Soft Machine was an amazing Band with Kevin Ayers
I do like to hear others opinion on "Softmachine/Kevin Ayers"?
video: [consequenceofsound.net]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013-02-20 18:35 by runaway.

Sad news

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Keep On Rolling

A Kevin Ayers single from 1969, an early recording of the song with Syd Barrett on guitar and backing vocals.

This is really sad news. Kevin Ayers was a true original and a wonderfully British songwriter. He was one of the leading lights of the British Canterbury prog sound but don't let that put you off him. His songs were extremely witty, beautifully constructed and conceived peons to an era gone by - as British as Noel Coward and Syd Barrett, the latter of whom he was friends.

Anyone curious to want to check out his music should perhaps start at Whatevershebringswesing - perhaps the title track or the song May I from Joy Of A Toy, above.





Here's a report by the BBC.

Kevin Ayers, the founding member of 1960s psychedelic band Soft Machine, has died aged 68.

A pioneer of the genre, he worked with Brian Eno, Syd Barrett, John Cale, Nico and Robert Wyatt during his career.

Bernard MacMahon, director of his last UK label Lo-Max Records, confirmed to the BBC News website Ayers died in his sleep at his home in Montolieu, France.

"He was the moving embodiment of that sixties ideal of creativity, freedom of speech and free love," he said.

BBC Radio 6 Music presenter Stuart Maconie paid tribute to the musician, describing him as a "legendary English musician, a stalwart of the Canterbury music scene".

MacMahon described Ayers as a "character", adding: "You wouldn't forget him if you'd met him. He was father of the underground."

He added Ayers was very critical of his musical footprint.

"I think he always made music entirely for his own pleasure and satisfaction despite the fact that he had this long career. I don't think he had any interest in being a pop star," he said.

"Kevin was an artist and was plagued with massive insecurities about what he was doing.

"He would write material and people would hear what he was doing and would have to practically force him into the studio."

Ayres and Soft Machine toured the USA extensively with Jimi Hendrix but he left the band in 1968 after their first album.

Fellow founding member Wyatt said the band "lost its axis" after his departure.

Ayers released his first solo album, Joy of a Toy, in 1969 for Harvest EMI. The record is said to have influenced artists including Teenage Fanclub, Candie Payne and Euros Child.

He released 16 albums and headlined the Free Hyde Park Concert of 1974.

The late BBC DJ John Peel wrote in his autobiography that Ayers's talent was "so acute you could perform major eye surgery with it".

Ayers's father, BBC producer Rowan Ayers, created the BBC Two music programme The Old Grey Whistle Test, which gave a host of underground acts TV exposure while it aired between 1971 - 1987.

The musician is survived by two daughters and his sister Kate.


[www.bbc.co.uk]



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 2013-02-21 11:46 by Silver Dagger.

I was listening to a lot of Ayers music yesterday at a friends place who attended ; Kevin Ayers and the Whole World "Mike Oldfield, David Bedford and Lol Coxhill".



After an extensive tour of the United States opening for Jimi Hendrix, a weary Ayers sold his white Fender Jazz bass to Noel Redding[12] and retreated to the beaches of Ibiza in Spain with Daevid Allen to recuperate. While there, Ayers went on a songwriting binge that resulted in the songs that would make up his first album, Joy of a Toy. The album was one of the first released on the new Harvest label, alongside Pink Floyd's. Joy of a Toy established Ayers as a unique talent with music that varied from the circus march of the title cut to the pastoral "Girl on a Swing", and the ominous "Oleh Oleh Bandu Bandong", based on a Malaysian folksong. Ayers' colleagues from Soft Machine backed him, with the addition on some cuts of Rob Tait, sometime Gong drummer.

One interesting product of the sessions was the single, "Religious Experience (Singing a Song in the Morning)", early recordings of which featured Syd Barrett on guitar and backing vocals.[12] The lead guitar that appears on the final mix was often thought to have been played by Barrett, even appearing on various Barrett bootlegs, but Ayers said that he played the solo, emulating Barrett's style. However the 2004 CD reissue of Joy of a Toy includes a mix of this song featuring Barrett's guitar as a bonus track.

A second album, Shooting at the Moon, soon followed. For this, Ayers assembled a band that he called The Whole World, including a young Mike Oldfield on bass and occasionally lead guitar, avant-garde composer David Bedford on keyboards and improvising saxophonist, Lol Coxhill. Again Ayers came up with a batch of engaging songs interspersed with avant-garde instrumentals and a heavy dose of whimsy.

I heard an appreciation of Ayers on Radio 4's Today.

Evan Davies really put his foot in it with Robert Wyatt though. Robert Wyatt managed to sidestep Evan's questioning really well.

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tomcasagranda


Evan Davies really put his foot in it with Robert Wyatt though. Robert Wyatt managed to sidestep Evan's questioning really well.

What was said?

There were references to excesses.

Robert Wyatt also said that it was inappropriate to speak of these excesses, as Kevin Ayers had just died.

Evan is good, though, on fiscal matters, but on artistic matters not so good. James Naughtie, though, is an excellent all-rounder, both on music, and on news.

Losing Kevin Ayers hit me where it hurts. I've always felt like he was my little secret despite the fact that I'd play him frequently when I was doing college radio.
Most of the articles on his life have focused on The Soft Machine and mentioned his solo career in passing but it's always been his solo work which I have loved. I would agree that Whatevershebringswesing is a good place to start (Side 2 if you want tracks that are more structured) but I'd also recommend Bananamour and his last release, The Unfairground, is really stellar too. I don't have all his records yet but I love everything I've heard.
Another artist crossed off my Concert Bucket List for the wrong reason.