KEVIN AYERS

Sweet Deceiver is another whole story.....perhaps one of his most mis-understood albums. Without question this is a bizzarre album with very little continuity and does feel like it spans a wide range of themes, moods and ideas. But that is what Ayers actually intended and what makes this album so effective for me. The beauty in kevin Ayers music is that it works on two levels...the immediate and then at a depth that you wont get from many artists. Listen carefully to the slightly Franco-tinged "Toujours La Voyage"...you will hear lots of Pink Floyd mixed with Leonard Cohen. Completely amazing ....

I must admit up front that i am a huge Kevin Ayers fan so I guess my reviews will be shaded but he is one of the real innovators and is so sadly uunderrated. By the mid 70's Kevin was well past his Harvest record days and wrote and recorded 3 further and very interesting albums on Island Records. I think of the 3 this album is the most complete Ayers album of the lot for me. Side two of this album is a side long epic "The Confessions of Dr. Dream" which is simply a whole new story. Kevin is joined with Crimson;s Mike Giles, Steve Nye on the organ and Rupert Hine on the synth. Ayers uses space nicely here with some great interludes and musical montages. A highly well crafted album !!

"Bananamour" was the fourth and final Harvest album by ex Soft Machine and Jimi Hendrix Experience alumni Kevin Ayers. Mike Oldfield did not appear on this album (he was recording on Kevin's borrowed tape loop machine at the time demos for what would become Tubular Bells!!)...in replacement was Steve Hillage. Too bad that more people have not really given these albums a chance as I think they are genius in creativity. Check out the 8 mins allusion to NICO "Decadence" or the strangely witty "Oh! Wot A Dream" a tribute to his musical friend Syd Barrett. Musically Ayers blends emotive vocals and deep lyrics over his expressive music. Really hard to classify his music as it hits so many different genres...folks, rock, prog and psychedelic. Oh yeah and the Banana theme throughout the album.

The frist four albums of Kevin Ayers are prized possessions in my personal collection and "whatevershebringswesing" is perhaps the most complete of all the four! Complete with orchestra this genius hooked up again with some pretty awesome talent to record one fantastic album (Mike Oldfield, David Bedford, Didier Malherbe and Robert Wyatt). Ayers created a psychedelically-English-styled progressive rock (sound to me like a mix of Pink Floyd, Caravan and Nick Drake). Ayers was just one of those musicians who could write and whose records are just so darn perfect. His albums are ones that you can listen to a hundred times and get something different out of each time. I am blown away that so few people have discovered this artist and IMHO this was the best work he ever did and I dramatically prefer over GONG and his later contributions. The Ayers albums have been amazingly remastered by EMI and the cast a whole new perspective on this albums. Go treat yourslef and go get this album!

The music of Kevin Ayers is I suppose is an acquired taste, but deep within his music emerges for me a real sense of genius and creativity! "Joy Of A Toy" is where it all started and musically portrays a complex yet child-like vision that only Ayers could pull off. Canterbury fans will be interested in the fact that Soft Machine's Robert Wyatt, Mike Rattledge and Hugh Hopper are key musician contributors. David Bedford and Floyd's Syd Barrett also contribute to this masterpiece. "Joy" is a delicate album really with a nice melancholy feeling and temporal aspects few albums in history have captured. Musically Kevin Ayers is a mix of Nick Drake, early Pink Floyd and throw in some psych and folk leanings and you pretty much have it.

