Reviews (page 5 of 8)
Hmm?
Cool backstory and pioneering sound but really not great. 2.5
Boring British "Art" rock
Weird stuff but not particularly interesting or fun to listen to.
This was good music to fall asleep to on an airplane when youre jetlagged. Limited uses outside that.
Bigdog... I just cannot gaslight myself into caring
did not hate it
I don’t like his voice and there’s a reason — he is a communist. Fuck communists. The album is okay sometimes, I like surrealistic and psychedelic vibes that occur sometimes. It's experimental, so. Not a very good experiment, more like excrement. I can't help but humiliate and joke about commies, especially when you've failed as an activist just as hard as your ideology failed. Nothing added to my playlist. 2/5 —————————————— No liked songs
Ya not really my style
I did not enjoy this other than the beginning of track 2
I remember hearing a joke that went like: Why did the drummer get kicked out of the band? He started writing his own songs. (or something like that). Anyways, Third by Soft Cell was one of my favorite discoveries from this list, I really like the chaotic jazz that was displayed on that album and I usually really like experimental music (I gave Throbbing Gristle a 4), so I went in with high expectations. Sadly I found this one to be pretty boring. There were definitely some highlights and great moments but 75% of the time I was disinterested. A lot of this album just seems a little sloppy. Mid 2.
Pretty weird stuff
Some interesting stuff, but mostly boring 70s drug psych mumbo jumbo. 💤💤
I truly don't have much to say here, just glad I'm done getting albums from this guy. I will highlight the fact that Wyatt apparently recorded this album following an accident that rendered him paralyzed, so my commendations there. The praise will end there, however.
There were a few moments that kept it from a 1, but that was about it for me
Hmm, couple of songs moved jazzily along but not great
Meh
Not for me.
Not for me
2,5
Nope, too outdated and uninspiring
Ehhhh, ok. The story behind the album is more entertaining than the album.
Taking prog rock to strange new navel gazing places
Almost bottom
This was a unique album….at first I really was not impressed but there was something about the later songs that were oddly rhythmic
3.5/10
Wanted to love but honestly didnt
meh
Worst of both worlds. Ethereal music is a no-go for me. “Sounds like a frog dying”
Trauma porn. If he wasn’t in the accident this would be dismissed as the amateurish nonsense that it is. It’s great they all got together and no doubt he earned well and I have no problem with that. . But this is not worth 1001 albums. Next. 2 stars.
I liked the songs that weren’t full of electronica.
★★½
nah I dont get it
i think maybe i do not get the appeal of robert wyatt's music. the album is technically proficient, it is a bit mindbending, but it's also kind of a bore and a chore to listen to. it's not very fun. feels artsy for art's sake, which is my least favorite feeling while listening to artsy music. i can see why people enjoy this album, but for me it's a pretty big swing and a miss.
Too slow psychedelic
What is this?? Experimental jazz folk!? A little too dissonant and all over the place for me. Reading about the history of the album helped contextualize it better for me but I won’t pretend I actually enjoyed it. Artistic for sure but not for me.
Robert Wyatt is without a doubt a talented man and did tremendous things as part of Soft Machine. This solo album (as well as the Shleep which is also on this list) leaves me cold. It has some nice instrumentation and interesting lyrics, but it all sounds like an incoherent mess, experimental for the experimental sake. I'm sorry.
2.5
I wasn't too high on this Robert Wyatt album. Kinda liked "Sea Song" and "Alifib". The rest, not so much. 2.5 stars.
Falsetto. Didn't dig it. 4/10
Well that’s a hell of a description, even if short - Soft Machine 🙌🏻 Pink Floyd 🙌🏻 and recorded after being made paraplegic 😱 so intrigued for this. I remember the ONLY thing I didn’t like about the Soft Machine album was the singing. And it is much more present on this and just don’t like it. The accent, the strain, the wetness :-/ Love the backing. The vox just kill it for me. Like spinal tap or something. Felt comical at times and just didn’t really do it for me but kudos for flying the prog rock flag. (2.5)
Følte ingenting aent enn litt ubehag.
Didn’t read the back story with his other album on this list so I guess this being a post accident album makes sense, though I definitely would not have gotten that sense had I not read the bio.
Weird. Not what I was expecting. Alife sounds like Bjork falling through a trombone factory. Can’t say I enjoyed it or would listen again but being weirdly experimental and odd, it feels more at place on this list than some of the more forgettable inoffensive stuff we’ve had. 2.5 rounded down
Rambling. 2.
Day 36 I found the story behind this album more interesting than the album itself. Didn’t hate it and definitely glad I’ve heard it but doubt I’ll revisit at all 4/10 Highlight Alife
ne znam, snervalo me
The definition of a mellow high? Not the rantings of an angry person, but rantings none the less.
Not my cup of tea. Very strange music. It was produced by Pink Floyd's drummer, so I would have expected something better. Background music was fine. Singer was all right, but I feel that it could have been something more soulful. 2/5
Nogle øjeblikke hvor det hele går op i en højere enhed, men generelt ikke for mig
has its vibey parts but not enough.
