MID-EIGHTIES

A mixed bag, which is true of all compilations, I suppose. The more material Wyatt puts out, the less essential a lot of his mid-period stuff becomes. I guess it's just the under- produced feeling that comes from this period, when you feel fortunate to have a percussion track tacked on to the usual vocal-and-drony-organ schtick. It takes a really special song to keep me interested when every song has this same arrangement. I guess a lot of people think his lyrics are enough to carry some of these musically simple tracks, but I long for the old days. Likewise, the newer stuff (Shleep & Cuckooland) is much more listenable, and contains more of his loopy sense of humor.