Kevin Ayers
Encyclopedia
Kevin Ayers is an English
singer-songwriter
and was a major influential force in the English psychedelic
movement. BBC DJ John Peel
wrote in his autobiography that "Kevin Ayers' talent is so acute you could perform major eye surgery with it."
Ayers was a founding member of the pioneering psychedelic band Soft Machine
in the late 1960s, and was closely associated with the Canterbury scene
. He has recorded a series of albums as a solo artist and over the years has worked with Brian Eno
, Syd Barrett
, John Cale
, Elton John
, Robert Wyatt
, Andy Summers
, Mike Oldfield
, Nico
and Ollie Halsall
, among others. After living for many years in Deià
, Majorca, he returned to the United Kingdom in the mid 1990s. He now lives in the south of France. His most recent album was Unfairground, which was recorded in New York City, Tucson
, Arizona
, and London in 2006.
producer Rowan Ayers
, but following his parents' split and his mother's subsequent marriage to a British civil servant, Ayers spent most of his childhood
in Malaysia. The tropical atmosphere and unpressured lifestyle had an impact, and one of the frustrating and endearing aspects of Ayers' career is that every time he seemed on the point of success, he would take off for some sunny spot where good wine
and food were easily found.
Ayers returned to England at the age of twelve, and in his early college
years took up with the burgeoning musician
s' scene in the Canterbury area. He was quickly drafted into the Wilde Flowers
, a band that featured Robert Wyatt
and Hugh Hopper
, as well as future members of Caravan
. Ayers has stated in interviews that the primary reason he was asked to join was that he probably had the longest hair. However, this prompted him to start writing songs and singing.
with the addition of keyboardist
Mike Ratledge and guitarist
Daevid Allen
. Ayers switched to bass
(and later both guitar and bass following Allen's departure from the group) and shared vocals with the drummer
Robert Wyatt
. The contrast between Ayers' baritone and Wyatt's reedy tenor, plus the freewheeling mix of rock
and jazz
influences, made for a memorable new sound that caught on quickly in the psychedelic 1960s. The band often shared stages (particularly at the UFO Club
) with Syd Barrett
's Pink Floyd
. They released their debut single 'Love Makes Sweet Music
' / 'Feelin' Reelin', Squeelin
' in February 1967, making it one of the first recordings from the new British psychedelic movement. Their debut album, The Soft Machine
, was recorded in the USA for ABC/Probe and released in 1968. It is considered a classic of the genre.
, a weary Ayers sold his white Fender Jazz bass to Noel Redding
and retreated to the beaches of Ibiza
in Spain with Daevid Allen
to recuperate. While there, Ayers went on a songwriting binge that resulted in the songs that would make up his first album, Joy of a Toy
. The album was one of the first released on the new Harvest
label, along with Pink Floyd's releases. Joy of a Toy established Ayers as a unique talent with music that varied from the circus march of the title cut to the pastoral "Girl on a Swing," and the ominous "Oleh Oleh Bandu Bandong", based on a Malaysian folksong. Ayers' colleagues from Soft Machine backed him, with the addition on some cuts of Rob Tait, sometime Gong
drummer.
One interesting product of the sessions was the single, "Religious Experience (Singing a Song in the Morning)
", early recordings of which featured Syd Barrett
on guitar and backing vocals. The lead guitar that appears on the final mix was often thought to have been played by Barrett, even appearing on various Barrett bootlegs, but Ayers has said that he played the solo, emulating Barrett's style. However the 2004 CD reissue of Joy of a Toy includes a mix of this song featuring Barrett's guitar as a bonus track.
A second album, Shooting at the Moon
, soon followed. For this, Ayers assembled a band that he called The Whole World, including a young Mike Oldfield
on bass and occasionally lead guitar, avant-garde composer David Bedford
on keyboards and improvising saxophonist, Lol Coxhill
. Again Ayers came up with a batch of engaging songs interspersed with avant-garde instrumentals and a heavy dose of whimsy.
The Whole World was reportedly an erratic band live, and Ayers was not cut out for life on the road touring. The band broke up after a short tour, with no hard feelings, as most of the musicians guested on Ayers' next album, Whatevershebringswesing
, which is regarded as one of his best, featuring the mellifluous eight-minute title track that would became Ayers' signature sound for the '70s.
Bananamour
is the fourth studio album by Kevin Ayers and it featured some of his most accessible recordings, including "Shouting in a Bucket Blues" and his whimsical tribute to Syd Barrett, "Oh! Wot A Dream". After Whatevershebringswesing, Ayers assembled a new band anchored by drummer Eddie Sparrow and bassist Archie Legget and employed a more direct lyricism. The centrepiece of the album is 'Decadence', his withering portrait of Nico.
1974 was a watershed year for Ayers. In addition to releasing his most compelling music in this year, he was helped provide other artists with access to a wider stage, most notably Lady June (June Campbell Cramer). The recording, titled Lady June's Linguistic Leprosy
, made in a front room of Cramer's home in Vale Court, Maida Vale, brought Lady June's spoken word poetry together with the music and voice of Ayers, and also had contributions by Brian Eno
and Pip Pyle
. It was originally released on Ayers' own Banana Productions label (via Virgin/Caroline).
The Confessions of Dr. Dream and Other Stories
marked Ayers' move to the more commercial Island record label and is considered by many to be the most cohesive example of Ayersian philosophy. The production was expensive, with Ayers quoting the recording costs in a 1974 NME interview as exceeding £32,000 (a vast figure at the time). On this LP Mike Oldfield
returned to the fold and guitarist Ollie Halsall
from progressive rock band Patto
began a twenty-year partnership with Ayers.
On the 1 June 1974, Ayers headlined a heavily publicised concert at the Rainbow Theatre, London, accompanied by John Cale
, Nico
, Brian Eno
and Mike Oldfield
. The performance was released by Island Records just 27 days later on a live LP entitled June 1, 1974
. Tensions were somewhat fraught at the event since the night before John Cale
had caught Ayers sleeping with his wife prompting him to write the bile-soaked paean 'Guts' that would appear on his 1975 album Slow Dazzle.
In 1976 Ayers returned to his original label Harvest and released Yes We Have No Mañanas (So Get Your Mañanas Today)
. The album was a more commercial affair and secured Ayers a new American contract with ABC Records
. The LP featured contributions from B.J. Cole and Zoot Money
. That same year Harvest released a collection entitled Odd Ditties, that assembled a colorful group of songs that Ayers had consigned to single B-Sides or left unreleased.
