Wednesday, February 20, 2013

R.I.P. Kevin Ayers

Kevin Ayers, one of Britain's great eccentric singer-songwriters, died in his sleep on Monday.

Mojo published this tribute:


Farewell, Kevin Ayers...

12:14 PM GMT 20/02/2013

Photo: Getty Images
MOJO's Editor-In-Chief Phil Alexander pays his respects to a great English songwriter.
Kevin Ayers possessed a voice like no other, intrinsically British and full of whimsy and mischief. This latter quality animated much of his life as well as his music.
Born in Herne Bay, Kent, in 1944, Ayers was raised in Malaysia before returning to England at the age of 12 where he attended Simon Langton Grammar School For Boys, later described as "a hotbed for teenage avant-garderie". His first band, The Wilde Flowers, formed in the summer of '63 and also featured Robert Wyatt andHugh Hopper, both of whom (along with Ayers) would have a huge effect on what became known as The Canterbury Scene.
By mid-1966 The Wilde Flowers had morphed into The Soft Machine and featured Ayers on bass and vocals, Robert Wyatt on drums and vocals, Mike Ratledge on organ and Daevid Allen on guitar - the latter, both older and wiser, and a key influence on Ayers. The band's sound evolved dramatically, as they began blending jazz influences and beat-inspired incantations to their psychedelic sound.
Appearances at London's UFO Club led to a French tour which proved hugely successful but which marked the departure of Allen who, being Australian and lacking the requisite visa, was denied entry back into the UK. He would, of course, remain in France where he formed Gong, while Ayers, Wyatt and Ratledge continued for the most part as a three-piece.
Soft Machine's upward trajectory continued when they were invited to open for Jimi Hendrix on his 1968 US Tour. Halfway through the tour, the band recorded their self-titled proto-prog debut with producers Chas Chandler and Tom Wilson (the latter having overseen five Bob Dylan albums and had just helmed The Velvet Underground's debut).
Ayers was involved with writing eight of the 14 tracks on the album, his key role being emphasized by freewheeling, romantic tunes like We Did It Again and Lullabye Letter, but it was evident that he disliked the monotony associated with touring, telling this journalist that he found the entire process "dehumanizing". Despite his later reputation as a bon viveur and a ladies' man, Ayers also expressed his dislike for the temptations of the road as well as at the prospect of the band's music becoming increasingly complex.
His exit from Soft Machine was amicable as he repaired to Ibiza with the aim to simply enjoy life. There, however, he met up with Allen again in the village of Deia and wrote much of what became his first solo album, Joy Of A Toy.
Released on the Harvest label and featuring a number of his Soft Machine friends, the album summed up Kevin's wonky view of pop music. Nevertheless, today the album has retained all of its psychedelic charm, key tracks like Lady Rachel, All This Crazy Gift Of Time and Song For Insane Times illustrating Ayers' songwriting at its most engaging. A track entitled Religious Experience was also recorded during the Joy sessions featuring Syd Barrett on guitar, but was not issued until the 2003 reissue of the album.
Blessed with good looks and natural charm, Ayers seemed set for a blossoming career, his second album Shooting At The Moon (released October 1970), building on the momentum of his debut and featuring his backing band, The Whole World, which included key players such as David Bedford, Lol Coxhill, Wyatt, Bridget St Johnand the young Mike Oldfield. Despite a rich run of form - which also include key albums Whatevershebringswesing (1971) , Bananamour (1973) and The Confessions Of Dr Dream And Other Stories (1974) - Ayers was ultimately beset by his own inconsistencies and appetites. As a result, a quest for greater commerciality was doomed to failure and, ultimately, led a string of patchy albums in the '80s.
His later career rarely saw him participating in music, although he did return to the stage in 1992 when he released his only album of that decade, the largely acoustic Still Life With A Guitar. Then, in 2007, he remerged with a brand new full-fledged studio album, The Unfairground, released on Bernard MccMahon's Lo-Max label. The album itself featured 10 startlingly good songs penned by the man himself and also saw a slew of artists, both his contemporaries and those he had influenced, playing on the record. Among them were Hugh Hopper, Bridget St John and Phil Manzanera, as well as members of Teenage Fanclub, Neutral Milk Hotel, Ladybig Transistor andGorky's Zygotic Mynci.
The album received a four star review in MOJO and the magazine attempted to put together a series of shows with Kevin in order to fully support the album. The logistics of these were complicated and involved Ayers travelling to Scotland to rehearse with the Teenage Fanclub and musical director Bill Wells. Sadly Ayers felt it was a step too far and, despite his return to London for promotional interviews, the plans for his live return collapsed.
More recently, requests for him to conduct interviews were met with rebuttals and word that Ayers found the prospect of talking to the media increasingly alarming. In truth, he was also battling illness.
A man often beset by his own insecurities, Kevin passed away on February 18, seemingly in his sleep, at the age of 68 at his home in France, a country with which he had developed a deep association. He will be greatly missed by all those who knew him, and those who lost themselves in his wondrous music. Remember him by watching him at his most elegant and eloquent in this 1970 French film...
Posted by Ross_Bennett at 12:14 PM GMT 20/02/2013


