Reviews (page 2 of 7)
Started out really terrible but did actually improve as it went on - some of the later songs we quite enjoyed - until averaged as a 'fine' album.
cute! very very cute!
A fascinating album, which demands multiple listens. A big plus for Brian Eno being one of the musicians playing on the album.
with the first three songs the album was starting out interesting but i was a bit annoyed by it. but then it grew stronger with every song. the enigmatic oddity of it, not caring about norms. effortlessly weaving in trumpets with piano. sometimes melodic sometimes more of a noise carpet. the album really starts shining with the track "Alien" and culminates in the fabulous rythmic "Blues In Bob Minor". wow! fits in very well with my interest in Pink Floyd and Porcupine Tree. almost makes me wonder if the latter is just a Robert Wyatt tribute band...
I liked some aspects and some songs, but there was also a lot I didn't care for that much. Couldn't tell if it was legit weird or pretentious driivel.
Up and down but I liked more than I disliked.
This sounds like a David Bowie: Worst of/Brian Eno: Best of mashup album.
One of the weirder albums I've listened to for this project. Definitely some great moments on here but I don't see myself returning to this one any time soon.
Interesting, very much does his own thing. One wonders if it needs to be done all the time though. Kinda uncategorizable.
This is really mesmerizing album, quite otherworldly stuff. I listened it at least 3 times and still couldn't get enough of it. There are some similarities to Scott Walker and Syd Barrett, but really there is only one Robert Wyatt and it's always a pleasure to dive into his strange world.
Not bad definition of bad album would be but somehow this bothers me quite a bit.
#463 / 1089 Heard before? ❌ Revisit? ❌ This is the kind of progressive music I don't really like. I don't think this is rock tho. I feel this is pop music with prog elements, some effed up jazz bits and weird electronics thrown in. Can't say that I enjoyed this album. Mere 2/5 and a "not for me" stamp.
Immersive, sad, and experimental album by the great Robert Wyatt that haters will love to hate
# Album Name: Shleep # Artist: Robert Wyatt # Rating: 2/5 # Comments: Couple of good tracks but lots of mediocre stuff on here. Not for me. # Top Tunes: Heaps of sheeps / Free will & testiment # Would I listen to it again? No
Interesting and surely experimental and perhaps to some inventive but not my speed.
Okay album. Not my fav out of the selection but worth a listen.
Another experimental art rock album that is have sworn was released in the 70s/80s, not 1997. Didn't mind it, heaps of sheeps and a Sunday in Madrid stood out. His voice didn't have the range he was singing at sometimes so the more stripped back ones weren't great. Great attempt at capturing an older sound but as an album it's alright.
I could absolutely not get on board with it - at once irritating and frustrating. Irritating that he covers a lot of the nice music with some nonsense he's spouting, or from recordings, and frustrating that this could have, and should have been more enjoyable. It was a schlep.
2 and a half years since our last Robert Wyatt album. I think "sea song" from that album is decent and I've listened to it a bit since. This album suffers from the same thing as they previous album. There's bits that a really quite good but then others that feel so weird and just like it's trying to be weird for weirds sake. I enjoyed "Heaps of sheep's" and "maryan" though. I think this album was probably more accessible than the last so on the 3 side of 2.5
I understand the talent in this program/folk/jazz mashup but this is too whimsical for me and I’m not that keen on Robert Wyatt’s voice. Some bits were better than others. Heeps of Sheeps for example and Alien and a couple of tracks like this might be good mixed in with some other stuff on a late night chill out playlist but the album as a whole didn’t draw me in really. Not sure there is anything here that is revolutionary and deserving of a 1001 nomination This was album 251 for me so I am getting on for a quarter of the way in (noting that there are more than 1001 albums really). Maybe it wasn’t the time for Art Rock
The perfect album for any up and coming serial killer to listen to as they ponder their next victim. There are quite a few labels you could use to describe the music in Shleep: prog-rock meets jazz, avant garde, 'artsy fartsy,' or even 'wtf is this?!' I'm usually down to listen to weird music, but this is way outside past the boundaries I'm normally comfortable with. The instrumentals are one thing, I can handle that, but Wyatt's vocals raise the hackles of my neck something fierce. How is this an album people should listen to? By what metric? It makes no sense.
A lot going on here. When i read the Wikipedia description, I was ready to toss my phone into the bin. But then I listened to it and it partially won me over. The songs I liked the most sounded like they could have been Peter Gabriel.songs, Blues in Bob Minor, and that Style Council cover.
No
Awesome music.
Not for me. But it's for a lot of people, and that's okay. I do like the last song. Spooky vibes.
I love this. It feels like the kind of music you would hear in your dreams when you are barely unconscious. It's soft and gentle, but also a little unnerving and off kilter. I really need to check out more of this dude's stuff because this is probably my favourite artist that this list has introduced me to so far.
No
A decent album for what it is.
20 years later, Wyatt is making more interesting music than he previously was. Probably will still never throw it on again, but I enjoyed it enough after enduring a wave of poetic singer-songwriters who have outstanding lyrics backed by boring instrumentals.
I did my grocery shopping while listening to this and it felt like white noise 95% of the time. Sometimes a cool idea would pop up, which is like two times on the whole album.
I generally like the Canterbury Scene. The genre was big in my musical formative years back in the 1970’s although this is a much later example. Admittedly this album is on the challenging side of the genre and I could name quite a lot more albums which would suit to be a better gateway into that magical sound. So as someone schooled and grown with the likes of Caravan, Egg, Soft Machine etc I can see all that is good with this album. As well as all that is questionable and the reason why many turn away from it. Probably not on display as much here but Robert Wyatt does have a great songwriting knack and many of his songs have been covered by many. His tender love song O Caroline which is on another record, is an example of this. I hear more that I love than dislike on this album and as it borders on Prog Rock will always get the thumbs up from me. 4/5 7/8/26
#1024. This album certainly wants to put you to schleep. The first song had promise, it was almost interesting, but then every song after that was a bore. 2/5: yawn
Funky weird let’s go
Very strange but I really enjoyed it!
What just happened
ok lowkey pretty good ngl i enjoyed this but would i listen again? prolly not sry :/
[3/5] prog art rock. the melodies are innovative but the higher-pitched vocals do not agree with me; an instrumental version of this album would be a fun listen. i nearly locked in a 1/5 rating after hearing the duchess but it was worth slugging it out. blues in bob minor was shockingly enjoyable. curiosity sufficiently piqued. 2.5. track notes: 1. happy-go-lucky psychedelic sheep counting 2. i am convinced this song is a wind up. my blood hurts. schrodinger's wife but wyatt is the observer. high pitched and painful 3. very nice instrumentals. the "over an ocean away" bit is warm and the most enjoyable vocals on the album 4. in the beninging there was the end. menacingly sad and spooky 5. intriguing spacey tune 6. surprise jazz moment circling me like piranhas 7. this guy has been through some serious stuff 8. moody atmosphere continues 9. piano holds it together well, nice production 10. is this rap? new kind of energy with wild lyrics. actually quite fun, but probably a marmite moment 11. all atmosphere
Deliberately awful.
I don't know. This was weird and there were some interesting tracks. I usually like weird, but think it was the wrong kind of weird for me. If I think of it more as a film score, I think that improves things.
