FEATURED CD - Kevin Ayers: Joy Of A Toy

[zombywoof]

I should probably collect this soon.

[Oreb]

I bought the remasters when they came out. Ayers had been a 'name' to me but I hadn't heard him - and I was interested to see what if anything he did with the Gurdjieff influence ('It starts with a blessing, ends with a curse' is from 'In Search of the Miraculous', from memory).

I don't know - to be honest I found them pretty underwhelming. I wonder if he was of historical significance but with a body of work the people he influenced sort of outdid.

[Scrotum Scissor]

I don't know - to be honest I found them pretty underwhelming. I wonder if he was of historical significance but with a body of work the people he influenced sort of outdid.

This is one way of seeing it, and not necessarily a wrong one. I've got the double vinyl reissue of Joy of a Toy plus Shooting at the Moon, and this is basically the only Kevin I've kept. It sorta "covers" him entirely, I think.

Ayers was of significant formative importance in the post-UK underground wave, something which is stressed in the recent biography on Robert Wyatt. He was part of the fold of not only the cultural upbringing that evolved into the 'Canterbury scene', but thus also the emergence of the 'bohemian troubadour' figure in British rock/pop as a whole.

[Steve F.]

This is one way of seeing it, and not necessarily a wrong one. I've got the double vinyl reissue of Joy of a Toy plus Shooting at the Moon, and this is basically the only Kevin I've kept. It sorta "covers" him entirely, I think.

I like Ayers just fine, but I agree with old Scrotum here....

[JJ88]

Mmmm....some of those non-album singles like 'Butterfly Dance', 'Singing A Song In The Morning', 'Gemini Child' are very nice IMHO.

I have basically only ever heard the Harvest albums though...those were always the easiest and cheapest to get.

[strawberrybrick]

I like Ayers just fine, but I agree with old Scrotum here....

Since his passing I've devoted a lot of time to his music, and am of the opinion that the the first five or six are pretty darn essential. Bananamour and Dr. Dream are current favs. Of course, ymmv...

[Steve F.]

Mmmm....some of those non-album singles like 'Butterfly Dance', 'Singing A Song In The Morning', 'Gemini Child' are very nice IMHO.

They are nice! Those singles are all bonus tracks on the CD versions I own.

[JJ88]

^Yes, true, I've only heard them on CD anyway so I suppose 'non album tracks' is academic now. But I was more referring to Scrotum Scissor and that old vinyl twofer (that one on Harvest, I'm assuming...seen it around, there was a similar one of Syd Barrett in that Harvest Heritage series).

[Scrotum Scissor]

I was more referring to Scrotum Scissor and that old vinyl twofer (that one on Harvest, I'm assuming...seen it around, there was a similar one of Syd Barrett in that Harvest Heritage series).

Yupz, that's the one.

Come to think of it, I've actually never seen an original copy of either JoaT or SatM in all my years as vinyl collector. Of course, Ayers was always bigger a name (relatively) in the UK and in France and the Benelux than here in Scandinavia (or in the US, for that matter).

[Steve F.]

Both vinyl releases were relatively common in the USA, with Joy of A Toy even getting a domestic release!

[mogrooves]

the the first five or six are pretty darn essential.

First five, I'd submit.

[strawberrybrick]

Ayers was of significant formative importance in the post-UK underground wave, something which is stressed in the recent biography on Robert Wyatt. He was part of the fold of not only the cultural upbringing that evolved into the 'Canterbury scene', but thus also the emergence of the 'bohemian troubadour' figure in British rock/pop as a whole.

Putting this fact on hold, what I personally like about Ayers' music is that it sits in the in-betweens*: it's hard to put a finger on exactly what it is, like symphonic, or fusion, or prog, or avant, whatever; it's a LOT of things, but mostly it's good, very good - lyrically, musically, and in execution. It's mainstream but not, weird but not always, rocking, but out there. It has that that put-you-finger-on-it coolness, but sometimes it's too much. Anyway, these were all cut-outs in the 70s. Many trips to Peaches would yield an Ayers almost-gem or two !



*Bands like Family, Traffic, Pretty Things, etc. offer the same positioning, something I choose to call (right or wrongly) "art rock".

[Progbear]

Both vinyl releases were relatively common in the USA, with Joy of A Toy even getting a domestic release!

I don’t think I’ve seen a domestic vinyl release of any of his albums prior to Bananamour.

[strawberrybrick]

I don’t think I’ve seen a domestic vinyl release of any of his albums prior to Bananamour.

Joy Of A Toy

http://www.discogs.com/Kevin-Ayers-J...elease/1856237

[soundsweird]

Gave this another listen last night after all of the "positive" posts, but came out with the same feeling as my earlier post. I like tracks 2,4,7,8,& 9, but I wouldn't rate any of them as favorites. Overall a very "loose" album as far as songwriting and performances. Some consider that a good thing, but I usually like more polish.

[yoyiceu]

Both vinyl releases were relatively common in the USA, with Joy of A Toy even getting a domestic release!

I have both, plus the Pink Floyd double which includes their first two albums, but for some reason substitutes the live Astronomy Domine from Ummaguma for the 'Piper' studio version.