Rock Bottom

Another toothy danger

Asssssssssssssssss

Absolute rubbish. I'd never heard of this person before today, and now I'm longing for yesterday.

I'm tired, grandpa

Nah, not for me. Just someone frigging about. Might as well have recorded me on the keyboards in Music in 2005. Not interesting, Not funny. If he didnt record & produce it himself, whoever didnt talk him out of it deserves a slap too.

Just couldn’t finish it

Ramblings of a mad man. Got to track 4 and had to call it.

p335. 1974. The mostly aptly titled album on the list. "Ambient jazz" FFS. This is dreadful stuff - no tunes, farting horns, and annoying vocals. On the plus side, it's short. Stick to drumming, eh Rob?

First thoughts, “oh, this is bad.” But then my second thoughts were, “is this playing backwards?” Third thoughts, “is he just heavy breathing into the microphone?” The best song was the first song that played when the album was over.

Alfie made me feel like I was dying

Discount Syd Barrett. I get dreamy, psychedelic but this is belligerent.

#25/1001 🇬🇧 Robert Wyatt's version of Shipbuilding is one of the saddest, most beautiful tracks i've heard but saddly this album doesn't live up to this standard. I'm setting aside the backstory and the fact that its remarkable that he even made this album. I just find the experimental nature tedious and silly. There is something great in there but i find it hard to see past the wibbling and replaying tracks backwards. I've never taken acid, maybe I'd feel different if i had. Sorry Robert. Best track. Alifib. Note: listening to this on the day my best friend from 6th form died. Maybe i need to try it again when i'm more in the mood.

That title absolutely does it justice Without a doubt the worst album I have ever listened to, congrats Robert. I said something in my velvet underground review about how I listen to music because it sounds good and it’s like he didn’t even try this time. I would have been fine with it sounding boring but it took everything in me to not skip every song in the album. At least velvet underground has some level of “at least it’s influential and a lot of the music I like today wouldn’t exist without it” but this one isn’t even that. There were legitimately songs on this album where I questioned whether they were music or not. Absolutely hated the half baked vocals and the blatantly wrong/ear bleeding notes This is the first time I’ve ever given out a 1 and I don’t think any album deserves it more than this one. Genuinely bummed to hear there’s another one of his albums on here

Did not enjoy.

Didn't even understand what this was

This album...only having six songs, I feel like I watched a horror film. The songs made me confused, uncountable...it was trip for sure. Not sure what artistic direction the artist was going in, but I wasn't following it at all.

Experimental Crap

Maybe I'm not smart enough to get this album. But that was a brutal listen, checked off the list and will never revisit it.

I hated this. Sounds like a muppet who got turned into a human, then got drunk, and then recorded an album. Disjointed and weird. Maybe because I'm not from the era, idk.

soundtrack to a modern art museum ass music 1/5

Not my cup of tea.

Sounded like a bunch of leftovers from a soft machine session.

File this under “Life’s Too Short”. It’s weird, experimental 70’s dross. But it is aptly titled. No thanks…one star.

I would really rather listen to this after I am dead, thanks. 1 star or F-.

I understand that if you have done enough drugs this might be considered music

I think I’d rather get a tooth pulled without anesthetic than have to listen to this again. At least then I’d get something out of it.

This was pretty bad

0.0 — total dogshit

Just no.

אה

Funny how he called the second song “last straw” because it was when I decided I didn’t like the album!

The many 5 star reviews made me double check that I listened to the right album. Really? Most aptly-titled album on this list.

Two drummers making crap without drums.

This is rock bottom

Aptly named album

People like this?

Uhhh, this kind of album makes me wonder who the hell the critics are that decided this makes the cut. This was weird. I feel like the genre was experimental and in my opinion the experiment failed. I have never said “what the fuck and i listening to” more than in the 39 minutes of the album. The one good song was the first 4 minutes of Alafib and then Wyatt opens his mouth and ruined it. This album was nails on a chalkboard turned into music, between his voice and the instruments that sounded like birds dying, this was just not for me and I don’t know how it’s for anyone else. Would give 0 stars if I could.

Bizarre stuff. A conglomeration of sounds with some absolute nonsense lyrics overlaid. Some of the overlaid tracks sound like they're being played backward to no decipherable effect and some are just... breathing.

I deserve something for listening to that. Wish I could vote lower.

When I saw this was prog that all the cool kids said was unlistenable garbage, I got real excited. Turns out it's just unlistenable garbage. Too bad.

The notion that this is somehow enjoyable completely escapes me. I've read the Radiohead comps and that's perfect cause kid a and ok comp were also aimless pieces of shit

OMG, what is this garbage?! Is this a joke?! Why is this on the list?! What does this even EXIST?!?! Utter trash. Doesn't even deserve one star.

Is this the rock bottom of the generator? Lets find out… The album opens with sea song the instrumentals are unique and interesting a true special delight worthy of an award for a top track but the vocals are horrible worse than John martyn and the guy from violet femmes combined. Still he’s very instrumentally appeasing though to be honest even if the noises he makes are migraine inducing. The last straw is a great slow piano track tainted by this man’s voice, he’s not even like Bob Dylan where it’s the lyrics that count as a good lot if the song is this guy singing “ wa wa wa wa” and the rest is this decent but not amazing verse. Little red riding hood hit the road has these great trumpet effects making an enjoyable and entertaining musical experience ( much better than instrumental only albums like tubular bells and the tortoise albums) there’s around 2:30 of bliss until this man tries to make ah sounds bringing in the fatal entrance of his villainous voice the thing is with a different vocalist all of these songs would be praised probably in the same level that bands like the Beatles and Radiohead get. Starting off the albums second half is Alifib it’s not the most interesting instrumentally ( being a bit more drab and slow) but it’s still cool the lyrics this time are to note too being hilariously dreadful but in a funny way and it’s funny though as he sounds so serious when trying to sing these words. Alfie is the part two of the song having more interesting natural sounding drums haunted synths. The lyrics are of the same quality but the singing is louder slower and deeper making him sound stupid, there’s no other nice way to say it. The chant at the end is so bad it’s hilarious. The album ends with little red robin hood hit the road it’s a shame the vocals are there from the start as a purely instrumental track could’ve saved this from a 1. It’s not exactly the worst on the generator but there’s no other possible score to give than a one. I would recommend to give it a listen but nothing else in an odd way it screams 1001 album’s you must hear before you die as it’s not necessary 1001 album’s you’ll like before you die.

OMG. That voice. Perfectly named album: "Rock Bottom". Horrible album in every way. Rather listen to Yoko screaming. F

Wanker music. Example of some of the egregiously self-indulgent pap produced during that time.

God awful noise

Possibly the worst yet. Deserves a 0/5.

this album sucks holy shit

Absolute rock bottom

Horrendous. Experimental hippie jazz.

It was shit

This was a very interesting album. I sought it out because I knew it was experimental and known for being avant-garde, but with that being said, you never know exactly what you’re getting into. Well, this was a great discovery. I love finding these odd and experimental albums from the ‘60s and ‘70s. It’s hard for me to break this one down in words because I need to go back and listen to it one or two more times to absorb it better, but if you like innovative prog rock, you’ll like this one.

This is the unique voice of a man shaping his own way, learning, trying, failing and starting over. It's not easy and its not always beautiful. It's always honest. There are moments where what you can hear is grace, or the hope of it. Few things record the process of reinventing a life as poignantly as this.

This first song starts simple enough. Sounds sad. Goes a bit awry in places. Was the solo, that Rob performs with his mouth during the second song, a placeholder before he had recorded the guitar and then just forgot to add? Still, pretty song. Feels like I'm lying on my back just below the waters surface. Song 3 sounds like a Thom Yorke song. Seriously. I'm not joking. its great. I'm starting to ask is Rob okay? There's something sad about these first songs, paired with a sparse disappearing album cover. The fourth song sounds like Rob is breathing in to a paper bag and rambling nonsense. I can't forsake you or forsqueek you. Indeed. Saxophone is the perfect instrument to portray a certain madness. Wait this is the same title as that other song? I keep thinking about Syd Barrett. Are we ascending towards some sort of conclusion? Wait who the hell is this hungry guy? Where has he suddenly appeared from? You'll hate this. I love it.

Hang the artwork in a museum. 5/5

This is..stunning !

Dude becomes paralyzed during the recording of this album and names the record Rock Bottom. Pretty damn appropriate. This is a weird one for sure. I listened to this most of the day and I need to check out the rest of his catalog. Hopefully it's all this strange. Dig it.

Судячи з обкладинки, це має бути щось прикольне) Так і є)

music is love

A top five of all time album. It needs to be given a chance, but it replays that effort in spades.

Transcendent! I can see, though, how this might rub some people the wrong way; Wyatt's voice is probably not for everyone (though I love its delicate fragility). But for me, this is close to perfect.

Quel étrange mood.

Disco maravilloso de un artista maravilloso!

Astounding. My first time tapping into the lyrics on this album and it kind of floored me.

One of the best. Sea song is a top ten favorite of mine.

It’s weird and noodley and nonsensical and British jazz-folk but I really like it anyway

His madness fits in nicely with my own.

This is a really interesting and psychedelic album! I think Robert Wyatt could have used a collaborator and I don't love his vocals a lot of the time, but I was hanging on this one's every note. I can see how someone would hate this, but it really resonated with me.

