Rock Bottom

Best Song: Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road. At least the brass instrumentals were nice. Worst Song: Sea Song. That warbled singing is not a strong way to kick off an album. Overall: I respect the weirdness of this album, even if I mostly didn't enjoy it. The laboured breathing through the entirety of Alifib? Interesting choice that's awful to listen to. Followed by Alife, which sounds like the soundtrack to someone's sleep paralysis? Bold. Painful, but bold.

Pretty pretty pretty weird.

The guy can't sing

This is pretty good. Not great, but pretty good. 3/5

Not my bag.

Rating: 5/10

A mediocre album bookended by two stunning songs.

un peu horrible

pretty avant garde but still enjoyable, 4stars

When you say something is “interesting”, it’s usually damning with faint praise. However, this really is “interesting”. It’s a soundscape and an experience and a meander through space and time. I respect the experimentation and the vulnerability of this record. I wouldn’t necessarily choose to play it, but I definitely admire what he’s chosen to do and it was not a difficult experience. Kudos to the guy.

I love Shipbuilding, so was enthusiastic about listening to this album, but left bitterly disappointed. I only liked Seasong, the rest was cacophony.

Did not get this one at all.

Holy shit this was bad. I feel like I am at rock bottom after listening to this.

Strange, and oddly improvisational-sounding.

I can't figure out what this album was trying to do, musically or otherwise. Not bad on the ears, though (mostly). Best track: Sea Song

Absolutely awful.

Belle surprise, je ne connaissais pas du tout cet artiste. J'ai aimé tout le côté étrange, dissonant, expérimental. Je réécouterai certainement.

i guess this is kinda interesting but it also irritates me immensely. makes me anxious

The music on this album is interesting, but it is also awfully difficult to listen to. Favorite track: Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road

Sometimes, but not really.

Rock créatif des débuts des 1970, presque iconoclaste. L’histoire humaine derrière les textes est émouvante. Me fait penser à Patrick Watson par sa créativité.

Definitely ahead of its time. Parts of it reminded me of Peter Gabriel era Genesis, or Marillion in the Fish days (though that's pretty much the same thing, isn't it?). It was an interesting and enjoyable listen.

I am having a tough time rating this one. It's interesting, but not one I really want to revisit ...experimental, wild, weird...and hypnotic... let's say straight down the middle, 2.5, a worthwhile listen.

Very lovely. Never heard this. Amusingly had a later Elvis Costello album yesterday so it's a before and after Shipbuilding here, which is fun. Absolutely love Little Red Riding Hood the first, and Alife. I'm obviously going to love this with my NEU! predilections. Drink it in. Also this has Ivor Cutler on it at the end. 5 big stars.

that was weird but kinda neat

6/10. Not bad, but felt like it was just being weird for the hell of it.

I appreciate that he was experimenting but it didn’t sound great. 4/10

Nice Melodiesthis album was a lot of fun… sounds like a 70s version of Radiohead

Me rn

Wow so this album is quite a journey. I'll admit during the opening strains of Sea Song I wasn't expecting to give this a very high rating but at some point it clicked what was going on. This strange proggy, folky beautiful mess of an album unfolds in front of you, constantly surprising but never sounding out of place in context of the rest of the record. Robert is a brilliant songwriter and incredibly cryptic lyricist and his delicate warbling, meandering delivery takes a while to get used to but seems to reflect exactly what he was trying to achieve. Not to mention he has recruited a hell of a team to play with him. This is the sound of a group of musicians who have got wild experimentation down to a fine art. I can see myself revisiting this many times in the future.

maybe his best

Weird. I’m learning from this project that I really hate art rock. The scratchy and out of tune vocals make it even worse. I feel bad because the guy had just had a bad accident that left him paralyzed but maybe he should’ve done a bit more reflecting and recovering before penning this atrocity. Just because he was paralyzed doesn’t mean he’s excused for inflicting this album upon the world. Couldn’t finish.

drab 1.5

Well, the title is certainly fitting. Listening to this truly feels like being in rock bottom.

Quirky, fascinating. Some great layered, tonal experimentation that I really liked. Definitely not for everyone. Fave Songs: Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road (2), Sea Song, Alifib, Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road (1)

It’s all the parts of a prog rock album I skip.

This didn't make much of an impression on the first listen but glad I listened again. Oddly satisfying.

A complex work that will reward many re listens

I wasn't in the mood the first time I listened but I enjoyed my second and third listen. It is weirdly beautiful with some very strange lyrics.

I think he told Nick Mason that he wanted a weird sound, not like that commercial pop that Pink Floyd does.

Idk delivery sucks decent day but why

I can't do this stuff. Maybe if I was on acid...

Best listened to in an altered state.

1.5

I wanted to like this much more than I did, unfortunately.

