NICK MASON'S FICTITIOUS SPORTS

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This is very much a Carla Bley motivated album however it does not detract from the overall positive energy of the album. It is an album brimming with good humour, very tongue in cheek at times but also not compromised musically. The sound material is strong and Robert Wyatt's vocals possibly the strongest I have heard him sing. As a collection of songs I would overall rate this as a good album. There are however some songs which stand out above the rest, namely " Hot River", the fun ' Can't Get My Motor To Start" with lyrics like ' Bring that beer over here, cos I need it to steer'!! You can't take that too seriously now can you? and for me the highlight with Robert Wyatt delivering the goods on " I'm a Mineralist". Recommended for die hard Pink Floyd fans who need all the solo albums to complete the Floyd library repertoire.

I start by saying that this album is a very interesting concept.Heard it recently for the first time and noticed almost immediately after something let's say...special in this project.As the sensation seeker I am, "Nick Mason's Fictious Sports" has suceeded,from one side of perspective,to strike me and to open its own vision.Has made me listen with great attention.I cannot name this originality,nor can I walk with the idea that his is unique;it is more like the pulse of a sensation with nebulous and intriguing character.

There are two things I admire regarding this album:one,the fact that Nick Mason pulls out some relevant qualities of a solo musician through this project;it is not easy,but neither is it impossible,here is what Mason speaks out loud.Congratulations therefore,for creating an album of complete proportions (or close to complete).Two,the fact that there is no corelation(s) with Pink Floyd here.Not even of reminescences can we talk.It is quite interesting actually and,also,pretty important,because here indeed does a fign of originality appear.Let's just think a little:Gilmour,through his voice and his guitar,is autamatically-I can say-connnected in a certain manner to Floyd;of Waters what to speak more!his blood flows the same way in both hypostasises;as for Barrett's songs,they are similar to the short light vocal creations of the spychedelic Floyd period (don't know anything about Wright,because I haven't listened to his Broken China...yet).Mason doesn't!It is Mason and nothing but Mason!And this,at least from my point of view,is something...

But enough with good remarks,because-despite the two valorous aspects I mentioned bove-this is far from being the ideal album,nor the best thing you'll ever hear.And after hearing it,the album will melt to standard.Now don't interpret standard as mediocre and think wrong of my opinion,cause I am not making him mediocre at all,just by saying it is standard.But I don't want to overrate it either-just because of two quality atributes-because it is not the case.Standard is and means standard.Nothing extraordinary in" Nick Mason's Fictious Sports".Not surprising though.With the exception of Waters' "Amused To Death" and Barrett's "Madcap Laughs",no solo album of a Pink Floyd member (or ex-member,whatever) has been something out of common,and as solo musicians none has exceled in comparison with their (crucial) role in Pink Floyd.And Nick Mason makes no exception.

Short pieces,three-four minutes long,which express a message to say stable and unitary,but which can also present fluctuations.A slightly possible orientation towards Waters' style of conception in some pieces,but most of them wear the Nick Mason tag,one without surprises though or without excellency grades.Just the first piece was the one I loved,I truly like it,the rest however just produced an equal,uniform efect (predominately),standard (here I use the word again: standard),a little tiresome here and there.Generally speaking,Mason does not try something else than to present his songs and nothing more.Emotionally speaking,sill something flat...standard (heh).And another important thing:do not expect a percussion album,cause it's not at all.Never considered Nick Mason "the ultimate drummer",but in "Fictious Sports" there is not even the case to talk about,because Mason doesn't try to prove something or to do wonders with the sticks at all.The percussion is entirely rudimentary,background size and minimal role.The focus is on the vocal side,on the instrumental ensemble,even on the composition and the elements of subtility.The result is the thing upon which Mason gave his utmost attention.

So I hesitate between naming this album as "to be tried" or "recommended" because of this mixture of qualities and low points.I'll be a little more critic and stick to naming it "to be tried".It is,without a boud,something standard.Could have done much more for such an initiative.Can be considered an experiment of different proportions than the usual Pink Floyd Nick Mason or even an attempt to affirm itself (although I doubt that,giving the fact that he's got only two albums at active)...

This is a rather bizarre album! There are omnipresent brass arrangements that sound slightly jazzy, funky, fanfare music and even RIO/avant garde, like on "I'm a mineralist". Nick Mason's drums patterns can be quite elaborated & fast here, especially on "Boo to you too" and "Can't get my motor to start", if you compare them to his work with Pink Floyd post-Barrett. Some keyboards are REALLY low profile, mostly producing odd and strange sound effects. There are omnipresent good piano parts. There are some twisted & dissonant sax sounds like on "I was wrong". The rhytmic electric guitar sound is a bit too monolithic. The songs have too many repetitive patterns that do not really retain the attention, so that the overall music is more progressive related than progressive itself. Robert Wyatt is the lead singer, and we really feel his influence here. Mason's drums are quite good, but there are some unconvincing pieces, like "Siam" and "Hot river". I prefer the dynamic and fast songs like "Boo to you too". The sound is good and the instruments are well played. Mostly the album is neither catchy nor accessible at all. Plus, the songs are pretty unemotional. This original and unique album is certainly not bad if you accept its clinical dimension.

Rating: 3.5 stars

One would have to say that by 1981, it was high time for Nick Mason, Pink Floyd's drummer, to unleash a solo work, as all other Floyd members had already done so years before. What we have here is not a Mason 'solo' work per se, (we don't get any experimental treats like 'The Grand Vizier's Garden Party) ; all of the compositions were written by Jazz keyboardist Carla Bley, and involved many jazz oriented musicians such as Gary Window, Steve Swallow, Mike Mantler, Chris Spedding and the wonderful Robert Wyatt, among others. The musical style couldn't be further away from Floyd as this : a nod towards Zappa, a touch of Canterbury, and kind of alternative rock with slight RIO tendencies (actually, these observations could be applicable to certain Floyd in some ways...). Humour permeates many songs on the album, and with Wyatt handling the mic, there is no-one better to convey the often quirky lyrics with as much intelligence and wit. Technically speaking, Mason's drumming is almost perfunctory (he's not the world's greatest drummer, but he often has a headful of ideas and a 'magic touch') whilst the rest of the band play their parts perfectly around him, the brass instruments in particular. No one song is better or worse than the other, making it a fairly consistent listen throughout, but hats off to 'I Was Wrong' and 'I'm a Mineralist' (minimalist, I guess). 3.5 stars.

A highly enjoyable (but not great) album. I only wish it were in print (which, at the time of writing, it isn't). Not quite jazzy enough for Carla Bley, not weird enough for Robert Wyatt, still it's dominated very much by both of these artists, and as previous reviewers have pointed out, the fast songs are the best! I was wrong and Siam are ballads that hover between teasing, fascinating and irritating. Do ya is a splendid torch song, and I'm a mineralist a tongue-in-cheek parody of the minimalist movement. Best of all are the uptempo numbers such as the Zappa-esque Can't get my motor to start and Boo to you too. Strangely enough, Mason's role on the album is negligible. You can't really call his drumming outstanding; you certainly can't guarantee Pink Floyd fans will enjoy this music. Apparently, Mason just wanted to use his name to put Wyatt and Bley in the spotlight - a noble gesture, for which he deserves a lot of praise. Let's hope FICTITIOUS SPORTS will be back in print as soon as possible!