This album is absolutely enchanting, with so many layers and different sounds. I'm so impressed by how a complex and enjoyable album it is. It has a lot of experimentation, but also a lot of taste. Some parts of the record – concretely, the song Alife – remind me of Current 93's neo-folk, which is quite interesting. I find this album very unique and beautiful. It's not an easy listening, but sure it deserves the attention required; it's such a pleasant, delicate and fantastic musical experience.

Despite never having heard this before, it's familiar and at the same time I know it's nonpareil. A deep disorentation woven in with beautiful golden threads of harmony. Fairy tales pulled at through echoes of jazz. Something absolutely steeped in darkness, but there are ripples of watery light. This album is a forest pond in autumn....... its water too darkly tannic to gauge the actual bottom, but there are silhouettes of golden leaves. It is like finding out that another person can 'hear' flashing lights. You both sit there and marvel at each other then go on your separate ways knowing you're not actually crazy. Anyway, I followed him.

Excellent

Wonderful stuff, recommended.

Часто слушаю этот альбом.

Such a unique album, moving but never sad, fantastic but never silly. Just really human and beautiful.

Truly one of the greatest albums of all time. It's unique, complex, weird but still accessible. A true blessing to the ears.

I can sometimes consider this Robert Wyatt album my all-time favorite. It evokes a ton of emotions in me, completely transporting me to another world. For me, Rock Bottom represents complete artistic freedom, a journey into Wyatt's very personal universe, which is concrete for him and abstract for us. It's sincere music, deeply vulnerable, surreal, and introspective all at once.

I'm finally returning to this website after over a year, and boy, what an album to return to! This seemingly quaint and inconsequential collaboration between some of the most artsy Englishmen of the time (Soft Machine drummer Robert Wyatt, Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, "Tubular Bells Guy" Mike Oldfield, celebrated poet Ivor Cutler, prolific guitarist Fred Frith, etc.) has exceeded any and all expectations I had going into it. Each of the six tracks on this record create a vibrant and colorful picture of the ocean, delicately balancing the beautiful landscape of the ocean floor and the treacherous, stormy waters above. After learning about the making of Rock Bottom, it becomes very obvious that Wyatt's accident played a large part in developing the tone of this album. The marine environment this album resides in also doubles as an allegory for the emotional turmoil that he must have felt at the time (e.g., "Sea Song" includes references to seasonal depression, "A Last Straw" may imply a domestic argument), and many of the more avant-garde moments create an uncomfortable tension that further exemplifies this metaphor. Overall, Rock Bottom is a captivating and rewarding listen that I imagine will become one of t=my personal favorite records very quickly. Standout Tracks: Sea Song, Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road, Little Red Robin Hood Hit the Road Score: SS

This is an all time favorite of mine. This album is so beautiful and sad you can’t listen to it outside because you would have to explain why you’re weeping in public. This album is famous for being recorded after Wyatt fell out of a window and became paraplegic, and it’s all over the music. He’s capturing the feeling of falling out the window and not yet hitting the ground. The looming pain and despair and complete inability to do anything about it. As the album goes on so does the depth of the fall deepen, you lose touch with reality and just drown in a pool of sorrow. If you wanna talk music, I’d say this is squarely prog rock which also betrays its latent ambient leaning. Wyatt’s delivery is so great, emotional and rhythmic. Great drums also (unsurprisingly Floydian). Anyway a complete must if you like prog, art rock or just sad rock. Five stars.

Might be a more simplified version of prog, but it's still some good stuff nonetheless. 4.5 bumped up to 5.

I’m at a 4.5 that I’ll bump up to a 5. Fascinatingly bizarre, to say the least. While it slows down a little too much in the second half of the album (hence the 4.5), I found myself entranced by the sort of “super abstract Bowie” vibes this album has going for it. There’s not really a bad soundscape here; based on the 2.38 on the site, I figured it would be louder & abrasive, but this is far more attuned to a sort of Brian Eno-y ambience, meddled with by throwing some avant-garde melodies at the wall to compliment it, but never hitting a point that felt truly loud or obnoxious. If anything, this is a really technically sound album, in terms of mixing the instruments to create a good sense of space between everything, volume control for his vocals (which are abstract, but never bad), and the complexity towards some of the instrumentals here. In particular, I think the brass / percussion work on this thing is super cool, & the guitar riffs that occasionally chime in add a flair to each track that makes it all work. Lyrically, I couldn’t tell you a damn thing happening here. In the abstract, I think it’s very loosely an album where a guy in love breaks up with his girlfriend (first 3 tracks), slowly goes insane following some sort of accident (based on the nonsense lyrics on Tracks 4 & 5), with the last track acting as a proper descent into madness, but that’s just my read on things. It makes sense to be based on some sort of accident, based on Robert Wyatt becoming a paraplegic before recording this album, though he claims he wrote most of / all of it before the accident. Robert Wyatt, by the way, is the former lead drummer / vocalist for Soft Machine. When we got “Third” as our 22nd album, I gave it a 2 because those tracks went on without any clear direction, & they lasted an ungodly amount of time. I don’t think going back to that album would raise it up any higher than a 3 for me, but I do wonder if this album feels more aligned to what they envisioned. I think this is much tighter, for sure, given the shorter (yet still long) tracks. I think the attempts to blend some jazzier tones with synth work is much more effective here. His vocals are still kinda silly in nature, but he uses them well to create a better atmosphere overall. I’m genuinely fascinated that this has an even lower rating on the site than “Third”, because I think it’s just far more enjoyable. It’s not everyone’s cup of tea; the floor really is probably a 2 if the sense of progression on this thing isn’t super strong (it has some ‘eh’ moments) or if his vocals still feel extremely weird (understandable), but I liked the weird, entrancing effect this had on me. I think it’s a coherent album, and 40 minutes that you have to buy into, but it’s worth it to my ears, and I recommend it. It's a 4.5 that I’ll bump up to a 5.

It is difficult interacting with genius when you are not and you encounter it in a genre where you admittedly have no interest. Such is the case here. I have no interest in the Canterbury scene, British Folk, or in this case a somber folk jazz which has several interesting passages but those are significantly outnumbered by many minutes of just slow weird shit. I’m good with weird - just not slow weird. I have encountered Wyatt in other contexts - a cover of The Elvis Costello track “Shipbuilding” and Tears for Fears cover of Sea Witch” from this record. Both are enjoyable, but not enough for me to take the dive to find out more. Sea Witch and the first version of Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road are the best of the lot. It took great fortitude on my part to commit to the experience. Imagine driving in Los Angeles in a convertible on Sunset and rocking this album as you sit beside a Swiftie in the next vehicle. This would truly be a WTF?? moment. What is this alien sound? That’s not singing it’s a gruff spoken word piece with some pretty dark lyrics. Apparently, this record was written before Robert fell off a building becoming a paraplegic. It was recorded after the accident. Rock Bottom should give you some hint as to what is in store. However, despite the darkness, there are ethers moments that fleetingly hopeful. There is one passage that I thought was going to lead into Rattlesnake by King Gizzard & The Lizard Wizard, but that could just be fucking my mind fucking with me as Robert whisper talks sings to a vibey prog jazz. I do believe there is genius in these passages. I just don’t connect with genius.

Robert Wyatt wrote the beautiful hit of my youth, Shipbuilding, and his version of that is better than Elvis Costello's cover. That was the sum total of my prior knowledge. I'd no idea of anything else he'd done, before or since. Some words as they come me whilst listening: challenging, curious, moving, Bowie (Eno)-esque, strange, Radiohead, wailing, other-worldly, simultaneously naive and complex, sea, sand, jazzy, wahhh, gorgeous, ethereal, Mike Garson-style plinky plonk, trumpets, soundscape, beauty, wandering bass, trippy, scary in places, Bowie/Eno again, amazing. Maybe I should review more albums with random words. This is as odd as anything, but I'm truly glad to have found it. Genuinely extraordinary. I loved it!

Wow, er... OK. This was quite something. Imagine if the members from Genesis were to all undergo frontal lobotomies and were given the task of assembling something which vaguely resembles their own music using FL Studio preset tools and tracks from the free trial version, whilst recruiting newly-divorced and in denial Gary from the local Woolpack Inn to employ his drunken stupor falsetto wailing from one Thursday karaoke night across an entire album, and you have a vague idea of what's going on here. All under the pseudonym of "Robert Wyatt" for the purpose of creating further intrigue. Does that sound like absolute shite to you? It probably is, but my "dropped on my head as a baby" brain is somehow ironically fascinated by it. Amazingly, I've only really scratched the surface. From the opening track "Sea Song", Rock Bottom heads off into arguably even more absurd directions, with some very unsettling, deliberately incohesive bass guitar, saxophone and keyboard playing culminating in a disturbingly beautiful avant garde mess of an album. It doesn't make sense, but I like things that don't make sense. We're even treated to a guest appearance from Gary's Scottish fishmonger mate Donald on the final track, sensing the opportunity to write himself into the history books in the library of "what the fuck". This is the sort of stuff that I signed up to this challenge for, not Elvis Costello and his unending encyclopedia of collated milquetoast sounds.

