love RW's happy beardy face
― Hymie in Galveston (admrl), Friday, 17 September 2010 20:28 (fourteen years ago) link
me too! this songs is real pretty...making me happy
― rawkan the chief (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Friday, 17 September 2010 20:29 (fourteen years ago) link
!!!
― Hadrian VIII, Friday, 17 September 2010 21:33 (fourteen years ago) link
Sounds very interesting - but I can't imagine him bettering his original cover of "At last I am Free"
― Deluxe Merseybeat Wig (Jack Battery-Pack), Saturday, 18 September 2010 15:54 (fourteen years ago) link
The Chic version is better. Why some old communist would bore us to death with a useless cover of Chic is beyond me. Wouldn't the suffering masses prefer a box set?
― Funye West! (u s steel), Monday, 7 March 2011 15:38 (thirteen years ago) link
His version is not that different really. The song was tailor made for him imo.
― Tom D (Tom D.), Tuesday, 8 March 2011 12:30 (thirteen years ago) link
"mmmwow mmmwow mmmwow mmmwow mmmwow mmmwow dbdbdbdbdeblelebelelelle Deep!"
― Mark G, Tuesday, 8 March 2011 12:32 (thirteen years ago) link
― Sorry to Ivor Cutler! Sorry to the Welsh people...but somehow welsh sounds like an English dude doing a bad Carribean accident to me at first listen!
there are actually 2 Cork accents 1 of which sounds a lot like this welsh/Jamaican thing. Would assume the Jamaican accent actually derived from an accent like this in a form from a couple of centuries back.
Wish I'd been walking around London with lists at Xmas, they had loads of Wyatt cds in for 5quid a pop in fopp. I think they sold from the display pretty rapidly & I forgot about them. Did pick up a couple though Ruth Is Stranger Than Richard and Old Rottenhat.
Was just thinking of going back to bed for a while and trying to find my Rock Bottom since I haven't listened to it in ages. Not sure where it is though. Must institute some kind of order in my cd storage.
― Stevolende, Tuesday, 8 March 2011 14:31 (thirteen years ago) link
Pretty sure Ivor Cutler is putting on a Caribbean (or possibly) accent on that track, by the way!
― Tom D (Tom D.), Tuesday, 8 March 2011 14:37 (thirteen years ago) link
http://pitchfork.com/features/5-10-15-20/8776-robert-wyatt/
:)
― bidfurd, Monday, 27 February 2012 22:41 (twelve years ago) link
<3 RW
― dollar eye twinkling (admrl), Monday, 27 February 2012 22:43 (twelve years ago) link
yes that was a lovely read. i'll be missing the salon thing with him at cafe oto (when songkick sent me its email announcing "new concert for robert wyatt" i almost had a heart attack) because i'm a dumbass who always forgets to buy advance tickets these days, but i'm sure it'll be great.
― shart practice (Merdeyeux), Monday, 27 February 2012 22:45 (twelve years ago) link
that otis is being a big meanie upthread >:(
― the wild eyed boy from soundcloud (upper mississippi sh@kedown), Monday, 27 February 2012 22:48 (twelve years ago) link
― dollar eye twinkling (admrl), Monday, February 27, 2012 4:43 PM (13 minutes ago)
― Steamtable Willie (WmC), Monday, 27 February 2012 22:57 (twelve years ago) link
There was a great little programme about RW on Radio 4 this week. "The Voices of Robert Wyatt", mid-morning, Tuesday. Listen to it this weekend before it drops of the i-Player.
― bham, Friday, 5 October 2012 09:26 (twelve years ago) link
Wyatt interviewed by Richie Unterberger, Richard Cook, Ian MacDonald ('74), and Ben Thompson, who also reviews Shleep--all currently in the Free section of Rock's Back Pages (click on a link and they send you a password)http://www.rocksbackpages.com/free.html#W
― dow, Tuesday, 9 October 2012 17:45 (eleven years ago) link
this was very nice alright. seems a lovely guy.
― Know how Roo feel (LocalGarda), Tuesday, 9 October 2012 19:41 (eleven years ago) link
Thanks for the heads up, this is a lovely documentary.
― Poor.Old.Tired.Horse. (Stew), Tuesday, 9 October 2012 23:38 (eleven years ago) link
been listening to this one a lot the past few days for w/e reason
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XsLAY1OdZrA
― puff puff post (uh oh I'm having a fantasy), Wednesday, 10 October 2012 02:53 (eleven years ago) link
wyatt, lydon, idk
This guy seems like such an incredible human. I seem to recall reading that he and his wife go to AA meetings not because they are alcoholics, but out of sympathy and unity with those afflicted. Or something like that.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 10 October 2012 03:42 (eleven years ago) link
Nothing to do with the fact that he hadn't been pissed out of his head one night he wouldn't have ended up in a wheelchair?