The late 1970s and 1980s saw Ayers as a self-imposed exile in warmer climes, a fugitive from changing musical fashions, and a hostage to chemical addictions. 1983's Diamond Jack and the Queen of Pain
was, perhaps, a low-point for Ayers. He was quoted in a 1992 BBC radio 1 interview as saying he had "virtually no recollection of making those records". The road back was marked with 1988's prophetically titled Falling Up
, that received his first unanimously positive press notices in years. In 1988 he also recorded a vocal track for Mike Oldfield's single, "Flying Start
". The lyrics of this song contains many references to Ayers' life.
Despite the critical acclaim Falling Up received, Ayers by this point had almost completely withdrawn from any public stage, a state further compounded by the sudden death, by a drugs overdose, of his musical partner Ollie Halsall
. An acoustic album Still Life with Guitar
recorded with Fairground Attraction
surfaced in France on the FNAC
label and was subsequently released throughout Europe. Some collaborations with Ayers fanatics Ultramarine and a concert tour with Liverpool's Wizards of Twiddly completed his output in the 1990s.
in the South of France. At the Sculpture Centre, he met American artist Tim Shepard who had been invited to use studio space there, and the two became friends. Ayers started to show up at Shepard's house with a guitar, and by 2005, passed some new recordings onto Shepard, most taped on a cassette recorder at his kitchen table. The songs were by turns "poignant, insightful and honest," and Shepard, "deeply moved" by what he heard, encouraged Ayers to record them properly for a possible new album.
Signing with London's LO-MAX Records
, Shepard found equal enthusiasm for the demos and after making some tentative enquiries, discovered a hotbed of interest for Ayers' work amongst the current generation of musicians. New York's Ladybug Transistor set up rehearsals for a possible recording organised by band leader Gary Olson, and Kevin flew out to New York. When the rehearsals gelled, the entourage, which had now swelled to include horn and string players, flew out to Tucson, Arizona
where the first sessions were recorded in a dusty hangar known as Wavelab Studios.
With the tapes from the first sessions, Shepard set about getting Ayers to complete the album in the UK, where by now word had spread, and a host of musicians started gravitating to the studio. Shepard recounted meeting Teenage Fanclub
at a Go-Betweens party and hearing their passion for Ayers' music, and wrote a letter to singer, guitarist Norman Blake
. Mojo
magazine reported that, within a couple of weeks, Ayers was in a Glasgow studio with Teenage Fanclub
and a host of their like-minded colleagues, who had all assembled to work with their hero. Bill Wells
from the Bill Wells Trio rubbed shoulders with Euros Childs
from Gorkys Zygotic Mynci and Francis Reader from the Trash Can Sinatras.
Friends and peers from the past also visited the sessions. Robert Wyatt
provided his eerie Wyattron in the poignant 'Cold Shoulder', Phil Manzanera
contributed to the brooding 'Brainstorm', Hugh Hopper
from Soft Machine
played bass on the title track and Bridget St. John, a British Folk singer beloved of John Peel
, duetted with Ayers on 'Baby Come Home', the first time they had sung together since 1970 on Shooting at the Moon. The Unfairground
was released to critical acclaim in September 2007.
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriter
Singer-songwriters are musicians who write, compose and sing their own musical material including lyrics and melodies. As opposed to contemporary popular music singers who write their own songs, the term singer-songwriter describes a distinct form of artistry, closely associated with the...
and was a major influential force in the English psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
movement. BBC DJ John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
wrote in his autobiography that "Kevin Ayers' talent is so acute you could perform major eye surgery with it."
Ayers was a founding member of the pioneering psychedelic band Soft Machine
Soft Machine
Soft Machine were an English rock band from Canterbury, named after the book The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs. They were one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene, and helped pioneer the progressive rock genre...
in the late 1960s, and was closely associated with the Canterbury scene
Canterbury Scene
The Canterbury scene is a term used to loosely describe the group of progressive rock, avant-garde and jazz musicians, many of whom were based around the city of Canterbury, Kent, England during the late 1960s and early 1970s...
. He has recorded a series of albums as a solo artist and over the years has worked with Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
, Syd Barrett
Syd Barrett
Syd Barrett , born Roger Keith Barrett, was an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and painter, best remembered as a founding member of the band Pink Floyd. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter during the band's psychedelic years, providing major musical and stylistic...
, John Cale
John Cale
John Davies Cale, OBE is a Welsh musician, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the experimental rock band The Velvet Underground....
, Elton John
Elton John
Sir Elton Hercules John, CBE, Hon DMus is an English rock singer-songwriter, composer, pianist and occasional actor...
, Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt is an English musician, and founding member of the influential Canterbury scene band Soft Machine, with a long and distinguished solo career...
, Andy Summers
Andy Summers
Andy Summers is an English guitarist born in Poulton-le-Fylde, Lancashire, England. Best known as the guitarist for rock band The Police, he has also recorded twelve solo albums, collaborated with many other artists, toured extensively under his own name, published several books, and composed...
, Mike Oldfield
Mike Oldfield
Michael Gordon Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age, and more recently, dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature...
, Nico
Nico
Nico was a German singer, lyricist, composer, musician, fashion model, and actress, who initially rose to fame as a Warhol Superstar in the 1960s...
and Ollie Halsall
Ollie Halsall
Peter John 'Ollie' Halsall was a left-handed guitarist and is best known for his role in The Rutles, the bands Patto, Timebox and Boxer, and for his contribution to the music of Kevin Ayers. He is also notable as one of the few players of the vibraphone in rock music...
, among others. After living for many years in Deià
Deià
Deià is a small coastal village on the northern ridge of the Spanish island of Majorca. It is located about ten miles north of Valldemossa, and it is known for its literary and musical residents...
, Majorca, he returned to the United Kingdom in the mid 1990s. He now lives in the south of France. His most recent album was Unfairground, which was recorded in New York City, Tucson
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, and London in 2006.
Early life
Ayers is the son of BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
producer Rowan Ayers
Rowan Ayers
Rowan Ayers was a television producer and poet. He was best known as producer of BBC's Line-Up and Late Night Line-Up in the 1960s. He was the originator of BBCs influential late night rock music show Old Grey Whistle Test and the long-running Points of View...
, but following his parents' split and his mother's subsequent marriage to a British civil servant, Ayers spent most of his childhood
Childhood
Childhood is the age span ranging from birth to adolescence. In developmental psychology, childhood is divided up into the developmental stages of toddlerhood , early childhood , middle childhood , and adolescence .- Age ranges of childhood :The term childhood is non-specific and can imply a...
in Malaysia. The tropical atmosphere and unpressured lifestyle had an impact, and one of the frustrating and endearing aspects of Ayers' career is that every time he seemed on the point of success, he would take off for some sunny spot where good wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
and food were easily found.
