Robert Wyatt - Old Rottenhat

Recorded in the mid-eighties, Old Rottenhat is one of Robert Wyatt's most stripped down albums. All that is heard besides vocals are keyboards (mostly cheap Casio-ish synthesizer with occasional piano) and percussion, and occasionally a drum machine. All played by Robert himself. Being a member of Communist party, the album also presents Wyatt's political side quite heavily. Wyatt is not known for being prolific and thus, Old Rottenhat serves as his first proper full length since Ruth Is Stranger Than Richard in 1975. Musically the record is rather slow and minimalist, especially in the texture. His melodies are still jazzy and the chord progressions are unusual. Wyatt has also developed interesting drumming technique using just the arms, having been paraplegic since 1973. The former Soft Machine drummer hooligan has evolved into a percussionist capable of subtlety, while driven by necessity, but still an interesting listen. Some of the political commentary might be too heavy handed (such as "Alliance" or "East Timor"), but nonetheless, Old Rottenhat displays a lot of stripped down charm from Robert Wyatt.

Robert Wyatt - End of an Ear (1970)

End of an Ear (1970), while far from being the greatest Robert Wyatt outing, is definitely his most bizarre. His renditions of Gil Evans' "Las Vegas Tango" are excellent, containing oddly layered vocalizing set to a freewheeling drums and piano groove. One can imagine that this is what his parent band The Soft Machine could've evolved into, if only they had continued in their Dadaist leanings. This album is all about Wyatt exploring freer and more absurdity-based expressive ways going beyond the increasingly serious and instrumental confines of the Softs which Wyatt was dissatisfied with. He does not do any conventional singing here, he uses effects like tape speed alterations, reverb and echo to experiment with his voice and those voice experiments are the most interesting thing on this record.

Most of the titles are dedications to his friends and musical peers, "To Mark Everywhere", "To Saintly Bridget" are shorter ditties that are based on precise abstract rhythms and atonal noise, then the consistency gives away to free-jazz-for-free-jazz own sake in "To Oz Alien Daevid and Gilli" and "To Nick Everyone" which are really hard to endure. If you get past these two, you're treated to "To Caravan & Brother Jim", based on a consistent beat, rhythmic vocal loop and warm organ courtesy of David Sinclair, who also guests on the most beautiful tune on the album, an "Instant Pussy" re-write that is "To Carla Marsha and Caroline".

This album has some pointless free-jazz noodling, which mar the album, but otherwise it's still a rather non-conformist statement and whoever digs avant-garde music would be compelled by this record. I admire the album mostly for Gil Evans' cover versions and the beautiful David Sinclair collaborations. Overall, this is the least typical Wyatt album, as he actually was still an avant-jazz-based drummer at that stage, becoming a paraplegic several years later and concentrating on more song-based, though not less distinctive, material.

Robert Wyatt - Comicopera

British progressive music veteran (known for his drumming and vocals in Soft Machine and Matching Mole, along his prolific solo career) Robert Wyatt's new album "Comicopera" is divided in three acts. First act, "Lost In Noise" is where Wyatt sings about personal topics and relationships with others. "Just As You Are", the second song from the act, is about betrayed love. This particular song is also Wyatt's melodicism at its best. The second act, "The Here and The Now" takes on the more political topic, in which Wyatt's disillusionment with the Anglo-American culture is blatantly apparent. Particularly alienating is the warmongering politics, which have planted all his everlasting hatred in Wyatt's heart, as he sings in the eerie "Out of the Blue". In protest to all the stupidity of British culture, the final act "Away With The Fairies" is sung in Spanish and Italian, rather than English.

As for the music itself, Comicopera is easily more accessible than the previous Wyatt albums. As with the two previous records, this album is defined by colorful instrumentation, personnel that is no less colorful (including his friends and other musicians from various countries) and eclectic brew of jazz, folk, pop and experimental music. It all sounds warmer and livelier than before. Easily up there with Wyatt's other masterpieces like "Rock Bottom".

*This review was published in Estonian in a journal called Postimees. This is the English translation