Customer Reviews

Whatevershebring

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
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Kevin Ayers, in my humble opinion is one of the most overlooked of British performers who emerged as part of the Canterbury Circus from the 1960's. In many ways he is very reminiscent of that other English eccentric and borderline genius, the late, greatly missed, Vivian Stanshall.

This timely re-release with additional tracks is a very welcome one for those of us who have owned the original cd for years and who have had to suffer the poor sound mastering. Here with much greater clarity is an album that is not to be missed.

The publicity surrounding this re-release mentions the contributions of some others who perhaps have achieved greater success than Ayers but whose contributions here merely enhance the originality and vitality of this album.

Kevin Ayers' albums are idiosyncratic for two reasons, the quality of the songwriting and the diverse styles and types of music which he employs. His voice is so evocative of others in the Circus such as Caravan but has a way of bringing the lyrics slowly into one's conciousness where the true value of them can be misseed when the listener is not paying careful attention. The lyrics can be subtle and oblique surreal and yet real. Or, to paraphrase another song strangely strange but oddle normal.

The musicians that Ayers plays with also compliment the musical material with it's vast range that demonstartes the breadth of Ayers musical knowledge and genius.

The album begins with an Ayers song There is Loving and Among Us written by the composer David Bedford combined together and concluded with a reprise of There is Loving. Bedford's orchestral contribution is the perfect foil for Ayers' writing but does not come off as cheesy as some other orchestral additions tend to do (on early Elton John for instance). Margaret and Oh My typify Ayers at his best with short songs great lyrics and measured instrumental work but for me the heart of the album lies in the following three tracks. Song from the Bottom of a Well deserves an award for the name alone but considering the use of effects and some techniques which could have easily been borrowed from KarlHeinz Stockhausen himself coupled with the exquisite lyrics this song must be considered one of the best Kevin has written generating such imagery. Awesome. The next track, which I always believed was for Welsh listeners Whatevershebringswesing, is a complete contrast to Well. This certainly lightens and brightens the ambience created by the previous song and demonstrates the creative energies which flowed from Ayers in his collaboration with others. Robert Wyatt may not be too well known in the United States but in certain circles in Britain he is revered for his contribution to the Soft machine and also for his personal songwriting contributions. Here he adds his voice to the song in a somewhat ethereal way to develop an excellent track. The next crucial track is Stranger in Blue Suede Shoes which the sleeve notes acclaim to be an Ayers classic. i do not know about that but it certainly was a fan favourite. An amusing song which went on to be another single release, this has everything that one could wish for in a three minute song. Polished performance, great lyrics and music to match.

The rest of the album is made up of two original album tracks plus four bonus songs which had not been available except on singles and a compiliation but which fit well with the general tone and outlook of the original album.

Like the fine wine that Ayers is reputed to enjoy, his albums are a little of an aquired taste which require a little concentration and which provide one with much cerebral enjoyment. This happens to be one of my personal favourites along with Joy of a Toy.

A wayward genius he may be, an eccentric troubador for sure. I really like Kevin Ayers as you probably can tell and I have no hesitation in recommending this wonderful work to all Amazon readers. Enjoy!

This is an excellent album that I stumbled upon. It's very English, very English and sounds like a mixture of Soft Machine, Gong (it's actually closely linked to both units where personnel is conncerned) and a whiff of Syd Barrett.

Strange, weird melodies, silly lyrics but sincere performances. Great discovery!

As a recent "first time listener" to this piece (shame on me), I was most pleasantly impressed. I expected the music to be more challenging to the ear. That's usually just fine but the dominance of melody in the songs definitely wasn't a hard thing to handle. Each song seems to have its own individual approach - superb orchestrations by the legendary Mr. Bedford, some tender balladry, some Frank Zappa stylings, some blaring "War of the Worlds" horns (after all, we MUST have a few challenging parts). Well worth repeated listenings. I know that for long time fans of this music, the alternate song versions are deservedly welcome, but I would have wished for some unreleased original studio material.

After the experimentation of Shooting At The Moon, by Kevin Ayers And The Whole World, Whatevershebringswesing marked Kevin Ayers' return to the songwriting styles of his debut Joy Of A Toy. This time however the production was far grander with a full orchestra arranged by David Bedford on the opening song, and experimentation with tape loops. Song From The Bottom Of A Well works particularly well, and his best known song, Stranger In Blue Suede Shoes, is included (in two versions). Sometimes the experimental effects are merely distracting and irritating, as when a reprise of Joy Of A Toy Continued cuts into the middle of the stoned-sounding Champagne Cowboy Blues, and along with the whimsical Oh My is one of the weaker tracks.
As with Joy Of A Toy, guest musicians such as Robert Wyatt (from Soft Machine days) and Didier Malherbe (saxophonist with Gong) appear. Whole World member Mike Oldfield contributed lead guitar and bass and gets a sleeve mention for his solo on the wonderful epic title track, though the Whole World disbanded during the recording of this album.
Of the bonus tracks the B-side Stars is by far the best and perhaps should have been an A-side or at least on the album proper. Two songs were not released as singles, rightly in my view, but were then discarded completely and their inclusion here is welcomed.