Just after an accident which left wyatt disabled it would have been understandable for a pause. However he delivers a lovely album. Sea song is affecting, humorous, beautifully sang and just breathtaking. Songs about his wife complement this song on what is only short but perfect piece.

wow! a flawless album. id heard his prior band and heard rumour of his solo excellence… my god i wasted so much time. literally played the album in full 5 times yesterday. ill probably play it again after today’s album…

I think this is a 4.5, as it just only slightly falters to hit what I think could have been its highest heights. It holds back just a bit where I think Wyatt could have pushed things a little further. However, it's restraint is also part of its strength, and the experimentation with the almost ambient and film score like compositions makes it a great listen and something unique and with a soft-spoken confidence.

Thus far, no other album has challenged me quite as much as this one. I've given it more playthroughs than I've given any other, and after each listen (and even at different times within each run), I've wanted to give this 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 stars. To say this is a complicated piece of art is an understatement. It doesn't follow the formula of a traditional album. It's not a collection of jingles, and it doesn't feel like a story put to music. It's more like a painting of sounds - as if Wyatt uses various instruments (his voice included) as audio brushes to create something without definition. Like any abstract art, it's up to you to figure out what it means to you - which means, "I don't get it" or "I absolutely hate this" are perfectly sound conclusions to make. No one appreciates everything in a museum, but everything is appreciated by someone. So, where does this land with me? It's tough to say. There are moments that aggravate me (e.g. the horns and vocals are often agitating), but there are also moments that I find quite enjoyable - almost soothing (e.g. many of the keyboard, piano, and string pieces). Despite having it on repeat nearly all day, it's not something I would want to play very often. It demands far too much attention for casual listening. It's avant-garde, but not in that "let's be weird just to be weird" way that anything Frank Zappa has ever touched feels like. I sensed authenticity here more than I sensed artiness. I guess, given how much thought this has evoked from me, my personal assessment has to be a 5 - though I simultaneously understand and can fully respect the position of the 1 camp (and everyone else in between).

"Rock Bottom" is a beautiful album. How can you describe it as "dog shit"? That leaves me a bit speechless. But okay, to one man his pearl is to another his dog shit. Robert Wyatt's "Rock Bottom" is one of my favorite albums. It's incredibly atmospheric and surreal. Probably polarizing, too. Six stars for me, outstanding.

I love this album - there is something about the quavery voice and ponderous melodies that i think is amazing. i can see why some people would hate it though.

Piti kuunnella kahdesti koska albumi yllätti liiab positiivisesti

I listen to quite a bit of extreme and bizarre music, but I must admit, this one took a couple of listens. This was Robert Wyatt's first solo album after leaving Soft Machine, and also his first after becoming paralyzed from the waist down. The process of teaching himself a new way to write, perform and record music shows here, Rock Bottom sounds nothing like any of Wyatt's prior work, and frankly, I'm not sure that I have heard another album quite like this full stop. Rock Bottom is considered part of the Canterbury Scene, just from the lineup here, but it doesn't quite fit neatly into that sound. The only other music I can think of which is enjoyed in approximately the same way is some stuff by Coil, Comus, and to a lesser extent, Kid A by Radiohead (which is often cited as being the most noteworthy album to take inspiration from Rock Bottom). What does this sound like? It has some of the attributes associated with the aforementioned Canterbury Scene, but just feels different from prog at large. These songs are ethereal and sour complex, taking more from modal/free jazz than from prog, and featuring a mix populated both with more conventional rock instruments as well as synths, drones and other alternative instrumentation. I honestly think the first two tracks here may be the most challenging, although they are both very good nonetheless. Sea Song is a particularly bizarre love song to his wife (the similarly fascinating Alfreda Benge) and Robert's understated but intentional vocals move like a fairly conventional ballad at times. However, the song as a whole sways and stretches, the chord progressions always threatening to resolve, but seemingly never quite making it there. This is executed to great effect, feeling genuinely disorienting in a way that is really interesting. A Last Straw really shows off the jazz influence, as well as the incredible talent on this album: our lineup includes Mike Oldfield, Fred Frith, Laurie Allan, Soft Machine's very own Hugh Hopper, and more. These are largely scene legends, and the chemistry here is incredible (of note is also that Pink Floyd's Nick Mason produced this). These two songs are very good, while remaining utterly subsumed into Wyatt's world. But what is really noteworthy here is that, in my eyes, the remaining four songs are effectively perfect, while *still* refusing to dial back the strangeness here. Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road and Little Red Robin Hood Hit The Road seem to be sister songs. The former being devoured by a brass section and ending in a brief recitation of a poetry passage. The latter, closing out the album, doubles down on the poetry, as Wyatt allows Ivor Cutler and his beautiful harmonium playing to close the album out. Both are incredible songs. Between them, is, in my opinion, the album's greatest achievement: the suite of Alifib and Alifie, together forming the other gloriously weird love song to Wyatt's spouse on this album. For as abstract as these songs are, they resonate deeply with me. Alifib is a beautiful song, modality is heard at its most expressive, and we slowly build into the intensity of Alifie, which then ends with a passage by A;freda Benge (his wife) who puts a bow on everything and the cumulative statement is really beautiful. The most fascinating thing about these songs may be the lyrics: they are straight-up Dada poetry. Wyatt uses words and sounds non-representationally, just exploring them as ideas separate from the objects they are typically connected to, and it is done *very* well, sold with super dynamic delivery. I get if you don't like this, it is *truly* bizarre, especially if you don't really have any frame of reference for this at all. And even if you do, it is stubborn in the unfamiliarity of its content and execution, really resisting attempts to get into it. However, I would urge you to give it a shot, there is something really exciting and beautiful here. I don't know if this album is technically perfect, but what very few rough patches are here, I think I'm willing to overlook. This is rapidly growing on me, and I am willing to award bonus points for this quite possibly being the only album that feels and sounds like this ever recorded. It is a rare and beautiful beast, and I am willing to give it a 5.

Sea Song - Started out mellow, then mellow, then it ended mellow. A Last Straw - Angelic instrumental and vocal. The crossfade to the next song is immaculate omg. Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road - peak of the album. Alifib - chill session. Another crazy crossfade omg. Alife - The trumpet wen crazy on here. Little Red Robin Hood Hit the Road - Beat switch is incredible. The first half is better than the second half but nonetheless incredible song. Album - 5/5

This is really not what I was expecting to hear from a 1974 album. I almost want to refuse to do any research on this. It just sounds like a dude having the time of his life in his studio. I love this. It’s experimental, it’s engaging, and it’s good. Nothing stands outs as the hit single but I don’t think it’s supposed to. This rules. Easy 5.

Fav: Sea Song Least Fav: Alife Hitting rock bottom never sounded so good, cos wtf this greatly exceeded my expectations

This is PURE GOLD, never discovered him until just recently. Now I can't hear enough

5/5. So this is the second Robert Wyatt album on this list and it's weird because I had an idea of what I was getting into. This felt more reminiscent of progressive rock like Genesis mixed with alternative art rock like Radiohead. I did realize that jazz was also involved when looking through the production notes. That fact that Pink Floyd were involved as well is not surprising. It sounds like a mixture of modern issues along with old Canterbury phrases, it's hard to describe but it fits the term "hauntingly beautiful." It starts off unsteady and I was glad I stuck around, this was such a unique one, going to be a repeated listen for sure. Best Song: Sea Song, Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road, Alifib

Think it has to be a 1 or a 5, doesn't it?

I had another Robert Wyatt album a few days ago and hated it, but with this one it suddenly just clicked, and reading his backstory (he's been wheelchair-bound following an accident in the 70s) made his music all the more interesting. This album works on another level. The music is incredible, one of the few prog rock albums that actually worked, but his voice, which I found jarring at first, is what really sets it off; a child throwing a ball at a wall of sound.

loved it, ethereal and dreamy

Masterpiece!

Very ambient, very rare and unique, honestly it’s quite good except for some of the songs that I did not like as much, I couldn’t listen to them. But overall some of the songs are really atmospheric and nice to listen to.

A masterpiece from former Soft Machine drummer/singer. The opening song is worth the price of admission alone.

I really like “Rock Bottom” for its avant-garde and experimental approach. I can easily find myself listening to music all day that fits those styles. I’m just learning about the Canterbury scene, but this album is a great introduction, especially since I’m a fan of the avant-garde side of progressive rock. I really appreciate the album for its instrumental experimentation, but also for the studio production side of the experimental elements.

Hard to express my feelings on this album, but I truly adore it. So mysterious, otherworldly, unnerving, disturbing, enchanting, transcendental. It treads ground that no mortal man was meant to explore. Somehow I feel that what's great about this album is similar to what makes Moby Dick so great. A fascination with and reverence for the unknowable depths of both the sea and of the soul. I'm not very eloquent so I'll just leave this quote from the novel that is just one of the most fantastic passages I've ever read: "The sea had leeringly kept his finite body up, but drowned the infinite of his soul. Not drowned entirely, though. Rather carried down alive to wondrous depths, where strange shapes of the unwarped primal world glided to and fro before his passive eyes; and the miser-merman, Wisdom, revealed his hoarded heaps; and among the joyous, heartless, ever-juvenile eternities, Pip saw the multitudinous, God-omnipresent, coral insects, that out of the firmament of waters heaved the colossal orbs. He saw God’s foot upon the treadle of the loom, and spoke it; and therefore his shipmates called him mad. So man’s insanity is heaven’s sense; and wandering from all mortal reason, man comes at last to that celestial thought, which, to reason, is absurd and frantic; and weal or woe, feels then uncompromised, indifferent as his God."