Mostly uninteresting. Some interesting stuff but the songs mostly go on too long.
Not sure what's going on here. Weird stuff maybe needs to listen on headphones I don't know
Meh
Never been a prog-rock person, too much meandering and weird breathing in this one. I also really do not enjoy whatever the vocals are trying to accomplish.
There's something here man. I can't quite say what yet. It's weird. Really weird. Like a weirder Genesis, which really just made me want to listen to Genesis. But there's something here. Maybe it's just wacko. But, maybe it's brilliant? Who decides what avant-garde music is good? And how do they decide that? What makes John Coltrane perfect -- and Robert Wyatt just another goober? Not a final rating. Fave songs: - Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road (1 & 2) - Alifib
I haven't listened yet. Started but it was too quiet to understand at work volume. Interested though. Just finishing it. Interesting but I wouldn't seek it out again
Weird but not bad? Kind of? I dunno how to rank this one. The first two songs and the last were great but the middle of the album was annoying close to a 3
I would have actually rated this a 1 based on what I heard in the first ten minutes, but the last 3 songs has some really cool avant prog vibes, and I appreciate the experimentation.
Not really my vibe. Interesting lyrics though.
I'm going to be honest, the album gave me a headache two songs in.
This was a weird album
Woof, those vocals at the end of Sea Song. The jazz fusion really shows up in Red Riding Hood, but unfortunately the rest of the album didn’t get any more consistent or listenable
It has its charms, if you look really really hard and squint a little.
Very interesting album with beautiful arrangements, I actually enjoyed the nonsense-lyrics track Alifie. I can't tell if I would have preferred traditional lyrics on more of the album did fit the overall theme. Overall I liked it but I will need to re-listen to get more out of it, definitely not the easiest listen.
I can certainly appreciate the hard work that went into this album. Knowing the state that Robert Wyatt was in, convalescing after being paralyzed by an accident, and still trying his damnedest to make this album, does affect my view of it. I can appreciate that this album sounds like no other music I've heard, which was partly its intent. That said... This doesn't appeal to me. The songwriting is unconventional and striking, but like a broken computer. The instrumentation sounds off; it sounds too improvisational and not improvisational enough, if that makes sense. It doesn't really come together aside from the story behind it.
Odd and artsy
Officer, it’s this guy.
It wasn’t for me I know he had a nasty accident and had to give up professional drumming but I just couldn’t get on with it.
2 esrelas
Rather dull Prog Rock noodling. A compelling story, but the music loses its way.
I have no idea what's going on
Ik voelde het niet hierbij. Nochtans ligt psychedelische rock uit de jaren 70 wel binnen mijn smaak. Z'n stem stoorde me een beetje. Niet aan te doen. 2.1
This one just didn't do it for me. The shaky vocals, the more experimental type sound. I couldn't get with it.
Says jazz-fusion is the worst of both worlds and then makes this BS. He probably gets no hoes.
"Pip pippy pippy pip pip landerim" sounds like the activation code for a sleeper agent, but I digress. I don't know how to feel about this album really, it's not a three because it was so unique, but I certainly can't say it's a 4,, so I guess I have to give it a 2.
2/5
I wouldn’t advise running to this album. In fact it’s almost as bad to run to as Houmous & Chutneys infamous anti-joggers album ‘Stitch Up’ 2.3 1/6 Sea Song
Didn't really enjoy this much. Complex melodies, sometimes with jazz fusions. He's really not a very good singer, but I don't think that is focus. After the first few songs, the album gets pretty atmospheric, which some people might like. Still didn't do it for me.
A few creative flourishes but really weird for the most part 3/10
Far too much noodling
When I read about this album, I thought "Here comes a cheery morning. An album created by a newly parapalegic drummer called 'Rock Bottom.'" Indeed I was right, at least about the cheeriness. But not exactly what I was expecting. This album sounds like Pink Floyd on acid. Or, since Pink Floyd was already on plenty of acid, like Pink Floyd on ayahuasca, and perhaps with worse song writer and not even a slight sense of groundedness. It's out there, and not really in a way that makes it super listenable, although there are moments. 2/5
A bit too art rock for my taste. I am not a big fan of the vocals and the music itself is nice but didn't really grab me. I can hear the Pink Floyd/ Nick Mason influence across the album, especially in "A Last Straw" withe the cymbal work over a synth and guitar. Wasn't my thing 2/5
Sorry you got drunk and fell out of a window, but I don't like your music.
5/10
Robert Wyatt may have hit Rock Bottom falling out a 4 story building drunk and becoming a paraplegic. Even though most of this album was written prior to the injury on a trip to Venice, the recordings were after (partly in a van in a field) and turned out quite strange. Wyatt takes on a mythical warlock persona, spouting incantations and spells. Sounds like some parts are even recorded in reverse. I'm not sure how I feel about the album. It's weird and trippy but I'm not sure it's good. File this one under the odd ones from the list. Exposed to something new and strange at 1.75 stars.
