Davey.
12-11-2003, 04:00 PM
Any reports on the new Robert Wyatt CD? I guess it's only been out a couple months now but it's his first full length since <i>Shleep</i> in 1997. I thought that one was a really nice collection and according to AMG this one seems to have pretty much the same cast of characters including Brian Eno, David Gilmour, Phil Manzanera, Paul Weller, and several others. Hadn't thought of him for quite awhile but lately I've been kind of stuck on listening to his 1974 classic <i>Rock Bottom</i>. Well, I think it's kind of a classic and AMG seems to think it's his best work too, beginning the review by saying that it "has been deservedly acclaimed as one of the finest art rock albums". But they also have a check mark next to the latest, <i>Cuckooland</i>, leading me to believe that I should have this new one high on my wishlist, which I don't yet. Amusingly, but not too unexpectedly, <i>Rock Bottom</i> only rates a 4.3 at Pitchfork, although it's not exactly clear why they chose to review something so old and outside their usual bounds - maybe because Thirsty Ear reissued it in 1998 along with his then new <i>Shleep</i> - but I think it would rate close to a 10 with many serious critics and music lovers :-)
Any other big fans of Rock Bottom here? What a beautiful album. Only six songs spread out over a little under forty minutes, but it still seems to take nearly a month of days to absorb. Complex and highly emotional, yet full of breathing space. Almost perfect for this time of year, which I guess is why I've been playing it so much. Last year I was goofing around a little with my buddy from New Zealand and said I thought <i>Astral Weeks</i> was a great Christmas album because it seemed to fit in well with the season and is somewhat reflective of the Christmas spirit, at least in my mind, and I had been spinning the nice sounding vinyl over and over. And this year it seems to be that <i>Rock Bottom</i> has those same qualities for me. And it's kind of a jazzy, highly progressive album like <i>Astral Weeks</i> too. Not many albums you could point to that are like either. Of course their voices and vocal stylings aren't anything alike, and there aren't really many parallels in the music or writing style, <i>Astral Weeks</i> being a legendary whirlwind improvisation completed in a matter of days while <i>Rock Bottom</i> was worked out meticulously while Robert Wyatt lay in the hospital after his paralyzing fall. You would think Wyatt would be full of self-pity at the time, but it's more of a love album. Seeing the need to change his career goals and about to get married, it glows with optimism and maybe even joy. At other times it is both sad and funny.....and always quite strange, too :-)
Any other big fans of Rock Bottom here? What a beautiful album. Only six songs spread out over a little under forty minutes, but it still seems to take nearly a month of days to absorb. Complex and highly emotional, yet full of breathing space. Almost perfect for this time of year, which I guess is why I've been playing it so much. Last year I was goofing around a little with my buddy from New Zealand and said I thought <i>Astral Weeks</i> was a great Christmas album because it seemed to fit in well with the season and is somewhat reflective of the Christmas spirit, at least in my mind, and I had been spinning the nice sounding vinyl over and over. And this year it seems to be that <i>Rock Bottom</i> has those same qualities for me. And it's kind of a jazzy, highly progressive album like <i>Astral Weeks</i> too. Not many albums you could point to that are like either. Of course their voices and vocal stylings aren't anything alike, and there aren't really many parallels in the music or writing style, <i>Astral Weeks</i> being a legendary whirlwind improvisation completed in a matter of days while <i>Rock Bottom</i> was worked out meticulously while Robert Wyatt lay in the hospital after his paralyzing fall. You would think Wyatt would be full of self-pity at the time, but it's more of a love album. Seeing the need to change his career goals and about to get married, it glows with optimism and maybe even joy. At other times it is both sad and funny.....and always quite strange, too :-)