Albums like this is what I come here for. Never heard of the artist or the album and at first I found it simply strange, but intriguing. And with every run this keeps getting better and more clear and beautiful. I love music like this, because it can grow on me and I will definitely revisit this.

It took me a few listens until I started to get it. This isn't a pop album. You couldn't dance or rock out to this album. Instead, we have a listening experience that requires you to relax, close your eyes, and wonder in the musical landscape that is compared best to ambient pieces of the period like Brian Eno and Mike Oldfield (from Tubular Bells, who plays guitar here). Robert Wyatt is a former member of Soft Machine, the biggest band (alongside Gong) from the Canterbury scene which consisted of a form of prog rock that heavily incorporated avant-garde jazz, psychedelia, and long drawn out jam improv. I previously reviewed Soft Machine's Third and found it grating and shit quality. I also reviewed Wyatt's 90s solo Shleep and found it to be a very fine record. Compared to Shleep, this is less accessible but also more coherent and constructed. The pieces work better collectively, feeling more satisfying, emotional, and thought-out. This is one I'm sure we'll grow with time. Every track has its purpose and warrants its length and track position. I like the reoccurring themes with how certain tracks mesh together. Nothing ever felt too excessive like with his Soft Machine work. This feels very mature and careful to do what it does well. I may not fall in love with it, but I see no reason not to give this a perfect score.

"Partly fish, Partly porpoise, Partly baby sperm whale, Am I yours?" Wonderfully weird and dreamlike. Amusingly bizarre but heartfelt lyrics, backwards vocals, cool instrumentation. I love it and will have to check out more Robert Wyatt. Rating: 4.5/5 Playlist track: Sea Song Date listened: 25/03/24

I'm exactly high enough for this

What a beautiful album. The baby talk love songs to his wife are wonderful. They’re so tender and reassuring. The music is noodling, but everyone involved is pulling in the same direction. Ivor Cutler is doing the spoken word parts at the end of each side. (Ivor Cutler was a comedy/folk singer who doesn’t have an album on the list, but he recorded 20 Peel sessions, more than any other artist except The Fall).

art rock of this caliber is an automatic 10/10 for me

This isn't your average progressive album, as instead of powerful hooks, entrancing guitar solos, and storylines to give Hollywood a run for its money, you instead get a skittish British man seemingly rambling over jazz-y rock, with this weirdly beautiful dread consuming the air as you listen to it. However, this change of pace is completely welcome, in my opinion. The haunting atmosphere that is formed from the manic piano, and alien synths give it this otherworldly feeling, but whenever Robert Wyatt starts singing, in which you can assuredly tell he is looking at his shoes whilst seeing, too nervous to look you in the eye, it all becomes too close to home. You feel nervous, anxious even, but the songs always relieve you of this feeling with these transcendent key changes that are always gorgeous and breath-taking, and the off-tone pianos become angels in a choir, and the space-age synths feel Heaven sent, and I can feel put together again, and truly say this is one of the greatest albums I've ever listened to.

Wow. I'm stunned. 250 albums in and I've finally found something that's completely blown away from a genre I was no expecting. Everything just seemed to click and I've no idea why. The opener was earnest and heartwarming. Little Red Riding Hood seemed to be foreshadowing mid 2000's Radiohead three decades early. The Alfib tracks were strange at first but cute after a couple listens. And the album outro is so out of place but also perfectly in place. Binged a few times now and I still hear something new and exciting with every listen. Congratulations 1001 albums, you've finally done what I expected from the start.

Bit strange

PREFS : TOUT MOINS PREF : RIEN

*Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road

beautiful

Das ist mal wieder der Grund, warum diese Liste auch Spaß machen kann. Fast mehr Kunst als „nur“ Musik zieht Wyatt uns hinab in einen Wahnsinn, in dessen Zentrum alle Instrumente aufhören zu spielen und stattdessen anfangen zu singen. Eric Chenaux hat sicher mehr als nur eine Prise des zerstoßenen „Rock Bottoms“ in sein Gesamtwerk eingeknetet. Völlig faszinierte 4.5

Очень нравится))

Oft off-kilter and off-key yet again strangely beguiling - loved how Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road was put together - although not quite as enchanting overall as Shleep.

I don't understand why this gets so much hate. Yes, it's not amazing but it has some very nice tracks like Sea Song, Little Red Riding (and Robin!) Hood Hit The Road and Alifib. Those four were very nice to study to.

I think this is probably a work of genius and I'm just too dim to appreciate it.

8 / 10

Sticker ut! Det är sånt här jag vill ha på denna lista. Inget jag lär lägga in i min vanliga spellista, men låtet bra och absolut värt att höra innan jag dör

Ah, es de esos que me dejan medio turulato. Ok, como hacemos? Para mí merece halagos solo por cortar con lo de siempre. Nota: 4.0

really interesting album not 100 percent sure if i actually like it but at the moment i really enjoyed it. the atmosphere and singing make for a really sombre listening experience that sounds like what dissociating feels like 7/10 Favourite: Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road Least Favourite: A Last Straw

Quel voyage!

Oi, har aldri hørt noe lignende fra 70-tallet. Veldig spennende, men litt vel mye "blimey" i monitor. Snill firer.

Love the experimentation on this. Solid 4.

Robert Wyatt, I don't know why I like you, but I really, really do. I got Shleep first and loved that one - this album is also quite good but juuuuust misses something that gives it that extra bit to really make me wanna put it on repeat.

Actually a great discovery through this list! Pure prog goodness. Got some Gentle Giant vibes off of it, and a Storm Corrosion / Kate Bush atmosphere. Very nice

Progressive art rock with the whimsy of early Pink Floyd, but it’s the melancholic love songs that carry it. Inventive and rewards repeated listening.

Au bout de la première écoute, peu attentive, c'était un 2 assuré. Mais à la lumière d'une deuxième écoute nocturne et concentrée, cet album est magnifique. On retrouve clairement du Genesis dans l'instrumentation comme dans le chant, mais avec un côté encore plus rêveur et fiévreux - oui, c'est possible. Et chanter les parties trompette à la voix c'est très drôle et ça rend plutôt bien en plus ! Très heureuse découverte. Playlist pick : Sea Song

I now know where Laurie Anderson got some of her inspiration

Art rock, Canterbury scene, progressive rock, psychedelic rock.

What is this strange and exquisite music? It stands out immediately and I am so glad to be listening to such creative music. I’ve gotten a few clunkers on this list in the last bit so I’m so glad to finally get an album that sounds so unique. I know many albums that are as creative as this that aren’t on this list so it makes me wonder how this one ended up on here. Could it be the UK bias? I’ve always read and heard his name over the years but have hardly heard any of his music so this was a nice surprise. I do want to hear more from his discography!

God you people are so BORING. It’s gotten to the point that when I see an album has an average rating below 3 I assume it’s gonna blow me away. I’m fascinated by the fact that this psych rock musician stopped being able to drum and basically invented post-rock. Is post-rock just psych rock with fewer drums? The back half of this album devolved a bit too much into nonsense for me but the first half really gripped me.

Somehow very jolly, but at the same time very melancholy. I had listened to a few tracks off this album before, so I knew what to expect. What I hadn't expected is how coherent it was and how much I enjoyed it. It sent me on a musical journey to a weird and wonderful place. Four stars.

This is ethereal, haunting, and tragic music. I probably won't listen again to this too much but I definitely feel like I could occasionally. .

I love Pink Floyd's "middle period" between Saucerful and Dark Side, and this is a great example of it. Nick Mason is on the album, but it seems the Floyd were in the development piece as well. Even so, it is the kind of progressive rock I love. 4/5

Pleasantly surprised by this guy twice now! Very lovely and odd!

i really like rovert wyatt and am a bit more partial to schleep but i listened to this album a lot in highschool. its very cool to me that Mike Oldfield played on it and wyatt has such an interesting and resilient story... this is his first album after becoming a paraplegic, and its so good and heartfelt!

Didn’t know what in the world this was. Incredible that it came out in 1974. Also I was reading that he made this with a broken spine or something? Wild. Cool use of keyboards and samples for the time. 4/30/26

Me gustó bastante, muy buena producción. 7/10

Felt like radiohead might have taken a lot of influence from him. Super interesting, different, kijd of trippy and weird in a good way. Will definitely explore more of his catalogue!

a strange kind of beautiful

Yes give me more robert straight into my shleepy veins

Haha, I’m having a great time reading all these dismissive reviews. Okay, it’s not Madonna-like pop perfection, but then again, it’s not thaaaaat experimental either (enough to make your head get lost in this wondrous sonic architecture). On Rock Bottom, you’ll find a bunch of jazz-infused, playful tunes that won’t do you any harm - quite the contrary. If you loosen up a bit, this album might even play the funniest tricks on your mind - just like being lost in a bank of fog… in a positive sense. If that makes sense? Probably not… spent enough time with Rock Bottom already to not see clearly anymore. Much love for Mr. Wyatt from my side. Loved it, love it, will always love it. It’s a beautiful little marvel.

This was wild. Erotic worship music from another world. Sort of a psychedelic midpoint between Revolver and Kid A. The opening song is 5/5 for sure, but as the album went on I got more and more annoyed with the vocals/samples... I would have been happier to just vibe with the keyboards. Still, I'm glad I encountered it and will pick it up again when I just want to think about the sea.