Ergens halverwege gaan er een groep zwanen dood
Un dreamy delirante. Mucho disco conceptual en este recorrido. Debe ser el "EP" con temas más largos que escuché. Tiene algo re aristimuño, en particular el tema 4.
A fever dream of an album. Not without it's merit, but this wasn't for me. 2 Stars.
Robert Wyatt sounds like a dehydrated water chestnut. The only thing saving this album from 1 star is that odyssey of a third song, which was inventive and very fun.
After reading this came out after Robert Wyatt got into a life altering accident, this album made more sense. As weird albums go it’s poignant, you can feel the discomfort of the artist. That being said, I didn’t enjoy it. I appreciate the art, but would not listen again
Did not like. The music made my heart race and not in a good way.
Only listened to this once through but found the end of it quite self indulgent and hard to listen to.
Previously rated: Shleep (2/5) *********************** More nonsense from this guy.
Artiste inconnu. Premier constat : le chant est vraiment désagréable, il gâche la partie instrumentale qui est plutôt intéressante et originale (+2). Et ce constat est le même sur chacun des morceaux (-1) ! C'est vraiment dommage ... =>2/5
You can tell it is made and produced by drummers. There seems to be a lack of melody where the songs are merely a collection of rythms. +1 for the novelty I guess 2/5
This was a tough album to listen to.. it isn’t traditionally “good”, that is to say this will never be popular to the mainstream, but it definitely has merit and value with a higher threshold for enjoyment. 2.5/5 but rounding down as I didn’t enjoy much and won’t listen again. Unfortunately this album suffers from the lack of partial stars
Statler: “Boy, this thing sure had range” Waldrof: “Yeah, it ranged from pretentious to annoying!” Both: EHEHHAHEHAEHAAAEEHHEHA This joke was funnier in my head. 2/5
Too experimental, not my cup of tea
Uhhhhh…kind of ok shading into grating experimental noise that maybe could be ok if I was in the mood. I was not today. Still better than Kid Rock though.
Working class hymns, sensitive experimental folk backed by prog synths. The lyrics remind me of a different generation of London-er. It can be a touch one paced - although Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road gives it a nice uplift (twice). Unfortunately Alifib and Alife both lack a bit of direction and the experimental poetry across both didn’t work for me. There is a lot good about this record, but at one point I did want to kill the watermole 5/10
I have a lot of time for old English, poetry led folk music and also anything where people are trying to do something different. There were glimpses I enjoyed, but Wyatt did not win my trust over the course of the album. There’s a playful leap you need to make to be brought onside. I couldn’t get there because I’m not sure that he had fully figured the record out himself. It made me want to listen to early Pink Floyd!
Suffered through it the first listen, decided to give it another shot. Slightly less intolerable the second time around, but overall an experiment gone wrong; boring and meandering.
For me, this album was a miss. The story behind it is lovely and empowering, but the music just didn't resonate.
1.83
not really for me but some of it sounds very pretty
Some interesting trippy instrumental aspects. Vocals mostly lost me
It's at times like these where I wonder what justification the book has for this album. Seems pretty pointless, no? It's not particularly significant, it doesn't explore areas of music previously unchartered. It's just... not good... almost objectively.
Not my style. While I appreciate the moving back story, and the review in the book adds respect for the musicianship, I’m still averse to the music itself. Noodly prog rock with no song structure to hold onto, atonal chords, and a less-than-stellar singer does not add up to much enjoyment for me, regardless of the peerage of the musicians or some interesting flourishes. A high 1.5
After helping to create one of the most greatest albums ever, Nick Mason assisted through producing this… a Scott Walkerst monotone rubbish album. This is why I don’t understand British people, like this postpunk, art rock stuff rubbish music is so uninspired and feels like a waste of space. Anyways, there are some good moments from the backing instruments so it’s not a 1/5.
I wish this album was worse because then my review could be, Rock Bottom? It certainly is. Instead it’s just bad. It’s interesting and I could see how it might be someone’s cup of tea. It sure ain’t mine though
I like the album cover. The music is not my favorite, but it is not bad.
the first song was okay I guess it wasn't that good but it wasn't that bad. the second song was okay the beat was alr I don't rlly like it
I really like this song called sea song this song has good drums and beats and the singer has the tone following the vibe to the song Last straw is a really good song becuase it has a catchy rythim and the song has choir with the singers voice very good Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road This song has a lot of music before the singer sings the song but the instruments are crazy good and he did this aat the hospital 5
Very strange album, I'm not sure what to make of it... Not really my thing
noises
Very weird, would like to listen again but have to say it didn't really appeal first couple of times listening. Enjoyed second half slightly more.
I liked the first song but it got worse after that. The songs were too long.
