Customer Reviews

Sweet Deceiver

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I have read that this album was not that well received but I've never understood that. It's the Rockiest of Ayers recordings with the most amazing guitar work by Ollie Halsall, the openning track Observations is just blistering . The songs are strong and idiosyncratic if slightly darker than some of his work. Elton John amazingly appears on this album and his playing on Circular letter is fabulous. It seems that most of the customer reviewers so far favour his early work, but for me Ayers songwriting flowered with this album and the albums either side The Confessions of Dr Dream and Yes we have no Mananas.

Ayers central themes seem largely based around Gurdjeff's idea that human beings run mostly on automatic and we need to wake up from this sleeping state. But Ayers presents this in such a charming way and embodies it with his own individuality and rejection of the popular dreams that the worlds of business and marketing try to force on us.

This guy writes great songs and this is a great album.

"Sweet Deceiver" was the first LP Kevin Ayers released that disappointed the critical community. However, out of the context in which it was released, it stands up well. Kevin's previous LP's were more experimental, each in its own way. When "Sweet Deceiver" was released, the lack of "progressive" elements must have been a let-down for his most ardent fans. The material on the LP are all songs as opposed to sound collages, David Bedford-produced symphonic experiments or outright craziness (e.g. "Shooting At The Moon" or "Lunatic's Lament"). What was overlooked at the time was the fact that Progressive Rock had mostly been pioneered by 1975 and that the movement back to traditional songwriting would be warranted. With the permanent installation of Ollie "Haircut" Halsall as Kevin's collaborator/lead guitarist, a definitive element of Kevin's sound was in place. Moreover, a guest appearance from Elton John (they shared managers at the time) makes this release all the more distinctive. My favorites include the title track, "Once Upon An Ocean", "City Waltz" and "Circular Letter". This is definitely essential for confirmed Ayers fans. If you're looking for a place to start with Kevin, I would suggest "Joy Of A Toy".

The Musicians:
KEVIN AYERS - Vocals, Fuzz Bass, Mandolin, Acoustic & Electric Guitars
OLLIE HALSALL [of Patto] - Lead & Acoustic Guitars, Bass, Piano, Vibes & Vocals
JACOB MAGNUSSON - Organ, Accordion, Piano, Clavinet & Vocals
FREDDIE SMITH - Drums & Percussion
JOHN ALTMAN - Clarinet on "Guru Banana"
ELTON JOHN - Piano on "Guru Banana", "Toujours La Voyage" and "Circular Letter"
BIAS BOSHELL - Piano on "Sweet Deceiver"
FUZZY SAMUELS on Bass with CHILLI CHARLES on Drums
and THE MUSCLE SHOALS HORNS [Ronnie Eades, Charles Ross, Harrison Calloway Jnr. and Harvey Thompson] - all featured on "Once Upon An Ocean" only

Here's the breakdown (61:12 minutes):
Tracks 1 to 9 make up the album "Sweet Deceiver" issued on Island ILPS 9322 in the UK in March 1975. Ayers & Halsall (credited as Ollie Haircut) produced the original LP with all songs written by Ayers.

Five bonus tracks are tagged onto this expanded 2009 remaster. Tracks 10 to 14 are live recordings taped at The BBC's Paris Theatre in London on 27 March 1975 (transmitted on the "In Concert" program 19 April 1975). JEFF GRIFFIN and CHRIS LYCETT of the BBC engineered and produced the concert - the Band used was KEVIN AYERS on Vocals & Guitar, OLLIE HALSALL [of Patto] on Lead Guitar; GEORGE 'ZOOT' MONEY on Keyboards, RICK WILLS on Bass and TONY NEWMAN on Drums.

The superlative 8-page liner notes are once again written by noted expert MARK POWELL and the original master tapes remastered by PETER MEW at Abbey Road. Mew has done a typically stunning job (as he has on all of Ayers' albums) - BEAUTIFUL SOUND QUALITY (see my review for "Confessions Of Dr. Dream" for further info on his remastering work).

Eagerly anticipated by fans after the weird and undeniably wonderful "Confessions..." album of 1974, Ayers' 2nd LP for Island turned out to be a bit of a 9-track damp squid - some even saying that he was treading water - or worse - trying to be a 'rock star' (the pretty boy cover). Too many of the tunes were born out of the whimsy that had made him so beloved on earlier albums, but were now sounding tired. That didn't stop the eight-minute long lullaby of "Toujours La Voyage" being brilliant and blessed with truly superb piano tinkling from Elton John. I've always loved this track and now with this 2009 remaster it sounds just gorgeous (lyrics are the title of this review). "Diminished But Not Finished" was also pretty, but the swirling effect put on "Circular Letter" ruined the feel of the tune. The Calypso structure used by the Muscle Shoals Horns on "Once Upon An Ocean" couldn't rescue it from sounding like some white guy trying to do reggae - and badly.

The 5 live bonus tracks are a strange mixture of the dull and the great. The stunning guitar work-out song "Didn't Feel Lonely `Til I Thought Of You" from "Confessions..." features Ollie Halsall's amazing guitar work, but doesn't really cook until the end. "Stranger In Blue Suede Shoes" is probably every fan's favourite, but it just doesn't work live and sounds silly and forced here. "Observations" and "Interview" however see the band kick in - great stuff. "Farewell Again" is better live than on the original LP as Zoot Money and Halsall stretch out on the keyboards and guitar - wicked jamming.

So there you have it - weak in some parts, but masterful in others - three stars instead of five - but as it's Kevin Ayers, I still had to own it.

For fans this is yet another top job done by EMI - and a sound tribute to an artist who deserved better than never charting a single album.

PS: see also separate reviews for the 2009 remasters of "The Confessions Of Dr. Dream And Other Stories" (Island, 1974) and "Yes We Have No Mananas" (Harvest, 1976)