KEVIN AYERS "Joy Of A Toy" LP, NM-M/VG+, UK, 1971, Gatefold
$
50
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Description
Condition:
AMG Review by Richie Unterberger
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.
Kevin Ayers ?– Joy Of A Toy
Label: Harvest ?– SHVL 763 Format: Vinyl, LP, Album, Repress, GatefoldCountry: UK Released: 1971 Genre: Rock Style: Psychedelic Rock, Prog Rock
TracklistHide Credits
A1 Joy Of A Toy Continued A2 Town Feeling A3 The Clarietta Rag A4 Girl On A Swing A5 Song For Insane Times Featuring – Soft Machine B1 Stop This Train (Again Doing It) Drums – Rob Tait B2 Eleanor's Cake (Which Ate Her) B3 Lady Rachel B4 Oleh Oleh Bandu Bandong Drums – Rob Tait B5 All This Crazy Gift Of TimeCredits
- Arranged By, Piano – David Bedford
- Drums – Robert Wyatt (tracks: A1 to A5, B2, B3, B5)
- Engineer – Peter Mew
- Producer – Kevin Ayers, Peter Jenner
Notes
Repress, identical as first press (even matrix numbers), the only difference with first press is the new EMI box on labels.Thanks and praise to:
Robert Wyatt who played all drum tracks, except for B1 and B4, on which Rob Tait "did it" for a couple of tricky figures.
The Soft Machine for the backing on A5 - Mike Ratledge and Hugh Hopper individually.
David Bedford for creative assistance on instrumental, voicings and their arrangement (also for his groovy piano playing).
The Session Men.
Jean and Mary who had to sing in Malay - which is a fair achievement for two Scots girls.
The Engineer: Peter Mew.
Sean Murphy and Ian Knight. Finally, Peter Jenner, who provided a more than valuable smile and throughout, and Malcolm Jones and roy Featherstone of EMI who said Yes.
Barcode and Other Identifiers
- Matrix / Runout (SIDE 1): SHVL 763 A-1
- Matrix / Runout (SIDE 2): SHVL 763 B-1
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GOLDMINE GRADING
MINT ---- It should appear to be perfect. No scuffs or scratches, blotches or stains, labels or writing, tears or splits. Mint means perfect.
NEAR MINT ---- Otherwise mint but has one or two tiny inconsequential flaws that do not affect play. Covers should be close to perfect with minor signs of wear or age just becoming evident: slight ring-wear, minor denting to a corner, or writing on the cover should all be noted properly.
VERY GOOD PLUS ---- The record has been handled and played infrequently or very carefully. Not too far from perfect. On a disc, there may be light paper scuffs from sliding in and out of a sleeve or the vinyl or some of the original luster may be lost. A slight scratch that did not affect play would be acceptably VG+ for most collectors.
VERY GOOD ---- Record displays visible signs of handling and playing, such as loss of vinyl luster, light surface scratches, groove wear and spindle trails. Some audible surface noise, but should not overwhelm the musical experience. Usually a cover is VG when one or two of these problems are evident: ring wear, seam splits, bent corners, loss of gloss, stains, etc.
GOOD ---- Well played with little luster and significant surface noise. Despite defects, record should still play all the way through without skipping. Several cover flaws will be apparent, but should not obliterate the artwork.
POOR ---- Any record or cover that does not qualify for the above "Good" grading should be seen as Poor. Several cover flaws.
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