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DELUXE 9 CD / 1 BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION 10-INCH BY 10-INCH BOX SET OF THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS BY KEVIN AYERS FROM 1969 -1973. WITH 140 TRACKS NEWLY
REMASTERED FROM THE ORIGINAL MASTER TAPES.
INCLUDES THE ALBUMS ‘JOY OF A TOY’, ‘SHOOTING AT THE MOON’, ‘WHATEVERSHEBRINGSWESING’ & ‘BANANAMOUR’, ALONG WITH A NEW MIX OF HIS COMPLETE JULY 1970 HYDE PARK FESTIVAL APPEARANCE BY STEPHEN W TAYLER, ALL OF THE SURVIVING BBC SESSIONS RECORDED BETWEEN 1970 – 1973 (INCLUDING A PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED JOHN PEEL CONCERT FROM 1970), PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED SESSION OUT-TAKES & A CONCERT FROM MAY 1973.
ALSO INCLUDES A REGION FREE 13 TRACK BLU RAY VIDEO DISC FEATURING PREVIOUSLY UNRELEASED LIVE APPEARANCES RECORDED FOR FRENCH TV & THE BBC’S OLD GREY WHISTLE TEST (INCLUDING THREE UNSEEN SESSION OUT-TAKES) & THE 'CARIBBEAN MOON’ PROMO FILM.WITH A LAVISHLY ILLUSTRATED 68 PAGE BOOK WITH A NEW ESSAY.
A founder member of SOFT MACHINE, Kevin embarked on a solo career in 1969, signing to EMI’s Harvest label and recording the album ‘JOY OF A TOY’ the same year. It is a mark of Kevin’s stature that his recordings during this period would feature contributions from notable musicians such as arranger and keyboard player DAVID BEDFORD, ROBERT WYATT, SYD BARRETT, MIKE OLDFIELD, LOL COXHILL, STEVE HILLAGE, ARCHIE LEGGET and more.
This boxed set includes all of the surviving BBC sessions and In Concert appearances recorded by Kevin during this period, including a previously unreleased John Peel concert from 1970 and other tracks featuring Soft Machine, Bridget St. John and Gong.
Other highlights include the inclusion of a complete set recorded at a Hyde Park Free concert in 1970, newly mixed and restored by Stephen W Tayler, previously unreleased session out-takes and a segment from a 1972 concert and a performance at London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall in 1973. Rounding off the set is a region free Blu-ray video disc which includes a series of live performances recorded for French television, along with two sessions for The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1972 and 1973 (with three previous unseen alternate performances from 1972) and the ‘Caribbean Moon’ promotional film. The set is completed with a 68-page illustrated book with a new essay.
Compiled with the full approval of Kevin Ayers’ estate and is a supreme tribute to a performer of whom John Peel once said; "Kevin Ayers' talent is so acute you could perform major eye surgery with it". This boxed set celebrates and confirms that talent.