Ayers returned to England at the age of twelve, and in his early college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
years took up with the burgeoning musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
s' scene in the Canterbury area. He was quickly drafted into the Wilde Flowers
Wilde Flowers
The Wilde Flowers were a popular music group based in the vicinity of Canterbury, England. The group was active between 1964 and 1967 but never released any records during its existence; however it led to the formation of two other groups that became well-known and influential: Soft Machine and...
, a band that featured Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt is an English musician, and founding member of the influential Canterbury scene band Soft Machine, with a long and distinguished solo career...
and Hugh Hopper
Hugh Hopper
Hugh Colin Hopper was a progressive rock and jazz fusion bass guitarist. He was a prominent member of the Canterbury scene, as a member of Soft Machine and various other related bands.-Early career:...
, as well as future members of Caravan
Caravan (band)
Caravan are an English band from the Canterbury area, founded by former Wilde Flowers members David Sinclair, Richard Sinclair, Pye Hastings and Richard Coughlan. Caravan rose to success over a period of several years from 1968 onwards into the 1970s as part of the Canterbury scene, blending...
. Ayers has stated in interviews that the primary reason he was asked to join was that he probably had the longest hair. However, this prompted him to start writing songs and singing.
Soft Machine
The Wilde Flowers morphed into Soft MachineSoft Machine
Soft Machine were an English rock band from Canterbury, named after the book The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs. They were one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene, and helped pioneer the progressive rock genre...
with the addition of keyboardist
Keyboardist
A keyboardist is a musician who plays keyboard instruments. Until the early 1960s musicians who played keyboards were generally classified as either pianists or organists. Since the mid-1960s, a plethora of new musical instruments with keyboards have come into common usage, requiring a more...
Mike Ratledge and guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
Daevid Allen
Daevid Allen
Daevid Allen , sometimes credited as Divided Alien, an Australian poet, guitarist, singer, composer and performance artist is co-founder of psychedelic rock groups Soft Machine and Gong .-Biography:In 1960, inspired by the Beat Generation writers he had discovered...
. Ayers switched to bass
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
(and later both guitar and bass following Allen's departure from the group) and shared vocals with the drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt is an English musician, and founding member of the influential Canterbury scene band Soft Machine, with a long and distinguished solo career...
. The contrast between Ayers' baritone and Wyatt's reedy tenor, plus the freewheeling mix of rock
Rock music
Rock music is a genre of popular music that developed during and after the 1960s, particularly in the United Kingdom and the United States. It has its roots in 1940s and 1950s rock and roll, itself heavily influenced by rhythm and blues and country music...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
influences, made for a memorable new sound that caught on quickly in the psychedelic 1960s. The band often shared stages (particularly at the UFO Club
UFO Club
The UFO Club was a famous but shortlived UK underground club in London during the 1960s, venue of performances by many of the top bands of the day.-History:...
) with Syd Barrett
Syd Barrett
Syd Barrett , born Roger Keith Barrett, was an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and painter, best remembered as a founding member of the band Pink Floyd. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter during the band's psychedelic years, providing major musical and stylistic...
's Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd were an English rock band that achieved worldwide success with their progressive and psychedelic rock music. Their work is marked by the use of philosophical lyrics, sonic experimentation, innovative album art, and elaborate live shows. Pink Floyd are one of the most commercially...
. They released their debut single 'Love Makes Sweet Music
Love Makes Sweet Music
"Love Makes Sweet Music" was the first single released by the Psychedelic rock group Soft Machine. It is one of the first British Psychedelic releases, predating Pink Floyd's "Arnold Layne" by a month....
' / 'Feelin' Reelin', Squeelin
Love Makes Sweet Music
"Love Makes Sweet Music" was the first single released by the Psychedelic rock group Soft Machine. It is one of the first British Psychedelic releases, predating Pink Floyd's "Arnold Layne" by a month....
' in February 1967, making it one of the first recordings from the new British psychedelic movement. Their debut album, The Soft Machine
The Soft Machine (album)
The Soft Machine, as reissue also titled "Volume One", is the debut album by the British psychedelic rock band Soft Machine, one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene....
, was recorded in the USA for ABC/Probe and released in 1968. It is considered a classic of the genre.
Solo career, 1969-1999
After an extensive tour of the United States opening for Jimi HendrixJimi Hendrix
James Marshall "Jimi" Hendrix was an American guitarist and singer-songwriter...
, a weary Ayers sold his white Fender Jazz bass to Noel Redding
Noel Redding
Noel Redding was an English rock and roll guitarist best known as the bassist for The Jimi Hendrix Experience.-Biography:...
and retreated to the beaches of Ibiza
Ibiza
Ibiza or Eivissa is a Spanish island in the Mediterranean Sea 79 km off the coast of the city of Valencia in Spain. It is the third largest of the Balearic Islands, an autonomous community of Spain. With Formentera, it is one of the two Pine Islands or Pityuses. Its largest cities are Ibiza...
in Spain with Daevid Allen
Daevid Allen
Daevid Allen , sometimes credited as Divided Alien, an Australian poet, guitarist, singer, composer and performance artist is co-founder of psychedelic rock groups Soft Machine and Gong .-Biography:In 1960, inspired by the Beat Generation writers he had discovered...
to recuperate. While there, Ayers went on a songwriting binge that resulted in the songs that would make up his first album, Joy of a Toy
Joy of a Toy
Joy of a Toy is the debut solo album of Kevin Ayers, a founding member of Soft Machine. Its whimsical and unique vision is a clear indication of how Soft Machine might have progressed under Ayers' tenure...
. The album was one of the first released on the new Harvest
Harvest Records
-References:* Harvest Records collectors guide ISBN 978-5-9622-0021-7...
label, along with Pink Floyd's releases. Joy of a Toy established Ayers as a unique talent with music that varied from the circus march of the title cut to the pastoral "Girl on a Swing," and the ominous "Oleh Oleh Bandu Bandong", based on a Malaysian folksong. Ayers' colleagues from Soft Machine backed him, with the addition on some cuts of Rob Tait, sometime Gong
Gong (band)
Gong is a Franco-British progressive/psychedelic rock band formed by Australian musician Daevid Allen. Their music has also been described as space rock. Other notable band members include Allan Holdsworth, Tim Blake, Didier Malherbe, Pip Pyle, Gilli Smyth, Steve Hillage, Francis Moze, Mike Howlett...
drummer.
One interesting product of the sessions was the single, "Religious Experience (Singing a Song in the Morning)
Singing a Song in the Morning
"Singing A Song In The Morning" was the first Kevin Ayers single, released three months after his debut solo LP Joy of a Toy. It did not feature on the album....