Just returned from a fortnight in the Ould Sod and despite any number of memorable sights and sounds what I seem to recall most vividly is scarfing down a huge bowl of porridge early one fine morning while the serenely wayward tunes on Whatevershebringswesing billowed up out of the jambox. Talk about yer full Irish breakfast! And this followed by a brisk walk down Dun Laoghaire Pier with a 99 from Teddy's our post-breakfast reward. Here's another suspiciously pleasant consequence of Kevin's combination of trippy baritone and sheet music, later that day on the morning presided over by Hairy Ayers I read in full, twice in full as a matter of fact, Donald Barthelme's stupendously fanschmabulous short story, Me and Miss Mandible. This Don B immediately struck me as a feller well worth a further look see. Then I read Chablis and am in no doubt whatsoever about the dude's bona fides. Chablis is a masterpiece of comic brevity, a compact and sturdy story built for speed and indeed crafted around the sheer exhilaration of synaptic snap and crackle. Plus the dog the baby wants in Chablis is named Michael which is almost as good a name for a dog as Desmond is in Pynchy's Vineland. I have an inkling I am going to try and memorise this entire story for future reference. If Donald Barthelme's sentences were shoes Tom Waits himself would wear a pair in a heartbeat. Chablis is a right crafty little gem along the same lines as Kevin Ayers' own brand of perfection on any song you care to mention on his wonky little plate of rock candy here. Ayers might well be something of an acquired taste but positively no kidding this hirsute English song and trance man is chockablock with a soothing sort of soul for those with the lugs to tune him in and hear him out. I'd go so far as to recommend almost any of his witty and wacky albums but this third solo effort here, circa 1971, had me noddingly succumbing to some seriously high-toned nostalgia. Sandymount Strand, 3 in the AM. A wooden bench with the water audible and the moon of all things--the big bleeding blooming moon--eye-wateringly bright against the darkness of the sea. Home on me holidays. I'd just bought the Kevin Ayers album second-hand in the George's Street Arcade the day before and due to a mix-up with another record the dude in the shop felt so bad he lent me the loan of a little homemade cheroot from his own personal stash for me troubles and there I was at the end of the following day reclining happily on a seat on the macadamed promenade along Sandymount Strand with the whole of Dublin Bay stretched out before me in the moonlight. Later and later it got but I lingered on just generally digging the lapping of the tide and the moon on the water and the Pigeon House in the distance blinking on and off. Not totally inappropriately either I was singing happily over and over again that catchy calypso chorus to Kevin's own Caribbean Moon:

Hey Caribbean moon yellow, yellow
Caribbean moon yellow, yellow
Caribbean moon yellow, yellow
Caribbean moon shine all night

Well of course then it wasn't all that much longer before I was Singing a Song in the Morning:

Singing a song in the morning
Singing it again at night
I don't even know what I'm singin' about
But it makes me feel I feel alright
Yeah yeah
Makes me feel I feel alright

Chronic jet lag or some such irreversible neural damage precludes further coherent comment but let me leave yiz all with a last lump of lyrics, this time to a particular favourite Ayers track, Stranger in Blue Suede Shoes--funny fantabulous how some songs stand spectacularly well the test of time. You really have to hear the groove on this track too though--The Velvet Underground go to Canterbury:

STRANGER IN BLUE SUEDE SHOES

I walked into this bar
And the man refused;
He said, "we don't serve strangers
In blue suede shoes;
We don't give credit, and
We don't give way--
We have to think about what the people might say...
Uh, you know what I mean..."
I said, "sure, man."

Oh, he gave me a smile that was sickly and wet,
And I offered him one of my cigarettes.
He took it, afraid that he might appear rude,
Then proceeded to sell me some second class food.
Nice guy - meet 'em everywhere...

He said, "my oh my, I have suffered too long,
And this cigarette seems to be very strong;
I don't make the rules
I just get what I take
And I guess every rule was made to break.
You can take what you like, it won't hurt me
Cause I'm just working for the company."
From the green cigarette, he took a long drag,
And said, "I think I'll pick my travelling bag.

I'm tired of cheating, and wasting my head
And filling the boss's bags with bread.
I want to get out in the sun and rain,
And feel the wind on my skin again;
The world is large, and I've got time yet.
And, by the way, thanks for that cigarette...
Thank you very much.

You know, I feel like a new man
Yes I do, I don't know why;
I'd just like to say
Thank you very much (indeed)
It's a beautiful day
I think I'll be on my way (right away)
I'd just like to say
Thank you very much.
Yes, I'm getting the hell out of here
Yes, I am - bye, bye.
That's the end of the message
Thank you very much.
Bye bye..."