4/10 - this was a strange album to say the least. A lot of weird use of instruments that I didn’t love
'When you're drunk you're terrific / When you're drunk / I like you mostly late at night.' Wyatt appears to run the gamut of reality but unfortunately picks up nothing along the way, so that while he ranges from the realist to the fantastical, neither perspective is ever effectively expressed. There're moments of musical ingenuity, specifically Wyatt's vocal abstractions on 'A Last Straw' and the horns on 'Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road,' but it is often too technical or too weird to be moving or persuasive. I don't think Wyatt is insincere, and he's not going out of his way to be obscure or off the beaten track, but too much of 'We'll not grow fat / the mammary gland' leaves me wanting more in the way of vigor and less in the way of languor.
This one has been my last favorite so far... Maybe if I was British I would like it more? Or if I was alive in the 70s. I can really imagine liking it if I was more familiar with the artist and his story. I respect him and the mix is actually very nice, but I found myself wanting to skip every song. I typically don't dig the trippy kind of avant garde albums, kind of reminds me of the David Bowie 2016 album.
I reflect on the life of the highway man... yum yum
Meh
Blegh
I tried. I’m out.
Dit is heel zweverige muziek. Klinkt in het begin nog wel grappig, maar gaat helaas snel vervelen. Misschien iets met hippies en veel blowen? **
First song I actually didn't mind but I did not enjoy the rest.
The first song of the album started pretty well and then about a third of the way in, things got a bit weird with the melody, so I would understand if this is used as background music for a movie. The third song is just all over the place - just crazy sounds, which you could call "playing out" when the jazz band just makes sounds but... no. Overall, not a very pleasant experience, especially when you're trying to listen to this while working, for example, and things are a bit stressed out already - the third track just makes things so much more intense than they actually are.
Dreary
I liked the chill vibes, but very eccentric lyrics and interesting vocal additions.
Odd, disconnected noise. I didn't disdain it, but it didn't do much for me.
this was confusing but not in an entertaining way
Ugh. *Another* Robert Wyatt album??? How disappointing. At least it's from his earlier--and presumably more musically active--era, and at least it's much more distinctive and downright weird at times (compared to "Shleep"), but ultimately it's not really any more interesting or particularly entertaining, at least to my unappreciative ears (although I did enjoy parts of both of the "Red riding hood" tracks). I *do* feel badly for him that the album was recorded not long after a horrible (and sadly very drunken) accident that left him a paraplegic (and oddly coinciding with his partner's work on the excellent 1973 film "Don't Look Now"). But this was a chore to endure the thankfully-brief 40 minutes or so on this album.
A little out there for me...
I didn't hate the songs, but I hated the sound mixing. Everything sounded grating to me, none of the instrumentation blended together at all and the levels for just about everything seemed off to me.
מאוד מוזר הפעם יש חלקים טובים אבל יש רוב של חלקים רעים הסולן נשמע כמו הביטלס ברוורס הכלי נשיפה נשמעים כמו תינוק שנשכח בבניין בוער אבל זה מקבל 2 נטו בגלל כמה שצחקתי
I can see how it would be an influential album, but it didn’t seem groundbreaking enough to be in the top 1001 albums of all time.
Sometimes you learn things when you get an album. This time I learned who Robert Wyatt was... not surprised that he is a British artist (the project tends to be heavily weighted toward the Brits)... and read about his interesting life story. A curious album, the title Rock Bottom makes sense when you learn that a year prior to the recording of this album he suffered an accident that left him a paraplegic and unable to play his main instrument of the drums. He took on other instruments and went solo after this and seems to have had a fascinating career.
Yeah, i didnt get anywhere near this. It probably me as i couldnt give it much attention but it was pretty impenetrable.
Blind album and artist. Rock bottom is nit accurate. It's more like a 2 for me. Close, but not the bottom.
This is dumb
I do see the Radiohead comparisons but I’m genuinely baffled by this album. It just doesn’t work for me. I don’t like his voice. The music doesn’t hang together and the surrealist elements (hello Ivor Cutler) don’t do anything for me either. 2 because it’s not unlistenable and there are glimmers of something good
What in the name of the wee man is this?
It’s not terrible, but it’s not great either.
Echt raar, geen pijl op te trekken. Niet per sé slecht, maar goed is het ook niet.
Wow this really is rock bottom, more like Robert why did you make this album. This feels like if revolution 9 was an album, musically it’s actually pretty good in parts, especially alifib and alife despite his annoying breathing throughout the entire song in the former, but this album feels like a mess, I have to give him credit for the circumstances of his spinal injury and his voice isn’t too annoying but the lyrics feel like an alien trying to speak english most of the time. 2 stars mainly because it actually hooked me a bit musically
This is pretty far out there. Progressive rock meets jazz fusion meets British folk. This has some moments, but overall it's just ok for what it is. Probably not something I would seek out again.
Obviously creative and the result of considerable skill. It’s not uncompelling, but I have to concede that overall I don’t get it.
Appreciate the effort but even though I was primed to love this by the book Blurb is just totally didn’t. Weird weird stuff, kinda actually bad singing… I just couldn’t get into this.
Another unknown album. It was ok.