", early recordings of which featured Syd Barrett
Syd Barrett
Syd Barrett , born Roger Keith Barrett, was an English singer-songwriter, guitarist, and painter, best remembered as a founding member of the band Pink Floyd. He was the lead vocalist, guitarist and primary songwriter during the band's psychedelic years, providing major musical and stylistic...
on guitar and backing vocals. The lead guitar that appears on the final mix was often thought to have been played by Barrett, even appearing on various Barrett bootlegs, but Ayers has said that he played the solo, emulating Barrett's style. However the 2004 CD reissue of Joy of a Toy includes a mix of this song featuring Barrett's guitar as a bonus track.
A second album, Shooting at the Moon
Shooting at the Moon (album)
Shooting at the Moon is the second solo album of Kevin Ayers.In early 1970, Ayers assembled a band he called The Whole World to tour his debut LP Joy of a Toy that included, a young Mike Oldfield, David Bedford, Lol Coxhill, Mick Fincher, the folk singer Bridget St. John and Robert Wyatt...
, soon followed. For this, Ayers assembled a band that he called The Whole World, including a young Mike Oldfield
Mike Oldfield
Michael Gordon Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age, and more recently, dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature...
on bass and occasionally lead guitar, avant-garde composer David Bedford
David Bedford
David Vickerman Bedford , was an English composer and musician. He wrote and played both popular and classical music....
on keyboards and improvising saxophonist, Lol Coxhill
Lol Coxhill
Lowen Coxhill, generally known as Lol Coxhill is a free improvising saxophonist and raconteur...
. Again Ayers came up with a batch of engaging songs interspersed with avant-garde instrumentals and a heavy dose of whimsy.
The Whole World was reportedly an erratic band live, and Ayers was not cut out for life on the road touring. The band broke up after a short tour, with no hard feelings, as most of the musicians guested on Ayers' next album, Whatevershebringswesing
Whatevershebringswesing
Whatevershebringswesing is the third solo album by Kevin Ayers.In 1971, Kevin Ayers started recording what would become his most acclaimed album, Whatevershebringswesing accompanied by members of Gong and his previous backing band The Whole World...
, which is regarded as one of his best, featuring the mellifluous eight-minute title track that would became Ayers' signature sound for the '70s.
Bananamour
Bananamour
Bananamour is the fourth studio album by Kevin Ayers and it featured some of his most accessible recordings, including "Shouting in a Bucket Blues" and his whimsical tribute to Syd Barrett, "Oh! Wot A Dream". After Whatevershebringswesing, Ayers assembled a new band anchored by drummer Eddie...
is the fourth studio album by Kevin Ayers and it featured some of his most accessible recordings, including "Shouting in a Bucket Blues" and his whimsical tribute to Syd Barrett, "Oh! Wot A Dream". After Whatevershebringswesing, Ayers assembled a new band anchored by drummer Eddie Sparrow and bassist Archie Legget and employed a more direct lyricism. The centrepiece of the album is 'Decadence', his withering portrait of Nico.
1974 was a watershed year for Ayers. In addition to releasing his most compelling music in this year, he was helped provide other artists with access to a wider stage, most notably Lady June (June Campbell Cramer). The recording, titled Lady June's Linguistic Leprosy
Lady June's Linguistic Leprosy
Lady June's Linguistic Leprosy is a experimental music/spoken word album by poet Lady June . It features musical contributions by Kevin Ayers and Brian Eno.-Overview:...
, made in a front room of Cramer's home in Vale Court, Maida Vale, brought Lady June's spoken word poetry together with the music and voice of Ayers, and also had contributions by Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
and Pip Pyle
Pip Pyle
Phillip "Pip" Pyle was an English-born drummer from Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, who later resided in France...
. It was originally released on Ayers' own Banana Productions label (via Virgin/Caroline).
The Confessions of Dr. Dream and Other Stories
The Confessions of Dr. Dream and Other Stories
The Confessions of Dr. Dream and Other Stories is the fifth studio album by Kevin Ayers. Ayers moved to Island Records for this release which employed a vast array of session musicians. The album also marked the arrival of Patto guitarist Ollie Halsall, who would become a constant musical partner...
marked Ayers' move to the more commercial Island record label and is considered by many to be the most cohesive example of Ayersian philosophy. The production was expensive, with Ayers quoting the recording costs in a 1974 NME interview as exceeding £32,000 (a vast figure at the time). On this LP Mike Oldfield
Mike Oldfield
Michael Gordon Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age, and more recently, dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature...
returned to the fold and guitarist Ollie Halsall
Ollie Halsall
Peter John 'Ollie' Halsall was a left-handed guitarist and is best known for his role in The Rutles, the bands Patto, Timebox and Boxer, and for his contribution to the music of Kevin Ayers. He is also notable as one of the few players of the vibraphone in rock music...
from progressive rock band Patto
Patto
Patto was a progressive jazz-rock band formed in England in 1970 by vocalist Mike Patto with a lineup taken from Timebox consisting of vocalist Patto, drummer John Halsey, guitarist and vibraphone player Ollie Halsall and bassist Clive Griffiths....
began a twenty-year partnership with Ayers.
On the 1 June 1974, Ayers headlined a heavily publicised concert at the Rainbow Theatre, London, accompanied by John Cale
John Cale
John Davies Cale, OBE is a Welsh musician, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the experimental rock band The Velvet Underground....
, Nico
Nico
Nico was a German singer, lyricist, composer, musician, fashion model, and actress, who initially rose to fame as a Warhol Superstar in the 1960s...
, Brian Eno
Brian Eno
Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,...
and Mike Oldfield
Mike Oldfield
Michael Gordon Oldfield is an English multi-instrumentalist musician and composer, working a style that blends progressive rock, folk, ethnic or world music, classical music, electronic music, New Age, and more recently, dance. His music is often elaborate and complex in nature...
. The performance was released by Island Records just 27 days later on a live LP entitled June 1, 1974
June 1, 1974
June 1, 1974 is a live album of songs performed at the Rainbow Theatre in London on the titular date. The album is officially attributed to Kevin Ayers, John Cale, Brian Eno and Nico, although other well-known musicians, including Mike Oldfield and Robert Wyatt, also contributed to the concert. It...
. Tensions were somewhat fraught at the event since the night before John Cale
John Cale
John Davies Cale, OBE is a Welsh musician, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the experimental rock band The Velvet Underground....
had caught Ayers sleeping with his wife prompting him to write the bile-soaked paean 'Guts' that would appear on his 1975 album Slow Dazzle.
In 1976 Ayers returned to his original label Harvest and released Yes We Have No Mañanas (So Get Your Mañanas Today)
Yes We Have No Mañanas (So Get Your Mañanas Today)
Yes We Have No Mañanas is the seventh studio album by Kevin Ayers, released in June 1976. This LP marked Kevin Ayers' return to the leftfield Harvest label...