― Hello, Good Evening and Expenses (Tom D.), Wednesday, 10 October 2012 10:07 (eleven years ago) link
No, Wyatt's an alcoholic and makes no secret of it. IN recovery for the last 5 years or so.
― Three Word Username, Wednesday, 10 October 2012 11:17 (eleven years ago) link
No, there was something more to it. Let me find it....
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 10 October 2012 13:05 (eleven years ago) link
Oh, I see. I just misunderstood.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 10 October 2012 13:09 (eleven years ago) link
guy's a hero and a gentleman, despite his often inflexible and reflexive politics.
― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Wednesday, 10 October 2012 17:31 (eleven years ago) link
That BBC bit is indeed a lovely listen.
― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, 10 October 2012 17:53 (eleven years ago) link
I recently put this proposed box set together and loved the hell out of it. He sure deserves something like it!
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Friday, 31 January 2014 01:33 (ten years ago) link
Nice collection, Gerald, and a very well-done compilation for people who've never heard him. But I think it relies far too heavily on album tracks and misses many fine moments not on LP (like my favorite, Wyatt's vocal on the Epic Soundtracks single "Jelly, Babies," which was a Rough Trade 7" a-side and not released on CD until last year.) And those Dondestan tracks - Dondestan or Dondestan (Revisted)? Those are small gripes, but Wyatt fans tend not to be "casual" fans and are likely to own the entire oeuvre (at least the main albums) and would probably buy a box set only if it had a fair number of obscurities on it.
That's said, I'm burning a copy tonight. Thanks!
― crustaceanrebel, Saturday, 1 February 2014 23:07 (ten years ago) link
You're absolutely right, I noticed those issues as well, but it's an interesting attempt. I find his albums a bit inconsistent and appreciated the guide.
I just discovered "Jelly Babies" last year and it is indeed magnificent!
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Sunday, 2 February 2014 00:19 (ten years ago) link
Actually, why don't you suggest a best of Wyatt rarities comp?
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Sunday, 2 February 2014 00:22 (ten years ago) link
well, there already is a wyatt rarities comp! it's called "flotsam jetsam" and it's fabulous.
that said, he has done a lot of guest work. here's some stuff he sings on i love. a lot of times it's just backing vocals but that's enough dammit! i'd suggest:henry cow and robert wyatt- living in the heart of the beast (it's on "the road" but there's an FM broadcast, unlike the aud on the Road, that's even better.. if you can find it, ha ha...)phil manzanera- fronterarobert wyatt- love (john lennon tribute "instant karma")slapp happy- a little something (peel session version)fish out of water- cry from the city (dub)ben watt- walter and johnthe last nightingale- moments of delight/in the dark yearworking week- venceremos/we will winryuchi sakamoto- we love youthe shiny men- dream pussyrobert wyatt- rangers in the nightst ("miniatures" compilation)ultramarine- kingdommillennium- another great victorymichael mantler- a l'abbatoirfat mattress- the clownrobert wyatt- violin concerto no. 2 in b minor, 1st movement (from a radio show he curated called "radio popolare"... he went from playing "lay lady lay" to singing over the beginning of the bartok piece and talking about how wonderful it is... everybody should hear this)robert wyatt- radio popolare theme (he also sang a theme song for this series)robert wyatt- catholic architecture (live performance 1991... not sure the context but it's on youtube somewhere... there was also a bbc documentary on him in '03 or somesuch that had him singing a few numbers live)john greaves- the song (wonderful, wonderful!)ricky gianco- hasta siempre comandante (not the same as the comicopera version!)robert wyatt and the john peel singers- good king wenceslas (the famous john peel carols session with wyatt, sandy denny, i think t.rex, and others, late 1969... i think this was rebroadcast on bbc6 recently)hatfield and the north- calyxdaevid allen- memories (the hugh hopper song oft-recorded by wyatt, i think this version is my favorite)kevin ayers- whatevershebringswesingbrian eno- the true wheelrobert wyatt- locomotivenews from babel- heart of stonejohn cage- experiencerobert wyatt- september in the rain (japanese-only bonus track to "shleep")pascal comelade- september songrobert wyatt- instant pussy (soft machine bbc session, 1969)robert wyatt- dedicated to you but you weren't listening (soft machine bbc session, 1971)robert wyatt live with hatfield and the north, december 1972 (broadcast on french television, the complete performance circulates as slightly wobbly audio)
well there's more but that should get you started.
― rushomancy, Sunday, 2 February 2014 21:04 (ten years ago) link
Spotify's got this Wildeflowers comp, mostly diligent, advanced-placement kid demos (versions of Hopper's "Memories" get better and better)---but Wyatt, singing and drumming, is unmistakably himself, at all tymes. A couple of his ballads give me chills.
