By the mid 1980s, I'd rediscovered Robert Wyatt, through his beautiful Shipbuilding single, his song Born Again Cretin on NME's C81 cassette and later his album of covers Nothing Can Stop Us.
But it wasn't until much later that I'd finally sample Rock Bottom, his first post-accident album, released about a year after the fall which left him unable to walk. I enjoyed the album, but only really 'got it' on a long train journey about 20 years ago, when listening through earphones became such an immersive experience that I was almost moved to tears by this album, a testament of love from Wyatt for his wife, Alfie.
Sea Song is a simple love song, yet Wyatt's vocalisation makes it extraordinary and captivating. It's followed by A Last Straw, a more upbeat song which fades in and out of chaos, both instrumental and vocal, leading us into Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road, a frantic romp, driven by the trumpet of Mongezi Feza (who sadly died the following year) around Wyatt's vocals, both forward and backward, and ending with an understated cameo from Ivor Cutler.
The second half starts with Alifib. Wyatt's laboured breathing over what sounds like a high end bass solo, moves into his nonsense word vocals, then continues into Alifie, a slower spoken word (punctuated by squeaks) development of the same theme, this one driven by Gary Windo's clarinet, culminating with Alfie's response to her husband. The final track Little Red Robin Hood Hit The Road, is a triumphal climax, with a flowing Mike Oldfield guitar solo, which fades and Wyatt sings us into a gentle rundown with the harmonium and voice of Ivor Cutler.
The album's finished, and after really listening again, I feel I've just listened to one of the finest albums I'll ever hear. I don't know how many times I've listened to it, but on each listening I hear something new. Different every time.
5* - a beautiful album, stunning in its variety and poignancy, yet simplicity.
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