. The album was a more commercial affair and secured Ayers a new American contract with ABC Records
ABC Records
ABC Records was an American record label, founded in New York City in 1955 as ABC-Paramount Records. It originated as the main popular music label operated the Am-Par Record Corporation, the music subsidiary of the American Broadcasting Company . ABC-Paramount Records' first president was Samuel H....
. The LP featured contributions from B.J. Cole and Zoot Money
Zoot Money
George Bruno Money, known as Zoot Money is a British vocalist, keyboardist and bandleader best known for his playing of the Hammond organ and association with his Big Roll Band...
. That same year Harvest released a collection entitled Odd Ditties, that assembled a colorful group of songs that Ayers had consigned to single B-Sides or left unreleased.
The late 1970s and 1980s saw Ayers as a self-imposed exile in warmer climes, a fugitive from changing musical fashions, and a hostage to chemical addictions. 1983's Diamond Jack and the Queen of Pain
Diamond Jack and the Queen of Pain
Diamond Jack and the Queen of Pain is the tenth solo album by Kevin Ayers, a founding member of Soft Machine.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Kevin Ayers; except where indicated# "Madame Butterfly"# "Lay Lady Lay"...
was, perhaps, a low-point for Ayers. He was quoted in a 1992 BBC radio 1 interview as saying he had "virtually no recollection of making those records". The road back was marked with 1988's prophetically titled Falling Up
Falling Up (Kevin Ayers album)
Falling Up is the thirteenth studio album by Kevin Ayers.The song "Flying Start" was first released on the Mike Oldfield album Islands in September 1987.-Track listing:# "Saturday Night"...
, that received his first unanimously positive press notices in years. In 1988 he also recorded a vocal track for Mike Oldfield's single, "Flying Start
Flying Start
"Flying Start" is a single by musician Mike Oldfield, released in 1988 . It is from the September 1987 album Islands.Unusually for an Oldfield 12-inch at that time, the extended duration was achieved simply by a short introductory instrumental that bears no musical relation to the rest of the song...
". The lyrics of this song contains many references to Ayers' life.
Despite the critical acclaim Falling Up received, Ayers by this point had almost completely withdrawn from any public stage, a state further compounded by the sudden death, by a drugs overdose, of his musical partner Ollie Halsall
Ollie Halsall
Peter John 'Ollie' Halsall was a left-handed guitarist and is best known for his role in The Rutles, the bands Patto, Timebox and Boxer, and for his contribution to the music of Kevin Ayers. He is also notable as one of the few players of the vibraphone in rock music...
. An acoustic album Still Life with Guitar
Still Life with Guitar
Still Life with Guitar is the fifteenth studio album by Kevin Ayers. It found him consolidating on his 1988 return-to-form Falling Up with a collection of largely acoustic songs that many critics regarded as being equal to material penned at the perceived heights of his career in the mid-1970s...
recorded with Fairground Attraction
Fairground Attraction
Fairground Attraction were a British acoustic pop band. They are best known for their hit single "Perfect", and for helping to launch the career of lead vocalist Eddi Reader.-Career:...
surfaced in France on the FNAC
Fnac
Fnac is an international entertainment retail chain offering cultural and electronic products, founded by André Essel and Max Théret in 1954. It is the largest retailer of its kind in France...
label and was subsequently released throughout Europe. Some collaborations with Ayers fanatics Ultramarine and a concert tour with Liverpool's Wizards of Twiddly completed his output in the 1990s.
Solo career, 2000 to present
In the late 1990s, Ayers was living the life of a recluseRecluse
A recluse is a person who lives in voluntary seclusion from the public and society, often close to nature. The word is from the Latin recludere, which means "shut up" or "sequester." There are many potential reasons for becoming a recluse: a personal philosophy that rejects consumer society; a...
in the South of France. At the Sculpture Centre, he met American artist Tim Shepard who had been invited to use studio space there, and the two became friends. Ayers started to show up at Shepard's house with a guitar, and by 2005, passed some new recordings onto Shepard, most taped on a cassette recorder at his kitchen table. The songs were by turns "poignant, insightful and honest," and Shepard, "deeply moved" by what he heard, encouraged Ayers to record them properly for a possible new album.
Signing with London's LO-MAX Records
LO-MAX Records
LO-MAX Records is a west London based independent record label, founded in 2003 and specialising in rock music.Signings include Simon Lynge, The Wrens, Kevin Ayers, The Go-Betweens and The Court & Spark....
, Shepard found equal enthusiasm for the demos and after making some tentative enquiries, discovered a hotbed of interest for Ayers' work amongst the current generation of musicians. New York's Ladybug Transistor set up rehearsals for a possible recording organised by band leader Gary Olson, and Kevin flew out to New York. When the rehearsals gelled, the entourage, which had now swelled to include horn and string players, flew out to Tucson, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
where the first sessions were recorded in a dusty hangar known as Wavelab Studios.
With the tapes from the first sessions, Shepard set about getting Ayers to complete the album in the UK, where by now word had spread, and a host of musicians started gravitating to the studio. Shepard recounted meeting Teenage Fanclub
Teenage Fanclub
Teenage Fanclub are an alternative rock band from Bellshill, Scotland. The band is composed of Norman Blake , Raymond McGinley , Gerard Love and Francis MacDonald , with songwriting duties shared equally among Blake, McGinley and Love...
at a Go-Betweens party and hearing their passion for Ayers' music, and wrote a letter to singer, guitarist Norman Blake
Norman Blake (Scottish musician)
Norman Blake is a singer-songwriter in the Glasgow based band, Teenage Fanclub.Blake and Sean Dickson were in The Faith Healers together, which also contained various members at different times Stevie Gray, Hugh McLaughlin, Brian Carson and Colin Murray to name but a few.Blake and Carson were...
. Mojo
Mojo (magazine)
MOJO is a popular music magazine published initially by Emap, and since January 2008 by Bauer, monthly in the United Kingdom. Following the success of the magazine Q, publishers Emap were looking for a title which would cater for the burgeoning interest in classic rock music...
magazine reported that, within a couple of weeks, Ayers was in a Glasgow studio with Teenage Fanclub
Teenage Fanclub
Teenage Fanclub are an alternative rock band from Bellshill, Scotland. The band is composed of Norman Blake , Raymond McGinley , Gerard Love and Francis MacDonald , with songwriting duties shared equally among Blake, McGinley and Love...
and a host of their like-minded colleagues, who had all assembled to work with their hero. Bill Wells
Bill Wells
Bill Wells is a Scottish bassist, pianist, guitarist and composer.He is best known for his group the Bill Wells Octet, since the early 1990s, but he has performed and recorded in a wide range of settings, including collaborations with The Pastels, Maher Shalal Hash Baz, Future Pilot A.K.A., Lol...
from the Bill Wells Trio rubbed shoulders with Euros Childs
Euros Childs
Euros Childs is a Welsh musician and songwriter, best known as the frontman for the band Gorky's Zygotic Mynci. His sister is the violinist Megan Childs...
from Gorkys Zygotic Mynci and Francis Reader from the Trash Can Sinatras.