Going in totally blind on this one... "Your lunacy fits nicely with my own." That's a funny lyric. And that's a seriously strange outro (Sea Song). "Hey Robert, we're not going to be able to afford a trumpet player for 'A Last Straw.'" "No problem. I'll just sing the part. 'wah wah wah wah wah.' How was that?" "Fuckin' NAILED it!" "We're going to need a guitar solo." "No problem. Just record me tuning up." "Fuckin' BRILLIANT!" "I just binged 'Tomorrow Never Knows.' Hit record and let's play this song backwards." There is something strangely compelling about this. Can't exactly say I enjoyed it, it sounded like it were being composed as it was being recorded, but it seems like a peek into the very cluttered mind of a mad genius. This dude must be a trip to converse with. "Mr. Wyatt. Are you off your meds?" "I'm fighting for the crumbs from the little brown loaf. I want it. I want it. I want it. I want it." "So that's a 'yes'..." This is the first artist from this venture for whom I immediately listened to another album just to hear what the hell else this guy recorded. Pretty much a continuation of this album. I feel a little bad now knowing his story about the accident and his loss of the use of his legs just before recording this, but it seems to me that this artist would have recorded a similarly bizarre album regardless. I give it a tuna fish sandwich. A star rating just doesn't apply.

I'm familiar with Soft Machine, so I had some idea of what to expect here. I'm glad this was included as it's not the kind of thing you hear very often. And once I got used to the vocals, I came to rather like this. Fans of Kid A should find much to enjoy here, though, I think I might like it even more than Kid A. I dig the pastoral vibe. And yeah, it's not the kind of thing I'll listen to every day, but some of the jams were spacey and cool. I definitely get some Meddle-era Pink Floyd vibes, which makes sense, given Nick Mason's involvement. Anyway, thumbs up.

I'll start by saying I had no idea who Robert Wyatt or Soft Machine are. Both names sounded a wee bit familiar. I started reading the lyrics to the first song, Sea Song, before the music started. ugh. As I progressed into the album I thought, I'm cool with avant garde, kitsch, and dada (not to brag but I did see John Cage 4'33" in DC freshman year of college) but ugh...this brings me neither aural joy, intellectual stimulation, nor entertainment. Had I seen the album cover back in my youth, you can bet I'd have made the purchase. I love the artwork and how it makes me feel but can't say the same for the sounds produced on this record.

Unapologetically British. Not my favorite album and I'm not sure if it needs to be on the list. I didn't hate it, but won't be listening to it again. Best Songs: Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road Worst Songs: Sea Song, Alifib

This is one where I just go really? Really? There wasn’t another album out there more influential or, just better? Hard to believe. It makes me look back at some other 1s I’ve given and realize they should’ve been 2s.

Don't get it

2.5 Really like to hear more of this one.

Strange but soothing, intoxicating, expansive, a waking dream. Like swimming underwater through an ocean of prog, free jazz, rock and Middle Eastern/Byzantine drone and melody. An incredibly beautiful album.

Knowing the context of this record-that Robert Wyatt was paralyzed by a fall from a high window just before recording, and music was basically all he had to live for-certainly helps increase one’s admiration for it. Its highly experimental and atonal nature, though, isn’t for everyone, despite the number of talented musicians on hand.

Wave after wave, Robert Wyatt takes us on an astonishing and marvellous trip to the sea. His frail voice is the auditory equivalent of spindrifts: it has an automatic effect on you, and can even repel you at first given its somewhat flimsy grasp of pitch sometimes, but once you get used to it, it becomes close to a mischievous, evocative friend tickling your senses. Soon, you don't notice Robert's quaver is relatively vulnerable anymore, because you're already under the surface with it, bathing in the middle of strange and poetic sonic landscapes. Everything about this record is liquid--the voice, of course, but also the synth and organ layers, the oozy basslines, and the many jazzy brass flourishes. It would be a mistake to only address the sonic textures, though: repeated listens indeed soon reveal how the tracks are carefully constructed too, their different parts and intricate arrangements phasing in and out of the foreground, weaving their seaweed fabric as their tides ebb and flow all around your ears. Water is enticing, but it's also treacherous. Take the short intro of wonderful opener "Sea Song", for example. You might believe that those relatively by-the-number piano chords announce a somewhat mundane ballad, yet the emotional turmoil right after those first seconds sounds far more intense than what you could have expected at first, and this until the deliverance of the transcendant final part, filled with hope and longing. Wyatt is also unreliable in the ways that he sometimes winks at the audience, especially when he makes goofy non-sequiturs in his lyrics or uses a lower grotesque timbre to create unexpected lighter moments compared to the rest of the tortured proceedings. In that realm, see also the backwards-recorded voice in the middle of "Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road", rewinding everything that was sung up to that point in the song, a playful move that suggests the sort of tricks a child could play on you. If the key word to "get" this record is catharsis, it's still one taken with a huge grain of salt, in keeping with the oceanic mood. Everything is nicely summed up in the last track, "Little Red *Robin Hood* Hit The Road": yes, its first part does amp up the intense longing to embrace an ocean of experience and emotions already diplayed in the rest of the album, supported by mellifluous electric guitar licks, unmistakably played by Mike Oldfield. Yet as grand as this first part sounds, the song (and album)'s conclusion returns to the quicksands of that surrealistic grotesque mode we talked about earlier, mocking transcendence through Wyatt's voice, here set once more to a gruffy, near-comical mode. This earthy coda suggests we finally returned to the shores of mankind, welcomed by a wrinkled mariner gently admonishing us through his inane and uncomprehensible babble. Our odyssey is over. The end. What a trip. What a strange voyage. Far less groovy and free-formed than Wyatt's original band Soft Machine, but far more poetic and evocative, *Rock Bottom* is a seventies prog-rock masterpiece which could not be further distanced from all the virtuosistic clichés of the genre. As such, it's bound to be discovered again and again by future fans of experimental music, undettered by the nonplussed reactions of shallower minds around them rejecting all this as utter nonsense. The tides, they come and go. Robert Wyatt knew it, and we can all be glad he went with the flow here. Number of albums left to review or just listen to: 838 Number of albums from the list I find relevant enough to be mandatory: 89 (including this one) Albums from the list I *might* include in mine later on: 39 Albums from the list I will certainly *not* include in mine (many others are more important): 33

Didn’t love it, but there was some interesting stuff on there. Might grow on me if I give it another listen.