Колыбельная для музыкантов. Переплетение философских и одновременно философсковысмеивающих текстов с однотипной и сложной долгоиграющей мелодии неминуемо приводят к усыплению. Могу точно отметить, что обложка и содержание сходятся невероятно точно и четко. С музыкой и текстами все отлично другой вопрос - покажите кто слушает этот альбом с восхищением мне интересно как он это делает ? Я хочу с ним поговорить. Оценка 4/10
This would be a great album if there were no vocals.
This is a weird album. I don't really know how to classify this. It's part jazz, part acoustic, part... I don't even know. It's kind of dreamy, kind of surreal. One thing I can say for sure is that I'm not digging this guys voice. I'm not typically picky about that sort of thing but I feel like I would enjoy this a lot more if his voice was different. It's produced by Brian Eno, so that explains some of the strangeness, which I'm not opposed to, it's just a lot to digest. It's a very confusing album. But I think it's one of those records that will eventually grow on you if you give it enough listens.
Some sort of weird jazz and rock fusion thing. At times it's good and then devolves into weird saxophone cacophony.
Was not familiar with
Robert Wyatt again? Really? Eh. Not the worst repeat artist of the list, I'll say that much. I actually didn't hate Rock Bottom as much as the people of this website do. It's not a bottom-20 album of this list, you guys. I don't know what you're talking about when you say that it is! Here we have the other Robert Wyatt album of the list, 1997's Shleep. I'm kind of surprised to see this be so much later than Rock Bottom, which came out in 1974. How much changed in the 23 years between these albums? Did Robert get better? Did he get worse? Uhh... I'd say he's about the same. This is about on the same level as Rock Bottom for me, which is to say that I'm not huge on it, but that I get the appeal and don't dislike it at all. There are some things that stayed the same for sure. I'm still not really a fan of Robert's voice, but it's still not horrendous or anything. The music here has some nice touches every so often. Some songs like "Maryan" had pretty nice instrumentals. The writing doesn't really mean much of anything to me personally, but at least that means that I'm not getting any negative messages from these songs. I do think that this album went on for a bit too long though. One of the things I praised Rock Bottom for was not overstaying its welcome at all, so for Shleep to be over 50 minutes isn't exactly desirable for me. Other than that, this is pretty much a "second verse, same as the first" situation. Shleep is fine. I don't hate it, but I don't love it either. Light 3/5.
Wow, I hated this. I can't even tell if it's bad but the music was really boring (naming it after Sleep was an inspired choice) and Wyatt constantly sounds like he's trying to do a funny voice whenever he sings. I simply couldn't get past it.
Liked the first song Got bored of it pretty quickly Favourite track: heaps of sheep’s
Kinda weirdo but not entirely unpleasant
Irritating tepid nonsense. But perhaps I just wasn't in the mood.
Strange!
JOOOJ, ROBERTE, roberte, nimalo mi ne olakšavaš ocjenjivanje... njegov album koji sam prethodno bio odslušao mjestimice mi se dosta dopao, ali djelomice mi nije sjeo, pa sam dao trojku. donekle je slično i s ovim albumom, kojem su najlošiji dijelovi gotovo pa nepodnošljivi, ali su vrhunci genijalni. s obzirom na to da sam se uspio navući na sam kraj albuma (zadnje dvije stvari) i da sam u dijelovima stvarno uživao, dajem četvorku. a dajem i tu ocjenu jer ću svakako htjeti još koji put u cjelini preslušati
Whimsical, sometimes dissonant, "art rock"
A very solid prog/art rock album, but it's inclusion isn't doing anything to make me think this list is primarily an exercise in white British male chauvinism. If you are a fan of the jazzier bits of this (where the album starts going from good to great) I recommend listening to Coin Coin Chapter Two by Matana Roberts
Worth a relisteb
Aburrido album
I can’t explain why I like it but I like it. I like it just fine.
My second Robert Wyatt album of this project and I do appreciate his unique style. This one doesn’t quite resonate with me as the previous one did however, possibly as the 90s production is a little more polished.
Autumn
It was nice of the engineers to let the nervous teenager from Lancaster noodle around in the recording studio for a bit.
Discordant weird nothing album, and not in a good way.
Definitely an acquired taste
Pretty shit. I didn’t hate 2 tracks so It avoids a 1.
Too weird for me. I don't really understand how albums like this get popular to begin with, let alone make it onto lists like this. I'm starting to think people who are really, really into music just burn themselves out on stuff that sounds conventionally good and have to resort to increasingly weird shit to feel anything
This guy's voice is really weird but I don't mind it, there's some cool stuff here I will admit
Honestly with some of what I've gotten lately, I'm excited to get one of the real controversial ones. Would we call this modern primitive? Just naive? There's something to the music that feels sort of like a gnome, having gotten drunk off buttercup wine, tumbled (definitely naked) into a recording studio and secretly made an album. And it really doesn't start off badly, with it's dreamy but sorta springy-sounding “Heaps of Sheeps,” but it then gives you the other side, with the twee ramblings of “The Duchess.” These are the sides of Robert Wyatt, and they basically trade off. If you dig the Syd Barrett As An Elf vibe, I imagine this would be such an easy 4 or 5. I've never really cared about Syd tho. This is decidedly not bad. There's some interesting stuff behind even some of the more difficult or sillier experiments here (“Blues in Bob Minor” is way too self consciously ripping Dylan, to the point of feeling stupid, but I like the backing instrumentation, for example). But it also has too few highlights, and the lowlights are the sort of thing that is not just not my cup of tea, but is not really tea. I think I appreciate that conceptually, but musically this is very light on the ⭐️⭐️⭐️ scale. I might try to relisten to it, but it's not really high on the priority list.
A lot going on in here, which makes it a fun listen. Favorite tracks: Alien, The Whole Point of No Return. 3.5 rounded down to 3.
cada vez más coñazo
First track good and then it went downhill quick. His voice is annoying and this does veer into pretentious. Still its not all bad. 2 stars
I appreciate that the vocals and instrumentals being out of tune is some kind of deliberate artistic choice, but I simply hate it and the meandering cacophony of this album and don't want it near my ears. Standout Track: Heaps of Sheeps Rating: 1
Idk this was kind of bad but it was bad in an interesting way so it was kind of good
A little plinky for my tastes
This is amazing and weird. I feel like shit today and this made it a bit better
Ved ikke hvor essentielt det var, men et vældig interessant lyt. Stor 3!
Fed overraskelse! Der er ikke rigtig noget andet der lyder som det her
Well this was fucking weird.
My favorite part of this album must be the artwork💛🕊️🖼️🖼️ None of the songs captivated me enough to warrant revisiting this album, but I did enjoyed the overall mood💛I'm very happy I listened to this. I think Robert Wyatt is pretty awesome. Interesting man. Thank you so much 💛🩵☁️
Excellent
Verry proggy. For me its too much.
This is so not 90's but I can't imagine it was trying to be. We had that other Robert Wyatt album earlier and it was weirder than this. This is more listenable and his singing is much less processed(?) The weirdness was doing it a favor to be honest. There are some artsy songs on here but nothing really approaching the heights of Rock Bottom. This is just like lazier songwriting with some wandering instruments. The first song is actually kinda good, but the rest falls off until the really nice instrumental at the end. A 2.5 rounded down because it really offers nothing.
Didn't get this. It made no sense to me. Plenty musical, though. The Bob Dylan lyrics reused are odd.
