Saltlageret, Copenhagen) (Cover of David Bowie): Nico ft. Smarkand (1982)

4) Femme Fatale (Mono Single Version By Andy Warhol): The Velvet Underground & Nico (1966)

5) I'm Not Sayin (Single Version By Andrew Loog Oldham) (Cover of Gordon Lightfoot): Nico (1965)

6) Waiting For The Man (Live @ Fagins, Manchester) (Edit) (Cover of The Velvet Underground): Bauhaus ft. Nico (1981)

7) Frozen Warnings (John Peel Session): Nico (1971)

8) I'll Be Your Mirror (Album Version By Andy Warhol): The Velvet Underground & Nico (1967)

9) Afraid (Album Version By John Cale): Nico (1970)

10) The End (Live @ The Rainbow Theatre, London) (Cover of The Doors): Kevin Ayers, John Cale, Brian Eno & NIco (1974)

Into Numberless Reflections (50:01)

Life's A Well-Thumbed Machine

Back in time half a century (really?!) to a dozen songs from 1972.

 

Most of these I discovered in the 1990s and 2000s. Speed, Glue & Shinki was one of a number of bands that I looked up after reading Julian Cope's 2007 book Japrocksampler. The fabulous Art Decade blog ("specializing in music of the 'long seventies'") was a rich source of new (to me) artists and lost songs in the 2010s, including Israeli singer and actress Esther Ofarim. Gnostic Serenade featured on the brilliant 'double album' Winter-Harvest, posted by one of the regular contrinbutors Emmett, on 11th February 2010. You'll need to scroll down the page to find the post, but amazingly the zip file link is still live. Highly recommended if you enjoy today's selection.

 

Some more obvious choices included: Exile On Main Street and Harvest were a given, classic singles from David Bowie and Hawkwind, along with a should-have-been single from Jonathan Richman & co.

Quite a few of these songs haven't had an airing on my playlists for a while, so I'm pleased to give them a dusting off and present them for your listening pleasure. Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Side One

1) Flat Fret Swing: Speed, Glue & Shinki

2) Loving Cup: The Rolling Stones 

3) Faust '72: Dynastie Crisis

4) She Cracked: The Modern Lovers

5) John, I'm Only Dancing (Single Version): David Bowie

6) Silver Machine (Single Version): Hawkwind

Side Two

1) Gnostic Serenade (Cover of 3's A Crowd): Esther Ofarim

2) Alabama: Neil Young ft. David Crosby, Stephen Stills & The Stray Gators

3) Wishing Well (Single Version): Free

4) Keep On: Bang!

5) Stars (Single Version): Kevin Ayers

6) Listen, Listen: Sandy Denny

Side One (22:39)

Side Two (23:00)