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Kevin Ayers, great English musician.

iainment
iainment Posts: 8,049
in Not Sports Related
Died yesterday. I am sad, I love his music.

Comments

  • maybe_baby
    maybe_baby Posts: 2,609
    Had to look him up on Google. I'd never heard of soft machine, but agree most creative people are a sad loss.
  • Stig
    Stig Posts: 29,123
    Sad. Love Stranger in Blue Suede Shoes. RIP.
  • LenGlover
    LenGlover Posts: 31,682
    http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2013/feb/21/kevin-ayers-final-interview
  • Saga Lout
    Saga Lout Posts: 6,845
    Oh! This came as a shock - I didn't know. RIP.
  • Happy Valley
    Happy Valley Posts: 212
    Kevin Ayers made brilliant music. Please check 'Song from the Bottom of a Well'. Try listening to it on headphones - it is just amazing.
  • Eddie Firmani
    Eddie Firmani Posts: 650
    Very sad to hear that.
  • Rob
    Rob Posts: 11,875
    Part of the Canterbury scene. RIP.
  • Oakster
    Oakster Posts: 6,812
    Saw this yesterday - was very sad.

    Fans of the late great Mr Ayers should certainly check out Canterbury band Syd Arthur modern torchbearers for this quintessentially English sound.....
  • bigstemarra
    bigstemarra Posts: 5,098
    Been listening to all the tributes on Six Music. I didn't know to much of his stuff; or at least I thought I didn't. Much of I recognised and there was a lot of quality stuff. A very talented man, RIP.
  • iainment
    iainment Posts: 8,049
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VvO8uQqLxgA

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T9NFEyzB7o

    This is Kevin with The Whole World I think. My favourite of all his bands

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  • boggzy
    boggzy Posts: 3,600
    Legend. :-( R.I.P.
  • dickplumb
    dickplumb Posts: 4,835
    edited February 2013
    I saw him at the BBC studios many years ago,truly inventive talent.On saxophone is Lol Coxhill,he used to busk on Hungerford bridge and I think other bridges as well.
  • cafcfan
    cafcfan Posts: 11,209
    I've got a couple of Kevin's albums, Joy of A Toy and Shooting At The Moon. Probably some Soft Machine stuff somewhere too. A fine musician who put fun into his work - great loss.
  • thewolfboy
    thewolfboy Posts: 2,933
    Kevin Ayers should have been bigger than Bowie but he always ran away (literally) from success. For example he did not promote 'Stranger in Blue Suede Shoes' because he went off to Deya. He was a true hippy in the sense he would not tolerate the bullshit of managing a chart band. He was badly let down by his management in his Soft Machine days, who ripped off his money as the main composer. Ayers was deep spiritually, into mystic stuff like Gurdjieff. He put his awareness into his lyrics: 'Why are we Sleeping?' 'Stop this Train' etc. But then he would poke fun at himself with mad ditties like the 'Hat song.' Kevin ended up living in the South of France supported by his royalties and by ex bandmates such as Mike Oldfield who rvered him.
    He was a wonderful guy, my all time hero, only Eddie Firmani runs him close.
  • Henry Irving
    Henry Irving Posts: 85,316
    thewolfboy said:

    Kevin Ayers should have been bigger than Bowie but he always ran away (literally) from success. For example he did not promote 'Stranger in Blue Suede Shoes' because he went off to Deya. He was a true hippy in the sense he would not tolerate the bullshit of managing a chart band. He was badly let down by his management in his Soft Machine days, who ripped off his money as the main composer. Ayers was deep spiritually, into mystic stuff like Gurdjieff. He put his awareness into his lyrics: 'Why are we Sleeping?' 'Stop this Train' etc. But then he would poke fun at himself with mad ditties like the 'Hat song.' Kevin ended up living in the South of France supported by his royalties and by ex bandmates such as Mike Oldfield who rvered him.
    He was a wonderful guy, my all time hero, only Eddie Firmani runs him close.

    Knew the name and the respect he was held in but didn't get Soft machine when I heard it many years ago.

    RIP


  • Wheresmeticket
    Wheresmeticket Posts: 17,304
    Loved Soft Machine, but never got his solo stuff. He displaced a lot of his energy into getting stoned. Sorry to see him go in his 60s.
  • thewolfboy
    thewolfboy Posts: 2,933
    Henry, listen to Soft Machine 1. Great singing/drumming by Robert Wyatt & Ayers is fab on Why are we Sleeping.
    Soft Machine 2 (sans Ayers) is a unique album with outstanding organ play by Mike Ratledge.
    Soft Machine 3 is totally different again. One of the great jazz rock albums.
    I would forget the rest as they became a fusion jazz rock band without much personality.
  • ken from bexley
    ken from bexley Posts: 5,092
    One of those guy's that should have been acknowledged more, he strived for something in music that he wanted to think was important, not the next pop single, or playing the 'tin pan alley' fixation with hit's and product points. Probably seen as a fringe musician, and self indulgent by many, but then who cares about them?.
    Soft machine were a very important band in the underground movement as the wolfboy gives examples of.
    I am not going to state all the music they produced was wonderful, Robert Wyatt a very generous musician, and toured with Hendrix on his first tour of the states, Noel Redding even played for them on a couple of night's I have been told. seehttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/music/music-news/9883347/Kevin-Ayers-founder-of-Soft-Machine-has-died-aged-68.html
    Thank god for artist's like Kevin,

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