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Kevin Ayers (16 August 1944 – 18 February 2013) was an English singer-songwriter who was active in the English psychedelic music movement. Ayers was a founding member of the psychedelic band Soft Machine in the mid-1960s, and was closely associated with the Canterbury scene. He recorded a series of albums as a solo artist and over the years worked with
Brian Eno Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...
,
Syd Barrett Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett (6 January 1946 – 7 July 2006) was an English singer, songwriter, and musician who co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd in 1965. Barrett was their original frontman and primary songwriter, becoming known for his ...
,
Bridget St John Bridget St John (born Bridget Anne Hobbs; 4 October 1946 in Surrey, England) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known for the three albums she recorded between 1969 and 1972 for John Peel's Dandelion record label. Peel produce ...
,
John Cale John Davies Cale (born 9 March 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, singer, songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various sty ...
,
Elton John Sir Elton Hercules John (born Reginald Kenneth Dwight; 25 March 1947) is a British singer, pianist and composer. Commonly nicknamed the "Rocket Man" after his 1972 hit single of the same name, John has led a commercially successful career a ...
, Robert Wyatt,
Andy Summers Andrew James Summers (born 31 December 1942), is an English guitarist who was a member of the rock band The Police. He was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a band member in 2003. Summers has recorded solo albums, collaborated w ...
, Mike Oldfield, Nico and Ollie Halsall, among others. After living for many years in Deià,
Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bale ...
, he returned to the United Kingdom in the mid-1990s before moving to the south of France. His last album, '' The Unfairground'', was released in 2007. The British rock journalist Nick Kent wrote: "Kevin Ayers and Syd Barrett were the two most important people in British pop music. Everything that came after came from them."


Biography


Early life

Ayers was born in Herne Bay,
Kent Kent is a county in South East England and one of the home counties. It borders Greater London to the north-west, Surrey to the west and East Sussex to the south-west, and Essex to the north across the estuary of the River Thames; it faces ...
, the son of BBC producer Rowan Ayers. Following his parents' divorce and his mother's subsequent marriage to a British civil servant, Ayers spent most of his childhood in
Malaya Malaya refers to a number of historical and current political entities related to what is currently Peninsular Malaysia in Southeast Asia: Political entities * British Malaya (1826–1957), a loose collection of the British colony of the Straits ...
. The tropical atmosphere and unpressured lifestyle had an impact, and one of the frustrating and endearing aspects of Ayers' career is that every time he seemed on the point of success, he would take off for some sunny spot where good wine and food were easily found. Ayers returned to England at the age of 12. In his early college years he took up with the burgeoning musicians' scene in the Canterbury area. He was quickly drafted into the Wilde Flowers, a band that featured Robert Wyatt and
Hugh Hopper Hugh Colin Hopper (29 April 1945 – 7 June 2009) was a British progressive rock and jazz fusion bass guitarist. He was a prominent member of the Canterbury scene, as a member of Soft Machine and other bands. Biography Early career Starting ...
, as well as future members of Caravan. Ayers stated in interviews that the primary reason he was asked to join was that he probably had the longest hair. However, this prompted him to start writing songs and singing.


Soft Machine

The Wilde Flowers evolved into Caravan after Ayers and Wyatt left and eventually joined keyboardist Mike Ratledge and guitarist Daevid Allen to form Soft Machine. Ayers switched to bass (and later both guitar and bass following Allen's departure from that group) and shared vocals with the
drummer A drummer is a percussionist who creates music using drums. Most contemporary western bands that play rock, pop, jazz, or R&B music include a drummer for purposes including timekeeping and embellishing the musical timbre. The drummer' ...
Robert Wyatt. The group's sound contrasted between Ayers' baritone and Wyatt's tenor singing, plus a mix of rock and
jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a majo ...
. The band often shared stages (particularly at the UFO Club) with
Pink Floyd Pink Floyd are an English rock band formed in London in 1965. Gaining an early following as one of the first British psychedelic groups, they were distinguished by their extended compositions, sonic experimentation, philosophical lyrics an ...
. They released their debut single '
Love Makes Sweet Music "Love Makes Sweet Music" was the first single released by the psychedelic rock group Soft Machine. It is one of the first British psychedelic releases, predating Pink Floyd's "Arnold Layne" by a month. The A-side is more pop-oriented, featuring Rob ...
'/' Feelin' Reelin' Squeelin' in February 1967, making it one of the first recordings from the new British psychedelic movement. Their debut album, '' The Soft Machine,'' was recorded in the US for ABC/Probe and released in 1968. It is considered a classic of the genre.


