Cuneiform Rec.
Robert Wyatt : "Solar Flares burn for you"
(UK,rec.1972,1974,2002,2003)*****
Robert Wyatt with Soft Machine had shown a remarkable talent as a skilful drummer, who sublimated any usual pop drummer's approach. He was in fact much more of a jazz drummer. Not only with his skills, Soft Machine in 1967, developed into a trademark of a new style, the Canterbury Music style, with a number of groups, more or less with similar approaches following up (closest in style were Robert Wyatt's Matching Mole group, but I can also recommend Egg, early Caravan ; in Germany we also had Xhol Caravan and Brainstorm, from Holland I recognise simularities with Supersister' first album...). The group evolved to more jazzprogrock experiments. All their early works are highly recommended. Robert Wyatt also had an experimental freejazz like solo-record, "End of an Ear". But then he had an accident, and became paralysed. Instead of falling into suicidal tendencies Robert made a remarkable album, "Rock Bottom", a change in style, and without drumming. Robert also has a remarkable beautiful voice, on the edge of the melancholic, but also poetic, like cloud drifts. He did not release too many albums, but I still remember the beautiful "Donnestan". But very recently he seemed to have a kind of come back with some productive creativity. First I heard his beautifully fitting songs in the "Birds" movie documentary about migratory birds. Then I found out about two more new releases in the same year. I decided to try both.
This release only contained two newer tracks. For the rest this is a compilation of missing tracks. -By the way, Cuneiform around the same time also released interesting Soft Machine outtakes, which showed the early Soft Machine's varied creativity.- The tracks from 1972-1974 can be regarded as the missing link between Matching Mole, with Robert as a band leader, and "Rock Bottom" with Robert introducing himself as a skilful multi-instrumentalist vocal artist. Luckily for Robert he had already experimented outside the jazz-rock thinking field with keyboard/voice emphasis, which had opened up a new possibility in expression of his talent.
It's fine that there's a vision behind this compilation.
Tracks that are made by high talented musicians with a vision, with only keyboards and voice, can have a kind of otherworldly individualism with sublimated elements, like melancholy, like sometimes with Robert Wyatt, or destructive introspection, like with John Cale's sublime "Music For a New Society", (1982), but also a rich completeness in expression, no matter how little means are used, and a relaxed way to develop and build up this rich sound.
There's so much on this release which shows a subtle genius at work. Not only "Alifib" here sound essential to me (here for the formerly mentioned highly expressive melancholic sublimation). There are many more elements, if not every detail, that makes this release essential. The second voice on John Diamond's "I'm a believer" for instance gives this track a sublime uniqueness. The loop like brass elements on "Blimey O'Reily" (with Hugh Hopper) with added variations, although simple with its effects and expressions, also succeeds in making another unique moment. "Solarflares burn for you", a radio-session from 1972 for a soundtrack, showed Robert experimenting with keyboards close to the abstract, and with somewhat pre-run ideas, later worked out differently on "Rockbottom". Close to new sound invention, this whole piece in a surreal way, poetic and serene, is almost like a spiritual sound ritual. Not only the voice arrangements near the end makes this track completely unique, -and for me music heaven-, rid of any additional use of descriptive melody, is still as expressive and human as if melody thinking was used. The voice and musical arrangements on "Fol de Sol" are so individual and expressive as well, it sounds as if it's a completely new kind of ethnic music. Also "Little Child" with varied voices, seems to give a hyper modern, very expressive, surreal like art-version of a very old child-like theatrical story-song. Also the track after that, "We got an arts council grant" is such another surreal and funny theatrical "musical" song. With last part "Righteous Rhumba" another Canterbury group comes in mind, Gong, although their surreal child-friendly surrealism is not much more than just another reference. With closing outro " 't was brillig", another recent track, on a jazzy rhythm, inventive and colourful with its sound balances (echoed distant drumming) is a beautiful a perfect moody closer, but then we still have a kind of emotional poetic musical statement, "the verb", both tracks being more recent recordings.
A terrific release, from a transcendent beauty. This is one of the best releases of 2003 I heard so far !! Real art !!!
"Solar Flares burn for you" comes with a quick time video which can be watched with any modern PC. During my review making I was without any modern PC so I have to check it afterwards.