When you look at the opinions of Kevin's fans it seems like it's a toss up when it comes to the first three albums,they're all rated fairly evenly overall.This is Kevin's third album and my least favourite of the three,although they all seem to be in the same sort of style.Mike Oldfield plays bass and some guitar,this was before he was known.David Bedford is on keyboards and did the orchestral arrangements.Actually when the started to tour in support of this album they brought in an orchestra but found it was not only costly but difficult to get the right "live" sound with all those different acoustic instruments.Robert Wyatt adds some backup vocals on one track as well. "There Is Loving/Among Us/There Is Loving" features lots of orchestral sounds then it settles into a psychedelic mood.Dissonant sounds 2 1/2 minutes in and then it calms right down a minute later.Back to the orchestral sounds followed again by my favourite part the psychedelic soundscape. "Margaret" is a slow paced ballad with reserved vocals.Nice song. "Oh My" is kind of silly with violin and sax. "Song From The Bottom Of A Well" is my favourite and totally different from the rest.And it does sound like it's coming from the bottom of a well! Deep vocals a minute in in this dark and experimental track.Check out the guitar to end it. "Whatervershebringswesing" is laid back with Wyatt singing backup. "Stranger In Blue Suede Shoes" is my second favourite with strummed guitar and a good beat.Vocals join in.A fun song.Piano comes in as the vocals become processed. "Champagne Cowboy Blues" is an ode to partying.About 3 minutes in it sounds like a parade going by(haha). "Lullabye" is pastoral with the sound of running water,piano and flute. So another good album from Kevin,i'd really suggest you check out one of his first three recordings.

Discovering a man and a musician.

The man who has played every style in music: Kevin Ayers. From gently ballads or non-sense riffs to spectacular and dramathic themes.

In this album you can hear the spirit of Wild Flowers, Soft Machine, Robert Wyatt and ..... why not the insanity of Syd Barrett.

Played along with a multitude of big artists (R. Cooper, M. Oldfield, all Soft Machine's Friends etc.), fans of prog music will appreciate some short riffs that are very nice and a mix of Canterbury and prog style.

Obscured by Shooting at the Moon, I discovered late this album and even if I'm not a fan of the style of Soft Machine, I think that everyone who wants to discover something ..... strange and funny for our ears and mind must buy this album.

Kevin Ayer's debut is a poppy,tasteful,jazzy,melodic,eccentric,quirky and at times experimental affair from 1969.He gets some help from his old mates from SOFT MACHINE,but David Bedford is the one he leans on the most during this recording.I think Kevin's lyrics are his strength,i find myself at times getting caught up in what he's singing.Very pleasant and enjoyable music. "Joy Of A Toy Continued" is the title of a SOFT MACHINE song minus the "Continued" part. This song really has that feeling of celebration throughout.Surprisingly there are no vocals. "Town Feeling" opens solemnly with vocals to follow.Some cello and aboe later.Good tune,great lyrics. "The Clarietta Rag" reminds me of THE BEATLES at first.This is uptempo with some piano and mellotron. "Girl On A Swing" is mellow with piano and reserved vocals(as usual).I love the way this one sounds. "Song For Insane Times" is a SOFT MACHINE tune reworked.Kevin gets some help from Hopper and Ratledge on this one.The drums are prominant.He sure can tell a story.Some fuzz from Ratledge late. "Stop This Train(Again Doing It)" has such a good rythm to it,one of my favs. "Eleanor's Cake(Which Ate Her)" is a slower paced,sad song. "Lady Rachel" is a darker,more serious track.This tune does seem ahead of it's time and is one of my favourites. "Oleh Oleh Bandu Bandong" has a Malaysian title which recalls Kevin's youth growing up in that country where his father was a diplomat.A good beat throught this one with high pitched vocals.Guitar after 1 1/2 minutes with some piano 3 minutes in.This is the most experimental song on here. "All This Crazy Gift Of Time" features strummed guitar and vocals.Some harmonica 1 1/2 minutes in as the album ends as it began, on a fun note.Kevin does his Bob Dylan impression late. I keep Kevin Ayers cds right beside my Robert Wyatt recordings.Two special people with unique sounding albums.

A great collection of Canterbury musicians. A great cover and gate fold photograph.

It's eclectic, it's not the easiest listening in parts if you are not used to it, but this is a style and an album which is worth listening to again and again. It's not the perceived wisdom but I much prefer this to Shooting at the Moon.