I am not going to rehash the whole paralysis thing here. If you want that story go read any other positive review of this album. This stuff is experimental (dirty word, I know), a little humorous (but like, in the English way, so it's hard to tell) and very personal (but like, in the abstract way, so it's hard to tell). The lyrics tend to be wacky and frequently nonsensical ("No nit not/Nit no not/Nit nit folly bololey" ... uhhhh, ok -_-). Vocal shenanigans abound. For a guy who said jazz fusion had too much 'noodling', there seems to be a fair amount of it on this album (just sayin'). I can see most people not liking it. That makes sense. You are welcome to >:[ and move on. I won't judge. For me, the more I listen to it, the more I'm down. I like the noodling and vocal shenanigans. The phonetic reversal on "Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road" is cool. That his wife gets a reply on "Alife", also cool. This feels like the sort of album I *could* spend 20 years chewing on (I probably won't though). Here, take your 4 and go stand in the corner with the rest of the almost-5s ... oh wait ... *shit*, my bad.

This album being ranked so abysmally low on this website is both confusing and deeply saddening to me - it's just slightly weirder & more ambient prog rock, what's not to like? For me, this album really speaks to the condition Robert Wyatt found himself in at this point. Previously the drummer for prog bands Soft Machine and Matching Mole, Wyatt fell off a balcony and became a paraplegic, and this, his first album since that accident, really captures the pain, confusion, and listlessness of that. Plus, the soundscapes are gorgeous throughout, and any time the energy ramps up it gets really really great!

What a surprisingly charming album. It was haunting gorgeous and such an interesting listen. The surprising mix of instruments, spoken word and spooking vocals were great.

What a strange little record. I wasn't sure at first, but then halfway through I was completely taken by it. Think the vocal takes a bit of getting used to but worth it.

Затороможенная и меланхоличная психоделия, а печалиться я люблю

Симпатичный альбом, манера "петь" Уайата мне доставляет, вавава и подобные импровизации не особо на пользу идут, но и сильно меня не раздражали. Альбом понравился, но еще больше понравились чужие отзывы)))

Таки неиронишно понравилось

Unique in its own style, i love the melodies and the general mood, it reflects perfectly i think the dreams of wyatt, im pretty sure i didn't quite understood it in its core but it's great

A really interesting collection of soothing, ambient electronic sounds alongside more abstract, musique concrète–type tracks. I’d be lying if I said I fully understood the lyrics after just one listen, but I’ll be coming back to this. Ivor Cutler’s appearance was also a pleasant surprise.

Boy, am I glad I didn’t give up on this after the first two songs! The rest of it is weird and cool.

A pleasant surprise. Unfortunately, I never heard of this. Lot of great musicians on this. Really innovative music. Surprised at the amount of vitriol leveled at Wyatt for stepping out of their comfort zone. This exercise has heled teach me acceptance and tolerance. All of this music is worthwhile whether if is to my liking or not.

Not yet quite sure what to make of this album other than the fact that I enjoyed its weirdness. Definatly one to play a couple of times again to see if my feelings for it grow or it it was an interesting distraction.

What an album. Some real Philip Glass type shit. The first and last songs are the most accessible, and feel pretty polished. Some of the middle stuff is hard to get through. Thinking of it as a unique work of art made by a troubled dude, it's pretty enjoyable.

Rating: 8/10 Wow, what a low rating for a piece of art that is actually so inspired and unique. You obviously don't put this on for some fun and easy background listening, it's a strange record that breaks many conventions of rock music that was firmly established by that point. Rock Bottom is an actually experimental and insane effort with a somber feel and a psychedelic touch. I've really been sleeping on this, in my first time listening I don't understand much of it but I am really intrigued and believe there is such a depth here that can be uncovered with more time spent. That's usually the first sign of great and touching art. Has a mad genius kind of feel. The album honestly kept getting better as it went on, with the closing track being my favorite. And it sounds like it was actually supremely influential to art rock that has been made in the many following decades. 4 for now, could be higher one day honestly.

Probably one of my favorite artsists I've discovered via this site. A really experimental, sometimes proggy singer songwriter. I think he will be a 5 star artists for me one day but I need way more time to digest his work as it's a little dense/all over.

Yes!

I have not heard this before. I don’t think I’ve heard any of Robert Wyatt’s solo material, but I have heard the Soft Machine. I was expecting a lot more drums in this, considering he drummed for Soft Machine and was pretty amazing on those records, but according to the article he was paralyzed in an accident prior to recording. So, terribly sorry about my mistake, Mr. Wyatt! This starts off a little aimless but seems to coalesce midway through the second song and really picks up from there. By the final two songs it hits some real beauty.

At first I was thinking a 2, but then upgraded to a 3 once I was vibing with track #3. And then I was really digging the last track and upgraded to a 4

bizarre but thats how i like it dammit

Canterbury Sound, Wyatt había sido el batería de Soft Machine en su mejor etapa y de Matching Mole ( Soft Machine en francés), palabras mayores. Con el accidente que le partió la vida publicó este disco con la colaboración de Oldfield, Sinclair, Hopper y Mason entre otros. Se pasa casi 20 años sin publicar nada hasta que vuelve por sus fueros con los excelentes Shleep (1997), esa obra mayúscula que es Cuckooland (2003) y Comicopera (2007). Sonidos psicodélicos, atonales, jazzísticos, una experiencia extraña y en cierta manera única. Me recuerda a los mejores Flaming Lips o Talk Talk, quienes le tienen como un referente. Abre Sea song y te deja un poco extraño, A Last Straw es una maravilla aunque lo mejor está por llegar: cierra la cara A con Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road, que es un viaje único con Mongezi Feza a la trompeta. Tanto Alifib como Alifie, los dos primeros temas de la cara B hacen referencia a su recién estrenado matrimonio con Alfie (quien firma la estupenda portada del disco) Alfreda Benge. Son dos temas difíciles que uno no sabe a dónde llegan. En Little Red Robin Hood Hit the Road, el corte final de “Rock Bottom”, cabe destacar en su primera parte la guitarra eléctrica de Mike Oldfield (Kevin Ayers), y a partir de los 4 minutos la viola de Fred Frith (Henry Cow) y la concertina y voz del poeta y cantautor Ivor Cutler.

6 songs = 40 min of listening, the songs are pretty lengthy but simple tunes, its an easy listen for 40 min.

I think I'm gonna need more time with this. I was pretty unconvinced by this through the first couple tracks, but something woke me up after that. After going back, I still haven't warmed to the start of the album, but there's something fascinating and authentic happening later in the album, experimental in a good way, something deeply felt, particularly compared to how cold and soulless I've found most of the prog from this era. I'm going to come back to this.

I imagine this is what Steely Dan sounds like to their haters. That said, I found myself somewhat enraptured by this album. Admittedly it's unfocused, and indulgent, and kind of up its own ass, but that's what I liked about it. It's so unbashedly honest with itself and overflowing with genuine soul that it's good fun. Vocally and lyrically a mess (boo, that spoken-word stuff) but the actual sonic range must have blown a few minds back in 1974. Definitely seems like the kind of record that requires a few listens with the '"it's pretentious" instinct turned off, but I actually really liked it. I think the unsubtle uses of the atonal tradition are a misstep here, though. Less improv would have really made the thing come together into more coherence, but it's stuck in this awkward jazz-y tradition that forces you to pick through seven minutes of undistinguished and muddy instrumentals to find brief snatches of incredible beauty. Still, despite the hippy-dippiness of it there's a lot to like and it made a much better second listen. Alifib in particular is magnificent - it almost comes close to an early Aphex Twin track in its complex electronic majesty more than a decade beforehand. Fav tracks: Sea Song, Alifib

I needed to listen twice but then it clicked. Maybe not the greatest album ever made but a crazy good experience.

"Yes, me and the hedgehog we bursting the tyres all day, as we roll down the highway towards the setting sun." Not at all what I'd call easy listening but Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road II made this art rock album finally "click" for me. I wasn't a fan of the call and answer of Alifib/Alifie, but I do enjoy the British folkness underneath the atonal jazz bits. Sea Song, Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road I and II are a hoot to sing along to.

Послухати софт машин, послухаємо і Вайатта. Звісно там де умовний Річард Доусон навчався, там Роберт Вайатт викладав. Дуже англійська музика, класика кентербері прогу. Жанр специфічний, але при уважному прослуховуванні - дуже цікавий з безліччю ідей і нетривіальних аранжувань. Мені загалом подобається. 3.5, ближче до 4.

God help me, but I really like this guy's work. I preferred Shleep but this was abstract and almost feeling like it was falling apart at times. It was a really interesting headphone listen and no song had a single moment I wasn't interested in what was going on. This can't be that popular, it's almost inaccessible, but I'm glad to have heard it.

Opens with the sonic equivalent of a soggy paper straw. I wrote that before seeing the name of track 2. Track 2, strong start. Gotta punch through a lid Bubble tea straw. Ohhh okay Track 3. Amazing brass. Backwards man. Amazing bass. Solid metal straw Track 4 a hypnotic melody. Solid classic McDonald's yellow stripe straw. Track 5 funky, wild stuff. Great bongo work. Has the squeaks like a plastic lid of a fast food cup with the sliding up and down plastic straw. Track 6 - I'm not sure what to say. Lyrically might be an issue, but sonically it works. Silly glasses straw. Track 1 sounded better on the car stereo.