http://www.mojo4music.com/blog/2013/02/kevin_ayers_1944_-_2013.html

Sunday, February 3, 2013

January 2013 Vinyl Night


1ArtistTitleAlbum/45PresenterNotes
2The TwilightsShipwreck45Steve Rosen 
Valentine BrothersMoney's Too Tight to Mention12"Steve Rosen 
Jesse Lee TurnerThe Little Space Girl45Steve Rosen 
Rahsaan Roland KirkThe EntertainerThe Case of the 3-Sided Dream in Audio ColorDean Niemeyer 
Bonnie RaittWhat Do You Want the Boy to DoHome PlateDean Niemeyer 
Gentle GiantFriendsGiant for a DayRory Falato 
Rory GallagherCrest of a WaveSinner … and SaintRory Falato 
Joe ElyDon't Put a Lock on My HeartLord of the HighwayNeil Sharrow 
10 AstrosurfCoastal BrawlRidin' the Amber WavesNeil Sharrow 
11 ShalamarMake That Move45RJ Smith 
12 Helene SmithThrills and ChillsEccentric Soul/The Deep City LabelRJ Smith 
13 Crazy HorseGone Dead TrainCrazy HorseLou Webb 
14 Alice CooperUnder My WheelsKillerLou Webb 
15 Ry CooderAlimonyRy CooderLou Webb 
16 The NormalWarm Leatherette / T.V.O.D.45Steve Spatt 
17 Miles DavisSoleaSketches of SpainSteve Kemme 
18 Ohio PlayersFOPPHoneyDr. Chlorophyll 
19 Willie HutchBrother's Gonna Work it OutThe MackDr. Chlorophyll 
20 Bobby Fuller FourI Fought the Law45Paul Horn 
21 Bert DievertMy Old FriendsOpus 3 Test Record/Depth of ImagePaul Horn 
22 Savoy BrownShe's Got a Ring in Her Nose and a Ring on Her HandBlue MatterPaul Horn 
23 Kool & the GangHollywood SwingingLove and UnderstandingRay Morton 
24 Kool & the GangWho's Gonna Take the WeightLive at the Sex MachineRay Morton 
25 Lord BuckleyScroogeBlowing His Mind (and Yours, Too)Polly Campbell 
26 Average White BandCut the CakePerson to PersonBill Frost 
27 Status QuoRoadhouse BluesLiveBill Frost 
28 Nancy Sinatra & Lee HazlewoodSome Velvet MorningNancy & LeeDavid Little 
29 Urszula DudziakMistyMidnight RainDavid Little 
30 Tony Joe WhiteStud SpiderCountry Funk 1969-1975JP 
31 Rolling StonesFingerprint FileIt's Only Rock & RollJP 
32 Tom WaitsTemptationFranks Wild YearsBob Nyswonger 
33 Gentle GiantPlaying the GameThe Power & the GloryBob Nyswonger 
34 Otis WilliamsWichita LinemanGreatest Hits of Otis WilliamsBrian Powers 
35 Connie SmithCincinnati, OhioGreatest Hits Vol. 1Brian Powers 
36 Nick GravenitesIt Takes TimeLive at Bill Graham's Fillmore WestJim McNair 
37 SteppenwolfBlack Pit45Jim McNair

November Vinyl Night


1ArtistTitleAlbum/45PresenterNotes
2Alan PriceO Lucky Man! / Poor PeopleO Lucky Man! SoundtrackSteve Spatt 
Patti ScialfaPlay It As it LaysPlay It As it LaysSteve Spatt 
Steeleye SpanMarrow Bones / ReelsTen Man Mop or Mr. Reservoir Butler Rides AgainJim McNair 
Eric Burdon & the GreenhornesBlack Dog / Out of My MindEPSteve Rosen 
Mr. SpoonsSpoontune / Dueling SpoonsBook Full of Spoons singleTony Walsh 
Jerry Lee LewisOver the RainbowKiller CountryDavid Little 
The JuddsWorkin' in the Coal MineRockin' with the RhythmDavid Little 
Steve Lacy & Don CherryEvidenceEvidenceSteve Kemme 
10 Steve LacyCropsSolo in Montreal 1976Steve Kemme 
11 Quintet of the Hot Club of FranceChasing Shadows / My Sweet / Ultra FoxQuintet of the Hot Club of FranceWoody Woodburn 
12 The TurtlesSurfer Dan / Chief Kamanawanalea / Food / Chicken Little Was RightThe Battle of the BandsNeil Sharrow 
13 Wall of VoodooRing of FireGranma's HouseBrian Powers 
14 Buck Owens & the BuckaroosHome on Christmas DayChristmas ShoppingBrian Powers 
15 Swamp DoggYou Say You Trust Your Mother / Lady MadonnaCuffed, Collared & TaggedSteve Spatt 
16 Steeleye SpanFour Nights DrunkTen Man Mop or …Jim McNair 
17 Walter ColemanGoin' to CincinnatiPlay It Like You Did Back to George StreetSteve Rosen 
18 Sam Jones (Stovepipe No. 1)Court Street BluesPlay It Like You Did Back to George StreetSteve Rosen 
19 FamilyLarf and Sing / Spanish Tide / Save Some for TheeFearlessNeil Sharrow