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Zac M View Drop Down
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Points: 3577 		Direct Link To This Post Topic: the genius of wyatt
    Posted: August 10 2005 at 17:05

Didn't know that, funny quote
"Art is not imitation, nor is it something manufactured according to the wishes of instinct or good taste. It is a process of expression."

-Merleau-Ponty
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Points: 2808 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 10 2005 at 17:01
Originally posted by meurglysIII meurglysIII wrote:

he really never gets the attention he deserves, especially in these forums


BTW, did you know he was recently the recipient of the Mojo lifetime achievement award. He's quoted as saying:

"I thought i'd better go back and listen to my records, to see if they were any good".
"And do you know what?" he says with a grin "they are really good".
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Zac M View Drop Down
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Points: 3577 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 10 2005 at 16:51
he really never gets the attention he deserves, especially in these forums
"Art is not imitation, nor is it something manufactured according to the wishes of instinct or good taste. It is a process of expression."

-Merleau-Ponty
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omri View Drop Down
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Points: 1250 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 10 2005 at 16:47

I got Soft machine's Volume 1 & 2 recently and also Matching mole'sLittle red record. Still working on them.

From his solo career I have The end of an ear, Rock bottom, Ruth is stranger than Richard and Old rottenhat. These are all good albums but for me Rock bottom is his best and one of my absolute desert island albums. Old rottenhat is another masterpiece IMO. I think Wyatt stands in the first line of prog artists and is very important, beautifull & emotional.

Alifib is my favorite track of his and one of my favs of all music exists.
omri
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Points: 427 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 10 2005 at 08:56
Wyatt is an f-ing genius. Even his odd little 80s albums are wonders to
listen to. And his singing and drumming with early Softs are incredible.

Best song- Sea Song or O Caroline from Matching Mole's first album.
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Points: 2195 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 10 2005 at 08:32

I really like the Mole's Little Red Record....the sound could use a little cleaning up, but I think it's an excellent spacy jazzy album.  Also dig the Old Rottenhat album, but that's a given!

 
I like to feel the suspense when you're certain you know I am there.....
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Dick Heath View Drop Down
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Points: 12813 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 10 2005 at 08:26
Originally posted by meurglysIII meurglysIII wrote:

No one sings quite like he does...that is for sure



Two others I would argue.

In the early 70's John Peel called Wyatt and Kevin Ayers' vocal style "the school of anti-song". More recently and perhaps more precisely, Richard Sinclair* and Robert Wyatt have been called "English school of jazz singers" - as opposed to British singers who affect an American accent when they sing jazz songs , e.g Jamie Cullum, (Chet Baker did it so much better).[ Read recently about an English rock vocalist wondering if to American ears, British vocalists singing American had the same effect as we had to suffer with Dick Van Dyke speaking and singing mockney cockney in Mary Poppins?]

For a comparision of English and American styles, check out Canterbury's most prolific and covered musician, Hugh Hopper's Dedicated To You But You Weren't Listening on Soft Machine Volume 2 (Wyatt's original) and Caveman Hughscore's  (Elaine Difalco's version).

* for an excellent example of Sinclair away from Caravan and vocalising this way: Theo Travis's Earth To Ether (33 Records)


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Points: 2808 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 10 2005 at 07:30

Sorry, being lazy, and meant to be working at same time (go away damn customers ).

Won't happen again.

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Points: 5964 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 10 2005 at 07:28
Ahem...

Line-up
- Robert Wyatt / drums, vocals, piano, mellotron
- Dave Sinclair / keyboards
- Bill MacCormick / bass
- Phil Miller / guitar

This IS Prog Archives, remember?
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Points: 2808 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 10 2005 at 07:24
Good point, but you got me thinking who was in MM. Dave Sinclair, RW, forgot the rest?
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Points: 5964 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 10 2005 at 07:07
I dooooo wish people would stop talking about Matching Mole as if it was a Wyatt solo project! Much of Wyatt's post-MM solo career is very different and a lot more accessible than MM. For someone who fancies some solo Wyatt that's a little more melodic look no further than the album in my signature - Shleep. It's brilliant, as is the man who created it.
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Points: 2808 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 10 2005 at 03:51

loved early Soft Machine, mainly because of Wyatt's distinctive vocals and drumming. SM albums after him hold no real attraction for me.

Haven't religiously followed his subsequent career but have a few MM and solo albums and each of them contains real gems.

Re-read the Robert Wyatt book occasionally. Both funny & poinient.
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Zac M View Drop Down
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Points: 3577 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 10 2005 at 00:01
I'm actually getting ready to listen to it now
"Art is not imitation, nor is it something manufactured according to the wishes of instinct or good taste. It is a process of expression."

-Merleau-Ponty
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Zac M View Drop Down
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Points: 3577 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 09 2005 at 23:57
the first matching mole album is excellent, highly recommended
"Art is not imitation, nor is it something manufactured according to the wishes of instinct or good taste. It is a process of expression."

-Merleau-Ponty
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Points: 2771 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 09 2005 at 23:55

I haven't yet heard a full Matching Mole album (love the O Caroline mp3 though) , but almost everything else is damn good ... Soft Machine's Third and his solo albums Rock Bottom and Ruth Is Stranger Than Richard are my favourites ...

I'll admit I'm not the biggest fan of Soft Machine's Fourth, but perhaps one reason is that Wyatt's influence was clearly waning?

I now remember that I hated his voice a long time ago, it definitely takes some getting used to, but I think his lyrics helped me get over the voice ...
"Death to Utopia! Death to faith! Death to love! Death to hope?" thunders the 20th century. "Surrender, you pathetic dreamer.”

"No" replies the unhumbled optimist "You are only the present."
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Points: 3047 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 09 2005 at 23:51
Originally posted by meurglysIII meurglysIII wrote:

No one sings quite like he does...that is for sure

he's really ethereal and hippieish I like him quite a bit. 

his commie leanings can be distracting, but usually it doesnt get in the way of his voice.
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Zac M View Drop Down
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Points: 3577 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 09 2005 at 23:49

No one sings quite like he does...that is for sure
"Art is not imitation, nor is it something manufactured according to the wishes of instinct or good taste. It is a process of expression."

-Merleau-Ponty
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Points: 3047 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 09 2005 at 23:47
I think he is excellent on the first 4 Soft M albums.  Especially the first 2.  Great albums.  I don;t much care for his solo albums, and Matching Mole bores me.  The first 2 SM albums are fun though, his voice is just so English I love it.
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Zac M View Drop Down
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Points: 3577 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 09 2005 at 23:32
my thread is moving further down....i could have never predicted that.  either no one likes or knows of wyatt's work that is on now
"Art is not imitation, nor is it something manufactured according to the wishes of instinct or good taste. It is a process of expression."

-Merleau-Ponty
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Points: 225 		Direct Link To This Post Posted: August 09 2005 at 23:09
I think he's a great artist, but perhaps a bit overrated.  I find some of his work a bit aimless melodically, but at his best (Moon in June, Sea Song, O Caroline), he is one of the greatest canterbury composers.  His drumming is phenomonal too!
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