After more than 30 years, this recording of a legendary Robert Wyatt performance will finally see the light of day. Recorded in September of ?74, Theatre Royal Drury Lane sees Wyatt perform his classic Rock Bottom album in... more » its entirety, material from his days with Soft Machine and Matching Mole, plus an extraordinary version of "I?m A Believer." This concert quickly assumed legendary status among Wyatt?s fans and has been inadequately bootlegged in the past. Hannibal is proud to release it officially, remastered and remixed. Guest musicians include Nick Mason, Mike Oldfield, Dave Stewart, Ivor Cutler and many more.« less
After more than 30 years, this recording of a legendary Robert Wyatt performance will finally see the light of day. Recorded in September of ?74, Theatre Royal Drury Lane sees Wyatt perform his classic Rock Bottom album in its entirety, material from his days with Soft Machine and Matching Mole, plus an extraordinary version of "I?m A Believer." This concert quickly assumed legendary status among Wyatt?s fans and has been inadequately bootlegged in the past. Hannibal is proud to release it officially, remastered and remixed. Guest musicians include Nick Mason, Mike Oldfield, Dave Stewart, Ivor Cutler and many more.
CD Reviews
Mirabile Dictu!
Robert Carlberg | Seattle | 10/19/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"As the ongoing prog revival digs deeper and deeper into the ephemera and effluvia, mining for diamonds, occasionally a true gem emerges. The RW&F concert, oft bootlegged, may be familiar to serious fans but I guarantee you've never heard it like THIS before! This is apparently a soundboard recording, clear and up close and wonderfully captured for the first time ever. Gee, and it only took 31 years....
Wyatt of course is a legend in his own lunchtime, but his "friends" here deserve mention too, from keyboardist Dave Stewart (Egg, Hatfield, National Health), Hugh Hopper (Soft Machine), Fred Frith (Henry Cow), Mongezi Feza, Laurie Allan, Mike Oldfield, Gary Windo, Julie Tippets, Ivor Cutler, Nick Mason... Would anybody BELIEVE this lineup if the evidence wasn't right here in front of us???
The featured songs are mostly from Wyatt's "Rock Bottom" album (a classic BTW) with a few Matching Mole and Softs and misc others. Hearing them played (REALLY hearing them played) by this band is an unbelievable treat.
Thanks Robert for making these available!"
You must own this
A. Reader | Madison, WI | 10/19/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"OK, even if you have the bootleg that has been floating around for some time now, you still need this CD, at least for the cover art, personnel listings, and the fact the Mr. Wyatt gets paid something. If you don't have the bootleg, you doubly need it. Why? The music. He and a ensemble of highly sympathetic musicians play the whole of Rock Bottom and then some. The first time I listened to it, I wondered who the drummer was, as he was sounding pretty good. It's none other than Nick Mason sounding much jazzier than Pink Floyd ever let him be. The fantastic South African trumpeter Mongezi Fezi is there as is also Gary Windo on sax. And we even have the BBC's John Peel doing the introduction. So, Robert Wyatt fans, pony up on this one."
The sweet Wyatt and his supporting extraordinary band!!
PortugueseMusicFan | Porto, Portugal | 02/14/2006
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Well, what should I say about this unique record...??? Great edition and (finally) decent sound of a superb sunday concert, the 8th of September of 1974...laughs and sounds, keyboards breathing and Robert Wyatt mouth's saxophone, great musicians all together reunited to only give pleasure!! Sometimes there's a melancholic side between anger and desillusion, but at the end remains the MAGIC... and Julie Tippets giving us an astonishing solo moment (Mind Of A Child) with her remarkable voice (have they forget her today?) and everyone's in the right place!!
A Great document!! Long live Robert Wyatt!!! Julie too!!"
Rock Bottom - with teeth
Kenneth M. Osowski | Stewartstown, PA USA | 05/05/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"Robert Wyatt has had some great friends over the years. His all-solo projects (such as "Old Rottenhat") are always special, but I've always preferred his recordings with like-minded and creative colleagues. "Shleep," the recent "comicopera" and this sterling live set are fine examples of his collaborative work. These recordings have both warmth and intensity, and Wyatt is inspired to great heights by his cohorts.
It's been said over and over, but "Rock Bottom," RW's 1974 LP, is one of the most moving and personal records in all of "pop" music. What a treat it is to hear the entire album on this live recording, with some fairly wild avant-garde blowing pushing the seemingly mellow music to its breaking point. The studio version of "Rock Bottom" is, for the most part, moody, introspective, and haunting. The live performances here are passionate and intense. The other tracks are also very fine, ranging from a brief, deconstructed "Dedicated To You But You Weren't Listening" to the touching Julie Tippetts vocal feature, "Mind Of A Child." All fans of Wyatt and beautiful, quirky, jazz-inflected art-pop will want to pick up this disc."
Track Listings (14) - Disc #1