Sure, Bobby W is a boring old biddie. But he's allowed to be. I don't make the rules. The list probably doesn't need one of his 90's records however.
Pretentious art school jazz wankery.
Very pleasant and a bit goofy, like Joanna Newsom. I do miss choruses / more traditional song structures here.
wow okay
Strange and tranquilizing, an unexpected treat for my ears to hear. Wacko artsiness is at its best when whatever it's doing makes something as soothing as this
I'm not super familiar with Canterbury scene stuff and this is definitely on the stranger end of the few albums I have listened to, but it's still kind of a vibe. I can appreciate what the guy's trying to do, but I think this is one of those albums where it's more about the experimentation rather than making something that's easily accessible. UPDATE: I listened to this again while I was half asleep and it sounded like the best thing ever, maybe that's just how you need to listen to it. Either way, it's getting bumped up to a 5.
sobre o shleep, nao gostei, achei muito experimental, letras e batidas nosense. resumindo, nao é meu tipo de musica. nota 1,5
幻想的出ちょっとセンチメンタル
0.8/5 This sounds like an album your hippie uncle made with his friends while high on mushrooms. He's come over for Christmas and asks everyone to sit and listen to his latest music. Your parents tell you that you should pretend to like it because it's your uncle but even they know that it's awful. There's a couple of good ideas on the album but for the most part it's a Trainwreck.
This album can put you to shleep.
I'm sure my peers going through this collection with me will disagree on this one, but I love this nonsense. Great music. Just hypnotized me at times, then jarred me back at others. Lyrics were of dreams and disconnected thoughts. I want to go explore his earlier works like Soft Machine now. In many ways it reminded me of that David Bowie album, Blackstar.
toujours aussi stressant le jazz expérimental mais je suis beaucoup plus réceptif à celui là que l'ancien qui faisait vraiment mal au crâne avec ses bruits d'animaux
I’m going crazy trying to think of why I know this name…. Anyway, overall pretty good. Maybe it could have been shorter? Idk, I liked it.
Never heard of this album so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised. I’m not sure what worked for me. Lyrics are odd. “What kind of spider understands arachnophobia” is a fun line from “Free Will and Testament.” I think I heard bits of jazz in this album, mostly on “September the Ninth.” “Alien” more piano with an unexpected beat that kicks in. “Blues in Bob Minor” was the song that I liked the most. I finally looked up album on web and learned about Canterbury scene and “whimsicality” was in the description which fits this album.
2.5/5. More like this album put me to Schleep. jokes aside, between this and “Rock Bottom” I just don’t think Robert Wyatt’s style of jazz-laced art rock/prog is for me. I quite liked the opener “Heaps of Sheeps”, the horn-heavy “September the Ninth” and the Bob Dylan homage “Blues in Bob Minor” but beyond that most of the album just felt pretty aimless and lifeless.
And why was this 1001 album list? Could not listen until the end. Maybe it got better but have my doubts.
I appreciate the vibes and the artistry but overall this wasn’t for me
This had me intrigued at first, then lost me when the singing just kept getting worse.
It kept reminding me of other music done better.
Not going as far as those “great album” people. Weird and ok is more honest.
What a beautiful, breathtaking, dream-like record. Lovely to have a bit of Robert Wyatt to lose myself in after a run of truly awful records (Deep Purple, I'm looking at you). This is the antidote to, well, everything terrible. When I'm listening to a Robert Wyatt record, all is well with the world. That floaty, psychy soundtrack accompanying that delicate, fractured voice is just utter perfection. This is quite a late-period record from him, coming out just a few years before retiring from music after a 50-plus year career. That he was still creating music like this after so many years is phenomenal really. A great record.
I suppose Robert Wyatt is largely remembered for his sublime version of Shipbuilding, not on this album. I always want to enjoy his other work more than I end up, this album is another one of those. There are some wonderful lyrical twists and turns - I particularly like Free Will and Testament but I struggle sometimes with the downright oddness - which is sometimes endearing and sometimes irritating. So can sometimes be a challenging listen for me, but that is often a good thing...
There are some good parts, but then he throws in these weird noises. They accomplish the goal of irritating the shit out of me. Just overall giving off a sense or someone trying really hard to be cool and different. 1/5
Really liked "Heaps of Sheeps" and the some of the accompaniment throughout the album. While a few of the other tracks were enjoyable, they didn't live up to the opening track. Overall didn't connect with most tracks. 2/5
Ooof. This was not for me.
Sounds like the ramblings and music composition of a sleepy toddler
I am a progressive rock fan, but I guess it’s more of a certain era - late 1960s through 1980s classical-infused with themes of science fiction, fantasy, psychedelia, etc. This is not that. I don’t really know what this is. That’s not totally true - it’s a pretentious, self-important, and humorless cacophony. 1.5⭐️
*Sleep
Couldn't get through it. All sounded the same
I’d listened to Robert Wyatt before through Rock Bottom and, if I’m honest, I really didn’t get it at all. I struggled to connect with that album, found none of the tracks memorable, and was left pretty baffled by its reputation, so I went into Shleep with fairly low expectations. Shleep was definitely better. There were moments on this album that I genuinely enjoyed, particularly “Heaps of Sheeps” and “Maryan”, which at least gave me something to hold onto. However, there were also tracks like “The Duchess” that felt completely bizarre and did very little for me. Overall, though, I still found the album quite hard work. A lot of the songs feel like they’re trying very hard to be clever and experimental, but they lack the melody, hooks and catchiness that I naturally look for in music. I can appreciate the artistry and why some people admire Wyatt’s work, but it still doesn’t really do anything for me. Favourite tracks: “Maryan” Least favourite tracks: “The Duchess” was easily the weakest track for me Album artwork: Lovely album cover
Bit of an acquired taste. Not sure I completely have it.
Started okay, but track 2 onwards were atonal nightmares! DNF
I was quite looking forward to this based on Wyatts version of shipbuilding but what a load of drivel. Disappointed
Very solid. I really enjoyed Billy Budd, which I don’t know if I’d heard.
Weird.
Fall asleep music. I had high hopes after the opening song, Heaps of Sheeps. But after that there wasn’t much to like another than Blues in Bob Minor
Liked this a lot more than I anticipated - Not a big Wyatt fan outside of Shipbuilding, but this was solid.
I guess it was alright kind of folksy sounding rock, but one of the earlier songs was absolutely awful
First song was pretty catchy, second was maybe some of the worst music I've ever heard
4/10 - Generally a miss for me. I didn’t find it grating but I generally don’t like whatever this is. Reminds me of Richard Dawson which I feel similarly about.
I don't know, this just didn't really do it for me. 4/10
I'm going to be honest, I'm pretty much an amateur, so pretty much all I can say is that is weird and more importantly I did not really enjoy it. Some were ok, and even the jazz was fine to me, but didn't stand out. However the off beat parts, nah, i don't feel I need to waste my time before I die. The comments gave me some info so of course I have even more distain if it truly is pretentios artsy for that certain crowd, but all that matters is that honestly I will not search this again.
Thank God I got to album 902 before getting this load of pretentious codswallop. Because if it had been in the first 100 I might not have continued.
Weirdly charming, but a bit too "weirdly" for my taste. Still, I enjoyed it far more than I would have thought.
Another surprise album by Robert Wyatt. Really like the experimentation.
