1970 Albums

Bo Hansson spent the early 60s as a member of The Merrymen in his native Sweden. The band, which also included harmonica player Bill Öhrström, opened for one of The Rolling Stones' Scandinavian tours and recorded one album with US singer Boz Scaggs. Switching to the organ, Hansson formed a relatively well-known duo with drummer Rune Karlsson, eventually releasing three albums in Sweden as Hansson-Karlsson. They were even friendly with Jimi Hendrix, having jammed with him when they opened for the Experience in 1966.

For his second release, Shooting At The Moon, Ayers left his Soft Machine cohorts behind and assembled his first band, the Whole World. Composer/keyboardist David Bedford carried over, but new on deck were busker-extraordinaire/saxophonist Lol Coxhill and a young Mike Oldfield on bass. Various drummers would round out the lineup, including Robert Wyatt and Dave Dufort; but Mick Fincher filled in for this album. And what a weird album it is! "May I?" opens, an archetypical Ayers ballad. Bluesy, sexy and oh-so decadent, it showcases his keen songwriting talent.