It's an album that makes you think. Mostly thinking that I want to listen to Fröken Snusk instead. I save my 1* for albums that are needlessly shit. This isn't that because I don't think this lad can do any better but a 2 is generous.
wtf did I just listen to? psy-jazz?
It's weird in a "noise" way at times, which I hated, but it was also weird in a chill way occasionally, so it's not full hate. I didn't get anything out of it, but maybe it matters to to the art rock crowd.
Vocals were meh music was also meh not terrible but a one and done listen
Wow, that was pretty damn bad!
Musically it is fine, I like the unique experimental and sparse sound...but the vocals really are unlistenable. Both tuneless and emotionally unaffecting.
Very slow quite quiet not too much happened. Two or three.
I get it, but not for me
Paraplegic ex-drummer. Experimental, instrumental, delicate. Not the best voice. Assume this was done to cope. Borders on noise at times. A chore to listen to, but that might be the point as he is suffering.
I found this extraordinarily difficult to listen to. Not at all my cup of tea.
Aimless and chaotic in a bad way.
I’m hearing a Beatles and Frank Zappa influence with this guy. I’m also hearing vocals that are too low and word salad being thrown at my ears. It’s a jumbled mess of music and vocals. I can’t find anything positive out of it other than it isn’t a complete waste of my time….but almost
Ich hatte große Erwartungen, die Vorberichte versprachen einiges. Leider hat es bei mir nicht funktioniert. Es gab durchaus wunderbare Harmonien, aber insgesamt hat es nicht gefunkt. Insgesamt zogen sich die Songs.
this is kinda like the nick cave post son's death trilogy album in that you can easily see it was a working through stuff project for him, but it definitely has a feeling of not being for anyone else as a result
I started cleaning a little while after I put this on because I had a feeling it was going to be a struggle to get through. It mostly worked, because when I got tired of cleaning and sat down it all became instantly more difficult to tolerate.
I thought that maybe I'd be into this one since I'm into some weird music and I can be pretty forgiving of out of tune vocals but the prolonged dissonance was just a bit too much for me to really enjoy this. It was very melancholy and kind of slow. I appreciated the proggines of it and there was some pretty interesting things happening but I don't feel like this needed to be in this list.
song one was a man with a piano, and a ??theramin?? just singing his heart out. This is what music should be, it's a bit too psychadelic for my liking, but the parts where it's less him going off on a "musical" tangent are lyrically well done. Then it went downhill quick, like real quick, everything after that was what I assume doing drugs feels like... I have this rating system setout in my head, 1 is never gonna listen to again, 2 is i'd rather not listen to again, 3 is indifference, 4 is will likely listen to again, 5 is will listen again, one of my favourites. and I can't decide, i'm glad to have listened to it, but i'm not sure I could stomach it again.
Sorry this is trash. Nothing enjoyable about this at all. Not rock bottom on this list but came close. I’ll still give it a two as opposed to a 1. At least it sounded like he tried.
Some cool jammy moments, but they’re few and far between
Instrumentals were fine, only to be ruining by the singing.
Meh - a few too many mind altering drugs consumed by these guys. Interesting, but would not listen again.
Well it has instruments I’ve never heard before. Otherwise eh
Idk why this is here
I don’t get this? I remember liking another one of his on the list, but this was a little too experimental without any substance for me. Maybe it’d hit differently after a few more listens, but you know what? There is way too much good music out there for me to do that.
He doesn't sing very well and none of the musicians play their instruments that great although I appreciate that he's got strings, keys, horns... all of it, but none of it really works together in a "good song" kind of way. I'm not sure I understand the narrative of the songs and things often seem to build to an rambling chaos rather than any kind of cohesive climax. It's different in ways that are not really that creative but more like annoying and I wish he'd stop doing that. But I didn't feel it was quite as excruciating as others in my listening group.
Très compliqué celui-là. Je peux comprendre qu’on s’y attache, il peut parler à certaines personnes, mais il est quand même âpre et peu confortable à l’écoute. Il a influencé pas mal de choses derrière, tellement il pousse loin certaines expérimentations. Radiohead a dû écouter cet album avant de faire Kid A, par exemple. J’y reviendrai peut-être un jour. Mais je vais le laisser tranquille dans son coin quelque temps.
I think it’s absurd to have two albums by this guy on this list. I guess you had to be there.
Þessi plata sat ekki vel í mér. Hún virtist alveg tónlistarlega fín en það var eitthvað við þetta bullmál og sönginn sem fór vel ofan í mig. Eins og það væri verið að spila sönginn aftur á bak. Þetta virkaði bara ekki.
Favourite track: Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road.
I'm going to look at the percentage of 70's albums to total here... it seems like my algorithm is stuck in that decade. Yup, 29% from that decade with the next closest, the 90's, at 20%. But that's cool, no hate to the post-hippie, pre-metal age at all. Except for this album. It went on the audio equivalent of my DNF reading list. After learning that this was created and released after the artist had a tragic accident resulting in paralysis, I am empathetic to his \"Rock Bottom\" era but still struggled to listen.
like... why??
