This is a longer than I expected tribute to one of musical heroes. Robert Wyatt-Ellidge was born 65 years ago today in Bristol, England. His diverse career, commitment to his ideals, and personal courage and integrity have inspired me for some 30 years.
We'll start with a favourite song of mine - this version, recorded for a BBC documentary about 5 years is, IMHO, is even better than the 1974 original which had a much starker arrangement. This is also a warning; if this is too weird for you, you probably shouldn't proceed further. In my youth I played this song to women I was dating at various times with decidedly mixed results.
This is the first verse, the first verse
In 1970 Robert Wyatt looked a little bit like Kurt Cobain and a lot less like the Santa Claus. Also, Cobain was only three at the time, but hopefully you get the idea. Wyatt looked like a rock musician - he even played drums without his shirt on. His band, Soft Machine, released the album 'Third' a double LP of kinetic, jazz-influenced largely instrumental rock, each track taking up a full side. After making a splash in the London underground scene in 1967 and touring with Jimi Hendrix in '68 the Soft Machine had arrived as a band to be taken seriously, even if they weren't commercially successful. But this was the end of Wyatt as a 'rock star' and of the first stage of his career.
There is a surprisingly large amount of Soft Machine video on the web, unfortunately the sound quality on most of the live material is abysmal and much of it can't be embedded.
First a pop gem (later covered by Whitney Houston) from 1967
And a live piece of psychelia from a bit later the same year.
The Soft Machine was part of the 'Canterbury Scene' a group of bands/musicians originating, surprisingly enough, in Canterbury England in the late 60s and early 70s. The early Canterbury sound tended more towards pop and psychedelia (as above) and the jazz influence increased with time.
Wyatt's vocal talent and his wit and passion were a big part of the early Soft Machine. His path diverged from his band mates fairly rapidly - he considered the Soft Machine a pop band and retained an interest in doing 'pop' music even if it was of an unusual nature. At the same time he had a strong affinity for the avandt garde. His first solo album, where he sadly lists himself as an out of work pop singer, consists largely of wordless and fairly tuneless vocalizing.
Wyatt's departure from the Soft Machine was in part instigated by his track on 'Third', 'The Moon in June' - a profound and light hearted reflection on popular music.
"But if you sound refined you just can't blow the mind of a kiddy... or young lady. And if you come from the sun you just can't fool the man into thinking that you're all right really." "Just remember, before this feeling dies - I could be telling lies"
The other members of the band refused to play on the track leading Wyatt to play most of the instruments himself. It was the last vocal track ever recorded by the band and Wyatt left a year later.
And this is the second verse
Wyatt formed his own band in 1971, Matching Mole. The rather unusual name comes from translating the words Soft Machine into French and then selecting phonetically similar English words to the French ones. This band has been described as being progressive rock that was so progressive that it had no audience. I view it as a decidedly mixed bag but the following track is one of my favourite love songs (and definitely not typical material for MM).
In 1973 he fell out of an apartment window during a party and was left permanently paralyzed from the waist down. This tragic accident resulted in a distinct change in musical direction. No longer able to play a drum kit Wyatt decided to abandon playing in bands and focus on a career as a singer and composer. He had already been working on material for a new album before the accident and after rehabilitation and a benefit concert for him by Pink Floyd and Soft Machine he went into the studio to record the extraordinary 'Rock Bottom' his second solo work.
'Rock Bottom' is amazing. The music is jazz influenced, very strange, and yet highly passionate and personal. From my perspective the oddness seems entirely natural and emphasizes the emotional intensity. 'Sea Song' the opening video to this diary is the opening track. Here is a 1975 live version of another song from the LP.
And this is the chorus, or perhaps it's a bridge, or just another part of the song that I'm singing
Since then Wyatt's career has been eclectic to say the least. He had a hit single in the UK with a cover of Neil Diamond's I'm a Believer. The video was controversial for showing him performing in a wheel chair. It was available on youtube recently but now is unavailable in the US.
His music became increasing political with the rise of Margaret Thatcher and Wyatt joined the British Communist Party. Much of his material from the 1980s is highly ideologically motivated but very passionate (he said that he didn't any difference between the political and personal music - it was all personal to him). The most famous track from this era is his cover of Elvis Costello's 'Shipbuilding' about the Falklands war. My favourite has a somewhat jollier tone - a celebration of Namibian independence from South Africa. Unfortunately the youtube only contains the second half of the song and omits almost all of Wyatt's singing.
Here is another piece from the same BBC session as Sea Song at the top. Originally from the mid-80s this is again better better than the original IMHO.
And this is the third verse, and it could be the last verse
Wyatt has continued to sing with other artists, often on music considerably more commercial than his own. He has also released an album approximately once every five years, each an eclectic mix of styles.
As a finale here is a track from his most recent album from 2007.
And for those who are wondering where the block quotes come from...