Interring.

It was ok. Just soft jazz smooth music. But I didn't like it

Tracks 1&2 Is he crushing on a mermaid? Track 3 Seems backwards looping tracks were all the rage in the 70s. Oh blimey, mercy me, woe are we. Dig the jazzy horns and bass though. Tracks 4&5 When he said "Nit nit folley baloley", I felt that. Dig the jazzy piano and drums though. Track 6 Is this what the English call 'taking the piss'? Dig the strings, etc. I like the jazzy soundscapes. Lyrically, I can see the influence on modern wordsmiths like Daft Punk and Lil' Pump. Still can't see the dead moles, but I'll try again in a few months.

Un début d'album extrêmement difficile pour Wyatt qui n'était pas du tout prêt au moment où le micro commença l'enregistrement. Il se démènera alors dans la panique pour limiter les dégâts et reprendre le train en marche mais cette entame catastrophique aura raison de la qualité du projet.

Derrière le pseudonyme de Robert Wyatt se cache en fait notre Robert national, qui s'essaye ici à la musique avec plus ou moins de succès. Les rythmiques sont extrêmement approximatives, mais ce gloubi-boulga musical n'est finallement pas si désagréable.

This album is a bit of a euphoric hot mess. So many minor chords and weird noise. Not really my thing, but sort of harmless and interesting. It seems like something composed by someone who spent too much time alone.

This album is really bad. This might be the first one star review I have given.

Man, after reading what happened to the guy, I really wanted to be able to give this a good rating but this... it's unlistenable at times. He's completely off-key. There are certain notes he can't hit but goes for anyways. It sounds like every instrument was assigned to play a different song during some parts, and during other parts it sounds like he hired people who didn't know how to play the instruments. I can appreciate the weirdness even if I don't like it, but a lot of this is just dreadful to listen to.

If you didn't already know Pitchfork sold out in 2015 and will 'fold in' later this year. Yes, they sold to Condé Nast which will fold the once independent music blog into GQ magazine. It seems crazy to think that this independent real-voice establishment would end up like this, but the bottom line makes the world go round, and nothing is free... This morning, I logged on to Pitchfork to see why they had given this album a 4+ star rating according to Wikipedia. No dice. Either the page is missing, unpublished or search on Pitchfork.com has been impacted by the merge. I did find an article (not review) of the 2-disc set "Different Every Time." Wyatt, seems to be the godfather of British experimental music in the early / mid 70's. The most interesting thing I found there was his connections. Pitchfork writes "...he's an astoundingly versatile and prolific collaborator: the six-degrees-of-Kevin-Bacon figure who directly links Jimi Hendrix, Hot Chip, Swell Maps, Pink Floyd, and Björk." So, as I don't care much for this album, it does suggest Robert Wyatt may have more influence as a collaborator on the music I do care about. Swell Maps has got to be one of my favorite discoveries in recent years... and Björk ... well, hits and misses, but there's no one else just like her. This album is just a piece of a larger machine, an entry in a resumé. Similarly, Pitchfork.com had plenty of influence and there was no other music resource like it either and now is an piece of something larger but less unique. https://pitchfork.com/reviews/albums/19920-different-every-time/ https://www.semafor.com/article/02/04/2024/inside-conde-nasts-breakup-with-pitchfork

Robert Wyatt has two albums on the list, more than 20 years apart, and third with Soft Machine before his solo career. And they all stink. But “Rock Bottom” most of all. I thought it was fitting that this seems to be rock bottom of his music career, but then I read that he recorded this after a fall that left him paraplegic and wheelchair-bound. So it may have been rock bottom in his life, but with apologies, it was also for his music. I don’t know why this was critically acclaimed, but it was awful and I did not need to hear this.

I almost gave it an extra star for only making me listen to it for six songs

This album is the antithesis of synergy. The sum is most definitely much worse than the parts. Sea Song is very difficult to listen to. That non-word, moaning part at the end is the fingernails on a chalkboard to my ears. Yikes! I had to skip the last minute. I hate the squeaky noises in Alife. I could write more but I don’t want to listen again to pinpoint my comments. This is an album where I think being a professional critic is a bunch of bullshit because this album was overwhelmingly well received.

Awful.

Op z'n minst een speciaal album. Geen toegankelijke muziek, maar niet verschrikkelijk

This album is unlistenable garbage.

Weird and experimental, but I did occasionally find myself vibing with it.

It really was Rock Bottom ! 1*

Its not often I give a one-star and this may not have be worthy of a one but it wasn't good. The music was OKish but the singing....

