Joy of a Toy

by Kevin Ayers

Overview

As the Soft Machine's first bassist and original principal songwriter, Kevin Ayers was an overlooked force behind the group's groundbreaking recordings in 1967 and 1968. This, his solo debut, is so tossed-off and nonchalant that one gets the impression he wanted to take it easy after helping pilot the manic innovations of the Softs. Laissez-faire sloth has always been part of Ayers' persona, and this record's intermittent lazy charm helped establish it. That doesn't get around the fact, however, that this set of early progressive rock does not feature extremely strong material. Ayers' command of an assortment of instruments is impressive, and his deep bass vocals and playful, almost goofy song-sketches are affecting, but they don't really stick with the listener. It's no accident that some of the tracks recall early Soft Machine: Robert Wyatt drums on most of the songs, and "Song for Insane Times" is virtually a bona fide Soft Machine performance, featuring actual backing from the group itself. A likable but slight album that is at its best when Ayers is at his folkiest. ~ Richie Unterberger

Product Details

Release Date:	02/03/2015
Label:	Music On Vinyl
UPC:	8718469537334
Rank:	62551

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Kevin Ayers   Primary Artist,Guitar,Vocals
Syd Barrett   Primary Artist,Featured Artist
David Bedford   Guest Artist,Piano,Keyboards
Hugh Hopper   Guest Artist,Bass
Rob Wyatt   Guest Artist
Paul Buckmaster   Cello
Jeff Clyne   Bass
Robert Wyatt   Drums,Vocals
Sean Murphy   Vocals
Mike Ratledge   Keyboards
Soft Machine   Band
Rob Tait   Drums
Paul Minns   Oboe

Technical Credits

Kevin Ayers   Composer,Producer
Roger Dopson   Liner Notes
Sean Murphy   Engineer
Peter Jenner   Producer
Peter Mew   Engineer
David Bedford   Arranger,Creative Assistance
Martin Wakeling   Liner Notes
Laurie Asprey   Photography
Ian Knight   Engineer
Andrew King   Producer