Friends and peers from the past also visited the sessions. Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt
Robert Wyatt is an English musician, and founding member of the influential Canterbury scene band Soft Machine, with a long and distinguished solo career...
provided his eerie Wyattron in the poignant 'Cold Shoulder', Phil Manzanera
Phil Manzanera
Phil Manzanera is a musician and record producer. He is the lead guitarist with Roxy Music. In 2006 Manzanera co-produced David Gilmour's album On An Island and played in Gilmour's band for tours in Europe and North America...
contributed to the brooding 'Brainstorm', Hugh Hopper
Hugh Hopper
Hugh Colin Hopper was a progressive rock and jazz fusion bass guitarist. He was a prominent member of the Canterbury scene, as a member of Soft Machine and various other related bands.-Early career:...
from Soft Machine
Soft Machine
Soft Machine were an English rock band from Canterbury, named after the book The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs. They were one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene, and helped pioneer the progressive rock genre...
played bass on the title track and Bridget St. John, a British Folk singer beloved of John Peel
John Peel
John Robert Parker Ravenscroft, OBE , known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey, radio presenter, record producer and journalist. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly from 1967 until his death in 2004...
, duetted with Ayers on 'Baby Come Home', the first time they had sung together since 1970 on Shooting at the Moon. The Unfairground
The Unfairground
The Unfairground is an acclaimed 2007 album by Kevin Ayers, recorded with members of Ladybug Transistor, Teenage Fanclub, Neutral Milk Hotel, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci and Roxy Music. It is his sixteenth studio LP and his first new set of recordings in fifteen years. It was recorded in New York,...
was released to critical acclaim in September 2007.
Soft Machine
| Title | Label | Date of Release |
|---|---|---|
| The Soft Machine The Soft Machine (album) The Soft Machine, as reissue also titled "Volume One", is the debut album by the British psychedelic rock band Soft Machine, one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene.... |
ABC/Probe | Dec 1968 |
Albums
| Title | Label | Date of Release |
|---|---|---|
| Joy of a Toy Joy of a Toy Joy of a Toy is the debut solo album of Kevin Ayers, a founding member of Soft Machine. Its whimsical and unique vision is a clear indication of how Soft Machine might have progressed under Ayers' tenure... |
Harvest | Nov 1969 |
| Shooting at the Moon Shooting at the Moon (album) Shooting at the Moon is the second solo album of Kevin Ayers.In early 1970, Ayers assembled a band he called The Whole World to tour his debut LP Joy of a Toy that included, a young Mike Oldfield, David Bedford, Lol Coxhill, Mick Fincher, the folk singer Bridget St. John and Robert Wyatt... |
Harvest | Oct 1970 |
| Whatevershebringswesing Whatevershebringswesing Whatevershebringswesing is the third solo album by Kevin Ayers.In 1971, Kevin Ayers started recording what would become his most acclaimed album, Whatevershebringswesing accompanied by members of Gong and his previous backing band The Whole World... |
Harvest | Nov 1971 |
| Bananamour Bananamour Bananamour is the fourth studio album by Kevin Ayers and it featured some of his most accessible recordings, including "Shouting in a Bucket Blues" and his whimsical tribute to Syd Barrett, "Oh! Wot A Dream". After Whatevershebringswesing, Ayers assembled a new band anchored by drummer Eddie... |
Harvest | May 1973 |
| The Confessions of Dr. Dream and Other Stories The Confessions of Dr. Dream and Other Stories The Confessions of Dr. Dream and Other Stories is the fifth studio album by Kevin Ayers. Ayers moved to Island Records for this release which employed a vast array of session musicians. The album also marked the arrival of Patto guitarist Ollie Halsall, who would become a constant musical partner... |
Island | May 1974 |
| June 1, 1974 June 1, 1974 June 1, 1974 is a live album of songs performed at the Rainbow Theatre in London on the titular date. The album is officially attributed to Kevin Ayers, John Cale, Brian Eno and Nico, although other well-known musicians, including Mike Oldfield and Robert Wyatt, also contributed to the concert. It... (with Nico Nico Nico was a German singer, lyricist, composer, musician, fashion model, and actress, who initially rose to fame as a Warhol Superstar in the 1960s... , John Cale John Cale John Davies Cale, OBE is a Welsh musician, composer, singer-songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the experimental rock band The Velvet Underground.... and Brian Eno Brian Eno Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,... ) |
Island | Jun 1974 |
| Lady June's Linguistic Leprosy Lady June's Linguistic Leprosy Lady June's Linguistic Leprosy is a experimental music/spoken word album by poet Lady June . It features musical contributions by Kevin Ayers and Brian Eno.-Overview:... (with Lady June and Brian Eno Brian Eno Brian Peter George St. John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno , commonly known as Brian Eno or simply as Eno , is an English musician, composer, record producer, singer and visual artist, known as one of the principal innovators of ambient music.Eno studied at Colchester Institute art school in Essex,... ) |
Caroline/Virgin | Nov 1974 |
| Sweet Deceiver Sweet Deceiver Sweet Deceiver is the sixth studio album by Kevin Ayers and his last for Island Records. By 1975, Kevin Ayers had joined the roster of Elton John’s manager and partner John Reid, who put considerable energy into turning him into a mainstream artist, booking him appearances on early morning... |
Island | Mar 1975 |
| Yes We Have No Mañanas (So Get Your Mañanas Today) Yes We Have No Mañanas (So Get Your Mañanas Today) Yes We Have No Mañanas is the seventh studio album by Kevin Ayers, released in June 1976. This LP marked Kevin Ayers' return to the leftfield Harvest label... |
Harvest | Jun 1976 |