I barely listened to the first four songs before giving up.
Some engaging songs but at times it just sounds a mess, leaving me wondering why I am listening. The first track is really good
Pretty weird and funky but I liked it!
Waarom staat dit in de lijst? Soms klinkt het als een groep kinders die een bak instrumenten gevonden hebben...
it got a bit better towards the end
Nope.
Some might call it interesting, some may say arty, maybe even whimsical. Me, I think it’s pretentious bollocks. It does however get an extra mark for the music, that’s nice!
A mixed bag, but an interesting discovery.
Phenomenal album!
4/10
fine
Artsy dude... Muy para sus conocedores...
What a terribly boring album
I like standing up for controversial albums but this does lowkey suck. I’m not mad at it, it’s just boring and long.
Heck yeah! Another weird album by Robert Wyatt. A Sunday in Madrid and Blues in Bob Minor are standout for me.
Another bad album… 5 of the last 6 have been garbage…
Good at times. Boring at others. 3/5
Hadn't heard of Robert Wyatt before. Looked at some reviews in the leadup and really didn't know what to expect. The reviews implied chaotic art gibberish. It wasn't what I got though. I should have trusted the name/cover and ignored the reviews. This was hypnotic and beautiful. Criticisms of his voice, as usual, seemed to miss the point. Yes, he hovers around the tune and never hits it, but that just adds to the floaty, ethereal feel. The flaws add to the music. I really enjoyed this.
Surprised by how much I liked it honestly. Thought it would be terrible
No nyt on taas erikoista, mutta tällä kertaa hyvällä tavalla erikoista. Sekoittaa kaikenlaisia genrejä jazzista kantriin ja rokkiin, et ei ees tiedä mitä tää on. Mutta siistin tunnelmallista ja se pieni avant garde outous tekee tästä vielä parempaa. Parhaat: Alien, September The Ninth, Heaps Of Sheeps
I know Robert Wyatt for his fantastic interpretations of At Last I Am Free and Shipbuilding. I also know him as the drummer in the very boring experimental band Soft Machine. Now I also know him for a bang average comeback album from 1997 that a few critics wet themselves over and the general public ignored. For once, I'm on the side of the general public.
It's fine… no outstanding qualities
genuinamente también es un álbum un poco fumada pero ha habido algo que no se, me ha hecho disfrutarlo
It has its own style but this music is too strange and too boring for me in the same time.
This guy is bonkers, isn't he? You get some really, genuinely lovely moments, such as the opener, 'Heaps of Sheeps' and the dreamy, stream-of-consciousness noodling of 'A Sunday In Madrid', but then you get the genuinely painful 'The Duchess' and a lot of freeform jazzy jamming throughout, which I find interesting if not massively enjoyable. He clearly has his fans, and some seriously high-profile ones at that. I found lots of nuggets of gold to take away, just like on Rock Bottom, but once again you have to be ok with hitting the skip button from time to time.
Intriguing. New to me. I enjoy the spaciness. (Ha just realized turning back from Nayram is Maryan.) Endlessly creative. I suppose I would go 4 if I knew it better, but I'm still processing.
Seems like a lot changed in the 20 years between Rock Bottom (we reviewed that 22 albums into this journey) and this for Robert Wyatt. There's still a wildly odd sensibility to everything he's doing, but this is grounded more concretely to some sort of traditional songwriting and production approach. I didn't go back to actually listen to Rock Bottom, but my recollection is it is really out there. Enjoyable, in a strange way, but out there. This is a little more approachable and odd around the edges. I liked it, and while a 3-star, it's on the compelling side of the rating.
I was driving while listening to this and didn't really have a chance sit with it the way I like to do. I didn't want to mark it "did not listen," though because I did give it a spin. that first song was interesting. The rest I had a hard time wrapping my head around, and I'm someone who digs experimental music.
I enjoyed about 75% of this album. Won't say I hated the other 24%.
Why??
Love this, glad he has two albums on the list so I have another one to look forward to. Reminds me a little of XTC's Apple Venus, maybe it's just Colin Moulding's voice and the atmospheric soundscapes?
i was listening to a podcast today about how people don't want their music sounding too intellectual and i was like huh ok and then i listened to this and felt. well Alright. alright.
Day883 - if you made it through the whole album you may be entitled to financial compensation
Nope
It’s different. I’ll give it that
I actually kind of enjoyed this a bit part rockish without the over abundance
So cottony and dynamic. The duchess, genuinely cooked up something aberrant in my brain. Mumbled into submission. Tickled every speck just the right amount. 10/10, would Shleep to. Can’t wait to Rock Bottom.
favs: september the ninth out of season blues in bob minor the whole point of no return rating 1.8/5
I shlept
To be honest, I could not wait until this album was over.
Awful
I gave it a few tries. At first I thought what the hell is this, but after the second time I liked it. Now I think I listened to it at least 5 times
Quirky, and mostly enjoyable instrumentals. The vocal performance is ghastly. One of the few instances when I wish someone had considered using Autotune software. If Wyatt had not recorded vocals, this album would have been instrumental fire. While it is admirable that Wyatt's circumstances have not diminished his spirit, this is painful. I definitely enjoyed this album more than his earlier solo effort that appeared on this list. I also enjoyed this more than the Soft Machine album on this list. Having said that, it is very unlikely I will ever return to this album, or any of his others. Not an essential album, and certainly doesn't deserve a spot on this list. Favorite: "The Whole Point of No Return" because it include no vocals and was a wonderful arrangement. "Heaps of Sheeps" and "Blues in Bob Minor" would have also been favorites if the vocals had been been performed by someone with a lick of vocal talent. 2 stars mostly for the all the work of the people not named Robert Wyatt.
This is interesting. I don’t hate it. Even though it’s a bit proggy, it’s actually listenable. It’s like if Peter Gabriel and Radiohead did a collaboration, and let Brian Eno produce it. Not bad at all, but very interesting. If anything, it sounds kind of contemporary. Certainly not 30 years old. It’s experimental without getting lost up its own ass. Jazzy, free flowing, expressive, cinematic, but really very listenable. I liked this quite a bit. Such a clear influence on Radiohead. Seven songs deep and I’ve already saved six of them. That’s pretty fucking outrageous. This is exactly the kind of record that should be on this list. Excellent stuff.
This definitely has some good moments and interesting ideas, but I found a lot of this album to just be average/boring. I appreciate the Avant Garde nature of this album, but it didn't really work on me. Low 3.
I wasn’t aware of his work until recently when I heard “pigs in there” on the radio, which I loved, time to explore more of his stuff, I liked a lot of this album.
It's interesting...