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.

an insane and mournful fever dream. like a David Bowie-Radiohead AI-generated salad

Unusual, but I like the songwriting. I personally would prefer the production to be less electronic, I'm not sure how well it fits the rest of the style. I knew the first song from a folk cover, its a great track although I still prefer the cover

It is albums like this that keep me doing this list. Having only know of Robert Wyatt through his song Shipbuilding I was expecting an album of folk ballads. That would have been OK but an album of wild sounding jazz fusion mixed with psychedelia was a 100 times better. I had to check I was still listening to the right album at one stage as some of the noises wouldn't have been out of place on some bands I like that came 10-20 years after this release. I had no idea about Robert Wyatt's accident and the struggle he had gone through in the lead up to this album. It makes what I heard on Rock Bottom even more meaningful. I need to explore more of his work now

The cover art is washed out and hard to see or make sense of. Maybe having the physical album would help, but it turns out my impression of the art is perfect for the album which is also faint and weird and hard to get enough of a fix on to even decide if it is interesting or just self indulgent. Yeah, just got to Alife, and I'm afraid Robert Wyatt has worn out his welcome. Not for me. But then I don't like Radiohead either. I did look up the Tears for Fears cover of Sea Song and found it a bit more accessible. After that I was thinking maybe two stars and went back and listened to the album again and halfway through decided no, no second star, I just don't like it.

16qt

Rock Bottom is aptly named and decidedly feels like it belongs there.

Such a wonderfully strange journey. Not sure I'm in the right headspace for this album today so maybe it would rank higher on another day.

very experimental and, unfortunately, quite unpleasant to listen to

kind of spacey, experimental, jazzy. It's alright I guess.

very good sound, quirky and interesting!

I almost turned the album off after the first two tracks, but told myself, “you only have to listen to the album once and never again…” so I kept listening and I’m very glad I did. It’s beauty hit me despite my reluctance and disinterest.

I've always thought Robert Wyatt was a bit of an odd duck, with his high-pitch, off-key delivery and his gloomy songs. But, learning that he was a paraplegic when he recorded this adds another perspective. The first song is lovely. The rest is listenable but I'm not a fan when the songs develop into more Avant Gard pieces. Still, you have to tip your hat to those who created and financed something this uncommercial. I read a quote by a Soft Machine guy saying that they voted out guitars early on, and RW seems to have followed that directive for the most part, but the solo by Mike Oldfield is instantly recognizable.

well this was a wild ride. Kudos for him getting his freak on here.

What the actual??? I don’t know what the artist was on when they recorded this and I don’t know what I would have to be on to enjoy this. No, just no.

Did not enjoy. Somewhat odd.

I don't blame Robert Wyatt for making this album full of noodling nonsense; I blame the listmaker for pretending as though there were anything of merit here.

When I went through a brief period of let's call it "hipsterdom" I would've been all over this. It's not a radio album. The background story is compelling. It's kinda proggy, I guess. My vocabulary fails me right now. But this just left me uninterested. The background of the album really is something but listening to this is just...eh.

I liked it a lot and will definitely revisit. Reminded me of Mike Oldfield.

Not really a fan. Musically I could probably enjoy it, but I do not like the vocals.

70s boring listen.

I like something distinctive, unique, original...weird, even. But not this, not today. No. Sorry.

There wasn't really anything here for me. My first listen last night really rubbed me the wrong way. I gave it a second listen today on my walk and it wasn't completely repulsive to me...but much of it was.

This was the perfect listen at the perfect time. Why wouldn't someone sing backwards during my stay at The Great Northern Hotel from Twin Peaks? Will I ever want to listen again? Who knows. But it will remain a special memory forever.

I had never heard of Robert Wyatt but as I listened to “Sea Song” I was very intrigued and engaged at this truly unique and very odd love song. I stared at the cover of the album as I listened and felt myself drifting into its world. Do I love this song…? I think I do… “A Last Straw” meandered about and I felt myself drifting like a krill in a giant ocean as the music pushed me this way and that through its currents. It was strangely wonderful. I could live here. Midway through “Little Red Riding Hood Hits the Road” I realized the singing was backwards. I had to reference the lyrics to realize he was unsinging the lyrics from the first half of the song. I would have thought it was some musical joke but I found it strangely satisfying. The horns in this song are wonderful and there is an excitement with really lovely piano and a driving beat. “Alifib” has more of that drifting-along-in-the-sea vibe that I really am loving. The inscrutable lyrics sound almost like a prayer amidst the shifting currents of the song. Wonderful. “Alife” continues in a similar way, but becomes more frenetic as it advances until the kind of wild saxophone bellowing away at the end. The chant at the end is really odd and I am not sure what it all means, but I really liked the drama. “Little Red Robin Hood Hits the Road” then closes the album in a really perfect way. It is dramatic and cacophonous through its first have, then settles down with some quietly droning strings and a strange monotonal chant. A somewhat maniacal laugh closes the album. Wow! This is really surprising to me that it was created in 1974… it sounds more in line with Radiohead or Thom Yorke’s solo stuff. I had no idea that something like this existed 40 years ago to serve as such a unique source of inspiration. I love hitting ROCK BOTTOM with Robert Wyatt. The swirling sounds took me into a watery world in a way that was a true surprise. I connected to the stark and solitary world it creates and will happily return there again soon.

Probably a reasons I've never heard of this

Первая песня напомнила Боуи. Да и остальные - довольно занятный эксперимент. Достойно ознакомления.

The very few pages of Finnegan's Wake I've read come to mind, I'm sure because of the water.