Since today, December 3rd, is the International Day of Persons with Disabilities, I can't rate it lower than a 2, even though it was quite disappointing.
As with most Prog rock, it's very hit or miss. I thought this album started off alright but fell off as it kept going. This wasn't a case of trying to do too much but rather, not having enough there to begin with. Not the worst album we've gotten but definitely in the lower half
Really not my thing.
Nope!
I appreciated that it was incentive, but nothing about it grabbed me.
Didn’t work for me but being a paraplegic drummer must be pretty tough so 2 stars
2.0 I will have to give it another go at some point to see if I still think its sucks
I wanted to like it given the tragic back story, but it did not quite come together. I do hear influences in there that were expressed on David Bowie's LOW and Radiohead's KID A. It was unfortunate we didn't get to hear what it might have sounded like if it had been completed before his accident.
Not as bad as I was expecting given the rating here, but I can't say that I found much here.
4/10 A bit too weird for my liking. A lot of songs are very weird and repetitive Favourite Song=Little Red Robin Hood Hit The Road Least Favourite Song=Alifib
Not a fan — too dissonant. The ending couple of songs are pretty good though
Too artsy fartsy for me. There were some interested elements mixed in but overall I was kind of bored. I probably just don’t get it.
What a waste of time. This album sounds like someone recorded the disjointed sounds of a middle school orchestra warming up, then running it through a synthesized piano machine, while whining about how much they needed a kazoo to round it all out. This fucking sucked. 1.5
It’s was entertaining, but so repetitive it got a little bored.
Long songs Stressy alternative piano, guitar, drums
I didn't get a lot out of this one. It seemed unnoticed.
I'm sure this came from a place following the accident, but not particularly fun to listen to
I had Shleep a few days ago and now this and its probably even worse then that. Shorter, yes, but every song, if you can call it that, is interminably long. SO. BORED.
in all honesty, i can’t remember a single track from this record. i don’t want to sound too harsh given to backstory to this album, but the sound really was not for me. there’s probably some artistic interpretation in there somewhere, but it’s not one for me to find
Sometimes beautiful. Sometimes discordant. Too often meandering.
So, this is a tough album for sure. But I don’t think it’s the worst thing on this list. I guess I kind of appreciate the effort here, but it does fall short and gets a little too off at times. 2/5 Won’t listen again
This one was weird. Somehow both psychedelic and chaotic at the same time. It flows like free-form/improvised jazz at times, but with a bunch of weird sounds. 'Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road' has polyrhythms I'm pretty sure. All in all I didn't enjoy the album much, but it did have moments of just pure confusion or just interesting things enough that I didn't turn it off Standouts Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road "No geese or seagulls were harmed in the production of this album"/5 (2/5)
it’s odd because i feel nostalgic for this lost world but it’s also so shitty
I don't get what makes this interesting. His other albums had momentum, melody, novelty and weight. This is just amateurish.
Kinda conflicted because there were some interesting instrumental moments, but the rest sounded like a subway performer on MDMA
Sea Song 2.9 A Last Straw 2.7 Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road 2.3 Alifib 2.2 Alfie 2.4 Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road 2.3 Score: 2.466666667
This album was really disappointing. I thought it would sound different based on the cover and it's just not good.
it was just ok....
Good probably but not for me
Fine
Eccentric and dissonant, but occasionally beautiful. Robert Wyatt’s album post his life changing fall is interesting, but not accessible. I didn’t find anything memorable enough to recommend other than the opening track. Songs like Alifib I actually found to be pretty annoying. Probably a 2.5 in my book.
What a mess. Far too prog rock for me.
I hate to be cruel to the handicapped but Sir Wyatt is no Don Henley in the vocals category
Interesting parts, but bit too artsy
Not for me.
This was more Interesting than Good.
Couldn't listen
Yet another 'must' album graces the list, and I'm scratching my head trying to decipher why it's listed here.
I am a bit conflicted by this one. At times I really liked it. Then it went a bit crappy.
I didn’t really like shleep and I didn’t really like this either. His irritating vocals over overwhelming, overlapping psychedelic folk stuff is just so annoying to me.
Tried too hard and failed completely. Somehow, any track would be ruined by something. +1 for Oldfield's signature guitar on the last track.
Feels like an experiment gone wrong. I felt frustrated throughout this as I believe there could be something really really good here but it's execution is just all wrong for me. Can't help feeling frustrated at what this could have been.
some of the melodies are cool, a little noisy in places. okay for background music I guess?
not my thing
meh. too mellow for my mood. wold br good background music
Weird. Pretty sure one of the last songs was a gaggle of geese talking to a hunter or farmer? The story behind the album is quite interesting, I just couldn’t get on board with it. Yet, somehow this felt ahead of its time and influencer of music to come. I can appreciate that, I just didn’t enjoy it.
