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.
Rykodisc Robert Wyatt : Cuckooland (UK,2003)***°
Part one of this new album, fits pretty well, as being somewhat sophisticated pop/rock related to the usual series of his releases, with accessible moody song related tracks. Here even more than the previous reviewed release, the song and words matter, as being as much part of the expression. The second part goes much deeper into the feeling of desperation to how some kind of world politics still rules and continues to make more victims. The whole concept however inhabits all kinds of awareness of our superficial "cuckood" state of being.
First track, "Just a bit" settle accounts with various superficial thoughts related with nature, in a world where real nature's call is not heard, with human's superficial interests in it, which does not make them related in a "natural" or any way. More than one track have a smooth jazzy mood, with Robert's whispery penetrating voice to express the song, like the track, "Old Europe". The title reminds me of Bush' ridiculising comments on "old Europe" because the leading countries in Western Europe didn't want to fight along with, for and on behalve of his imagined perception/excuse to rule over the parts of the world, that therefore are renamed to be parts of the "axis of evil". Our minister of foreign affairs at that time responded in an intelligent way, that "old europe" also solved everything with wars to regain power, and that new Europe doesn't. US, being a pretty new state with little historical balancing towards nature, the world and its own fastly growing state, having got criticism from Western Europe for this attitude before, wanted to make a statement here with that "old Europe" against it. I also remember when France didn't want to cooperate with the Iraqi war, and the Americans even wanted to change the "French fries" to "Feedom's Fries" to confirm their own statements, that they do this for the sake of freedom and "real democracy", as if first of all, their democracy leaves much choice for varied opinions when it comes to important decisions, and secondly, as if "liberating people" is the main reason for the purpose of regaining power (through wars and big money deals) in various states, that suddenly is the real thing of significance and importance. By the way are not the "French fries" not French but in fact Belgian ? One of the many thing these kind of Americans overlooked in their interpretions, with the same speed of conclusion, I believe they might have overlooked so many more purposes at that time, even within their own government. Robert's song seem only to refer to Juliette Greco and (jazz trumpetist) Miles Davis love in old Paris, a love affair that fell apart in New York. I'm not sure if this is a metaphorical reference to any other kind of parallel evolution, but there surely is no direct connection to any more references. Also New York has a vivid jazz scene. The melancholic Miles-Davies-like trumpet is played by Robert himself. On the next track Robert is even more creative with trumpet and keyboard, with Brian Eno, and two Japanese musicians participating. On "Forest" is expressed a symbolic vision on ever growing plots from races that feel/have felt superior, (something which can easily happen again), and indeed is continuing to happen. This is also with Brian Eno (and David Gilmour,..) participating. The notes say also that Lety, an extermination camp for Gypsies in the Czech Republic is now a pig farm, with no memorials to what happened there before. "Beware" warns that one has to be careful with opinions, because they make enemies anywhere, and with many extremes. We also have a lullaby like song, made after having read an article, on how Iraqi mothers amongst falling bombs gave birth to their children, and how other children had to be calmed down with valium during the bombing period. I also like the voice interpretation of "Insensatez"/ "how intensitive", as a song interpretation. This also has a smooth rhythm, a Toots Tielemans like harmonica, and instruments which have been used a couple of times, the karenotron (: is this a kind of voice chords sample machine ?), female voice, by Karen Mantler, double bass, some clarinet/flute with Jewish melancholy. From here on most songs suffer from the feeling of determination, with a disappointment, about the continuing of making new victims, also amongst those who want to warn of these tendencies. These songs does not leave you with a feeling of easiness. It is hard to listen to everything of the second part without pausing even more than once (a 30 second pause has been added between the two parts). The last track comes originally from an (Armenian ?) Arabic song with the message that "No one knows" if there ever will come an end of this series of determining events.
In its total this is not an easy album. There are some underlying statements, and an awareness to a degree of hopelessness of reality of many global situations.. Perhaps it's the most determining release from Robert so far.
On line audio review with fragments :