Solo career, 1969–2013


1970–1976

After an extensive tour of the United States opening for The Jimi Hendrix Experience, a weary Ayers sold his white Fender Jazz Bass to
Noel Redding David Noel Redding (25 December 1945 – 11 May 2003) was an English rock musician, best known as the bass player for the Jimi Hendrix Experience and guitarist/singer for Fat Mattress. Following his departure from the Experience in 1969 ...
''Joy of a Toy'' notes by Martin Wakeling (EMI, September 2006) and retreated to the beaches of Ibiza in Spain with Daevid Allen to recuperate.''Whatevershebringswesing'' booklet notes by Mark Powell (Harvest, 2003) While there, Ayers went on a songwriting binge that resulted in the songs that would make up his first album, '' Joy of a Toy''. The album was one of the first released on the new Harvest label, alongside Pink Floyd's ''
Ummagumma ''Ummagumma'' is the fourth album by English rock band Pink Floyd. It is a double album and it was released on 7 November 1969 by Harvest Records. The first disc consists of live recordings from concerts at Mothers Club in Birmingham and the ...
''. ''Joy of a Toy'' established Ayers as a unique talent with music that varied from the circus march of the title cut, to the pastoral "Girl on a Swing", and the ominous "Oleh Oleh Bandu Bandong", based on a Malay folksong. Ayers' colleagues from Soft Machine backed him on one track, "Song for Insane Times", and on some cuts with Rob Tait, sometime
Gong A gongFrom Indonesian and ms, gong; jv, ꦒꦺꦴꦁ ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ja, , dora; km, គង ; th, ฆ้อง ; vi, cồng chiêng; as, কাঁহ is a percussion instrument originating in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Gongs ...
drummer. One product of the sessions was the single, " Religious Experience (Singing a Song in the Morning)", early recordings of which featured
Syd Barrett Roger Keith "Syd" Barrett (6 January 1946 – 7 July 2006) was an English singer, songwriter, and musician who co-founded the rock band Pink Floyd in 1965. Barrett was their original frontman and primary songwriter, becoming known for his ...
on guitar and backing vocals. The lead guitar that appears on the final mix was often thought to have been played by Barrett, even appearing on various Barrett bootlegs, but Ayers said that he played the solo, emulating Barrett's style. However, the 2004 CD reissue of ''Joy of a Toy'' includes a mix of this song featuring Barrett's guitar as a bonus track. Ayers was to all intents and purposes a member of Gong in 1971 when the band first toured the UK. He also played an instrumental role in Steve Hillage appearing in Gong in 1972, while Steve was touring France as a member of Ayers's band. A second album, '' Shooting at the Moon'', soon followed. For this, Ayers assembled a band that he called ''The Whole World'', including a young Mike Oldfield on bass and occasionally lead guitar, avant-garde composer David Bedford on keyboards and improvising saxophonist, Lol Coxhill. Again Ayers came up with a batch of engaging songs interspersed with avant-garde instrumentals and a heavy dose of whimsy. ''The Whole World'' was reportedly an erratic band live, and Ayers was not cut out for life on the road touring. The band broke up after a short tour, with no hard feelings, as most of the musicians guested on Ayers' next album, ''
Whatevershebringswesing ''Whatevershebringswesing'' is the third solo album by Kevin Ayers, on Harvest Records. Background In 1971, Kevin Ayers started recording what would become his most acclaimed album, ''Whatevershebringswesing'' accompanied by members of Gong a ...
'', which is regarded as one of his best, featuring the mellifluous eight-minute title track that would become Ayers' signature sound for the 1970s. ''
Bananamour ''Bananamour'' is the fourth studio album by Kevin Ayers and it featured some of his most accessible recordings, including "Shouting in a Bucket Blues" and his whimsical tribute to Syd Barrett, " Oh! Wot A Dream". After '' Whatevershebringswes ...
