Ruth Is Stranger Than Richard

Robert Wyatt | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (May 5, 1998)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Thirsty Ear
• ASIN: B000006AXR
• In-Print Editions: Audio CD  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #268,334 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Robert Wyatt's voice is as distinctive and subtle an instrument as Tom Waits's or Bessie Smith's. He stretches his vocal chords through alien alto registers with grace, into notes few male singers are comfortable with past puberty. It's not stretching things to compare his work on Ruth to that of the greatest jazz-influenced singers. Wyatt knows how to throw a band together, too, choosing musicians who'll do their respective things complementarily, subtly. If you have trouble with the jazz comparison, dig his group's take on Charlie Haden's "Song for Che." This disc brims with woozy, lush underwater-sounding, underground pop, augmented by chaps like Fred Frith and Brian Eno. It's clever, playful music, ahead of its time because it's timeless and filled with a profound, infectious, children's book-type humor. --Mike McGonigal

Product Description

Highlighting Wyatt's interests in township arrangements and ensemble playing, made explicit by calling a track 'Team Spirit', RISTR inverts the inward meditations of his previous album, Rock Bottom, outwards. The result is a set that startles with its rhythmic instinct and shape shifting composition. Drawing on both Wyatt's breezy way with a time signature, and his ability to use his voice as a truly resonant instrument, the record contains not so much songs as abstract chamber pieces that bathe and unfurl in a warmth and stillness of their own. --This text refers to an alternate Audio CD edition.

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Sadly underrated, September 16, 2002

By 

Gary Gomes (New Bedford, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ruth Is Stranger Than Richard (Audio CD)

After Rock Bottom, Wyatt followed up with this less well-balanced, but more eclectic follow-up. The caliber of songqriting is extraordinary, and the line-up (Gary Windo, Mongezi Fesa, Fred Frith, Brian Eno, the amazing Laurie Allen) reads like a who's who of the avant garde of the time. I alway enjoyed this somewhat more than "Rock Bottom" because its attitude was more fun. Wyatt had seemed to come to grips with his paralysis and was realizing more of what he could do by the time this album came out.

It has the same dreamy, shimmering atmosphere as "Rock Bottom" but is no less brilliant. This was one of the few times that I have heard jazz, avant garde, and pop sensibilities blended so seamlessly. A great work!

Gary Gomes

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Robert Wyatt is the one who started it all!, October 5, 2002

By 

Carl Johnson "budbear_5000" (Detroit, MI United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ruth Is Stranger Than Richard (Audio CD)

Not too much to say. In my mind, this is the best recording Robert ever did. There are tunes that are lighter than the songs on Rock Bottom, though this album is not as conceptually well thoughht out. The center peice is Solar Flares, which features some excellent guitar space work. It is this song that I feel is the best thing Robert has ever done. Astounding!
You wouldn't have had much of your european progressive rock in the seventies if it were not for this man and his legacy. He still influences your on-the-edge players today! Almost perfect, eclectic spin!

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a classic record - timeless and inspiring., May 23, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Ruth Is Stranger Than Richard (Audio CD)

i've been listening to this record for over ten years - and i am always impressed and inspired by it. nothing on earth sounds quite like this record but then again nothing on earth really sounds like Robert Wyatt for that matter. accessible yet slightly avante garde - musicians should listen and learn.