Kevin Ayers R.I.P… Goodnight Mr. Ayers…. 5 CD set features his first five albums Harvest; Joy of a Toy, Shooting at the moon, Whatevershebringswesing, Bananamour and The confessions of Dr Dream along with bonus tracks. The Soft Machine, not long after recording their first album and touring America, began breaking up – just the first in a long series of personnel changes and subsequent new directions that formed one of art rock's winding sagas of the '70s. Kevin Ayers was the first to leave, mostly because of that American tour, and he soon became one of the first acts to release music on Harvest, a new progressive label from EMI that promised to offer the best and brightest in the new vanguard of British rock.
This is a fabulous release with two albums from Shirley and Dolly Collins recorded on Harvest records and collected together. CD one brings us the album Anthems in Eden. Anthems in Eden is perhaps the most famous album and the most creative one from Shirley and Dolly Collins. This sixth album from Shirley is from 1969 and it is an incredible project. The album has been released and re released a few times. Here on this fabulous album Shirley provides her unique vocals along with Sister Dolly on portative organ. But this time there are a whole host of other musicians involved.
This release includes all five of Be Bop Deluxe's studio albums, with additional bonus tracks, plus an additional disc of previously unreleased home demos, rough studio mixes and live recordings. The recordings have all been freshly remastered and the project over-seen by Bill Nelson. All bonus tracks added to the 1990 CD releases have been remastered and added to this release too, except for the bonus live tracks on the 'Axe Victim' release. This remaster is an improvement upon the 1990 releases, and has thankfully avoided being 'brick-walled'. I would suggest this is the last word on digital 16-bit releases of these studio albums.