Para ser disonante, tienes que saber ser consonante primero. Un disco interesante, lleno de muchas cosas para analizar. Tiene muchas similitudes con artistas actuales como Jerskin Fendrix o Daniel Blumberg. Considero a este disco un trabajo virtuoso, vanguardista y sumamente artístico. Me gusto mucho. La construcción de cada pista es muy buena y pude identificar elementos musicales muy interesantes. La polifonía en cada pista es muy peculiar y única, y, repito, muy similar a la de Jerskin Fendrix. Las disonancias con la armonía base utilizando todo tipo de instrumentos, incluida la voz, suena incidental pero es completamente a propósito, lo cual habla del excelente musico que es Robert Wyatt y todos los involucrados. Hablando de, me gustaría mencionar la grandiosa ejecución de cada músico involucrado en el disco, además de la impecable producción de este, por parte de Nick Mason (Pink Floyd). Músicos de primera, expertos en jazz fusión o rock progresivo, dos géneros por los cuales tengo un profundo respeto y admiración. Gran disco. Joder es arte.

8/10 soundscapes of melancholy

An incredible bleak experiment.

Super weird

I really like Robert Wyatt’s work and this is no exception. He arrangements are fantastic and these songs really communicate the turmoil he was going through. I prefer Shleep and Cuckooland of his albums but this is still excellent.

This was a good listen. Challenging at times, thought provoking and meandering at others. I can really hear the influences this might have on some of the more ‘pastoral’ post rock/post-rock adjacent artists like ‘caroline’ and ‘black country, new road’. Bits of early Eno come through here too for me, as well as king crimson. Despite that it also sounds very much a unique piece of work and I enjoyed the journey that it went on. The story of Robert Wyatt the musician (particularly during the recording of this) only really adds to the mystique of this as an album.

Interesting sound. It's a little eerie.

It does take a couple of listens, but the music is fantastic! His voice is quite off-putting at first, but after a few listens, it gets less annoying. It really does fit. But the music, is really sublime. Great musicians doing interesting, jazzy compositions. Pretty sure I like "The Last Straw" the most, but it's all very interesting. There are some VERY strange vocal choices here. Why would you end "Sea Song" with that off-key "yodeling"?? It's bad enough getting to be Ok with this fella's voice, then he goes and does that? Yike! "Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road" the first one, is a jazzy, noisy little number that will be incredibly divisive. I love it, but can easily understand why someone would hate it. More gibberish on "Alife" and some crazy-making sax blasts, but again, it's so weird I like it. "Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road" the second one, has the weirdest little poem that makes me giggle like the crazy person that wrote it. I'm giving this thing a 4 not because it's the best album ever or anything, but there are some big swings and for the most part it works. I definitely think everyone should listen to this twice because they'll find something to like, even if they're annoyed by most of it. Stay weird, people!

When listening to the initial song for the first time, I thought that maybe the ratings in this site could be correct. However, as the album progressed I ended up liking it quite a lot. First of all, yes, this album is super weird and experimental. The melodies are tense and very uncommon, the rhythms sections are quite complex and there are parts where the man starts singing nonsensical words. But, once I got used to this chaos, the album offered a very subtle, sad and even mystical experience. The first song of the album, 'Sea Song', may not be a great welcome, as it feels very flat and not so sad when compared to the others, but the next song, 'A Last Straw' is when it starts to get a bit more interesting. It incorporates drums and a piano, both giving the song a bit more of emotion, specially the melodies of the piano. They are intricate, but sound very good. The following track, 'Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road', keeps the energy left by the previous one, but it is even more weird. It features some very chaotic trumpets and in the middle of the track, every thing gets reversed, except for the drums and horns (I think). But it works very well. I didn't notice it was reversed after a couple of listens, which should tell how well integrated the effect is in the song. The next three tracks, 'Alifib', 'Alife' and 'Little Red Robin Hood Hit the Road', I think are the most beautiful songs of the album. They nail that delicate and sorrow atmosphere that the record goes for. The first one is very minimalist, with just synths, bass and voice, all sounding very quite. The second one is a bit more chaotic. It reintroduces the piano and drums, but they are now accompanied with a saxophone and a bass clarinet. Regardless of being a bit more random, the synths help keeping the sad tone. The final track is divided in two parts. One half is as melancholic as the previous two songs and it has some very melodic and beautiful guitars. The final half is a very calm way of ending the album with just an harmonium and viola playing with a voice singing on top. Before reaching the conclusion, I just wanted to pointed out a funny thing. The guitars in the last song reminded me a lot to the Skype's ringtone. With that being said, I think this is a great album that required multiple listens to be able to appreciate its very melancholic and sad sound which hides between all the madness.

Enjoyably unenjoyable

I’m a huge Robert Wyatt fan. The story behind this record is particularly wild. After being the drummer in the influential psych and art-rock band The Soft Machine Robert Wyatt started recoding more experimental music under his own name and with a new group Matching Mole. He fell out of a window in a tragic accident and became paralyzed from the waist down. Dealing with extreme depression and the life altering injury he changed his primary focus to playing piano and using synths. This record was him working through his depression and coming to terms with his new situation. He has continued to make strange and beautiful records for the last 50 years.

Pretty good and different.

Started out slow, but ended up being a great listen. Very interesting and unique. 8.5/10 Favourite track: N/A (they all flow into eachother well)

Really interesting and nice sounding to either pay attention to or have in the background :)

I've been watching Twin Peaks lately, so this album fits pretty well into my current mood. It's a very interesting album, and I would be willing to listen again.

Really solid, the synthesizer use in this is outstanding and just has a very unique sound that stood out from other 70s rock albums. Very glad I listened to this.

This was a complete surprise for me. Seems super innovative for its era. It’s influence on bands like Radiohead is clear, with the droning and cacophony moments. While it’s not my thing, I enjoyed it.

Not bad!

ok once, but not me

Instantly had to run this one back. I didn’t “get” all of it. I do not care. I really liked this. The warmth of the instrumentals, the flow, the use of his voice as a texture within the composition. Some high quality noodling here. Favorites were Sea Song, A Last Straw, and Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road (both of them)

this album cover is really beautiful...per his spotify bio this is about the aftermath of him falling out of his window and breaking his back, hence the rock bottom. Overall I enjoyed!

This one is hard for me to rate. It is utterly unique and hauntingly beautiful in a discordant, at times chaotic way. It's an album to be felt in the soul - not processed in the brain. It is not pretty, or simple, or easily digested. It's not even easy to listen to. It feels like a hurting soul translating a melancholy fever dream into music. I am glad that I experienced this, and am absolutely amazed - but I'm not sure it's a ride I want to go on again. 7/10

Ok

Very dreamy for a prog album. Reading that a guy made this album after becoming a paraplegic is insane and I wonder how much of that pain was put into the making of this album. I loved how flowy and almost disjointed the album feels at times, like lots of parts are being thrown at the same thing and they happen to line up really well. Some of the songs on this sound straight-up ominous in a way that I feel like I haven't seen any other prog album/artist attempt. I really fail to see how this is the 18th lowest rated album on the site.

Good

Very interesting side of 70's prog which I really love. I need to get more into this Robert Wyatt rabbit hole for sure. Very unique album.

4.9

Fusion rock jazz psychedelia and atmospherics, feels like a Pink Floyd influence. Touches my art rock nerve in a nice way.

nice / experimental / fascinating story behind it

Psychedelic soundscape of classic rock infused experimental instruments. Chills on more than 1 song

Bottom 20 album on this site. I’ve always loved this though and am looking forward to getting Soft Machine’s Third as I've never listened to any of their music. Album cover perfectly paired to the music. Anyone who complains about the nature of this record probably thinks Picasso was an awful painter. Tempted to give this a 5 just because my Highest Rated section has a B&W theme going by pure coincidence.

What a wild ride, needs more than one listen. I can't pin where I want this album, the last track was the ultimate climax and best track. I think I'll be back, so much to unpack

E ovo je već više po mom guštu😃

Virkelig fedt fund her på listen! Mærkeligt men jeg synes aldrig det er mærkeligt bare for at være mærkeligt.

This was a really special experience. Super psychedelic and weird, but somehow still keeps dragging you in. I imagine this opens up more on repeated listens.

Weird, but interesting enough beyond that

This album is batshit and I could have gone with anything from 1-5 at various points. Experimental, brave and challenging. Reminds me of Radiohead and Neutral Milk Hotel at times The absolute madness of Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road (side 1 version) was a highlight, with its backwards vocals and cacophony of brass, that song is a real attack on the senses. By the time we get to tracks 4 and 5 it genuinely sounds like he's making it up as he goes, and not even using real words half of the time. This is a difficult listen but it's a hell of an experience. I think I embrace the chaos.. just about

Favourites: Sea Song, Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road, Alifib

Robert Wyatt was partly responsible for the absolutely dire Soft Machine album, 'Third', which I begrudgingly awarded a whole star a few months ago. I was not excited to see this come up on my generator today. Thankfully, he seems to have taken a different approach with his solo work, that of actually making coherent songs with something approaching structure and melody. Now, that's not to say this is an album of catchy pop songs, it's experimental and challenging and parts of it are, let's be brutally honest, deeply odd. But I was pleasantly surprised by the Little Reds ‘Robin’ and ‘Riding’ Hood and there's plenty of delightful, melodic ear candy buried here amongst the noise, jazz-fusion-tinged bursts and frankly bizarre lyrics. I must confess, with successive days I’ve returned to it more and more out of a combination of affection and curiosity and as I’ve got used to its strangeness, I’ve come to really enjoy it for its mad genius.

