Ah...the Joy of a Boy
Junglies | Morrisville, NC United States | 03/03/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"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!"
Perhapsnotwhatyouexpected......
collegemoney | 05/23/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"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."
Sumptuous listening experience
Laurence Upton | Wilts, UK | 08/20/2005
(4 out of 5 stars)
"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."
Track Listings (12) - Disc #1
