ROCK BOTTOM

There is no album like it in my collection, even Soft Machine. The album has a "downer" mood to it, many thanks to the accident (pushed out of a third story window) that left him wheelchair bound, but the surprising thing about all this was the material was written before the accident, but recorded after, so I'm sure the mood was caused because of the accident, but not the lyrics. Sadly he was no longer able to play a full drum kit anymore, so he had to switch to keyboards and hand percussion. He brought in some guests that many will recognize, such as Mike Oldfield, Richard Sinclair (Caravan, and by then a member of Hatfield & the North), Fred Frith, Hugh Hopper, Laurie Allan (who played drums on Gong's Flying Teapot), Ivor Cutler (no relation to Chris), and others. So the music has the somber, reflective tone to it, instead of manic drumming like he did on Soft Machine and Matching Mole. The music has a rather experimental edge and tends to have a more RIO feel to it, so I can't see why RIO fans wouldn't like this. Besides I'm certain this album did have a major impact on RIO to begin with. It's not an easy listen and it's not something you'd listen to everyday, but it's one of the greats of music regardless of genre well worth seeking out. I'm discouraged to throw five stars just anywhere (like what happens at Amazon), but this is truly deserving of it! Of course, don't expect anything like Soft Machine's first three albums (I know he's on the fourth one as well, but was forced by the other band members not to sing, a big reason he left), as this is totally different (he was clearly letting everyone know that he's not completely bound to the legacy of Soft Machine).