'' was the fourth studio album by Kevin Ayers and it featured some of his most accessible recordings, including "Shouting in a Bucket Blues" and his whimsical tribute to Syd Barrett, "Oh! Wot A Dream". After ''Whatevershebringswesing'', Ayers assembled a new band anchored by drummer Eddie Sparrow and bassist Archie Legget and employed a more direct lyricism. The centrepiece of the album is "Decadence", a portrait of Nico. 1974 was a watershed year for Ayers. In addition to releasing his most compelling music in this year, he helped provide other artists with access to a wider stage, most notably Lady June (June Campbell Cramer). The recording, titled ''
Lady June's Linguistic Leprosy ''Lady June's Linguistic Leprosy'' is an experimental music/spoken word album by poet Lady June (a.k.a. June Campbell Cramer). It features musical contributions by Kevin Ayers and Brian Eno. Overview The recording was made for £400 in the l ...
'', made in a front room of Cramer's home in Vale Court, Maida Vale, brought Lady June's spoken-word poetry together with the music and voice of Ayers, and also had contributions by
Brian Eno Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...
and
Pip Pyle Phillip "Pip" Pyle (4 April 1950 – 28 August 2006) was an English-born drummer from Sawbridgeworth, Hertfordshire, who later resided in France. He is best known for his work in the progressive rock Canterbury scene bands Gong, Hatfie ...
. It was originally released on Ayers' own Banana Productions label (via Virgin/Caroline). ''
The Confessions of Dr. Dream and Other Stories ''The Confessions of Dr. Dream and Other Stories'' is the fifth studio album by Kevin Ayers. Ayers moved to Island Records for this release which employed a vast array of session musicians. The album also marked the arrival of Patto guitarist Ol ...
'' marked Ayers' move to the more commercial Island record label and is considered by many to be the most cohesive example of Ayersian philosophy. The production was expensive, with Ayers quoting the recording costs in a 1974 NME interview as exceeding £32,000 (a vast figure at the time). On this LP Mike Oldfield returned to the fold and guitarist Ollie Halsall from progressive rock band
Patto Patto were an English rock band, formed in London in 1970. Founded by vocalist Mike Patto, their lineup was taken from Timebox, consisting of vocalist Patto, guitarist and vibraphone player Ollie Halsall, bassist Clive Griffiths and dru ...
began a twenty-year partnership with Ayers. On 1 June 1974, Ayers headlined a heavily publicised concert at the Rainbow Theatre, London, accompanied by
John Cale John Davies Cale (born 9 March 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, singer, songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various sty ...
, Nico,
Brian Eno Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...
and Mike Oldfield. The performance was released by Island Records just 27 days later on a live LP entitled '' June 1, 1974''. Tensions were somewhat fraught at the event since the night before John Cale had caught Ayers sleeping with his wife, prompting him to write the bile-soaked paean "Guts" that appeared on his 1975 album '' Slow Dazzle''. In 1976, Ayers returned to his original label Harvest and released ''
Yes We Have No Mañanas (So Get Your Mañanas Today) ''Yes We Have No Mañanas (So Get Your Mañanas Today)'' is the seventh studio album by Kevin Ayers, released in June 1976. This LP marked Kevin Ayers' return to the leftfield Harvest Records, Harvest label. Producer Muff Winwood employed a stra ...
''. The album was a more commercial affair. and secured Ayers a new American contract with
ABC Records ABC Records was an American record label founded in New York City in 1955. It originated as the main popular music label operated by the Am-Par Record Corporation. Am-Par also created the Impulse! jazz label in 1960. It acquired many labels bef ...
. The LP featured contributions from B.J. Cole and Zoot Money. That same year Harvest released a collection entitled ''Odd Ditties'', that assembled a colourful group of songs that Ayers had consigned to single B-Sides or left unreleased.