| Rainbow Takeaway Rainbow Takeaway Rainbow Takeaway is the eighth studio album by Kevin Ayers. The core band is essentially the same as its predecessor, Yes We Have No Mañanas . Rainbow Takeaway marks the close of the 70s Ayers progressive sound, with Billy Livsey’s synthesizer flourishes on ‘A View From The Mountain’ providing a... |
Harvest | Apr 1978 |
| That's What You Get Babe That's What You Get Babe That's What You Get Babe is the ninth studio album by Kevin Ayers and his final recording for Harvest. Ayers had retired to Deià, Spain directly after 1978's Rainbow Takeaway and That's What You Get Babe was his first public appearance in two years... |
Harvest | Feb 1980 |
| Diamond Jack and the Queen of Pain Diamond Jack and the Queen of Pain Diamond Jack and the Queen of Pain is the tenth solo album by Kevin Ayers, a founding member of Soft Machine.-Track listing:All tracks composed by Kevin Ayers; except where indicated# "Madame Butterfly"# "Lay Lady Lay"... |
Charly | Jun 1983 |
| Deià...Vu Deià...Vu Deià...Vu is the eleventh studio album by Kevin Ayers, recorded in December 1980 and released in Spain after a remix in August 1984. All tracks are written by Kevin Ayers except 6 . Recorded at Maller Studios, Palma de Mallorca... |
Blau | Mar 1984 |
| As Close As You Think As Close As You Think As Close As You Think is the twelfth studio album by Kevin Ayers.- Track listing :# "Steppin' Out" # "Fool After Midnight" # "Wish I Could Fall" # "Only Heaven Knows"... |
Illuminated | Jun 1986 |
| Falling Up Falling Up (Kevin Ayers album) Falling Up is the thirteenth studio album by Kevin Ayers.The song "Flying Start" was first released on the Mike Oldfield album Islands in September 1987.-Track listing:# "Saturday Night"... |
Virgin | Feb 1988 |
| Still Life with Guitar Still Life with Guitar Still Life with Guitar is the fifteenth studio album by Kevin Ayers. It found him consolidating on his 1988 return-to-form Falling Up with a collection of largely acoustic songs that many critics regarded as being equal to material penned at the perceived heights of his career in the mid-1970s... |
FNAC | January 1992 |
| The Unfairground The Unfairground The Unfairground is an acclaimed 2007 album by Kevin Ayers, recorded with members of Ladybug Transistor, Teenage Fanclub, Neutral Milk Hotel, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci and Roxy Music. It is his sixteenth studio LP and his first new set of recordings in fifteen years. It was recorded in New York,... |
LO-MAX | September 2007 |
Singles
| Title | Label | Date of Release |
|---|---|---|
| Love Makes Sweet Music Love Makes Sweet Music "Love Makes Sweet Music" was the first single released by the Psychedelic rock group Soft Machine. It is one of the first British Psychedelic releases, predating Pink Floyd's "Arnold Layne" by a month.... (with Soft Machine) |
Polydor | Feb 1967 |
| Joy of a Toy Joy of a Toy (song) "Joy of a Toy" was the first USA single released by the Psychedelic rock group Soft Machine. It was issued to promote the band’s debut album The Soft Machine. The single features edited versions of both songs, in addition to featuring the only known mono-mixes from their debut... (with Soft Machine) |
ABC/Probe (USA) | Nov 1968 |
| Singing a Song in the Morning Singing a Song in the Morning "Singing A Song In The Morning" was the first Kevin Ayers single, released three months after his debut solo LP Joy of a Toy. It did not feature on the album.... |
Harvest | Feb 1970 |
| Butterfly Dance Butterfly Dance "Butterfly Dance" was the second Kevin Ayers single. It was an exclusive release that did not appear on the contemporaneous album Shooting at the Moon... |
Harvest | Oct 1970 |
| Stranger in Blue Suede Shoes Stranger in Blue Suede Shoes "Stranger in Blue Suede Shoes" was a Kevin Ayers single release. The song taken from his classic 1971 album Whatevershebringswesing . It would be re-released as a single in 1976 when Ayers re-signed to Harvest Records... |
Harvest | Aug 1971 |
| Oh! Wot A Dream Oh! Wot a Dream "Oh! Wot A Dream" was a Kevin Ayers single taken from his fourth solo album Bananamour. Ayers has stated in interviews that ‘Oh! Wot A Dream’ was about his friend and colleague Syd Barrett – “You are the most extraordinary person / You write the most peculiar kind of tunes / I met you floating as I... |
Harvest | Nov 1972 |
| Don't Let It Get You Down | Harvest (FR) | Nov 1972 |
| Caribbean Moon Caribbean Moon "Caribbean Moon" was a Kevin Ayers single released shortly before his third LP Bananamour. Neither song was featured on the LP but both regularly appeared in his live set at the time... |
Harvest | Apr 1973 |
| The Up Song The Up Song "The Up Song" was Kevin Ayers’ first release after signing to Island Records. The song was a single-only release in 1974. The B-side, "Everybody’s Sometime and Some People’s All The Time Blues" was taken from Ayers’ album, The Confessions of Dr... |
Island | Feb 1974 |
| Day by Day Day by Day (Kevin Ayers song) "Day by Day" was a Kevin Ayers Dutch single release. The song was the opening track from his forthcoming album, The Confessions of Dr. Dream and Other Stories... |
Island (NL) | Feb 1974 |
| After The Show After the Show (song) "After The Show" was a Kevin Ayers exclusive single release, with neither track appearing on the album he released that year, The Confessions of Dr. Dream and Other Stories. Both songs were reissued in 2004 on the Kevin Ayers compilation Didn't Feel Lonely Till I Thought of You: The Island Records... |
Island | Jul 1974 |
| Falling in Love Again | Island | Feb 1976 |
| Stranger in Blue Suede Shoes Stranger in Blue Suede Shoes "Stranger in Blue Suede Shoes" was a Kevin Ayers single release. The song taken from his classic 1971 album Whatevershebringswesing . It would be re-released as a single in 1976 when Ayers re-signed to Harvest Records... (reissue) |
Harvest | Feb 1976 |
| Star Star (Kevin Ayers song) "Star" was the second Kevin Ayers single issued to promote his 1976 album, Yes We Have No Mañanas . Both songs were featured on the LP... |
Harvest | Apr 1977 |
| Mr Cool Mr Cool "Mr Cool" was Kevin Ayers USA promotional single issued to publicize his album, Yes We Have No Mañanas . It featured a mono mix of the song on one side coupled with a stereo mix on the flip side.-Personnel:... |
