Fictitious Sports

Nick Mason | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 4, 1995)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Col. Spec. Prod
• ASIN: B000005DAL
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #26,978 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Can't Get My Motor to Start

2. I Was Wrong

3. Siam

4. Hot River

5. Boo to You Too

6. Do Ya?

7. Wervin'

8. I'm a Mineralist

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "python legs are poached in slimy toad saliva", March 9, 2009

By 

olofpalme63 (auf der flucht!) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fictitious Sports (Audio CD)

...sure, it says its "Nick Mason's" Fictitious Sports. Nick Mason himself even produced it with "Hipgnosis" supplying the cover art. Hipgnosis as you know has handled nearly every Pink Floyd album cover. This particular assortment of material was even released by Columbia Records. ...and there was probably a good reason for all the aforementioned. That reason being money. In retrospect, this should've been called "Carla Bley's Fictitious Sports" (considering the fact that she wrote all the words and music and even co-produced it). ...or even billed as a Robert Wyatt solo project (which might've produced some good numbers in Europe under the Harvest label). However...in the US, nobody would have ever purchased it, let alone listen to it. Carla Bley being a little known jazz composer at the time and Robert Wyatt not being heard of stateside by anyone unfamiliar with Pink Floyd. I'm positively certain the record executives' at Columbia figured it would be a better idea to market this product under Nick Mason's name instead.

However, because it was released under "Nick Mason" (who by the way, supplied all the drumming). It garnered the attention of millions of Pink Floyd fans and fanatics alike. ...although, it does make you wonder why some Pink Floyd fans weren't aware of Norman "Hurricane" Smith's hit back in the early 70's with "Oh Babe, What Would You Say". Or, their still in shock over it. What's shocking here is, Nick Mason's "solo" effort is actually better than anything Roger Waters ever produced in the post-Floyd era, "The Pros And Cons Of Hitch Hiking" included (well...with the exception of the cover art). "Sports" contains a slew of gems like Robert Wyatt's deadpan delivery in the classic "Siam". Wyatt's urgency is also quite addictive on "I'm A Mineralist" and "Do Ya?". "I Was Wrong" and "Wervin" also highlight this release from Robert Wyatt...err no...wait, Carla Bley...umm hold on. No, I meant to say Nick Mason. "I creep up to old wrecked cars and lick off the rust" ...too bad most cars are made of plastic now.

olofpalme63

5.0 out of 5 stars Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason's first solo album still holds up 30 years on, November 10, 2007

By 

Terrence J. Reardon "Classic rock and old sch... (Lake Worth (a west Palm Beach suburb), FL) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Fictitious Sports (Audio CD)

Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason released his first solo album entitled Nick Mason's Fictitious Sports in May of 1981.
This album may say Nick Mason as the name of the artist, seeing as he played all the drums and co-produced and helped record the album, but the tracks were all written and co-produced by jazz artist/musician Carla Bley.
The album featured a good collection of jazz artists like Carla, her husband trumpet player Michael Mantler (whom also helped record the album) and saxophonist (the late) Gary Windo plus rock artists like former Soft Machine drummer and singer Robert Wyatt who appears on all but one track and session guitarist Chris Spedding.
The album was recorded in November of 1979 but it wasn't released until the spring of 1981 as CBS (Nick's label in the US at the time) saw that it would be bad luck to release in England before America and not to compete with Pink Floyd's blockbuster The Wall.
The album starts with the funny "Can't Get My Motor to Start" which is about Nick's love of cars and automobiles and featured male and female voices. Next was "I Was Wrong", which was a science fiction song and the first to feature Robert Wyatt's vocals. Next, is "Siam" which would not have sounded out of place on a Pink Floyd album as does the next track "Hot River" in where Chris Spedding does a David Gilmour-type guitar work and musically sounds like something from The Dark Side of the Moon period (Nick confirmed this in a 1981 BBC interview to promote the album).
The rock shuffle "Boo to You Too" kicked off the second half and a great song. "Do Ya" follows and is not the ELO song but a nice quiet jazz type slow tune with some great trumpet work from Mantler. "Wervin'" follows and sounds like what would happen if The Police (in the guitar and drum textures during the verse) played with Count Basie and his band. The closing track, "I'm a Mineralist", which sounds like another Floyd outtake with its atmospheric music and excellent drumming fom Nick.
The Fictitious Sports album was hugely ignored when first released and peaked at a dismal #170 but sales aside is a great album nevertheless. This album is now out of print. Which is a shame because great art sometimes don't need commercial success to be appreciated!
Highly recommended!

3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An incredible enjoyable album, April 30, 2003

By 

miguel hiraldo (miami, FL United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fictitious Sports (Audio CD)

As some other writter said, not for Pink Floyd fans (and i do love Pink Floyds music too)...more likely to appeal to jazz or avant garde rock fans. Very funny lyrics and of course excellent playing from all involved. Robert Wyatt is, right after Howlin wolf, Captain Beefheart and Peter Hammill, my favorite voice...totally unique. Watch out if you are not familiar with the works of Carla Bley or Michael Mantler ...you could like this music and get adicted to it! and there are a few other cds that go this way...so watch out if you are short of money...