Album #105, Shleep, Robert Wyatt ⭐⭐⭐⭐ I have a soft spot for Robert Wyatt, as he was the former drummer of Soft Machine, whose debut album I love, though that’s mainly because it’s the only album they ever had fronted by Kevin Ayers, (who is criminally underrated). As for Wyatt’s solo stuff, I’ve only heard a handful of songs before this, including Heaps of Sheeps, which opens this album. Probably the thing I most associated Robert Wyatt with before this was the fact that he became paraplegic after an accident. So yeah, this was a new one for me, and I’m going to be honest, I’m giving it four stars despite not really getting to grips with it. I’m giving it the benefit of the doubt. It’s a complex album. It’s kind of a mix of jazz, but also low-key English Canterbury singer-songwriter stuff. The reason I’m giving it four stars is because I’ve rarely heard an album scream “grower” as much as this one. I feel like there’s loads to unpack here. Despite it being really complex, I only had the chance to listen to it once today, and it was a bit of a disjointed listen. But I could tell it absolutely oozed charm. It’s a really charming album. It does feel a bit like a mixed bag at times because when it’s good, it’s extremely good, but when it loses me, I really lose interest with it. Still, I feel like if I give it more listens, I’ll come around to it even more, and probably justify the four stars more strongly too. There’s some downright beautiful music on here. Maryan is an absolutely gorgeous song. Just stunning. Free Will and Testament is great too. I also loved the bluesy, subterranean-homesick-blues rip off on Blues in Bob Minor at the end. The album it reminded me most of was Another Green World, so it was interesting to see that Brian Eno was heavily involved with it. Nothing on it seemed bad to me. And weirdly enough, as someone who has a toddler at home and listens to an endless amount of nursery rhymes, it was kind of cool hearing him subvert one on The Duchess. You’d think I’d be sick of that kind of thing, but I actually thought it was really clever. The whole album just reeks of creativity and charm. I definitely think this is one I’ll keep coming back to. It’s another 1997 album, and I genuinely think 1997 is one of the greatest years ever for music. This is another really strong addition to that list.
Wasn’t my cup of tea. A song or two almost got there but it’s definitely art-rock which I just don’t like.
Well there's your problem, too much Avant Garde in your Prog.
Not for me
meh
Didn’t get it until September the 9th. Still some misses, but interesting.
This one was pretty cool. I'll probably listen again.
Kansikuva on jotenkin tuttu. Ompas, ompas progea. Vaiko jazzia. Vaiko jotain taiderokkia. Ehkä enempi jopa sitä, on niin erikoista kikkailua. Laulanta oli jälleen kerran luotaantyöntävää. Vaikeaa kuvitella että kuuntelisin tätä minkäänlaisessa tilanteessa.
Olsin varmaan selvinny jos tää levy ois jääny elämän aikana kuulematta. Vokaalit oli taas aivan jotain fever dream tasoa, todella köppästä puhelaulua ei oikein mitään tolkkua. Instrumentaalikohdat joskus toi vähän jotain pisteitä levylle, mutta Robertin vokaalitaituruus ei nyt ihan yltäny mihkään korkeisiin sfääreihin.
A genius is someone who is Paradigm Shifting. No offence to Mr Wyatt ( looking at him today on google seems he would be the last to use the label). But This. Really? Feel the term is over-used in pop culture, Maybe, I guess, what do I know. Does the drunk window enter the equation? Fair play to him for what his attitude to it appears but doesn’t mean I rate his music. First track, ok it’s pleasant if average enough, then it leapt off the cliff straight into what is either your idea of whimsy or full on pretentiousness. To be fair it wasn’t quite as bad as that again but seed sown etc. So kind of childish folk, almost out of tune jazz, with let’s say limited vocals which kind of work though not a fan of. Not as bad as first couple of tracks made me fear, the odd nice moment but just not my thing. But can understand why some can like, just not me, at least it was listenable and not one star which after the Duchess thought was going to be the case - 2 Stars
This is weird. Idk how to feel about this. I mean sure. It's very out there sometimes in a good way sometimes in a bad way. Yeah I don't really like it. Nevermind he cooked with the first song then kinda went downhill. It's weird in a bad way. Not a fan. What are you doing in my ear. Not for me in short. Favourite: Heaps of Sheep Least favourite: The Duchess
This is like an Ian Dury art cover band that takes itself too seriously. I can respect some of the musicianship at times (I guess this guys commands some respect in his circles so some talented folks step in to back him) but I'm not going to take the singing seriously. I'm sorry but it can't be some artistic approach, it's not good
Very nice album.I have enjoyed both albums I have received by him so far .
Do you know what is worth than Jazz? White guy jazz.
I liked this a lot and was tempted to give it a 5 just to stick it to the haters. Yes, it’s an avant garde kinda folk kinda electronic art project rooted in English sensibilities. But so are Pink Floyd and Radiohead. It’s just not that far out there, people. Anyway, more relatable than the other Wyatt album in the list, possibly due to Brian Eno, and it feels as if there are portals between this and many of his other worlds. There’s Talking Heads and Bowie’s Low in there if you want to hear it… with all the jazz going on I was also reminded of Blackstar. Amidst all that, though, I didn’t hear that one song that would make me say “wow; I’ll listen to this forever” … so not quite a 5.
What fun... More 'art' rock, and he's English, too... 🙄🙄 So, I think this guy is trying to blend avant garde jazz and soft rock, over his poetry.. so, allow me to directly quote Arthur Dent attempting to summarize *his* feelings on Vogon poetry, which best summarizes my feelings on this... album... You may substitute any instances of the word "poetry/poem/etc" with "song/music/album" as appropriate, etc and so forth. All respects paid to the late Douglas Adams, and his masterpiece "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy". ***** Oh yes," said Arthur, "I thought that some of the metaphysical imagery was really particularly effective." "Oh ... and er ... interesting rhythmic devices too," continued Arthur, "which seemed to counterpoint the ... er ... er ..." He floundered. Ford leaped to his rescue, hazarding "counterpoint the surrealism of the underlying metaphor of the ... er ..." He floundered too, but Arthur was ready again. "... humanity of the ..." "Vogonity," Ford hissed at him. "Ah yes, Vogonity (sorry) of the poet's compassionate soul," Arthur felt he was on a home stretch now, "which contrives through the medium of the verse structure to sublimate this, transcend that, and come to terms with the fundamental dichotomies of the other," (he was reaching a triumphant crescendo ...) "and one is left with a profound and vivid insight into ... into ... er ..." (... which suddenly gave out on him.) Ford leaped in with the coup de grace: "Into whatever it was the poem was about!" he yelled. ****** (1/5)
What if Peter Gabriel was really bad? All of the wierdness and none of the talent? Well, then he would be Robert Wyatt. This guy is the Neil Breen of prog rock, becuase while you wanna laugh at and appreciate the absolute absurdy of the joke he's telling, you realize pretty quickly that he is, in fact, ardent in his endeavor, and you feel like kind of an asshole for laughing even harder at the realization. If you can avoid it, you should, but if you have to engage be sure to drag a friend or two along to laugh with you at the earnest futility of it all. It's a 1/5 that's still slightly better than anything Morrissey's mother ever made.
