The End of an Ear
Encyclopedia
The End of an Ear is the debut solo album by Soft Machine
's Robert Wyatt
.
(which he would eventually exit the following year). Containing mostly free jazz
and experimental music, with no lyrics (only vocal experimentation by Wyatt), it is an unusual album. It includes Soft Machine's Elton Dean
on saxophone and Caravan's David Sinclair on organ, who in 1971 would join Wyatt in the group Matching Mole
. About half of the album is filled by a two-part cover of Gil Evans' "Las Vegas Tango". "To Carla, Marsha and Caroline (For Making Everything Beautifuller)" is based on the music of "Instant Pussy", a song Wyatt first recorded solo during a Soft Machine BBC session in late 1969, and eventually appeared, also in instrumental form, on the first Matching Mole album.
The song titles refer to the following people or groups: Mark Ellidge
(Wyatt's half brother), Bridget St. John, Daevid Allen
and Gilli Smyth
, Nick Evans
, Caravan
and Jimmy Hastings
, Kevin Ayers
' The Whole World, Carla Bley
, Marsha Hunt
and Caroline Coon
.
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...
's 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...
.
Background
It was recorded in August 1970, while on a leave of absence from 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...
(which he would eventually exit the following year). Containing mostly free jazz
Free jazz
Free jazz is an approach to jazz music that was first developed in the 1950s and 1960s. Though the music produced by free jazz pioneers varied widely, the common feature was a dissatisfaction with the limitations of bebop, hard bop, and modal jazz, which had developed in the 1940s and 1950s...
and experimental music, with no lyrics (only vocal experimentation by Wyatt), it is an unusual album. It includes Soft Machine's Elton Dean
Elton Dean
Elton Dean was an English jazz musician who performed on alto saxophone, saxello and occasionally keyboard....
on saxophone and Caravan's David Sinclair on organ, who in 1971 would join Wyatt in the group Matching Mole
Matching Mole
Matching Mole was a short-lived UK progressive rock band from the Canterbury scene best known for the song "O Caroline". Robert Wyatt formed the band in October 1971 after he left Soft Machine and recorded his first solo album The End of an Ear...
. About half of the album is filled by a two-part cover of Gil Evans' "Las Vegas Tango". "To Carla, Marsha and Caroline (For Making Everything Beautifuller)" is based on the music of "Instant Pussy", a song Wyatt first recorded solo during a Soft Machine BBC session in late 1969, and eventually appeared, also in instrumental form, on the first Matching Mole album.
Track listing
All tracks composed by Robert Wyatt; except where indicated- "Las Vegas Tango Part 1 (Repeat)" (Gil EvansGil EvansGil Evans was a jazz pianist, arranger, composer and bandleader, active in the United States...
) - "To Mark Everywhere"
- "To Saintly Bridget"
- "To Oz Alien Daevyd and Gilly"
- "To Nick Everyone"
- "To Caravan and Brother Jim"
- "To the Old World (Thank You For the Use of Your Body, Goodbye)"
- "To Carla, Marsha and Caroline (For Making Everything Beautifuller)"
- "Las Vegas Tango Part 1" (Gil Evans)
The song titles refer to the following people or groups: Mark Ellidge
Mark Ellidge
Mark Ellidge was a British press photographer.Ellidge worked as a photographer for The Sunday Times for nearly 40 years, starting 1 June 1971. He specialised in the performing arts, but also did portrait photography of individuals in the news.He married three times, lastly to Marinka. He had two...
(Wyatt's half brother), Bridget St. John, 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...
and Gilli Smyth
Gilli Smyth
Gilli Smyth is a musician who performed with the bands Gong, Mother Gong and Planet Gong as well as several solo albums and albums in collaborations other members of Gong...
, Nick Evans
Nick Evans (trombonist)
Nicholas "Nick" Evans is a Welsh jazz and progressive rock trombonist.- Career :He worked in the Graham Collier Sextet , Keith Tippett Group , Soft Machine , Brotherhood of Breath , Centipede , Just Us , Ambush , Ninesense , Intercontinental Express , Ark Nicholas "Nick" Evans (born 1947 in...
, 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...
and Jimmy Hastings
Jimmy Hastings
James Brian Gordon 'Jimmy' Hastings , is a British professional musician associated with the Canterbury scene....
, Kevin Ayers
Kevin Ayers
Kevin Ayers is an English singer-songwriter and was a major influential force in the English psychedelic movement...
' The Whole World, Carla Bley
Carla Bley
Carla Bley, née Borg, is an American jazz composer, pianist, organist and band leader. An important figure in the Free Jazz movement of the 1960s, she is perhaps best known for her jazz opera Escalator Over The Hill , as well as a book of compositions that have been performed by many other...
, Marsha Hunt
Marsha Hunt (singer and novelist)
Marsha Hunt is an American singer, novelist, actress and model.-Early life:Hunt was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1946 and lived in North Philadelphia near 23rd and Columbia then in Germantown and Mount Airy for the first 13 years of her life...
and Caroline Coon
Caroline Coon
Caroline Coon is an English artist, journalist and political activist. Her artwork, which often explores sexual themes from a feminist standpoint , has been exhibited at many major London galleries, including the Saatchi Gallery and the Tate.Coon was born to a family of Kent landowners and had...
.
Personnel
Characters in order of appearance:- Robert WyattRobert WyattRobert Wyatt is an English musician, and founding member of the influential Canterbury scene band Soft Machine, with a long and distinguished solo career...
- Drums, Mouth, Piano, Organ - Neville WhiteheadNeville Whitehead (bassist)Neville Whitehead is a New Zealand bassist and luthier who was an active member of the British jazz fusion community in the 1970s.Whitehead played at times in Keith Tippett's sextet in the late 1960s, including alongside Elton Dean. He appears on The Keith Tippett Group's Dedicated To You, But You...
- Bass - Mark Charig - Cornet
- Elton DeanElton DeanElton Dean was an English jazz musician who performed on alto saxophone, saxello and occasionally keyboard....
- Alto Saxello - Mark Ellidge - Piano
- Cyrille Ayers - Assorted Percussion
- David Sinclair - Organ