― dow, Sunday, 2 February 2014 21:33 (ten years ago) link
The 1972 French TV broadcast with Hatfield and the north is just breathtaking...kinda justifies the existence of the Internet
― X-Prince Protégé (sonnyboy), Sunday, 2 February 2014 22:26 (ten years ago) link
the song "i'm a mineralist" on the fictitious sports album is hilarious
― wins, Sunday, 2 February 2014 22:36 (ten years ago) link
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pqsm3C8nvFUwhat a crazy great band (and what a crazy great drummer wyatt was)
― tylerw, Monday, 3 February 2014 00:32 (ten years ago) link
Read that (up two) as "I'm a miserablist" from the fictitious "Sports" album.
― Mark G, Monday, 3 February 2014 07:23 (ten years ago) link
Thanks for that list. I'm listening to his 3 tracks with Millennium - fantastic classical/dance mix with Robert the cherry on top! What's the story with this band?
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Tuesday, 4 February 2014 19:03 (ten years ago) link
I wish the "Sports" album was fictitious!
I also want to point out, among all the other ephemera that circulates (there are a couple bootleg comps some guy calling himself "Hemix" uploaded to guitars101 some years back... links are dead, but the files are still out there), there was a great adaptation of Rimbaud's "Season in Hell" on BBC3 a couple years back with Wyatt on vocals. Also, there was this guy named Paul Mex who did this 23-minute post-punk demo song in 1981 and Robert sings on that (didn't even know the guy's name until I did some searching yesterday... had it for years on one of those dodgy unlabelled cassettes that turn up sometimes!)
As for Millennium I don't know anything about them except that Curt Boettcher wasn't involved. :) I guess it was a collaboration between Wyatt and someone from Technotronic? I don't know, but I like it better than the Wyatt/Hot Chip collaboration. Also, if you haven't heard Wyatt singing on Bertrand Burgalat's "This Summer Night" you probably should!
There used to be this great website that exhaustively catalogued all of Robert Wyatt's guest work... it's still there but it hasn't been updated in the last fourteen years. :( Well, hunting for these things is half the fun!
― rushomancy, Tuesday, 4 February 2014 19:13 (ten years ago) link
Yeah, I found the Hemix comps and am assessing them along with Flotsam Jetsam and Solar Flares Burn For You. I find myself drawn to Stuff like Millennium which is a sound l normally wouldn't connect with but Roberts presence makes it work for me!
― Gerald McBoing-Boing, Tuesday, 4 February 2014 23:07 (ten years ago) link
awww, bummer:
http://www.uncut.co.uk/robert-wyatt/robert-wyatt-i-ve-stopped-making-music-news
― Abstinence Hawk (frogbs), Wednesday, 29 October 2014 14:07 (nine years ago) link
Well, he has earned it, but I love(d) "Comicopera", hoped there might be another record coming down the line at some point.
― grandavis, Wednesday, 29 October 2014 14:21 (nine years ago) link
aw man, hope he enjoys his retirement
― sleeve, Wednesday, 29 October 2014 14:27 (nine years ago) link
yeah, bummer. he's left us with tons of great music but every few weeks i wonder "when is the next robert wyatt album coming out, anyway?"
at least he's not stopping b/c he has to for health reasons -- i didn't get that impression from that admittedly brief summary of a longer article. if anyone finds the full article online don't hesitate to post it here. :)
― I dunno. (amateurist), Wednesday, 29 October 2014 16:06 (nine years ago) link
this is probably my cue to check out all the various live albums, boots etc. from his time with soft machine. so far i mostly just know the proper studio records.
― I dunno. (amateurist), Wednesday, 29 October 2014 16:07 (nine years ago) link
Saw him make a guest appearance with Charlie Haden and Carla Bley in 2009, singing and playing pocket trumpet, and his voice was already quite weak and ragged then, so that kind of diminishing may have played some part in this decision, along with the reasons stated in that article.
― sʌxihɔːl (Ward Fowler), Wednesday, 29 October 2014 16:14 (nine years ago) link
you can hear his voice weakening on the studio albums. it can't be a coincidence that they increasingly rely on guest vocalists. surely his last two albums aren't among his more original or ambitious but i still enjoyed them a great deal.
― I dunno. (amateurist), Wednesday, 29 October 2014 16:15 (nine years ago) link
Oh. Was just listening the other day to his version of Chic's "At Last I am Free"
― curmudgeon, Wednesday, 29 October 2014 16:25 (nine years ago) link
xp wtf Comicopera is as original and ambitious as anything else by him I can think of
― sleeve, Wednesday, 29 October 2014 16:47 (nine years ago) link
Yeah, listening to Comicopera now and its lovely. He's "stopped" before though right? Am I wrong in thinking he was so angry another tory government got voted in, that he decided no-one deserved to hear his music? Something like that?
― kraudive, Wednesday, 29 October 2014 18:29 (nine years ago) link