Variety: 2 Adequacy: 3 Listenability: 2 Uniqueness: 3 Emotionality: 1 = 2.2 rounded down to a 2 "Avant-garde music is a sort of research music. You're glad someone's done it but you don't necessarily want to listen to it." - Brian Eno Wyatt is one of those guys whose name I've heard in association with other acts, but have never listened to any solo stuff. I've heard some Soft Machine, some stuff with Phil Manzanera, and some other collaborative tracks, but nothing that strikes me as memorable enough to have remembered who the guy was before reading up a bit on him. I'm fairly openminded when it comes to avante garde stuff so long as it doesn't descend into non-musical intellectual exercise. THE TRACKS "Heaps of Sheeps" - This was pleasant enough and felt very much in the psych pop arena. There was a nice central melody, and the chorus was a nice touch. Going in blind I might've taken this for something that came out in the early 70s. I could see Wyatt's vocals being a problem for some, but I dug house loose and colloquial they felt. "The Duchess" - And here's where I think most people who were not immediately turned off would be reaching for the skip button. The free jazz influenced bit of whimsy was interesting enough, but it dips too far into the realm of self indulgent weirdness at the sacrifice of anything to hook you in. "Maryan" - This was a much more successful use of Wyatt's unconventional vocals. The folky, off kilter tone was balanced by the instrumentation, and the violin hit some very pretty spots where I found myself pretty well entranced. "Was a Friend" - I guess this album is going to be a "one for me, one for them" kind of deal where every other track is an user-unfriendly bit of free jazz audio collage nonsense. There was not much here for me to grasp onto. "Free Will and Testament" - Back again into the pretty, melodic stuff that puts me in mind of Roy Wood's Boulder's era. Give me a whole album of this sort of shambolic, psych folk, please. "September the Ninth" - While not as abrasive as a couple of the earlier tracks, this bit of rambling free jazz did not feel like it had anywhere to go, and just kept circling the drain for the entire run time. Why not have something like this unfold and develop rather than just feel like everyone was warming up? When the vocals finally kick in it seems, very briefly, that we might be doing just that. But no. "Alien" – The atmosphere on this one is the key. Wyatt uses his voice as much more of an instrument to ad accent to the somewhat driving world music sound. This is not too far instrumentally from something Dead Can Dance might have done on later albums. Radiohead would even do some similar stuff eventually. "Out of Season" - This one developed a very interesting mood from the beginning and was much more effective bit that leans more heavily towards the avante garde. What it lacks in any sort of pop sensibility it makes up for in the dynamics between the almost mournful horns and the scattershot piano and vocal touches. Would compare this favorably to some stuff by Univers Zero. "A Sunday in Madrid" - Heaviest on the lyrics of anything yet on the album, this one feels a bit light nonetheless. "Blues in Bob Minor" - A take on Dylan's "Homesick Subterranean Blues" was a headache inducing idea salad that Wyatt should have been embarrassed to include. What would it be like it we put a Dylan song on a beat up single speaker cassette player, while Enya, Sunny Murray, and a very drunk Santana did some free associative jamming all around it, crammed into a tiny echoey bathroom. This is the kid of oppositional, anti-audience stuff that gives the avante garde a bad name. "The Whole Point of No Return" - I'll admit to being more or less checked out at this point, but this did the small bit of work to at least usher me forward into the last track, as unfinished and inessential as it is. "September in the Rain" - Out of respect I'll include this bonus re-release track as it at least feels more like the best stuff on here, and this review could use it. A bit of the pretty music hall, vaudville-ish stuff that Lennon referred to as "granny music" when Maul McCartney did it. Loved this. HIGHLIGHTS - "Heaps of Sheeps" - "Maryan" - "Free Will and Testament" - "September in the Rain" MIDLIGHTS - "September the Ninth" - "Alien" - "Out of Season" - "The Whole Point of No Return" LOWLIGHTS - "The Duchess" - "Was a Friend" - "A Sunday in Madrid" - "Blues in Bob Minor" FINAL THOUGHTS You don't have to have catchy pop melodies for me to enjoy your music - I like a ton of ambient and odd avante garde stuff. What you do have to do is meet me halfway, and provide something specific that makes your song pleasurable to listen to. Brian Eno, The Cardiacs, Bjork are all big weirdoes at heart, but they understand people want to like what they listen to, and while they might cram a lot of this sort of thing into their songs, they don't often make songs that are ALL this sort of thing. I'm sure Jackson Pollock was a fine classical painter, that still doesn't make me like his drip paintings. Wyatt soars when he applies even the tiniest bit of pop sensibility to his work here. It's when he disappears fully into the avante garde rabbit hole that he fails to connect with me. At times this felt willfully obscure and edged into the realm of humoring the old man veteran musician ( though I think he was only 52 when this came out). I'm all for boundary pushing and such, but I do find I have less and less patience for anything that feels exceedingly exclusionary, which some of this did to me. I'm intrigued enough though to check out some of his earlier stuff. PLAYLIST ALTERATIONS - Not sure I'll ever revisit this one, but if so, just the highlights'll do FURTHER LISTENING - Any of the below albums do a FAR better job of taking that avante garde sensibility and burying it within a nugget of pure pop catchiness and appeal. - Boulders by Roy Wood - Hérèsie by Univers Zero - Spiritchaser - by Dead Can Dance - Songs for Ships and Irons by Cardiacs - Homogenic by Bjork - Amnesiac by Radiohead
I contemplated giving this album a two. I swear I did. It’s got moments that almost draw out a thread of curiosity from me. Then, that thread would be killed and eaten by a bear. Ever see that episode of South Park, where Cartman has to drill to the center of the hippie drum circle and blast Slayer. That’s how listening to this album today made me feel. Like I need to blast heavy angry music. I’m sorry. I know I need more whimsy in my life. I just don’t need Robert Wyatt’s brand of whimsy. If this is your thing, go wild with it. Have a day. I mean it. I’ll try to keep the Slayer confined to my own headphones. The world takes all types, I guess. But this album is not for me.
Favorite songs: Heaps of Sheeps, Free Will and Testament, Alien
I wish the songs were as good as the album cover. It was definitely different so I commend it on that, but very weird, and the singer was kinda like a British Bob Dylan. Standout songs: Heeps of Sheep, Free Will and Testament, Out of Sunset
Liked a couple songs. Love the cover art. 2.5
Not up ti Rock Bottom standards but still a treat to listen to.
Avant pop, big collab - Eno, Soft machine, weller Heaps of sheep
I don't even know man. Once again -- is this good? I have actually no clue. At least this one was more generally-listenable than "Rock Bottom," but man it's still out there. Mr. Wyatt's voice is absolute trash, and I will give him no benefit of the doubt there. You're a singer. Sing better, bro. But, at least this all made me think, even if it wasn't a slam dunk. And many songs were seriously cool. I would literally never in a million years guess that this came out in the late 90s. Fave tracks: - Heaps Of Sheeps - Maryan - Free Will And Testament - September The Ninth - Out Of Season - A Sunday In Madrid
I simply don’t know what to think about this one. Didnt make it through all the way. 1/5
This is an interesting album. There's lots of experimental sounds and song structures. Wyatt seems to go places sonically that most wouldn't think of. It can be challenging to listen to, but the payoff is worth it in the end. Liked Songs Added: Heaps Of Sheeps
Between a 3 and 4
I have absolutely no idea what this is but I like it.
Meh
Blues in Bob Minor saved this from being a 1.
The first track is quite ok, but right from the second one it’s a total crap.
I was quite taken by this. It’s not all great and some of it is a little grating but when it’s good it’s kinda great? Hard to pinpoint. My wife would call that white man privilege singing. Interesting theory?
This album sucks. It's both experimental and boring at the same time. The second song is so bad.
6/10
Not into this at all.
Top 5 worst things I’ve listened to on this project. And that’s saying something.
