Joy Of A Toy
by Ayers, Kevin
Artist:
Kevin Ayers
Label:
Harvest
Catalog#:
SKAO 421
Format:
Vinyl
Country:
United States
Released:
1969
| Tracklist | |||
| A1 | Joy Of A Toy Continued | 2:54 | |
| A2 | Town Feeling | 4:51 | |
| A3 | The Clarietta Rag | 3:20 | |
| A4 | Girl On A Swing | 2:51 | |
| A5 | Song For Insane Times | 4:01 | |
| B1 | Stop This Train (Again Doing It) | 6:05 | |
| Notes: |
Drums - Rob Tait |
||
| B2 | Eleanor's Cake (Which Ate Her) | 2:35 | |
| B3 | Lady Rachel | 5:18 | |
| B4 | Oleh Oleh Bandu Bandong | 5:35 | |
| Notes: |
Drums - Rob Tait |
||
| B5 | All This Crazy Gift Of Time | 3:45 | |
Credits
Arranged By, Piano - David Bedford
Drums - Robert Wyatt
Engineer - Peter Mew
Producer - Kevin Ayers
Producer - Peter Jenner
Notes
Fold-out sleeve with lyrics of Lady Rachel and Song For Insane Times
Thanks and praise to:
Robert Wyatt who played all drum tracks, except for B1 and B4, on which Rob Tait "did it" for a couple of tricky figures.
The Soft Machine for the backing on A5 - Mike Ratledge and Hugh Hopper individually.
David Bedford for creative assistance on instrumental, voicings and their arrangement (also for his groovy piano playing).
The Session Men.
Jean and Mary who had to sing in Malay - which is a fair achievement for two Scots girls.
The Engineer: Peter Mew.
Sean Murphy and Ian Knight. Finally, Peter Jenner, who provided a more than valuable smile and throughout, and Malcolm Jones and roy Featherstone of EMI who said Yes.
The inner sleeve carries a 'cereal box' advert for the infant Harvest stable of artistes
Strawberry Bricks Entry:
After Kevin Ayers's split from Soft Machine, manager Peter Jenner and a contract from Harvest coaxed him away from Majorca. Back in England, he quickly assembled his old Softs cohorts at EMI Studios to record his debut solo album, Joy Of A Toy. New to the fold was David Bedford, a classical composer by trade, offering his arrangement skills and doubling on keyboards. The album jumps off with the classic (if dated) psychedelia of "Joy of a Toy Continued." Bedford's arrangement augments "Town Feeling," but it's really all Ayers. His distinctive baritone and no-nonsense approach belie his expressive talent. "Girl on a Swing" and "Eleanor's Cake (Which Ate Her)" are at once beautiful and wistful, even though "The Lady Rachel" is the favorite. Either way, Ayers's melodies are infectious. "Song for Insane Times" is Soft Machine-esque, with Mike Ratledge's truncated solo at the end being the dead giveaway. Both "The Clarietta Rag" and "Stop This Train (Again Doing It)" continue with merry psychedelia, though "Oleh Oleh Bandu Bandong" (something in Malaysian) is trippier. Ayers is a first-rate songwriter, and on this debut, a first-rate performer; but both wouldn't always hold true. Ayers released a couple of singles, but even "Singing a Song in The Morning" b/w "Eleanor's Cake Which Ate Her" recorded with Caravan and Syd Barrett, failed to raise interest. The album did see a release in the US; however, it failed to chart on either side of the Atlantic.