Robert Wyatt: Rock Bottom: A pretty good and chill album. Pink floydish, though not as good as their stronger stuff. Very nice instrumentation and singing, but its a bit too pretentious. I enjoyed every song but it does feel kinda full of itself if that makes sense. Still some good music though. 7.5/10

Robert Wyatt is one of the most interesting artists I’ve come to know through this project. I was surprised to see yet another album by him on this list, but I’d take a hundred of these over some of the dull albums I’ve had to listen to. This album is far less folksy than his album Shleep that I heard before this one. Rock Bottom almost verges on Krautrock grooves with lead guitar lines that could appear on a Mars Volta album. Wyatt’s voice still tries to keep up with the music, but is all the more charming for it. I noted in my review of Shleep that it reminded me of Ivor Cutler, and then he turns up on this album! Just goes to show: I know what I’m talking about.

A bit on the weird side but overall not too terrible.

Surprenant ! C’est weird comme j’aime.

Very strange record, but feels emotional and very cool sounds. Hard to believe this came out in 1974.

3.5/5

Absolutely mad album

Amazing track flow and soundscape

an extremely unique album fusing jazz improvisations, folk instrumentation and a dark, foreboding atmosphere. it manages to pull this off excellently especially on "alifie". when it clicks, it clicks.

Rock Bottom is the second solo album from Robert Wyatt. Wyatt was part of the British progressive music scene in 60s and early 70s as part of the bands Soft Machine and Matching Mole. After Matching Mole disbanded, Wyatt began working on a solo album. He suffered a tragic fall, and was left paralyzed. The album was recorded immediately after his recovery, and is seen as a reflection on his life and his change is circumstance. The album was produced by Pink Floyd's drummer, Nick Mason, and the influence is clear at points. These are keyboard-centered progressive rock songs, with rich orchestrations and rhythms, like the longer track titled "Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road." There are two tracks with the same name, and the shorter version is not as interesting.

Crap

This is similar to the other album I had by him. It's obviously mad and all over the place, but I dig it. I like that he's putting this kind of thing out there. It's such a strange album - a real experience - a real mood. The vocals put me off at first, but they work with it. I like the spacey synths. I really like the 'Little Red' tracks. There's a mad, awkward cacophony of trumpets, but it creates such an interesting soundscape. There's all sorts of other shit going on in there. Music preferences are weird aren't they? An album like this by another artist might make me roll my eyes - or I'll be put off by another album doing quite similar things, and sitting in the same kind of space. I understand if other people hate it. I think it's delightfully weird and I celebrate it. 3.5 rounded up.

Good album, not sure why the average is so low

I'm kind of a sucker for this sort of music but this one isn't growing on me.

Weird album but I actually liked it.

Really beautiful and sad, but mixed with a sense of whimsy. It's cool how it's so experimental but in a very subtle and unobtrusive way.

Krasse Atmosphäre

Kinda of nice

Couple of bangers in there. Especially the end of the last song, atonal with Scottish/Caribbean accent folk singer

Do you really want to listen to something like this? Well in this Song Sea Song there are nice beats and its very chill the piano is good so ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. I recommend it. Do you really want to music with nice beats? Well in this song A Last Straw its like jazz and it has very good instruments and its chill so ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐.I recommend it. Do you really want to some song that has nice instruments and is chill? Well in this song Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road there are not that nice instruments in it but its chill ⭐⭐⭐. I kinda of recommend it.

Do you want to listen to some music that has nice beats? Well in Sea Song you can! I rate this song a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐. I highly recommend this song. Do you want to listen to some music that has a lot of piano? Well in Last Straw you can! I rate this song a ⭐⭐⭐⭐. I recommend this song. Do you want to listen to some music that has a lot of trumpet? Well in Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road you can! I rate this song a ⭐⭐⭐. I kind of recommend this song.

the first song is good it sounds like it would be used in a Halloween movie and i really like how the instruments sound. the next song is also good i like how the instruments sound and i like how it sounds at the start. the last song is also kinda good i like the start and i like how it all sounds together. overall i kinda like this album i would recommend.

Bless his heart. Vibes of Pink Floyd and Radiohead. Thanks for sharing.

This album was surprisingly good. Very interesting and different, but I really enjoyed it all the way through and idk why. It's not something for every occasion, but it definitely has its place. I'm shocked that this was recorded in the 70s. The production was really interesting, especially when he reversed beats and added unusual effects onto the other instruments.

Hmmm

Wow! What a brilliant record. A real precursor to Richard Dawson and the stuff he's been doing the past 20 years. Absurd and fun. The real 'hell yeah' moment here was realizing that Life Without Buildings reference tracks from this album multiple times on their near-perfect album "Any Other City" ("I like you mostly late at night, hotel hotel hotel!" and the whole "eyes like lotus leafs" refrain borrows from the last track on here). Awesome!

This is nice. As with the other album from him, there are some deeply beautiful moments mixed into a somewhat scattered whole.

A very surreal and unique sound but I enjoyed it. 4 stars

I love finding these marginal musical figures who never had and never would’ve come into ears but for the oddly catholic-like guilt I seem to owe to these daily listens. Wyatt is melancholy beauty and fiercely purposeful difference that I really enjoyed and that contains multitudes more than most pap pop or billion listen new country. Give me more…

First time hearing. This you definitely have to be in the mood but if you are it's pretty cool. Top notch 70s British hippie psych. Not sure what I can really compare it to but it is very much of its time. People don't make music like this anymore. Mostly that's actually a good thing if I'm honest, but when people do this well, it's really cool.

Mild music. I liked it. Stand-out: Alifib

Really interesting, kind of anxiety inducing

love this experimental style of sounds, especially the filter they put on the vocals in Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road that give them this almost rewinding effect. the instrumental is so beautiful, almost classical like. They remind me of some weird traditional baroc or english folk music, which I really like. Alifib is so good. Definitely above 4 and probably close to 4.5.

Fantastic album. I loved A Last Straw. Took me on a new journey and evoked some strong feelings. Felt experimental in a curious way. Will definitely listen to again.

I was into it. The melodies are lovely and meandering, and lend a very cool overall vibe to the sound. The songs all blend into each other in a way that makes this very much an album that rewards listening to it straight through.

Very pleased to see that the list includes Robert Wyatt, a man who didn't let debilitating physical paralysis stop his art. While I prefer his early Soft Machine stuff and his music with Matching Mole, I admire most his fearless embrace of artistic expression, even if it's "weird". This record sends relentless waves of weirdness! Nevertheless, the more you listen to it, the more you can withstand the waves and start to recognize the beauty at the bottom of it all.

Is nice?

"Rock Bottom" is one of those albums that I secretly love but would never play it got anyone else. It's obviously quite niche but it's one of those weird and wonderful albums that's really interesting to listen to. The title suggests that it was inspired by the accident that made Wyatt a paraplegic shortly before it was recorded. He was very vocal about how it changed his outlook on life and forced him to slow down from his early rock star days. If you knew nothing else about this album, you might expect a record of soft rock ballads. Instead, Wyatt is extremely subversive here, turning the concept of rock-jazz fusion on its head. This is proto-indie rock with a strong undercurrent of jazz techniques underlining it all. The result is bizarre and unsettling. It feels like being lost at sea, with delirious and happy memories of cultures left behind. I guess that won't appeal to everyone but I can't stop listening to this wonderful oddity.

This was a challenging listen at first, it actually reminded me a lot of my struggles with Coltrane's A Love Supreme. But, like that album, the more I listened to it, the more it fell into place. These abstract albums are so different from 95% of this list because their song structures are way more fluid. Time signatures all over the place, each instrument doing its own thing that circles the themes of the pieces. And the more you let go trying to make sense of it, the better it sounds. Now I didn't like this as much as A Love Supreme, but it was pretty interesting by the end. If I have a favorite, it's probably the first Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road, Alife, or Sea Song.

Je comprends pourquoi cet album est tellement polarisant, mais dans mon cas ça a été une expérience très positive. Ce n'est pas tellement un album axé sur la complexité de la musique plus que sur l'ambiance que ça crée. Un super bel amalgame de art rock/progressif/ambiant/psychédélique. Bien que la première chanson je m'a pas tellement mis en confiance, le reste de l'album est super bon. Définitivement plus aimé que Shleep. 9/10

Strange, delicate, but good. Deserves more exploration.

Drömlikt album. Här finns allt från rock till avant garde jazz

With a heavy story to tell, Robert Wyatt got real weird with this album. I can't imagine what it's like to lose access to your instrument, let alone your legs. It carries a lot of meaning in its exploration, and stands out as a piece of art.

Sounds like David Bowie and his Music sometimes. Had a hard time focusing on the start of the album, because two men happened to walk the same way as me on my way home.

What a weird album. Like, it feels amateurish but wildly complex in the decisions that were made. It's something I will have to listen to again later. But so odd. And that comes from a genuine Mr. Bungle fan.

Wannabe Pink Floyd

Mid 70s prog rock fans went two ways...either to Genesis/Yes/ELP or to groups like Soft Machine. This is good music, but not as good as early Genesis.

Love me some Canterbury Scene.