Didn’t mind this but a bit too prog for my tastes, and the backwards track didn’t really add anything,
This is a mess. The vocals sound reluctant. It's not exactly structured songwriting. I don't think that was the idea. It descends to nursery rhymes at the end. Ivor Cutler comes close to saving it.
first to songs were not rubbing me the right way but did get better done think that I would listen again
A little too avante garde.
Hij is beter bij softmachine
1 nummer heeft ervoor gezorgd dat dit net geen 1 is
Art rock that I just could not get into. Reminded me of A cross between avant garde Bowie and John Frusciante’s first album.
Not sure what I am listening to
a very... interesting album indeed. peculiar ambient soundscapes, strange dissonant instrument ensembles, a whole bunch of tracks that just make you go... huh? i'm sorry, this is like actually avant-garde. i can't deal with the squawking horns for that long. seriously, what? it starts decently enough though.
This sounds like if a Ska band tried to make a radiohead album. You can tell this guy is drawing from the same well as Pink Floyd and other BritProg from the time but the kookiness weighs it down over and over.
OI LOIKE YEW MOSTLY LATE AT NOIGHT A BWA BWA BWA BWA WA WA WA WA WAAA This would be a lot better without the vocals. He's not a particularly good singer and the lyrics, when you can understand them (and they're played forward instead of reverse) are pretty dumb. The instrumentation is good, and as much as the keys wander in some songs they do form a cohesive pattern eventually, which is satisfying when it ultimately gets to that point. I listened to this at work and kinda regretted it. I feel like I should be laying down and highly medicated to "get" it, and I'll probably do that at some point, skipping some obvious parts. One listen really isn't enough, kinda like hearing "Music For Airports" by Brian Eno, which is one of my favorite albums, and I didn't really like the first time I heard it. That's probably not a coincidence since Wyatt is credited on at least one track there. Anyway I'm saying too much about an album that is 6 tracks, 3.5+ of which are mostly unlistenable squeals and rambling repeated lyrics about nothing in various British accents. The first “Little Red" track and "Alifib" are things I'll revisit. The rest couldn’t even be saved by bong hits unfortunately.
Another weird messy album. Worse than yesterday.
Sad
Not really sure about this album. Best track IMHO is little red ridinghood. Might be worth another listen at some stage
Wouf, pas le meilleur sur la liste des albums mous
Feels like the whole first song is offbeat. Math rock, perchance???? waawaawaaaaawawawaaawaaaWAAWAA Kinda weird, some bright spots, but also some scratchy bad tuneage in there.
A little too weird.
just because an album is weird and inaccessible doesn’t mean that it’s brilliant. case in point, an album previously reviewed for this challenge, captain beefheart’s trout mask replica. oof. i would certainly say that this album definitely falls into that category as well. many songs do not seem to carry a distinct rhythm or melody and the singer can’t carry a tune. it’s a dumpster fire of an album, but at least it clocks in under 40 minutes.
I really like Soft Machine, Wyatt's former band at this point, but I couldn't really get into this album. Some of the music was interesting but overall I was disappointed by it.
I guess it was interesting. It wasn’t enjoyable to me but it wasn’t “bad” and maybe for the time it was bold.
sounds decent but is just noodling and not very interesting noodling
Not my cup of tea. Little too avant garde. 1.5/5
It's weird, but it sound as if it's only weird because it's all he can do, not because he's creative.
I'm not familiar with this artist at all. Interesting mixture of synth and acoustic instruments. Not crazy about Robert's voice, but the lyrics are interesting. Weird soloing with LOTS of dissonant chords and rambling sequences, like he's looking for the correct notes to hit. Some of the lyrical choices, the long sequences of odd 'wah-wahs' definitely rubbed me the wrong way at times and drops this down a bit. An interesting listen, but not my favorite. 2/5
bit of an experimental sentimental mess
Pretty rock bottom but not completely like the other that is bottom!
Now I like weird music, but this manages to be weird and boring at the same time.
Noch ein Album, das für mich zu viel mit freien Disharmonien spielt.
I didn't get it. Good for him for continuing to make music after a life altering accident....so yeah. Not for me.
Idc
Ez 2. Nothing really great about the album but the last song kind of ripped for me.
Robert Wyatt again? Yeah the last one was weird and rubbish seems like this one is too.. Few tracks I. Hmm some of this sounds alright? Oh. No it's just quieter, and by contrast less annoying.
Can't deal. He has such a weaselly little voice. Thumbs down.
Sucks about this guy's legs but this wasn't very good
The intro to the first song had me hopeful...but my hopes were dashed quickly. What even was this? Experimental prog? No, thank you. This album would have been much better either with a different vocalist, or none at all. 3 for the music, 1 for the singing =2
why
I hope I never hear this album again. Sounds like music made by people mid crazy acid trip for others on a peak acid trip. Unfortunately I am sober, and really struggled to appreciate it Some occasional cool jazz sections which have given it a slightly higher score. No stand out songs because
So after listening to the first song….I thought maybe I might really like this. And then it just got bizarre and while I can hear the musicality in it. It’s not like listening to a Jazz album. It’s a mishmash of stuff that occasionally has something interesting. I will likely not be listening to this again.