Listening to this is like getting stuck in a fever dream - which makes sense knowing that it was created in the wake of an injury that left him paraplegic. The experience of listening to it was not enjoyable for me.

Obviously this isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea, and honestly I can see why this is hardly anyone's cup of tea, but goddamn I have to stick up for Robert Wyatt. First of all, the fact that he became paralyzed while in the middle of making this record, and that he then carried on to complete it and continue his music career, is nothing short of miraculous. I have always found his music both haunting and comforting, particularly his voice, but if you listen to this album through the lens of what he was going through at the time, this album takes on a whole new depth and dimension. Yes, this album is challenging, but to be the cathartic, soul searching record that it is, it has to be challenging. If you have an immediate negative reaction to this album, I get it, feel free to move on. But if you find yourself not quite sure how to feel about it, give it another spin. I promise you it becomes more rewarding with repeated listens (particularly on a good pair of headphones at night).

Instrumentally it's interesting but vocally, oof not my thing. Initially this is a 2 for the grating high pitched vocals but then I read up on the album and now I feel kinda bad since he became paraplegic during this album. However it seems this was still the same vocal style regardless of the accident from his previous works, maybe it became a bit more strained. The vocals unfortunately do not make me want to listen to it though. A 3 since it is trying something different.

People have described this as experimental. I'm more in the obnoxious camp, his voice never seems to sync up with the music and is all over the place

One of the most beautiful sounding albums ever. It is very typical English art rock, and I always thought of it as The Hounds of Love of the 70s. It has quite a reputation, and for sure, Radiohead fans will like it. In short: a great album, 5 stars easily.

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

This is very weird music! not quite right for the morning commuite, maybe better suited to being slumped in a chair with a dram. I enjoyed lostening to this, found it quite trippy and very original.

Trippy, good background though

An expansive and unusual album. The beginning is rather dirgelike before taking off into a horn filled modal jazz like middle section. This album is tinged with pastoral British folk passages undergirded by experimental lyrics and instrumentation. It’s honestly rather brilliant.

I tried but the last straw was the 2nd track on the album and I just couldn't continue...

Doot doot

Sucesión de canciones con un cierto ritmo, pero también con secuencias un tanto caóticas y sin sentido. Solo por eso, por esa variedad, merece su atención y escucha, pero no mucho tiempo. No me ha aportado nada

Great production and mixing, sounds really smooth and perfect. But the actual style of music, a mix of ambience and psychedelia simply did not wow me in any way. The songs are too similar and lack direction.

Overall just very odd with weird noises etc. The fact that the oddness is the only thing I remember a day later, clearly says something

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

Famously composed by drummer Robert Wyatt in hospital after falling out a 3rd-story window. He's been in a wheelchair ever since. Instrumentation is pretty jazz-rock with a psychedelic edge, which I don't mind too much, but Wyatt on vocals is a non-starter for me. His soft, shitty little voice does nothing for me. This is what makes Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road easily the best song on the album for me: a nice jazz-fusion instrumental track that leans heavily into the atmospheric elements. I was hoping to get more out of this album than I did. Just seems like Wyatt had a lot of half-baked ideas where a few worked but most didn't. Combine that with poor vocal execution and you've got Rock Bottom.

Experimental but not a repeatable listen

Incredible story behind this album. The songs are definitely a bit eclectic, but they are relaxing and enjoyable to listen to. Very creative

Did not vibe with it

God awful noise

This was experimental, but not in a way that I enjoy.

Well, what is this? - "Experimental jazz meets psychedelic pop" with a strong emphasis on "psychedelic". "Alife" even resembles Jean Michel Jarres Ethnicolor from the Zoolook album, even though it's and entierely different genre. I found it strangely difficult to fast forward or skip tracks. The whole album is very trippy, in a good way. This is far from my usual tastes, but I'll give this 3.5/5.

beautiful

This is so weird and artsy I love it. The instrumentation is prog-y and orchestral, it sounds amazing.

Psychedelic sounds! I like it!!!

Really enjoyed this. It has a rhythmic bouncy folky feel for a prog rock album. So much better than angry shredding rock nonsense.

Interesting musically, but vocals draining

S'alright

This got pretty adventurous. Kind of like a folky/prog sound. Interesting.

Unlistenable! British art house nonsense for the sake of itself.

Not my taste. Appreciate it as a unique piece of art.

Weird, not my type of music

i was initially going down the line of my standard check out this 70s nonce singing falsetto. but to give it some credit this is clearly some mad jazz shit and not just standard 70s wank.

Comfortably the best attempt at music I've heard this hour. It felt like how giving an Eskimo kiss to a baboon's anus after a curry feels.

Another toothy danger

Probably the most enjoyable jazzy/proggy album we have had on this list, although that's a very low bar. I can definitely hear some echos of this in Radiohead and God Speed! You Black Emperor.