I've been curious about Wyatt for a bit, but this is my first album of his - I haven't even heard any full Soft Machine records, to my knowledge. I think he strikes a number of balances on this record: it's experimental and quirky, but he never strays too far from either a solid melody or interesting musical figure. There's a bit of blues, a bit of baroque pop, a bit of free jazz, and every now and then, you can tell he's keyed into some of the popular production stylings of the day. I can tell there are a lot of great lyrical ideas here, too, though I'll need a few more listens to catch everything that's going on there. I've made my jokes about struggling with too much ~British whimsy~ in music, and Wyatt is surely a potential culprit to fall into that, but when the music is this wonky and weird, it definitely doesn't bother me that much. Excited to keep revisiting this one. 4/5
2 sterne
2 weird. 2 lame.
Like it
Highlights: Maryan, September the Ninth, Alien, Blues in Bob Minor
There's a few big misses here (looking at you, "The Duchess"), but other than that this is a really wonderful album. It's dreamlike and transient as it shifts from one sound to another, culminating in the almost frantic (but still controlled) "Blues in Bob Minor" before drifting off to sleep. There's some really lovely compositions here that are complemented by Wyatt's earthy voice. Favorite track(s): "Maryan," "Was a Friend," "Blues in Bob Minor"
winced through every song, and not in a good way. i like the album cover. i feel like he made this for himself. and that's fine.
some good stuff in here but mostly meandering nonsense fav track: "Maryan"
I had low expectations, but this wasn't bad at all.
Amo que la portada 100% es la vibe del álbum
de los mejores descubrimientos (y que más me extrañan que esté) de la lista. i fell ashleep en mi primera escucha en el trole con poquito de sol en la ventana y fue bonito
(39/100)
Pleasant to the ear, very chill and downbeat with a bit of a slower early Pink Floyd sound?
Albums like these make me question were there really no better albums to put in this list? Last two songs were OKish
I guess i now know how one becomes a music critic. When you hear a terrible record just call it brilliant then eveyone will think you are brilliant
++: Heaps of Sheets, Was a Friend, Alien, A Sunday in Madrid, Blues in Bob Minor +: Maryan, September the Ninth, Out of Season, The Whole Point of No Return +-: The Duchess, Free Will and Testament 7,6/10
nothing better than whimsical old man music. feel like getting a bedtime story from wizard, or your weird elderly uncle who was really into psychedelic's back in the 60s (practically the same thing)
you have to admit that his arranging chops are top notch. his singing takes away from what is otherwise a great experience. 3.5
Heaps of Sheeps - 3/5 The Duchess - 1/5 Maryan - 3/5 Was a Friend - 2/5 Free Will and Testament - 3/5 September the Ninth - 1/5 Alien - 2/5 Out of Season - 3/5 A Sunday in Madrid - 3/5 Blues in Bob Minor - 4/5 The Whole Point of No Return - no rating Average score: 2.5/5 ⭐️⭐️ i had higher hopes in liking this one, but oh my god i couldn't STAND this man's voice. sounded like i was listening to Winnie the Pooh sing pretentious art rock there were many tracks i thought were borderline unlistenable, and i was almost certain i wouldn't get through this in full. however, after finding some willpower to see this album through to the end, i don't think it's quite bad enough to give a 1-star rating. definitely not something i'd willing listen to again though
Yeah that was pretentious
i feel fine if this isbackground music.
Some good songs, some not, but most are interesting.
Interesting jazz inspired parts, but not really my taste
Unsure about this, I think I liked it. Ephemeral and understated.
This is an album.
Liked this more than I expected
Reading the comments I expected way worse. I mean it's not great but there are way worse experimental solo albums on this list. It's manageable, not a album you must hear
First song started off ok, and then he started singing and it was tolerable... THEN the second song started playing and this album took a turn for the compost bin (because that's where this crap belongs). I just stopped listening to it.
This one was WEIRD. It was terrible for background music, but I'm sure I'll never willingly listen to it again. Who tf was influenced by THIS?
mmmm not for me.
Soft and understated on the surface, but built with a quiet complexity that becomes more apparent the longer you sit with it. The blend of jazz influences and introspective songwriting gives it a fluid, almost drifting quality, yet there is careful structure beneath that calm exterior. It does not demand attention, but it rewards it with subtle shifts and textures that linger.
This album starts off with a decent Eno-esque pop number "Heaps Of Sheep", but then it's straight into the ditch with "The Duchess", 4 minutes of melodyless singing over seemingly improvised brass and woodwinds. The next number "Maryan" (with its lovely acoustic guitar backing) initially has a semblance of normalcy but Wyatt's weirdo vocal melody derails any emotional weight the song might have had. With a few exceptions the rest of the tracks on this record fall into those buckets: somewhat normal-sounding pop/rock numbers, avant-garde weirdness and songs that try to straddle both worlds. Only those in the first category really work ("Heaps...", "Free Will And Testament" and "Alien"); everything else seems like abstract, formal exercises void of any recognizable human emotion.
Never listened to him before but this is great. Quite varied and at times a bit strange but a really great listen
No
Opening track is awesome. Some nice work on here making it a relaxing listen like those early 70s Canterbury prog rock groups.
Thought i was listening to the kinks!
I am not sure what that was but it was not my jam. To much going on to follow. I am sure the people making this music had a hell of a time, doing Durga and hangin out.
First listen
Album almost made Me shleep a couple times. 2.5 bumped down to 2.
I’m at a 5. It's very hard to apply a specific vibe or genre to this one; the most I can give you is “Peter Gabriel doing a Radiohead album”, “The Dave Brubeck Quartet as composed by Pink Floyd”, & “Brian Eno producing Bob Dylan”, and even then, that doesn’t fully cover the vast variety of styles that this album is constantly jumping through. A lot of this album is instrumentally driven, and while it’s full of instruments that shouldn’t work on paper, it somehow manages to feel cohesive despite itself. Robert Wyatt’s same eccentricities from “Rock Bottom” are here, but channeled into more fulfilling soundscapes; there’s good percussion & guitar throughout this album, and each track manages to capture the exact atmosphere it’s going for, even if it’s done through elongated ambience that might feel hit or miss after long enough. It really does feel hard to go track by track here. I have lots of scattered notes, but they’d barely fit together in a pile. There’s stuff like “analog MGMT”, “he sounds very meek”, “this feels like it fits in Twin Peaks”, “sounds like an old PBS montage”, “that poor dead bird”, & more. This really is an album that jumps all over the place, and as such, it’s probably just better heard to capture the full palette of musical colors it attempts to paint its pictures with. I enjoyed it a lot, & while I get the 2.51 on the site, I feel like it’s people quickly giving up after the most eccentric stuff on “The Duchess”. This album finds its most consistent voice afterward, and it feels a bit rewarding if you can get into it. I certainly liked it, and I think it’s a 5. Pretty damn good stuff, Robert. I feel like I really owe “Third” a re-listen.
Occasionally the British lean of Robert Dimery's 1001 Albums list will turn over some islander gem I wouldn't have listened to otherwise. I found Robert Wyatt's Shleep to be one such case. I don't think it will find its way into my regular rotation but I was charmed by it far more than I imagined I would be and it set a listening journey or theme for the day.
449/1089 - Sax is a bit flat on the second song. His voice really isn't very good. It sounds like David Gilmour if he was weaker and more British. Pretty uninteresting instrumentals but they get a bit better towards the end of the album, either that or I'm looking forward to finishing the album. Not sure why this is considered jazz-rock, is it because the drummer plays the ride cymbal sometimes?
total shite!
