SHIPBUILDING / MEMORIES OF YOU

In 1982 Robert Wyatt released this single with just two songs - melancholic and very characteristic for him at that period "working class ballade" " Shipbuilding" (written by another leftist musician Elvis Costello) and just lyrical ballade (far not so usual for Wyatt) - "Memories Of You"(the song,introduced by Minto Cato in the Broadway show Lew Leslie's Blackbirds of 1930, but better known by its Benny Goodman's version from 1956)

Both compositions are just melodic pop songs with mostly acoustic accompaniment (only Clive Langer plays organ on "Shipbuilding").The single was released in UK and Australia and there were released 4 different cover art versions (all contain reproduction fragments of Stanley Spencer's "Shipbuilding On The Clyde Riveters" painting from The Imperial War Museum).

Main attraction of this release is intimate Wyatt's singing and the fact "Shipbuilding" wasn't released on any Wyatt's studio album (just on some compilations). Nice soulful songs,what is not serious reason for searching on this single. Nice release for Wyatt fans though: not very often you can hear Robert singing :

" How I wish I could forget Those happy yesteryears They have left a rosary of tears Your face beams In my dreams In spite of all I do"