I am ridiculously prejudiced in reviewing this because I love this style. There's a freedom and ok self-indulgence which contrasts so sharply with the present commercial scene. Along with it is the sense of humour that we come to expect from the Canterbury scene. The impression is of a bunch of musicians who are really enjoying what they are doing (who knows if they were or not, I'm just saying that's how it comes across): you can't help but smile when listening to this. Even the dark song form the bottom of the well sounds a breath away from an outbreak of laughter.

Love the bass on Whatevershebrings I think it's Mike Oldfield.

This is an excellent addition to your collection. You should have some Kevin Ayers. Which one I can't say, but you won't go wrong with this album.

It's not essential treat yourself you know you want to.

And I hear that to maintain musical sensibilities it is now recommended to have no fewer than 5 portions of prog a day .... you have been warned

CAN DO BETTER THAN THAT!!!

So Kevin Ayers is back!! 15 years after his last recording! and what can we expect from Kevin in 2007/08? I know i wasn't expecting a masterpiece after all those years, especially knowing Kevin wasn't even able to pull one during his golden years in the beginning 70s!

But 33mns of music! Damn! damn! 10 songs and that's it! 15 years to produce ''middle of the road'' songs lasting for a grand total of 33mns. Even when vinyl was king, artists tried to produce around 40mns of music. Arrive the digital age and K. Ayers comes up with not even that amount.

One could counter that sometimes this is better having quality over quantity! right if i could compare what's on this CD to golden nuggets....But believe me, this ain't a goldmine!..Not a recording you will live happily with for the rest of your life.

Kevin Ayers brought a lot of ''stars'' to participate to this recording..We have new names that i don't know, Euro-pop they say, i am not familiar with. From the old guard, PHIL MANZANERA of Roxy fame lends his guitar and our ex- Soft Machine bassist invited other ex-Soft Machine members, namely HUGH HOPPER and our dear friend ROBERT WYATT. Sadly, all references to SOFT MACHINE stop here. Nothing to be amazed as Kevin abandonned a long time ago any links to his psychedelic debut with the mighty SOFT.

Don't get me wrong! there is nothing on this album that cannot be said:'' that's bad''..You can to listen to the whole 33mns and you won't get any headaches, only scratching your head when listening to totally unconsequential songs like the opener ONLY HEAVEN KNOWS or the closer RUN RUN RUN ;Boy scouts hymns to sing-along around a campfire!!!!.

Some titles are a little more ''thought'' or ''worked'' like COLD SHOULDER or BRAINSTORM (now this is not Hawkwind) where some arrangements add a little proggish resemblance to what Kevin used to record early 70s, but don't expect LADY RACHEL to show up at your door! She is nowhere in sight. But they are good average typical AYERS tunes.

When i reviewed AYERS from the good old times, i wrote Kevin was a musician of talent, but was more interested in good wine and good food and good company. Nothing wrong with that, but EVERY album of his has suffered from his lackaidisical attitude.....Great songs snadwiched by forgettable ones....remember CARRIBEAN MOON and TAKE ME TO TAHITI, not forgetting the dreadful HAT.

It seems nothing has changed much since the 70s. Kevin lives in the South-West French countryside, enjoying his ''retirement'' and still able to create 33mns of songs in 15 years. I may sound harsh, but it's just i liked the character very much and some of his songs really, really brought me a lot of pleasure. I will never forget SOFT MACHINE one, JOY OF A TOY or the good WHATEVERSHEBRINGSWESING, i still play them regularly but this CD THE UNFAIRGROUND won't be one of them!

On the positive side, i shoud mention that KEVIN didn't lost one step with his voice....still deep, cozy, charming, just the inspiration missing. Not a bad CD as i said, but nothing mesmerizing either! Some pleasant songs but that's not the place for a newcomer to start his AYERS discovery.

I hate to give 2 stars to an artist i like, but somehow you've got to be honest with yourself!

2 STARS.