Rock On! Wednesday, 4 september 2024 – Robert Wyatt, Matching Mole, The Soft Machine, Kevin Ayers & Steve Hillage

Psychedelic, heavy, prog and more innovating sounds spanning the late 60s and the early 70s – Wednesday April 17th. Dan’s pick of the week: Robert Wyatt (Rock Bottom), Matching Mole (Little Red Record), The Soft Machine (Volume Two), Kevin Ayers (Whatevershebringswesing) & Steve Hillage (Live Herald).

Rock Bottom is het tweede soloalbum van de Britse progressieve rock-musicus Robert Wyatt. Het was het eerste album dat Wyatt maakte na het ongeluk waardoor hij voor de rest van zijn leven in een rolstoel belandde. Rock Bottom is in die zin bijzonder, dat het album de eerste duidelijke poging is om de werelden van de jazz en de rock met elkaar samen te laten smelten tot iets nieuws.

Prog Archives review: “This is a masterpiece, one of those rare albums that could not be improved in any way. Robert Wyatt has one of the most expressive voices of the last 50 years, and has a jazz musician’s feel for harmony, melody and texture. In addition to this he is an unflinchingly open and honest songwriter whose work is sometimes shockingly direct, as on the Alifib/Alfie sequence where the listener feels more like an eavesdropper straining to hear what the couple next door are talking about.

Wyatt’s vocal and keyboards are complemented by the contributions of an impressive roster of guest musicians, all under the the sympathetic production of Nick Mason. Wyatt has denied that the songs were inspired by his accident, but it’s hard to believe that there wasn’t at least a subconscious link there. What is more impressive is the lack of self pity, despite the rather melancholy feel, and the flashes of absurdist humour that recall the early days of Soft Machine, especially Ivor Cutler’s contributions. Robert Wyatt’s 40 year career in music has been littered with high points, but he’s never quite equalled this. Essential.

Wednesday, 4 september 2024 12:00 noon CET Brussels – 11 a.m. GMT London. Repeated: 16:00 & 20:00 hrs CET Brussels, 3 p.m. & 7 p.m. GMT London
Ends: 12 midnight CET Brussels, 11 p.m. GMT London.