Kevin+ayers

Not long after Island had disposed of his contract, Kevin Ayers hooked up with Harvest once again, releasing the mainstream-sounding Yes We Have No Mañanas in 1976. Although Ayers' symbolic banana references find their way into the title (the banana being his outlet for representing silliness in such a serious world ), the ten tracks find him singing some rather conventional pop/rock. Both "Star" and "Mr. Cool" were released as singles, with some noticeable guitar work from Ollie Halsall adorning both. Ayers made a name for himself by incorporating a unique brand of genial eccentricity into his music - 1970s Joy of a Toy and 1973's Bananamour, for example, as "The Ballad of Mr. Snake" and "The Owl" are typical of Ayers' discounted vaudeville-like fair…

Kevin Ayers - Odd Ditties (1976) {2014 Remaster Japan Mini LP SHM-CD Edition WPCR-15528}
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© 1976, 2014 Parlophone / Warner Music Japan | WPCR-15528
Rock / Art Rock / Canterbury Scene

Cardboard sleeve reissue from Kevin Ayers features remastering in 2014 and the high-fidelity SHM-CD format (compatible with standard CD players). The cover faithfully replicates the original UK LP artwork. Includes an obi featuring design of original Japanese limited edition's LP (subject to change). Comes with a description and lyrics. Part of eight-album Kevin Ayers cardboard sleeve reissue series features the albums, "Joy Of A Toy +5," "Shooting At The Moon +6," "Whatevershebrings Wesing +10," "Bananamour +7," "Odd Ditties +3," "Yes We Have No Mananas. So Get Your Mananas Today +9," "Rainbow Takeaway +7," and "That's What You Get Babe +4." Bonus tracks.

Lady June - Lady June's Linguistic Leprosy (1974) {2013 Japan Mini LP Remaster} (ft. Kevin Ayers & Brian Eno)
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© 1974, 2013 Airmail Japan / Market Square Music | DAKAIRAC-1699
Rock / Art Rock / Canterbury Scene

Cardboard sleeve (mini LP) reissue. Features 24 bit remastering in 2013. Comes with an original insert. Lady June, aka June Campbell Cramer, was a Bohemian artist and poet who was something of an honorary member of the less commercial wing of the early-'70s British progressive rock scene. Numerous musicians lived and hung out in her flat in the Maida Vale area of London, which is most famous as the place where (at a 1973 party) Robert Wyatt fell out of a window, paralyzing him from the waist down.

Kevin Ayers and The Whole World - Shooting At The Moon (1970) {2003 EMI Remaster}
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© 2003 EMI Records / Harvest | 07243-582777-2-2
Rock / Art Rock / Psychedelic

SHOOTING AT THE MOON, originally released in 1970, was Kevin Ayers's second solo album after leaving the Soft Machine, and his first recorded with his touring band of the moment, Kevin Ayers & the Whole World. Retrospectively, of course, this band became somewhat legendary, as Ayers's primary collaborators were reedsman Lol Coxhill and an 18-year-old whiz-kid guitarist named Mike Oldfield, both of whom later went on to much bigger things. But even on its own merits, SHOOTING AT THE MOON is one of Ayers' finest albums. Lacking the faux-naif persona of his solo debut, JOY OF A TOY, and recording with a full band for the first time since the Soft Machine's first album, Ayers creates challenging, compelling music that doesn't stint on his trademark whimsy.

Kevin Ayers - What More Can I Say… (2008) {Reel Recordings RR 009}
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© 2008 Reel Recordings / Kevin Ayers | RR 009
Rock / Art Rock / Canterbury Scene

Kevin Ayers is one of UK rock's greatest contributors, both as a key member of Soft Machine as their original bassist/vocalist, and later as a collaborator with noted prog musicians Mike Oldfield and Steve Hillage. This is a collection of recently-discovered private demo recordings and out-takes straight from Kevin Ayers' personal archives – a refreshing reminder of a musical innocence unique to the 1970s. Much more than nuggets from a golden era, these songs remain compellingly personal in their simplicity, and sit alongside sunny instrumentals featuring friends David Bedford, Mike Oldfield, Archie Leggett and Robert Wyatt.

Kevin Ayers - Too Old To Die Young (1998) {2CD Set, BBC–HUX Records HUX006 rec 1972-1976}
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© 1972-76, 1998 BBC / HUX Records | HUX 006
Rock / British Psychedelia / Canterbury Scene / Art Rock

This double-CD contains three programs Ayers broadcast on the BBC from 1972 to 1976. A January 6, 1972 concert at the Paris Theatre in London takes up all of disc one, which is certainly the better half of this package, as it was almost a reunion of the Kevin Ayers & the Whole World lineup that had done Shooting at the Moon in 1970. Whole World-ers Mike Oldfield (guitar), Lol Coxhill (sax), and David Bedford (keyboards) are on hand to support Ayers, along with drummer Dave Dufort (who was not on Shooting at the Moon). Some singing accompanies the band, and orchestral arrangements also accent their playing on six of the nine songs.

Kevin Ayers is one of Rock's most important innovators, helping to launch Soft Machine, as their original bassist/vocalist, and later working with noted progressive musicians like Mike Oldfield and Steve Hillage. This 2 CD set of BBC radio sessions, compiled with the help of Kevin Ayers, tracks Kevin's discography from 1970 (when his band included his former Soft Machine friends) through to 1976. Featured here are several previously unissued recordings, including the earliest surviving example of Kevin's post-Soft Machine output. Among the musicians featured with Ayers on this compilation include Robert Wyatt, Mike Oldfield, Mike Ratledge, Andy Summers, Hugh Hopper, Lol Coxhill, David Bedford, Elton Dean, Archie Leggett, Ollie Halsall & Zoot Money.

Kevin Ayers - Bananamour (1973) {2003 EMI Remaster}
EAC rip (secure mode) | FLAC+CUE+LOG -> 332 Mb | MP3 @320 -> 125 Mb
Full Artwork @ 300 dpi (jpg) -> 54 Mb
© 2003 EMI Records / Harvest | 07243-582780-2-6
Rock / Art Rock / Psychedelic

Bananamour is ripe with Kevin Ayers' most mature and accessible compositions to date. Ayers grounded himself in a newly formed trio for his follow-up to Whatevershebringswesing. With bassist Archie Leggett and drummer Eddie Sparrow at the hub, Ayers selected guest artists for a handful of the tracks: Whole World colleague Dave Bedford ("Beware of the Dog"), Gong's new guitarist Steve Hillage ("Shouting in a Bucket Blues"), and former Soft Machine mates Robert Wyatt ("Hymn") and Mike Ratledge ("Interview").

The solo debut of Kevin Ayers, originally released in 1969 on the Harvest label after his departure from The Soft Machine, was the start of a brilliant and unique career. Joy Of A Toy is one of the greatest examples of late 60s music opening up to new influences and experiences. The result is an adventurous yet accessible masterpiece by a musician free of any artistic constraints.
In 1968, after an US tour with The Jimi Hendrix Experience, The Soft Machine’s founding member Kevin Ayers decided to leave the band. Unsure about their artistic direction, worn out by an exhausting schedule and reluctant to become another part of the music business, he sold his bass to Noel Redding and moved to Ibiza. However, soon after he started writing the songs that would make up his first solo LP, Joy Of A Toy…