Actual trash

Awangardowosc i progresywnosc tego albumu uciekly daleko poza skale w ktorej sie obracalem, wiec po odsluchu jestem calkowicie zbambozlowany co tak wlasciwie uslyszalem, a jest czego sluchac, bo sporo artystow sie przewija przez plyte i obok instrumentow typowo rokowych mozna uslyszec takze skrzypce, klarnety, czy nawet bardziej egzotycznie koncertyne, czyli jakby mini harmonie reczna z klawiszami pod obiema lapami, pierwszy raz widze takie cuda, ale lista instrumentow jest jeszcze dziwniejsza, bo mozna tam znalezc lampki wina czy podstawki tego samego producenta, z ktorych pan Wyatt stara sie wydobyc dzwieki kotrych mu brakuje do swojej wizji, ktora jak przystalo na wyspiarza z Canterbury, pana Roberta Wyatta powinnienem kojarzyc z bandy soft machine, ktorej nazwa mi sie obila o uszy, chocby jako jojowa referencja, ale jednak na last fmie mialem przesluchane tylko kilka pojedycznych trakow z ich dyskografii, wiec to oczywiscie, ze Wyatta slysze teraz pierwszy raz, wiki podpowiada, ze w specyficznych okolicznosciach powstawala plyta, a raczej dosc nieciekawych, bo nagrywanie odbywalo sie w czasie rekonwalescencji po wypadku, ktory przykul Wyatta do wozka do konca zycia, a chociaz w liryce ciezko doszukac sie bezposrednich odniesien do tych wydarzen, a sam material mial byc skomponowany dlugo przed wypadkiem, to jednak musialo to jakos wplynac na brzmienie tego nagrania, ktore mnie zdecydowanie przeroslo zarowno od strony instrumentalnej jak i liryczno wokalnej, bo jak przystalo na wyspiarza z canterbury, to uzywa on cheaky heya cunt slownictwa polaczonego z brytyjskim akcentowaniem, dodatkowo bogato posilkujac sie onometopejami, wiec rekord jest pelny jeczenia, wzdychania i wszelkich piri tiri piri tiri zwlaszcza blizniacze kawalki alife i alifib, wiec o ile nie sluchalo mi sie tego zle, a orginalnosci materialu nie mozna odmowic, to jednak sie odbilem i jedynie pierwszy trak wydaje mi sie zrozumialy, jak to bywa z lowe songami, chociaz w tym wydaniu to nietrafione okreslenie, bo chociaz kawalek o milosci, to jednak prosty nie jest, ale prosty na standardy jakie wyznaczyla plyta, ciekawe jest ze pomimo tego ze Wyatt jest glownym wokalem i gra zarwono perkusyjne fragmenty jak i klawisze, no i wynalazki pokroju kieliszkow, to jednak nie slychac go tak jak slychac muzyka rokowego, a pokazuje sie bardziej jako grajek jazzowy, moze bardziej kompozytor, bo to jednak jego aranzacje gdzie daje miejsce do popisu innym artystom, bo niektore kawalki sa wrecz zdominowane przez artystow, sesyjnych, jak w przypadku piatego utworu alife i obecnej tam saksy, na plejke dodam otwierajacy sea song, ktory jako najprzystepniejsza piosenka calego krazka jest rowniez najczesciej odtwarzanym utworem wedlug spotifaja z tej plyty

4.4 - I was initially turned off by the vocals that struggle to keep in tune with a rather complex melody on "Sea Song." Aptly named, that song floats on a sea of sound that seems to envelope and immerse you in a strange and delightful soundscape reminiscent of "Kid A." In fact, so many sounds seem to directly inform "Kid A" that Thom Yorke could well be accused of ripping it off. There's the riot of woodwinds on "Little Red Riding..." that's reminiscent of "National Anthem" and then there's "Alifib" whose garbled vocals bring to mind "Everything In Its Right Place." Wow, as I'm writing all this, my esteem for this record just keeps rising. Then there are the moments of spoken word, especially on the final track, that add so much atmosphere. And let's not forget the backstory! Yeah, this one's a trip. I'll come back to this.

While preparing to record the album, the drunken Wyatt fell from a third-floor window and was paralysed from the waist down. Nevertheless, Wyatt made Rock Bottom one of the first known rock records recorded by an artist in a wheelchair. (8/10) FT: Sea Song

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

Ich liebe z.B. Talk Talk viel zu sehr, und habe außerdem Kate Bush schon viel zu gut (und voll berechtigt) mit Punkten versorgt um das hier leichtfertig als mir zu artsy abzutun. Andererseits aber auch Sufjan Stevens die wenigen Punkte gegeben, die halt dafür von mir nur drin waren. Hach, un nu? Sehr kunstfertig natürlich, das hier. Bräuchte aber vermutlich mehr Anläufe als mein aktueller Zeitplan gewähren möchte. Leider deshalb nur: 2.4

I guess “art rock” means a total lack of anything resembling some kind of song structure, you know like a verse or chorus or even an enjoyable melody. I struggled to get through this

Not really for me

Not awesome of something I must hear before I die.

I don't know what that was.

Очень нравится))

It started well with a track that had a real Bowie-esque feel to it (Sea Song). But the rest of it was just a little too hit and miss to reach my criteria for a 3. I wouldn't listen to it again, but I wouldn't be screaming "Make it stop!!!"

poetic and weird i kinda like it like if the beatles did too many drugs.

I don't usually listen to art rock, so I was not sure I would enjoy this album. But actually, most of it is very solid, though it gets a bit boring in the middle.

Tragic story about the musician, but I didn't enjoy the music.