Nope found this one a pretty painful listen, prog rock is hard for me at the best of times, but the vocals on this make it a bit unbearable.
It’d be average psychedelic rock with a capable singer…but this poor fella’s voice and enunciation…fingernails on a chalkboard.
I'm feeling a 2.5. I think if I cared enough to listen to this more, I might grow to kind of vibe with it.
Although I liked the Psychadelic music era and Pink Floyd, this album really didn’t do much for me, not sure why it was selected???
Too many choices made about timbre that grated my ears for me to ever want to listen again
Mais um acústico sem relevância para mim.
Interesting. In a good way. I think. Fragile, but I’m not sure if it’s fragile like the first snow flake of the winter or fragile like the exhaust of a Fiesta XR2i that is held on by 12 month old gaffer tape. Definitely in the “glad I’ve listened to it” category whilst also being firmly in the “not sure I actually enjoyed it” slot.
"art rock", kinda spooky feeling
o . o . o . o
Quite different and odd for the era, did not really enjoy it though.
For acid trippers? It’s a bad trip for me.
Veit ekki hvað skal segja. Ekki leiðinlegt og stundum notalegt, en líka stundum tilgerðarlegt röddin gerir ekkert fyrir mig. Eigum við að henda í tvist eða þrist?
Tää oli vähän liian taiteellista meikälle! 2/5
Annoin listan edelliselle Wyattin levylle ykkösen, mutta tähän pääsin sen verran kuitenkin sisään, että ansaitsee kakkosen.
Taitaa olla jo toinen Wyatt listalla, enkä tätäkään vielä ihan tajua. Sinänsä riemastuttavaa outoilua mut ei puhuttele. 2.5/5
It's experimental but I can't find a steady pace with it.
Got nothing really to say about this. I wanted to enjoy it after reading the synopsis but there’s nothing really to dig into. Its gone so far into the obscure it’s almost boring. I definitely feel ‘art rock’ is better these days than back then
Toxic levels of prog rock, the random noises that replaced a large portion of the lyrics was particularly wanky. Feels like Rob recorded what ever came into his head without stopping to think if it was any good, and it almost always wasn't. I guess the general sound wasn't completely unlistenable but largely seemed to be strange in an attempt to be interesting and I didn't like it. 1.5.
I can see what he was going for, but it wore my patience out. Probably goes a bit over my head. I can't 100% make up my mind about it - on a different day I think I'd enjoy it, but it was a bit of a struggle. I didn't mind Alifib. Also - the tracks need to be shorter.
Hmm. This is pretty out there. Probably a bit too much so for me to want to go back, but there was something about it I did quite enjoy Think the opening track is the best one, but I felt it got a bit too strange as it went on. It kinda makes me feel like I'm too stupid to get it, but there was something. Could he only think of 4 different song titles? Or are those 2 with very similar titles to 2 others linked in some clever way that I don't appreciate? I didn't dislike it. 2.5
Holy Smokes that was hard work. Closest to a 1* album i've found yet. Hard prog is not fun, that's what i've found out today
I tried. I really did. Just not into the experimental music today.
Nope, still weird
Sorry Bob, not my cup of tea.
This was a slog to get through. I’d have given it one star, except the story of its creation is pretty neat. The music itself seems like a first draft that needs a lot more work and production.
Quite experimental.
Kind of interesting but probably wouldn't listen again
I feel like I get where this is going - musically interesting and enjoyable, lyrically good to start with but vocally quite unpleasant and not enough to make me want to come back for more
The story about the album is more interesting to me than the music.
Started off like a bad impression of a Bowie album, and sorry to say it never grabbed me after that. The writing and singing weren't strong, and never quite fit with the music. The production was abysmal - it struck me that Wyatt sounded like he walked into a studio and decided to sing over another record. In a year that brought us progressive pinnacles like The Lamb Lies Down, Red, and Relayer, this album stands out as a major disappointment. As a prog fan I am glad this was on the list, both for the story of its creation and as a cautionary tale. With the people involved, this could have been an intriguing "difficult listening" album, and wound up sounding like a parody of the genre.
boring
Vocals ruin it
Pretty cool experimental / improvisational sound. I really enjoy the blend of experimental with traditional. I feel MORE enthused to listen to music like this when there is some unknown about what is coming next, and often in experimental music you tend to actually know what is coming next if 100% of the music is experimental. Does that make sense? When everything you've heard is weird, it's not exciting to hear MORE weird parts? It's exciting at that moment to hear something contextually weird- like a traditional part. My gripe (because I have to have one lol) is that there seems to be a limited bandwidth for experimental music on this 1001 list and I can think of many other albums over this one that are deserving of a place that I've not seen yet after ~450 or so albums. It was just OK.
Not really good sounding, but interesting for the time I suppose
Ciekawe, ale nie dla mnie