― amateurist (amateurist), Monday, 7 July 2003 03:32 (twenty-one years ago) link
I think it would give me nightmares.
― Mr. Diamond (diamond), Monday, 7 July 2003 04:16 (twenty-one years ago) link
Also he was on one of the best singles ever, Vivien Goldmans Launderette / private armies record
― Jens (brighter), Monday, 7 July 2003 07:02 (twenty-one years ago) link
― amateurist (amateurist), Monday, 7 July 2003 13:00 (twenty-one years ago) link
― j fail (cenotaph), Monday, 7 July 2003 18:25 (twenty-one years ago) link
Since when was Robert Wyatt ever a "Stalinist"? What, because he sang "Stalin Wasn't Stallin'"? Do some research before accusing people of being Stalinists.
― Dadaismus (Dada), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 13:57 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 14:08 (twenty-one years ago) link
Errrrrrrrrrrrrrrr, what exactly does that mean? Wyatt was a member of the British Communist Party, he was a Marxist, he was not a Stalinist.
― Dadaismus (Dada), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 14:12 (twenty-one years ago) link
― amateurist (amateurist), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 14:17 (twenty-one years ago) link
― mark s (mark s), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 14:30 (twenty-one years ago) link
― N. (nickdastoor), Wednesday, 9 July 2003 14:40 (twenty-one years ago) link
"Robert Wyatt! I got on well with Robert. The greatest problem between us was a political one. I had been in the Young Communist League -- when I was a schoolboy, I'd established a branch or two. And I was the one that didn't get beaten up on the way to our first meeting. I'd worked with the Communist Party of Great Britain's headquarters. I kind of knew what the party was like. One of the things that appealed to me about Marxism was its anti-utopian foundation -- it was infinitely preferable to wishing that the world was a nicer place, or that Robin Hood was elected sheriff. But through reading a lot of theory and working for the party, I thought, 'This ain't for me,' whereas Robert was getting more into it. I really liked him, but that was the principal reason for drifting apart: he was getting more Stalinist and I wasn't."
― Colin Meeder (Mert), Thursday, 10 July 2003 03:49 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Thursday, 10 July 2003 06:52 (twenty-one years ago) link
― amateurist (amateurist), Thursday, 10 July 2003 07:03 (twenty-one years ago) link
Anyway, why is it only Robert Wyatt who is hauled over the coals for having been a Marxist when other musicians like the various members of Henry Cow or AMM aren't? (I say having been a Marxist, but as far as I know, at least two-thirds of AMM still are Marxists.) I haven't heard anyone bring up Fred Frith's politics lately - least of all Fred himself. And let's face it, there's far worse things you could be than a Marxist: a Tory or a Republican or "New Labour" for instance.
― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 10 July 2003 11:18 (twenty-one years ago) link
do some research before you accuse people of being new labour
― mark s (mark s), Thursday, 10 July 2003 11:25 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Dadaismus (Dada), Thursday, 10 July 2003 11:28 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Thursday, 10 July 2003 11:29 (twenty-one years ago) link
i have a deep respect coupled with a bit of bemused exasperation re. robert wyatt. he reminds me of a lot of people i knew growing up.
― amateurist (amateurist), Thursday, 10 July 2003 13:48 (twenty-one years ago) link
― amateur!st (amateurist), Saturday, 22 May 2004 06:17 (twenty years ago) link
― Naive Teen Idol (Naive Teen Idol), Saturday, 22 May 2004 17:11 (twenty years ago) link
― de, Saturday, 22 May 2004 17:34 (twenty years ago) link
― amateur!!!st (amateurist), Friday, 17 September 2004 05:20 (twenty years ago) link
― JaXoN (JasonD), Friday, 17 September 2004 05:54 (twenty years ago) link
― Donnie Smith The Quiz Kid, Friday, 17 September 2004 07:17 (twenty years ago) link
the album is very melancholic--it's the urgent combination of melancholy and whimsy (blended such that you often can't tell them apart) that is a big part of what makes this record so special to me. the wordless vocalizing at the end of the first track (??) is one of the most powerfully ... desolate stretches of music i know. such things are in the ear of the listener, of course. but considering the circumstances under which it was made it's not hard to imagine depression being one of many states that is being evoked in rock bottom.
― amateur!!!st (amateurist), Friday, 17 September 2004 07:30 (twenty years ago) link
i have a long and intense history w/this record (incl. listening to it in venice where wyatt composed much of the music)...
― amateur!!!st (amateurist), Friday, 17 September 2004 07:41 (twenty years ago) link
― amateur!!!st (amateurist), Friday, 17 September 2004 07:44 (twenty years ago) link
― Donnie Smith The Quiz Kid, Friday, 17 September 2004 09:02 (twenty years ago) link
― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 17 September 2004 09:03 (twenty years ago) link
― Donnie Smith The Quiz Kid, Friday, 17 September 2004 09:10 (twenty years ago) link
― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 17 September 2004 09:12 (twenty years ago) link
― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 17 September 2004 09:13 (twenty years ago) link
x-posts
― frankiemachine, Friday, 17 September 2004 09:21 (twenty years ago) link
― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 17 September 2004 09:27 (twenty years ago) link
― gaz (gaz), Friday, 17 September 2004 09:30 (twenty years ago) link
*digs out dog-eared copy of End Of An Ear for comparison purposes*
Hmmm, I see your point. If it's Wyatt it's bloody good playing for someone who says he isn't that good at playing the guitar.
