KEVIN AYERS & THE WHOLE WORLD: SHOOTING AT THE MOON

This man is a genius (altough he likes to spend a lot of his time in sunny islands, with a glass of good wine!). In the begining he was a founding member of the Wilde Flowers (the "e" is a tribute to Oscar) and Soft Machine, then he left, after only an album..and the influences of that period are clearly still present in this album, "Shooting at the moon" . There's almost no connection between the songs, and you can find a huge variety of different moods on this album.

1. May I? - Maybe the most famous song of KA, it's a romantic ballad, with a great bass line, it's about a meeting with a beautiful lady. "You don't have to say a thing You're the song without the sing". There is also a nice French version in the Bonus Tracks, and this language fits perfectly the words of the song. You feel like you are walking on a traditional French road, with a man playing the accordion and a small cafè to relax. A classic and elegant song.

2. Rheinhardt & Geraldine/Colores Para Delores - A good song, with some digressions in the middle, like radio noises, but then you are back in the rhythm of the song.Great drumming by Fincher. Outstanding song.

3. Lunatics Lament - It is a parody of a Rock 'n' Roll song (first line: "Rock and roll !! Rrrrrrrrrr!!").You can strongly hear the acid guitar played by a very young Mike Oldfield. All the instruments are well played, especially bass and guitar (fantastic guitar solo, one of the best ever, nice work Mike). One of the outstanding tracks.

4. Pisser Dans un Violon - What can I say more than experimentation? Sometimes it becomes a bit boring. Noisy and dissonant sounds all along the track. Relaxing and interesting, anyway.

5. The Oyster and the Flying Fish - A funny and lively song, with an enjoyable and catchy refrain. "Ooh la, ooh la, ooh la, ooh la, La la la la la la la la". Beautiful vocals by Ayers and Bridget St. John.

6. Underwater - Same story as "Pisser dans un violon". That's what I mean when I said "huge variety of different moods". Happy and pleasant songs in contrast with "sad" experimentation. You really feel like you are under the sea.

7. Clarence in Wonderland - Here we find some references to 2 subjects: "having a good time" and "wine", wich would be praised also in "Whatevershebringswesing" . The song itself is quite good, and it makes you think about the sea and the sand. Nice rhythm.

8. Red Green and You Blue - Beautiful prog song with great saxes by Lol Coxhill (really a nice sax solo), one of the best song on the album.

9. Shooting at the Moon - The title track is fantastic (and very "prog"). It has some reminesciences of a Soft Machine track, "Jet Propelled Photograph", or better to say it is the same song revisited in a better and longer way. The first part is short and consists a few words sung by Ayers, the second part is almost a main jig played by all the instruments, bass guitar, sax, guitar.. It's very evocative, fast and sometimes "dark". The third part is a reprise of the beginning, with Ayers voice filtered and "acid". At the end of the song there is a big and endless SHOT (like a sound of GUNSHOT) . The song is full of Canterbury elements.

P.S. : The Bonus Track version is very good, and contains some Ayers classics, like the romantic Jolie Madame or the speedy Butterfly Dance (good song really).

Kevin Ayers was the soul of the first nucleus of Soft Machine, he embodies the English "dandy" spirit of those time, he is THE music Bohémien. On this album, and in general, his voice is warm, romantic and melodic, and he his a great composer. This album is an excellent addition to your collection, a must have and a masterpiece of the Canterbury scene. On this album Ayers plays with The Whole World, in which there are some of the best future musicians ever (Mike Oldfield, David Bedford). Five stars.