Kevin Ayers listened to this recently discovered collection of his private demo recordings and out-takes, and found them to be 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 (1944 – 1997) and Robert Wyatt. Of special note is the 14-minute private demonstration for the Doctor Dream suite, a stunning 'audio letter' synopsis with acoustic performances and wry commentary. Never has Kevin Ayers's voice and guitar been captured in such natural intimacy. These beautifully recorded reel-to-reel tapes are an indispensable portrait of an artist as a young man. Or to convey the response from manager Tim Shepard, "This is Kevin's Holy Grail!" What more can we say?
Kevin Ayers: guitar
Archie Legget: bass
Eddie Sparrow: percussion (tracks 3,5)
David Bedford: organ (track 4,5)
Mike Oldfield: bass (track 4)
Robert Wyatt: drums (track 6)
'Ayers's voice is in excellent form, a deep, creamy smooth, crooner-like baritone. The sound quality is fine – unpolished, very demo-like and eminently listenable.'
Mark Keresman ~ Signal To Noise magazine
'Ayers sounds like a man permanently on holiday and his resonant tone slides around as rich and easy as rum spilled on a glass table. His guitar playing is underrated, too, as shown on the playful and fuzzy instrumental track "Crystal Clear."'
Duncan Edwards ~ Brainwashed