Rock Bottom by Robert Wyatt (1974) When Robert Wyatt so self-assertingly identified (then, anyway) as a Communist (not the ‘Eurocommunist’ variety, but the hard core unreconstructed Stalinist ‘Tanky’ type), he invited an assessment of what’s beneath the apparent nonsense on this record. When confronted with innovation, a serious listener will seek to understand. This involves, at minimum, a look into the artist’s cultural context. Now, this is not a political album. It presents itself as experimental, psychedelic ‘rock’. And to be fair, I discerned two moments of beauty in the midst of all the failed experiments on this record. But what kind of over-compartmentalized mind produces these remaining sonic doodles? The listener must set aside the (totally justifiable) pity for the artist’s personal circumstances and assess why is there all this disorder? Why must simple scales be punctuated with seemingly arbitrary and certainly inconsistent atonality? (This ain’t Arnold Schoenberg or Alban Berg.) As an analogy, the same question might be posed upon viewing a Jackson Pollock painting in 1955 or Vincent Van Gogh in 1890. It’s not that it is necessarily bad art. It’s that the ‘why’ of the art is yet to be discerned. A turn to the poetry of Osip Mandelstam is instructive, on the flip side of the Stalin phenomenon. Nonsense can indeed have sublimely potent meaning. But I’m not seeing or hearing it at Rock Bottom. Why, I would ask Mr. Wyatt, is there all this chaos, all this disregard for conventional (at least) conceptions of what is good, true, and beautiful? Surely it’s not merely a Bolshevik revolutionary desire to destroy classic liberal notions of art. Surely it’s not merely Capitalist avarice. Surely it’s not a neo-Gnostic triumph of undefined spirit over matter. Surely it’s not a Socialist grab at the affirmative action brass ring. Critics are at a loss to explain this (I am not alone; and, in the interest of full disclosure, I, too, was a Communist. When I was 11. I grew out of it). One is left scratching one’s head. I really want to know. You got my attention, but briefly. Was that the point all along? 1/5

Interesting, but I didn’t particularly enjoy it.

You sound different from other albums You come from the foam-crested mind

Disc complexe i difícil, que es una mica dur de sentir. Es pot percebre la seva qualitat i els temes són d'una densitat que no embruta la intensitat en la composició i execució de Wyatt. Un d'aquells famosos "clàssics per descobrir" que jo acceptaria (en la seva suposada magnitud) només en part

Almost instrumental type of music experimental for the time.

Interesting I suppose. Had it on in the background...probably deserves a closer listen.

I can see how it is influential, but I find it unlistenable

What in the God's name was that'

This is simply wonderful - probably my favorite discovery from this list so far. I found this much more accessible than your average prog. The whole thing sounds like a dream, both the instruments and the vocals. I could get lost in this album... Fave track - "Sea Song", but really this album demands to be listened to straight through...

Not really my thing. There's some great instrumentation and production work on this album, but unfortunately the vocals just get on my nerves for most of the songs. It seems like a really emotional record that is layered in a unique way, certainly unlike anything I've heard before, but it just couldn't peak my interest enough to be invested. If you can get past whiney and repetitive vocal parts, this could be a great record for any listener. It certainly seems like a precursor for bands like Radiohead, My Morning Jacket, and other art/experimental rock bands. Favorite Song: Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road Least Favorite: Alife

Rock bottom, scratchy sax on a jazz soundscape. Urrgh.

Well this was wild. Really cool experience. I should check this out again at some point.

I didn't know what to expect from this at all. Oddly hypnotic and captivating.

Занимательный арт-рок. Первый альбом Роберта Уайатта после несчастного случая.

I get that Wyatt had just suffered a major accident in life, and he was still able to continue composing and playing music. It is impressive. Unfortunately, this experimental rock is a failed experiment.

Not my style

Rock Bottom makes me feel like I am floating in an undeep puddle. Heavily layered soundscapes and Robert's scratchy and snoopyesque vocals create what is at times engaging jazz-rock, and other times confusingly awful melodies. It's not something I enjoy, or like, but that I almost appreciate for it's artistic merit. 2/5.

Some of the sounds are nice, but it was too subversive to me. Probably will have to listen to it again and try to wrap my brain around it-but for now I didn’t really dig it.

Perfect melancholy.

New artist, new music. I'm not sure how to even classify this album. The music shuffled between a mild "okay" and "¿whuh?" Saxophone squonks and back-masked lyrics. If I had to label this, I would call it a "nope".

Some interesting sounds, like a proto-Radiohead at their most experimental or even a bit of a Pink Floyd or Bowie vibe some jazz elements in that the structure is just not there especially in the piano playing. Seems less polished though, it's a rawer sound than those other bands. Not sure that I like it but it's definitely unique and I think worth a listen. Alife is straight up hard to listen to.

No thank you, could not make it through half the songs.

3/5

Nice, but despite my sensitivity to the genre it failed to rock my foundations.

Nope.

Music sounded interesting, but hard to focus on with the grating vocals taking over. It's wierd, and not in a good way for me

Had it on as background music but there was some freaky shit going on. It's AHRT ROCK man. Pretty amazing in the context of him becoming a paraplegic before writing/ recording.

Discordant and strangely melancholic.