November 24, 2024 Okay, it’s a little notorious in this lil online community, but I gave Shleep a 3 and Soft Machine a 4, so I’m not too worried Update: this is a special record I can see how the spaciness and jazz excursions will lose some listeners, but there’s also many gentle, beautiful moments. I’m honestly surprised it ranks lower than the other Wyatts There is a certain fretful, chaotic mood that surfaces, for instance in “Red Riding Hood”, where I hope that nobody tried listening to this on psychedelics This, along with The Incredible String Band is some folky nonsense that hits a niche I never knew I wanted or needed. Thanks Britain 👍

Good

Madness and Pain and Beauty. As important for what it is as the story behind it.

On first listen, the album sounded overly artsy and a bit silly to me. I kept listening a few more times and suddenly realised the pain in the music. "Rock Bottom" is such a strong title given the circumstances surrounding its creation. Glad I gave the album a real shot, as this could have been a quick dismissal if it hadn't been for a friend's strong recommendation.

Loved the transitions and buildups in all the songs, good mix of artsy and surreal soundscapes

I remember getting another Robert Wyatt album earlier on this list, and being pleasantly surprised by it. This was the same, it was a lot more interesting and weirder than I was expecting it would be. A bit of anomaly for things on this list from the 70s. Thoroughly enjoyed this. More things like this please!

Mesmerising. I'm very impressed by all the little melodies that come together and somehow are both chaotic and harmonious

Probs like a 3.8 but I enjoyed this

Pretty cool

I guess one would hit rock bottom after being in an accident that leaves you a paraplegic. There are only three ways you can go with alcohol: it kills you, you stop drinking and never touch the stuff again, or you fall out a window blind drunk and get paralyzed from the waist down.

Il y a des albums qui arrivent dans votre vie comme une évidence, d'autres comme une énigme. Et puis il y a "Rock Bottom". Celui-là, il ne se contente pas d'arriver, il s'écrase avec le bruit sourd et terrible d'un corps qui chute. Pour piger ce disque, il faut connaître le contexte, et putain, quel contexte. On est en 1974, Robert Wyatt, batteur-chanteur génial et co-fondateur de Soft Machine, l'un des fleurons de l'école de Canterbury, n'est plus dans le groupe. Mais surtout, un an plus tôt, le 1er juin 1973, lors d'une soirée bien arrosée, il tombe du quatrième étage d'un immeuble. Bilan : la colonne vertébrale brisée. Il passera le reste de sa vie dans un fauteuil roulant, paralysé des deux jambes. Fin de sa carrière de batteur. Le fond du trou. "Rock Bottom". Je vais poser une question, et d'ailleurs une question que tout le monde se pose en écoutant ce disque. Est-ce que "Rock Bottom" existerait sous cette forme sans cet accident ? Est-ce que cette chute physique a été le catalyseur de cette plongée musicale abyssale ? On a envie de dire non, par pudeur, par respect. Mais au fond de nous, on sait bien que la réponse est oui. Car ce disque, c'est le son d'un homme qui a tout perdu, y compris l'usage de son corps, et qui, depuis le fond de l'abîme, décide de tout réinventer. Quand j'ai mis ce vinyle sur la platine pour la première fois, dans la boutique où je bossais, je m'attendais à du rock progressif, un truc un peu barré dans la veine de ses anciens collègues. Grosse erreur, car ce que j'ai entendu ne ressemblait à rien de connu. Ce n'est ni du rock, ni du jazz, ni de l'ambient. C'est du Robert Wyatt. C'est une matière sonore unique, une sorte de brouillard musical où flottent des bribes de mélodies, des expérimentations électroniques douces, et cette voix... Ah, cette voix. Elle est le coeur battant et fragile de "Rock Bottom". Une voix d'une tristesse infinie, mais sans jamais tomber dans le pathos. Elle est haute, presque androgyne, diaphane, mais chargée d'une émotion brute, à vif. C'est la voix d'un homme qui ne peut plus crier avec ses poumons, alors il chante avec son âme. C'est une plainte, une berceuse pour adulte brisé. Elle flotte au-dessus d'arrangements qui semblent à la fois minimalistes et d'une richesse incroyable. C'est là toute la magie du disque : il déstructure tout. Loin des délires cosmiques de Yes ou des fresques narratives de Genesis qui cartonnaient à l'époque, Wyatt fait l'inverse. Il ne construit pas des cathédrales sonores ; il nous invite dans sa chambre d'hôpital, dans son espace mental. L'album est d'une intimité presque gênante. On est face à une oeuvre qui déconstruit pour mieux reconstruire. Les structures des morceaux sont éclatées, liquides. Ça commence, ça s'arrête, ça dérive. Des nappes de clavier étranges (merci Mike Oldfield et Ivor Cutler), des samples avant l'heure, des sons de jouets, un trombone mélancolique... Tout ça s'agence non pas selon une logique musicale traditionnelle, mais selon une logique de rêve, ou de cauchemar éveillé. C'est une musique du subconscient. L'atmosphère générale est incroyablement dépressive, on sent le poids de la tragédie, la chape de plomb du destin. Et pourtant, paradoxalement, une légèreté incroyable s'en dégage. C'est peut-être ça, la liberté absolue. Quand on a touché le fond, on n'a plus rien à perdre. On peut tout essayer, tout oser. Il n'y a plus de codes à respecter, plus d'attentes à satisfaire, juste le besoin viscéral de créer quelque chose de beau à partir du chaos. Et c'est incroyablement beau, "Sea Song", "Alifib", "Little Red Robin Hood Hit The Road"... Inutile de les détailler, l'album est un tout, un flux ininterrompu de conscience musicale. C'est un disque qui ne s'écoute pas, il se ressent. Il faut se laisser couler avec lui, accepter de perdre pied. À l'époque, en 1974, ça a dû être une sacrée claque pour les amateurs de rock progressif. Un OVNI total. Pour ma part, l'ayant découvert bien plus tard, il m'a semblé être le chaînon manquant entre le free-jazz, le rock expérimental et tout le courant post-rock des années 90 que j'aime tant. Des groupes comme Talk Talk ou même Radiohead doivent beaucoup, consciemment ou non, à ce que Wyatt a initié ici. "Rock Bottom" est un chef-d'oeuvre. Pas un chef-d'oeuvre facile, pas le genre de disque qu'on met en fond sonore pour une soirée entre potes, sous peine de voir tout le monde se jeter par la fenêtre. C'est une oeuvre exigeante, qui demande une implication totale. Mais la récompense est immense. C'est la preuve par le son que même au plus profond du désespoir, l'art peut non seulement survivre, mais aussi atteindre des sommets de beauté et d'humanité. C'est le son de la résilience. Alors oui, mon 4/5 est juste car c'est un "beau 4/5" et pourquoi pas 5 ? Peut-être parce que c'est une oeuvre si intime, si à vif, qu'elle ne s'offre pas facilement. C'est un disque qui vous hante, qui laisse des traces. Il faut être dans de bonnes dispositions pour y entrer, mais une fois dedans, on n'en ressort pas tout à fait indemne. Un disque essentiel, à découvrir absolument.

I enjoyed this. It was quirky and felt like "Outsider art" to me. A feeling confirmed by Ivor Cutler turning up at the end. I will return to this.

Well shit, this was weird as fuck and what a delight it was! Not nit not, nit no not, nit nit folly bololy! 4 stars

woozy, dreamy, singular, wonderful. Ivor Cutler's drones are particularly magnificent

I don't hate it. It's weird, it's not my normal type of music. But there's something really enjoyable about it and all of its artsy style.

dissonant and interesting

A bit eccentric, but it grew on me. A mix of psychedelic rock, freak-folk, and a hint of jazz.

It sure was something. I didn't quite love it but I found it pretty interesting

I weirdly like this. It’s normally not my thing, but this is kinda cool.

You're an odd guy, Robert. A cool one though.

Gorgeous, the reason I'm doing this project.

Classic Canterbury. Influential. Great cast of musicians.

Great! 4 stars

A perplexing yet revealing look into the singular creative mind pf Robert Wyatt. Ends brilliantly, too

So weird

Yo. Wtf? Yes.

Took a little bit to get into but I listened 3 times. Godspeed You! Black Radiohead

space jazz? improvisational psychedelia? weird but good? Like early Pink Floyd

This is quirky out of the gate. Sea Song taps into some more "proggy" influences, especially toward the back half with the wandering synth lines that remind of ELP. I'm enjoying Little Red Riding Hood a lot -- the wandering trumpet work reminds me vaguely of Cuong Vu [https://cuongvu.bandcamp.com/album/its-mostly-residual]. Song has a disorienting atmosphere. Partly owing to the buried chaos of the trumpet, but amplified by the reverse looping and inverted vocal sections. This is an absolute trip. I enjoyed this one. Don't have much to say other than that. This is a weakish 4 for me.

Very interesting song structures thats for sure. In the first Little Red Riding Hood the horns and drum tapping were really cool. The whispering of Alifib the whole time in Alifib was spooky. This album confused my brain it was so random, but strangely extremely enjoyable. It was like the weirdest parts of The Beatles and Pink Floyd mixed together.

This is way ahead of its time for 1974. This is in a good way.

Disco difícil pero genial.

Leaning a bit more towards liking it than not now:)

Not likely to be everyone's cup of tea, worked very well for me, and the ear cleanser I needed after the stream of poor offerings.

Robert Wyatt’s magnum opus is a psychedelic progressive folk masterpiece; a delicate oddity; chilling and beautiful. Simply put, Rock Bottom is a stone cold stunner

Bizarre album, quite jazzy.

8.5/10 Amazing discovery. Highlights: Alife Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road