ABC (USA) | Apr 1977 |
| Money Money Money Money Money Money (Kevin Ayers song) "Money Money Money" was a Kevin Ayers single issued to promote his 1980 album, That's What You Get Babe. By this time fiscal realities were obviously shadowing the naiveté of his psychedelic youth as he ruefully notes; “You get moonlight in the evening / Sunshine by day / That's all you get for... |
Harvest | Feb 1980 |
| Animals Animals (Kevin Ayers song) "Animals" was a Kevin Ayers Spanish single release. It was issued on the Columbia imprint of EMI, shortly after his 1980 album, That's What You Get Babe. In 1978 Ayers had relocated to Deià, Spain where he found the more relaxed audiences suited his somewhat delicate sensibilities... |
Columbia (ES) | 1980 |
| My Speeding Heart My Speeding Heart "My Speeding Heart" is a Kevin Ayers single release taken from his 1983 album, Diamond Jack and the Queen of Pain. Ayers has stated in a 1993 BBC Radio interview that he was battling with heavy chemical addictions at the time, that are clearly indicated in the song titles... |
Charly | 1983 |
| Who's Still Crazy | WEA (ES) | 1983 |
| Stop Playing with My Heart Stop Playing with My Heart "Stop Playing With My Heart" is a Kevin Ayers Spanish single release taken from his 1984 album, Deia...Vu. It is backed with his autobiographical ‘Champagne and Valium’, also taken from the same LP.-Personnel:*Kevin Ayers / Guitar, Vocals*Joan Bibiloni... |
Blau (ES) | 1984 |
| Stepping Out Stepping Out (Kevin Ayers song) "Stepping Out" is a Kevin Ayers single release taken from his 1986 album, As Close As You Think. Ayers re-recorded "Only Heaven Knows" twenty years later for his album The Unfairground.-Personnel:*Kevin Ayers / Guitar, Vocals... |
Illuminated | 1986 |
| Am I Really Marcel? Am I Really Marcel? "Am I Really Marcel?" is a Kevin Ayers Spanish single release taken from his 1988 album, Falling Up. The song which featured powerful lead guitar playing from Ollie Halsall heralded a noted rebirth in Ayers’ creative output. ‘That’s What We Did’ was also taken from the new LP... |
Accidentales (ES) | 1988 |
| The Best We Have The Best We Have "The Best We Have" is the second Kevin Ayers Spanish single release taken from his 1988 album, Falling Up.-Personnel:*Kevin Ayers / Guitar, Vocals*Luis Dulzaides / Percussion , Backing Vocals*Marcelo Carlos Fuentes / Bass*Ollie Halsall / Guitar... |
Accidentales (ES) | 1988 |
| Thank You Very Much Thank You Very Much "Thank You Very Much" is a Kevin Ayers single release taken from his 1992 album, Still Life with Guitar. After the release of the album Ayers became a recluse and withdrew from the music scene for fifteen years.-Track listing:7"... |
FNAC | 1992 |
| Baby Come Home Baby Come Home "Baby Come Home" is a Kevin Ayers single release taken from his album, The Unfairground. The song is a duet with folk singer Bridget St. John.-Track listing:7"#"Baby Come Home" #"Walk On Water" Download... |
LO-MAX | Sep 2008 |
Compilations & Live Recordings
- Odd Ditties (Harvest 1976) (a collection of rarities and unreleased tracks)
- The Kevin Ayers Collection (SFM 1983)
- Banana Productions: The Best of Kevin Ayers (EMI 1989)
- BBC Live in Concert (Windsong 1992)
- Document Series Presents Kevin Ayers (Connoisseur Collection 1992)
- 1969-80 (Alex 1995)
- First Show in the Appearance Business: The BBC Sessions 1973-1976 (Strange Fruit 1996)
- The Garden of Love with Mike Oldfield and Robert Wyatt (Voiceprint 1997)
- Singing the Bruise: The BBC Sessions, 1970-1972 [live] (Strange Fruit 1998)
- Too Old to Die Young: BBC Live 1972-1976 (Hux 1998)
- Banana Follies (Hux 1998)
- Turn the Lights Down (live) with the Wizards of Twiddly (Market Square 2000)
- The Best of Kevin Ayers (EMI 2000)
- Didn't Feel Lonely Till I Thought of You: The Island Records Years (Edsel 2004)
- Alive In California (Box-O-Plenty Records, November 2004)
- BBC Sessions 1970-1976 (Hux 2005)
- Some Kevin Ayers (white label promo 2007)
- Songs For Insane Times: An Anthology 1969-1980 (EMI, September 2008)
Further reading
- Gong: The Return of the Banana by Steve Peacock (Sounds Oct 16, 1971)
- Is This Man A Dipso? by Nick Kent (NME 31 August 1974)
- Let's Drink some Wine and Have a Good Time by Kenneth Ansell (ZigZag 46, 1974)
- Ayers and Graces by Nick Kent (NME Dec 7, 1974)
- Despair and Temperance in Maida Vale by Mike Flood Page (Sounds 25 January 1975)
- The Confessions of Doctor Amphibious and the Malaysian Headwash by Max Bell (NME 24 May 1975)
- Golden Ayers by John Ingham (Sounds Mar 6, 1976)
- Ready to Die by John Ingham (Sounds Jul 3, 1976)
- Tomorrow Never Knows: Rock and Psychedelics in the 1960s (University Of Chicago Press 2002) ISBN 0-226-07562-1
- Turn On Your Mind: Four Decades of Great Psychedelic Rock (Hal Leonard 2003) ISBN 0-634-05548-8
- You Need a Bit Missing Upstairs to Play This Game by Jonathan Glancey (The Guardian 4 July 2003)
- Soft Machine: Out-Bloody-Rageous by Graham Bennett (SAF Publishing 2005)
- Whatevershebringswesing sleevenotes by Martin Wakeling (EMI September 2006)
- Joy of a Toy sleevenotes by Martin Wakeling (EMI September 2006)
- The Rare Record Price Guide (Diamond Publishing Group Ltd Oct 2006) ISBN 0-9532601-5-1
- Kevin Ayers: Mojo Working by James McNair (Mojo July 2007)
- The Unsung Hero of Psychedelia by Lisa Verrico (The Sunday Times September 2, 2007)
- The Father of the Underground by Garth Cartwright (Daily Telegraph 30 August 2007)
- Kevin Ayers and Robert Wyatt by Simon Reynolds (Reynoldsretro Dec 14 2007)
- The New Musical Express Book of Rock, 1975, Star Books, ISBN 0-352-30074-4
External links
- Kevin Ayers (his own site)
- 1998 Kevin Ayers interview at Perfect Sound Forever (online music magazine)
- The Wire'sThe Wire (magazine)The Wire is a British avant garde music magazine, founded in 1982 by jazz promoter Anthony Wood and journalist Chrissie Murray. The magazine initially concentrated on contemporary jazz and improvised music, but branched out in the early 1990s to various types of experimental music...
100 Records That Set the World on Fire (When No One Was Listening) - Pitchfork news story
- NME news story
- The Sunday Times feature
- Daily Telegraph feature
- The Independent feature
- Simon Reynolds feature