Not familiar with Robert except by name. Even Soft Machine, his band I am familiar with by name and reputation only. Album has 6 long songs, or are they movements or suites. I'll take them one bu one. 1st song; did not like it closer to free jazz than rock, not my cup of tea. 2nd song a little more modal in nature, enjoyed this one more. 3rd song, reminds me a little bit of Miles Davis in a Silent Way. Like this one still more. Closer to a rock sound but still more jazz than anything (not that there's anything wrong with that) 4th song; just kinda weird ...annoying organ sounds, jazzy guitar weird percussive, metronomic breathing sounds and fragile singing add up to a strange listening experience 5th song; more weirdness...a continuation of the previous song. I do like the percussion and the sax in this one. Actually much better than the previous song and perhaps my 2nd favorite so far 6th song; and the last one more of the same anti rock & roll. Just not music for my tastes 1 🌟

Did not enjoy. In some areas it sounded like a film score without a film, but not in a good way.

songs are too long. i didnt like this one very much, the songs were so weird and trippy. it felt like there was no direction to it whatsoever. WAY WAY WAY too long and theres no point to it. but it wasnt bad 4/10

What the hell did I just listen to? Good for this dude for getting his stuff out on record. This shit is weird.

Solid. Solid Vocals and instrumentation. Liked it a lot.

Interesting

Strange

Not my kind of album, although did apprecaite it in parts. Not sure on the vocals

i feel too dumb to enjoy this

Wired and wonderful at times with some exquisite cameos. Studious returns for further listening may discover more.

This is something I could sink into. First listen of Robert Wyatt. No possible way to digest it all in the first listen. My favorite kind of music. Sounds ahead of its time.

Wank. 3.4/10

Another experimental one. Nothing here that I like at all

Unique instrumentation, cool little album. Would have preferred a bit more change in singing style over the album

Disco rarísimo. Demasiado experimental para mí. Sonidos ambientales mezclados algunos de manera extraña, otros no. No es un álbum que le daría una segunda oportunidad.

Hard work

Weird experience. Not that I really care for it, but it has it's moments, such as the end of Little Red Robin Hood Hit The Road

I only listened to it once, and to be honest I’ve no idea what was going on. He’s to listen to in parts but some really enjoyable aspects to it to. I didn’t hate it, and I’m going to go back and give it a bit more time so I guess that’s a (generous/benefit of the doubt) 3/5 in my book.

Dog shite

Maybe I missed the point but this was self indulgent, boring, hard to listen to tripe

Possibly the worst yet. Deserves a 0/5.

Ouvi uma vez e nem lembro mais o que achei. A radio que comecou a tocar depois foi bem interessante

Interesting album. Probably not something I will put on again, but it's good.

Slow, glacial paced art rock. Best Tracks: Sea Song, A Last Straw, Alifib

Was something I would've never come across but I don't feel I'd have missed out either. 2*

No thanks, this is utter cack

Bit weird.

Too painful. I don’t think it was done fir art. I think he’s just shit and taking the piss out of everyone

David Bowie con folk

Reallllly long songs that use the same elements over and over again. Too monotonous in my view.

Dreamy and psych, but requires the correct state/day/attitude

I liked this album's artsy, atmospheric instrumentation and maybe could have given it a 4 for that alone if it weren't for the vocals being so irritatingly distracting.

Not sure why but I just didn't enjoy this.

Strange. Probably pretty good but I don’t have the energy for a second listen

trying to be experimental doesnt make you experimental

Pretty interesting. 6/10

Such an esoteric, cerebral album. Not bad.

WTF. this is one of the more unlistenable things we've come across. the jabberwocky lyrical content (i can't tell if they are lyrics or backward masked sounds most of the time), and the whole thing is psychedulic, dissonant mumbo jumbo.

Intriguing. Art rock ain’t my thing, but this guy’s story is amazing.

Well this is some weirdness. Cant say I liked it, disliked at times even.

The interpretive dance equivalent of music

Quite interesting.

Pretty sick. Sort of King Crimson-y. Super psychadelic, a little jazzy, very progressive, but more chill/ambient than heavy rock and also a healthy dash of creepiness.

this album sucks holy shit

Absolute rock bottom

On the fence with this. Fully original and a great deal of individual vision (some reminding me a of Chris Knox) but the execution a little scattershot.

Horrendous. Experimental hippie jazz.

A fisherman's point of view what Prog Rock should sound like. Pretty wealth compared to other realeses in 1974.

Gott, was ist DAS denn jetzt schon wieder? Nach 4 Minuten habe ich mir die Frage gestellt, ob das absichtlich komisch sein soll. Wird besser. Little Red Riding Hood Hit the Road ist ein gutes Stück. Man muss allerdings was genommen haben, um auf Alifib und Alife zu kommen. Leider ist er nicht rechtzeitig davon runtergekommen, um die beiden Stücke wegzulassen.

Sounds like a poor impression of Bowie

Nice parts but got weird as hell at some parts

Psychedelic, really weird.

Like a folk David Bowie. Awesome

It was shit

Definitely not my cup of tea.

noise

meh, im not seeing it

A bit weird

1974. Key Songs: Sea Song?

oof.

Art (/prog?) rock rootz

3

Oof. I just didn't get it at all. I rarely give out 1-star ratings because I usually find some redeeming quality, or at least one song I kind of like. But not this one. There's not one song I ever want to hear again. Not one minute of one song. This album wasn't meant for me at all. Even knowing the context of the album (it was made right after he was paralyzed after falling 4 stories); didn't help at all.