So I picked this album out while shopping in Falmouth, and the proprietor reached under the desk and pulled out a 5CD set of Ayers' first five albums. I decided it was worth paying a couple of extra quid for, despite already having three of the five, especially as I definitely wanted Ayers' debut, which I was surprised to find I didn't have.
Mostly written during one of Ayers' regular retreats to Mallorca, after leaving Soft Machine, this is a lovely mix of songs, backed by his former Soft Machine colleagues, Robert Wyatt, Mike Ratledge and Hugh Hopper, and arranged by composer David Bedford.
Opening with a jolly marching la-la-la tune (with a lovely piccolo break) Joy Of A Toy Continued, the first proper song is Town Feeling, Ayers' gentle deep voice complemented by a delightful oboe, then The Clarietta Rag is a bouncy, throwaway little song. Girl On A Swing is another slower song, with a sparse piano accompaniment, while the first half ends with a quintessentially late-sixties Song For Insane Times, the gentle flow interrupted by the manic squeal of Ratledge's fuzz organ.
The second half opens with the onomatopoeic intro of Stop This Train, rattling merrily down the tracks to the slower and less engaging Eleanor's Cake and mysterious and absolutely sublime Lady Rachel. Oleh Oleh Bandu Bandong is an interesting little diversion based on a Malay children's song, and the album ends with the ordinary All This Crazy Gift Of Time.
This is a really good debut with much to enjoy and some truly fantastic moments, but like much of Ayers' output, the inconsistency particularly in the second half of the album, makes it less of a joy to listen than it might be.
3* - a very good debut album, with some great moments.
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