The European Years (1978–1992)

The late 1970s and 1980s saw Ayers as a self-imposed exile in warmer climes (Spain), a fugitive from changing musical fashions, and a hostage to chemical addictions. ''
Rainbow Takeaway ''Rainbow Takeaway'' is the eighth studio album by Kevin Ayers. The core band is essentially the same as its predecessor, ''Yes We Have No Mañanas (So Get Your Mañanas Today)''. ''Rainbow Takeaway'' marks the close of the 1970s Ayers progressi ...
'' was released in 1978 and ''
That's What You Get Babe ''That's What You Get Babe'' is the ninth studio album by Kevin Ayers and his final recording for Harvest. Background Ayers had retired to Deià, Spain directly after 1978's '' Rainbow Takeaway'' and ''That's What You Get Babe'' was his first p ...
'' in 1980. 1983's ''
Diamond Jack and the Queen of Pain ''Diamond Jack and the Queen of Pain'' is the tenth solo album by Kevin Ayers, a founding member of Soft Machine. Track listing All tracks composed by Kevin Ayers; except where indicated # "Madame Butterfly" – 4:30 # "Lay Lady Lay" (Bob Dyl ...
'', Ayers' 10th solo album, was perhaps a low-point for Ayers. He was quoted in a 1992 BBC Radio 1 interview as saying he had "virtually no recollection of making those records", and that living in Deià was "a very bad move on my part. The social scene was very intense, a meat market of expatriates all flaunting themselves and on display. My career was going downhill". Ayers released two more solo albums, 1984's '' Deià...Vu'' and 1986's '' As Close As You Think'' to little attention. The road back was marked with 1988's prophetically titled '' Falling Up'', which received his first positive press notices in years. In 1987 he also recorded a vocal track for Mike Oldfield's single, " Flying Start". The lyrics of this song contains many references to Ayers' life. Despite the positive reception ''Falling Up'' received, Ayers by this point had almost completely withdrawn from any public stage. An acoustic album ''
Still Life with Guitar ''Still Life with Guitar'' is the fourteenth studio album by Kevin Ayers. It was the final recording to feature guitarist Ollie Halsall, who died shortly after its release. Ayers would not record another album of new material for fifteen years ...
'' recorded with Fairground Attraction surfaced in France on the FNAC label and was subsequently released throughout Europe. After a European Tour in April/May 1992 his musical partner Ollie Halsall suddenly died of a drugs related heart attack. Some collaborations with Ayers fanatics Ultramarine and a couple of concert tours of the U.K./ Europe during 1995 and a resulting live album, 'Turn the lights down', arket Square,Records, 1999with Liverpool's Wizards of Twiddly completed his output in the 1990s. In 1993, Ayers toured America twice, usually performing solo with occasional guests, including Daevid Allen, who was also touring America at the same time. Aside from a few New York shows in 1980 with Ollie Halsall, these tours were Ayers' first live performances in America since 1968. In 1998 and 2000 he returned for two California mini-tours, performing in Los Angeles and San Francisco and backed by local musicians. The 2000 concerts had Ayers double-billed with
Gong A gongFrom Indonesian and ms, gong; jv, ꦒꦺꦴꦁ ; zh, c=鑼, p=luó; ja, , dora; km, គង ; th, ฆ้อง ; vi, cồng chiêng; as, কাঁহ is a percussion instrument originating in East Asia and Southeast Asia. Gongs ...
. Longtime friend John Altman joined the Los Angeles band in 2000. BBC DJ
John Peel John Robert Parker Ravenscroft (30 August 1939 – 25 October 2004), known professionally as John Peel, was an English disc jockey (DJ) and radio presenter. He was the longest-serving of the original BBC Radio 1 DJs, broadcasting regularly fr ...
wrote in his autobiography: "Kevin Ayers' talent is so acute you could perform major eye surgery with it."