(either that or it's his funny Italian organ, or Hugh Hopper's bass speeded up?)
― Donnie Smith The Quiz Kid, Friday, 17 September 2004 09:38 (twenty years ago) link
Interesting record, though, End Of An Ear; it's like an extended avant-scat variation on Gil Evans' "Las Vegas Tango."
― Donnie Smith The Quiz Kid, Friday, 17 September 2004 09:40 (twenty years ago) link
― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 17 September 2004 09:45 (twenty years ago) link
― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 17 September 2004 09:49 (twenty years ago) link
― gaz (gaz), Friday, 17 September 2004 09:51 (twenty years ago) link
― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 17 September 2004 09:52 (twenty years ago) link
― gaz (gaz), Friday, 17 September 2004 10:07 (twenty years ago) link
― Dadaismus (Dada), Friday, 17 September 2004 10:09 (twenty years ago) link
― peter smith (plsmith), Friday, 17 September 2004 12:21 (twenty years ago) link
-- Donnie Smith The Quiz Kid (what_d...) (webmail), September 17th, 2004 5:02 AM. (later) (link)
i can see our "interpretations" being complementary, more or less. but i'm reluctant to describe this album as being "about" any one thing, especially something as cliché as "learning to laugh again." i don't think the album has a narrative per se, or an obvious forward progression. or at least i've never chosen to hear it that way.
― amateur!!!st (amateurist), Friday, 17 September 2004 12:40 (twenty years ago) link
I agree that's not Oldfield on that track, but it's definitely Oldfield on the final track 'Little Red Robin Hood Hit the Road', the huge soaring melodic line that turns into the 'can't you see them?' riff. One of my favorite moments of recorded sound in the history of our world etc.
Oldfield is credited as a musician on the back cover of the original vinyl, but I suspect Oldfield's saying he wrote that entire solo, the melody and riff, and deserved a co-authoring credit for the entire track (I would be obliged if you could find his exact complaint)... the riff is nearly identical to one of the sections of 'Ommadawn'. I still see it as more of a break in the middle of Wyatt's song, but it is certainly Oldfield's solo that pushes it over the top.
― (Jon L), Friday, 17 September 2004 17:35 (twenty years ago) link
YES
― amateur!!st, Friday, 17 September 2004 17:38 (twenty years ago) link
― (Jon L), Friday, 17 September 2004 17:40 (twenty years ago) link
― cºzen (Cozen), Friday, 17 September 2004 17:48 (twenty years ago) link
Trying to describe one the most amazing tracks I've ever heard? Meant as a tribute to RW, not myself. should have let the music do the talking:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EUBFqj6h6zw
― dow, Wednesday, 15 May 2024 22:46 (four months ago) link
well i think what you wrote is sweet dow.
― Kate (rushomancy), Thursday, 16 May 2024 00:35 (four months ago) link
fair enough, I'm just cranky, ignore me
― I painted my teeth (sleeve), Thursday, 16 May 2024 01:02 (four months ago) link
no prob, thanks yall. That's all I got in the stash about Wyatt, and any new takes will be shorter, at least.
― dow, Thursday, 16 May 2024 02:47 (four months ago) link
https://thebluemoment.com/2024/07/01/on-visiting-a-friend/
― fetter, Monday, 1 July 2024 12:42 (three months ago) link
:)
― Blood On Santa's Claw (Tom D.), Monday, 1 July 2024 13:01 (three months ago) link
Do love him mid 70s Rock Bottom, Drury Lane and with Henry Cow.& the stage before where he was with Matching Mole and the stage before that with Soft Machine.
May like him a bit later too. Think I may have picked up a few more titles in FOPP a few years back.
But Matching Mole are so great.
The biography from about 10 years ago was quite good.Different Every Time
― Stevo, Monday, 1 July 2024 15:42 (three months ago) link
harrumphing a bit that williams thinks the band is called "the soft machine"
first alb is the soft machine by the band "soft machine" IMO; second is the soft machine: volume two, also by soft machine
any printed artefact to the contrary is a typo caused by drugs and the hippie slackness endemic to the times qed
― mark s, Monday, 1 July 2024 17:22 (three months ago) link
― dow, Tuesday, 2 July 2024 18:23 (three months ago) link
'k, dow expressed interest in reading this piece i wrote in december 2022... link should be active for about one month. :)
https://pastebin.com/eJnVVVPE
― Kate (rushomancy), Monday, 23 September 2024 21:20 (one week ago) link
Thanks! several of his and your comments are startling glimpses of the truth-go-round, new 'uns for me. Listening to all those unearthed, bandcamped live Softs sets upthread, plus considering the way their studio albums were going, with all those industrious instrumental studies, I was glad he left (however it happened), and regained breathing room to sing, with Matching Mole and others. Even though his thoughts went floating back and around, like his sound.
― dow, Monday, 23 September 2024 21:54 (one week ago) link