Dream-inducing album. Favorite Track: Free Will and Testament
Not for me- a combination of maudlin and cheesy
I was dating a woman who loved eclectic weird shit and this cd was at the store and she was like Robert Wyatt he’s great, and I thought the cover was fun and it was critically acclaimed. But then I got home and listened to it and it fucking sucks and I sold it after we broke up. As an older more refined man (lol) I think this is a little better than I thought on my first go round. Certainly it’s strange and a little…discordant? But it kind of works. I certainly get why this is rated what it’s rated, and it does kinda suck still, but not the 1 star I was certain of.
Wasn’t big on this.
pass
I really liked this one. Probably not a 5 but a 4. But my friend ranked it with a 1 and I need to balance.
Whimsy for whimsies sake.
Couple of good songs music wise, but that's just about it. Not terrible, but can't really say I enjoyed it or would have missed it if I died yesterday.
I have two Robert Wyatt albums from the 70s that I really like but that's all I know. This could be a lost in the vaults 70s album released in 1997 and I would believe it. Really enjoyed this, but could drop a track or two. Ends very strong though! 4 Heard before? No Owned: No 62/254 (24%) Will I get: Mayve
At the start of this list (many years ago) one of his albums was the first album I gave a one star to. Has my taste changed over the time or is this album just a bit better? The tunes are idiosyncratic to say the least and Wyatt is best known as being a cult figure and that kind of hangs over this album. Is the man more important than the music itself? That's the feeling that won't leave me when I listen to his albums - and surely that takes away the point of music? Is this the real reason he's on the list? Best Tracks: Heaps of Sheeps; Maryan; Free Will and Testament
Lo escuché mientras elongaba. Me dió mucha paja escucharlo. La segunda canción da miedo literal
Folky jazzy weirdness. I like it but will most likely never listen to it again.
I liked around half the tracks on this record but sounds parts of it self indulgent and obtuse. Wyatt is a bit like a more pastoral Tom Waits, quite good in limited doses but a whole album of it is a bit too much.
Folk fusion?
One of the most interesting experiences of an album I have ever had. Went from thinking he was taking the piss to listening to it twice in a row. Still can’t quite figure out where I stand but it was a ride nonetheless. I’ll probably never listen to it again but I appreciate the time we had together. RYM: N Saved a song: N
honestly the most immediately ive been grabbed by the opening fifteen seconds of an album since slanted and enchanted. the musical phrase, the timbres, oughhhhhh i rly rly like it. whole album is wonderful...these are often souped-up, slightly deconstructed pop songs, not necessarily in structure but certainly in the playful interplay between the backing progressions and the main melodic lines. the progressions in general aid in the record's dreamy atmosphere in sometimes wrenchingly beautiful ways, all while being very very non-trivial, compositionally. canterbury is v good at providing the dense musical information of prog but within humble, non-confrontational tones and arrangements. there are definitely moments of tension, especially with all the jazzy parts, but they exist to ultimately be melted away. and its far from monotonous even tho it has a formula that works...its climactic track is basically a canterbury prog take on subterranean homesick blues. beautiful record!
Heap of Sheeps was a solid start and it just went downhill from there. Weird experimental music (sometimes jazzy, sometimes had a singer/songwriter vibe, sometimes it was just discordant noise) and whiny vocals. (1)
Tripe.
Tripe.
An odd and off kilter release. Kind of like listening to early Pink Floyd, The Dutchess reminded me of Pink Floyd's Bike a great deal. Notes of progressive and folk and jazz. Definitely not my style, but of high quality. I'm not sure it belongs on this list, but is worth a listen.
Kind of weird and kind of cool
Too experimental and bizarre for my tastes, but I can respect it for what it is. I did enjoy the drums and guitar in "Alien"
It was OK, but I heard it over the weekend and have totally forgotten almost all of it already Standouts Was A Friend 3/5
7/10
Another Wyatt record, this one more than two decades removed from the first one that came up. This one is similarly full of all sorts of wildly experimental musical ideas.
Some good songs, but really not for me.
I thought I would like this more than I did based off the intro song, but it was real hit or miss after that.
When it began, I was surprised that it didn't sound the way I assumed it would from seeing the album cover. After a few minutes, it sounded exactly as I assumed it would
Very very British. At times this is for the good. More often, it is not.
Never heard of this artist. First track, interesting. Reminds me of flaming lips. Not for me but I definitely respect it
Definitely pompus and a bit eccentric. But English music always had that attitude. As much as I hear the basis of Radiohead and several layers of synth instruments and a cohesion around thematic ambience. Which are all qualities of music i enjoy, this one didn't do much for me. I'll be fair with 2 stars.
I felt trapped in a very polite, but very confusing lullaby that I didn’t ask for…
weird tripe
What kind of spider understands arachnophobia? Awesome. 3.75
Started off good with the first song then got progressively weirder and jazzier as it went along. Not for the better.
depressed and dreamy.. ? idk not my cup of tea but cool
nope
I liked a lot about this album, but not all of it lands. I would listen to a few songs again, but not the whole thing.
Weird, I am not sure who this is for. Singer’s voice is strange, the songs are long and overall it just kinda sucked
I don't think I have heard another album quite like "Shleep". It is simultaneously ethereal and beautiful, yet odd and quirky; sparse in its arrangements, but often profoundly sombre. The record possesses the English aesthetic in abundance, anchored by Robert Wyatt’s vocals, which sound fragile in a thoroughly lovely way. This album held my interest from the first track to the last, and its particular charm remains difficult to define. I think with repeated listens my appreciation of this album will grow. It is certainly a work I intend to add to my collection. An unexpected delight. Four stars. 1. "Heaps of Sheeps" (4/5) 2. "The Duchess" (4/5) 3. "Maryan" (3/5) 4. "Was a Friend" (3/5) 5. "Free Will and Testament" (5/5) 6. "September the Ninth" (3/5) 7. "Alien" (4/5) 8. "Out of Season" (3/5) 9. "A Sunday in Madrid" (3/5) 10. "Blues in Bob Minor" (4/5) 11. "The Whole Point of No Return" (3/5) Total - 39 Average - 3.55 279/1001 149/279 albums reviewed were new to me
I thought I would like it more
Toppen
Ibland mysigt, ibland magiskt, ibland mjääee. Fortsätter med mina frekventa treor!
Rätt rörande ändå, med läspandet och den skakiga och småpitchiga rösten. Mysig gubbe, flera fina låtar. Och vilket otroligt omslag!
Sjukt misstänksam till en början. Speciellt till den andra låten - vafan liksom. Precis som med Pat Methenys forward march, sån här dissonans kanske är ball och imponerande men är det njutningsfullt att lyssna på? Nej. Ta bort den där! Tre låtar in är jag helt såld. Börjar dansa och må till Lord Roberts toner och pipa.
var inte på humör idag, sorry robert
This was a very pleasant surprise. A lot of these songs were interesting, complex, and lush. I'd never heard of this guy before but this is really good music. Some tracks were a little less traditional, but most of them are just great musicians making interesting music. Will listen to most of it again.
I learned that this was the Soft Machine drummer who sadly became paralyzed in the 70s and launched a long running and quirky solo career. I don't know exactly how to describe this. Some sort of baroque art pop jazz prog melange. I didn't hate it, even enjoyed some tunes quite a bit. Others could have used a more judicious edit, but it was never boring. Brian Eno and Phil Manzanera are heavy contributors here and Paul Weller makes an appearance. Definitely an album that fits the spirit of the list