Tracklist
DISC ONE
Joy of a Toy
1 Joy of a Toy Continued
2 Town Feeling
3 The Clarietta Rag
4 Girl on a Swing
5 Song for Insane Times
6 Stop This Train (Again Doing It)
7 Eleanor’s Cake (Which Ate Her)
8 The Lady Rachel
9 Oleh Oleh Bandu Bandong
10 All This Crazy Gift of Time
Bonus tracks
11 Religious Experience (feat. Syd Barrett)
12 Soon Soon Soon
13 Religious Experience (Take 103)
14 Clarence in Wonderland (BBC Session 10.02.1970) 15 Stop This Train (Again Doing It) (BBC Session 10.02.1970)
16 Why Are We Sleeping? (feat. Soft Machine) (BBC Session 10.02.1970)
17 You Say You Like My Hat (BBC Session 10.02.1970) 18 Singing a Song in the Morning (single)
DISC TWO
Live at Hyde Park July 1970
Mixed by Stephen W Tayler
1 Clarence in Wonderland (live)
2 The Lady Rachel (live)
3 Rheinhardt and Geraldine /Colores Para Delores (live)
4 May I? (live)
5 Hat Song (live)
6 We Did it Again (live)
7 Why Are We Sleeping? (live)
Bonus track
8 The Garden of Love (live Queen Elizabeth Hall 1970)
DISC THREE
Shooting at the Moon
1 May I?
2 Rheinhardt and Geraldine / Colores Para Delores
3 Lunatics Lament
4 Pisser Dans un Violin
5 The Oyster and the Flying Fish
6 Underwater
7 Clarence in Wonderland 8 Red Green and You Blue 9 Shooting at the Moon
Bonus tracks
10 Hat (recorded May 1970)
11 Gemini Child (recorded June 1970)
12 Butterfly Dance (A-side of single)
13 Puis Je? (B-side of single)
14 Jolie Madame (recorded November 1970
DISC FOUR
BBC Sessions
May 1970 – November 1971
1 Love Is (John Peel Concert 17.05 1970) (previously unreleased)
2 We Did It Again (John Peel Concert 17.05 1970) (previously unreleased)
3 Gemini Child (BBC Session 20.05.1970)
4 Lady Rachel (BBC Session 20.05.1970)
5 Shooting at the Moon (BBC Session 20.05.1970)
6 Derby Day (BBC Session 09.06.1970)
7 The Interview (BBC Session 09.06.1970)
8 We Did it Again / Murder in the Air (BBC Session 09.06.1970)
9 Jolie Madame (with Bridget St. John) (In Concert 31.01.1971)
10 The Spider and the Fly (with Bridget St. John) (In Concert 31.01.1971)
11 The Oyster and the Flying Fish (with Bridget St. John) (In Concert 31.01.1971)
12 Clarence in Wonderland (feat. Gong) (BBC Session 09.11.1971)
DISC FIVE
Whatevershebringswesing
1 There is Loving / Among Us / There is Loving
2 Margaret
3 Oh My
4 Song from a Bottom of a Well
5 Whatevershebringswesing 6 Stranger in Blue Suede Shoes
7 Champagne Cowboy Blues 8 Lullaby
Bonus tracks
9 Watching the Sun Go Down (recorded May 1971)
10 Whatevershebringswesing (first version) (recorded May 1971)
11 Stars (B-side of single)
12 All This Crazy Gift of Time (1972 remake)
13 The Lady Rachel (1972 remake)
14 Sad and Lonely Faces (with David Bedford)
15 (Don’t Sing No More) Sad Songs
16 Fake Mexican Tourist Blues (recorded September 1972)
DISC SIX
BBC Sessions January – May 1972
1 May I? (In Concert Jan 1972)
2 There is Loving / Among Us / There is Loving (In Concert Jan 1972)
3 Margaret (In Concert Jan 1972)
4 Whatevershebringswesing (In Concert Jan 1972)
5 Clarence in Wonderland (In Concert Jan 1972)
6 Colores Para Delores (In Concert Jan 1972)
7 Lady Rachel (In Concert Jan 1972)
8 All This Crazy Gift of Time (In Concert Jan 1972)
9 Why Are We Sleeping? (In Concert Jan 1972)
10 The Oyster and the Flying Fish (BBC session 17.05.1972) 11 Butterfly Dance (BBC session 17.05.1972)
12 Whatevershebringswesing (BBC session 17.05.1972)
13 Falling in Love Again (BBC session 17.05.1972)
14 Queen Thing (BBC session 17.05.1972)
DISC SEVEN
BBC Sessions
September 1972 – April 1973 Banana Follies In Concert September 1972
1 Introduction (In Concert Sept. 1972)
2 (Don’t Sing No More) Sad Songs (In Concert Sept. 1972)
3 Pretty Little Girl (In Concert Sept. 1972)
4 Two Pigeons (In Concert Sept. 1972)
5 Murder in the Air (In Concert Sept. 1972)
6 ‘Orrible Orange (In Concert Sept. 1972)
7 Whatevershebringswesing (In Concert Sept. 1972)
8 Take Me to Tahiti (In Concert Sept. 1972)
9 Oh! Wot a Dream (In Concert Sept. 1972)
10 Marlene (In Concert Sept. 1972)
11 Ball Bearing Blues (In Concert Sept. 1972)
12 Fake Mexican Tourist Blues (In Concert Sept. 1972)
13 Interview (In Concert Sept. 1972)
14 You Say You Like My Hat (In Concert Sept. 1972)
15 Falling in Love Again (In Concert Sept. 1972)
16 The End (In Concert Sept. 1972)
17 Interview (BBC session 11.04.1973)
18 Oh! Wot a Dream (BBC session 11.04.1973)
19 Shouting in a Bucket Blues (BBC session 11.04.1973)
DISC EIGHT
Bananamour
1 Don’t Let it Get You Down
2 Shouting in a Bucket Blues
3 When Your Parents Go to Sleep
4 Interview
5 Internotional Anthem
6 Decadence
7 Oh! Wot a Dream
8 Hymn
9 Beware of the Dog
Bonus tracks
10 Connie on a Rubber Band (B-side of single)
11 Caribbean Moon (A-side of single)
12 Take Me to Tahiti (B- side of single)
13 Decadence (early mix) 14 We Did it Again (live Mile End 1972) (previously unreleased)
15 Why Are We Sleeping? (live Mile End 1972) (previously unreleased)
DISC NINE
After the Show
Live at Queen Elizabeth Hall May 1973
1 Banana Introduction (live 1973)
2 Stranger in Blue Suede Shoes (live 1973)
3 Interview (live 1973)
4 Whatevershebringswesing (live 1973)
5 Oh! Wot a Dream (live 1973)
6 Shouting in a Bucket Blues (live 1973)
7 Caribbean Moon (live 1973)
8 Don’t Let it Get You Down (live 1973)
9 We Did it Again (live 1973)
10 Why Are We Sleeping? (live 1973)
11 After the Show (live 1973)
DISC TEN - BLU-RAY
Video Vaults 1970-1973
1 Clarence in Wonderland (Pop Deux ORTF France 31.03.1970)
2 Why Are We Sleeping? (Pop Deux ORTF France 31.03.1970)
3 Oh My (BBC Old Grey Whistle Test 04.04.1972) 4 May I? (BBC Old Grey Whistle Test 04.04.1972) 5 Why Are We Sleeping? (Pop Deux ORTF France 13.01.1973)
6 Stranger in Blue Suede Shoes (Rockenstock ORTF France 30.01.1973)
7 Why Are We Sleeping? (Rockenstock ORTF France 30.01.1973)
8 Shouting in a Bucket Blues (BBC Old Grey Whistle Test 12.06.1973) 9 Oh! Wot a Dream (BBC Old Grey Whistle Test 12.06.1973)
10 Caribbean Moon (Promotional film 1973)
BONUS CONTENT
11 Oh My (take 2) (BBC Old Grey Whistle Test 04.04.1972)
12 May I? (take 2) (BBC Old Grey Whistle Test 04.04.1972)
13 Oh My (take 4) (BBC Old Grey Whistle Test 04.04.1972)