Later years (2000–2013)

In the late 1990s, Ayers was living the life of a recluse in the South of France. At the Sculpture Centre he met American artist Timothy Shepard, who had been invited to use studio space there, and the two became friends. Ayers started to show up at Shepard's house with a guitar, and by 2005 passed some new recordings on to Shepard, most taped on a cassette recorder at his kitchen table. The songs were by turns "poignant, insightful and honest", and Shepard, "deeply moved" by what he heard, BBC6 Interview, September 2006) encouraged Ayers to record them properly for a possible new album. Signing with London's LO-MAX Records, Shepard found equal enthusiasm for the demos and after making some tentative enquiries, discovered a hotbed of interest for Ayers's work amongst the current generation of musicians. New York's Ladybug Transistor set up rehearsals for a possible recording organised by band leader Gary Olson, and Kevin and Shepard flew out to New York. When the rehearsals gelled, the entourage, which had now swelled to include horn and string players, flew out to
Tucson , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...
,
Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States. It is the list of U.S. states and territories by area, 6th largest and the list of U.S. states and territories by population, 14 ...
, where the first sessions were recorded in a dusty hangar known as Wavelab Studios. With the tapes from the first sessions, Shepard set about getting Ayers to complete the album in the UK, where by now word had spread, and a host of musicians started gravitating to the studio. Shepard recounted meeting Teenage Fanclub at a Go-Betweens party and hearing their passion for Ayers' music, and wrote a letter to singer, guitarist Norman Blake. '' Mojo'' magazine reported that, within a couple of weeks, Ayers was in a Glasgow studio with Teenage Fanclub and a host of their like-minded colleagues, who had all assembled to work with their hero.< Bill Wells from the Bill Wells Trio rubbed shoulders with Euros Childs from Gorky's Zygotic Mynci and
Francis Reader Trashcan Sinatras are a Scottish band that were formed in Irvine, Scotland in 1986. The band's music makes frequent use of pop harmonies and wordplay. History Formation The band members met through the club/pub music scene in Irvine. The o ...
from the
Trash Can Sinatras Trashcan Sinatras are a Scottish band that were formed in Irvine, Scotland in 1986. The band's music makes frequent use of pop harmonies and wordplay. History Formation The band members met through the club/pub music scene in Irvine. The ...
. Friends and peers from the past also visited the sessions. Robert Wyatt provided his eerie Wyattron in the poignant "Cold Shoulder", Phil Manzanera contributed to the brooding "Brainstorm",
Hugh Hopper Hugh Colin Hopper (29 April 1945 – 7 June 2009) was a British progressive rock and jazz fusion bass guitarist. He was a prominent member of the Canterbury scene, as a member of Soft Machine and other bands. Biography Early career Starting ...
from Soft Machine played bass on the title track and
Bridget St John Bridget St John (born Bridget Anne Hobbs; 4 October 1946 in Surrey, England) is an English singer-songwriter and guitarist, best known for the three albums she recorded between 1969 and 1972 for John Peel's Dandelion record label. Peel produce ...
, a British folk singer beloved of John Peel, duetted with Ayers on "Baby Come Home", the first time they had sung together since 1970 on ''Shooting at the Moon''. '' The Unfairground'' was released to critical acclaim in September 2007. Ayers died in his sleep on 18 February 2013 in Montolieu,
France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...
, aged 68.


Discography


Soft Machine


Solo


Singles


Compilations, collaborations and live recordings

*'' June 1, 1974'' (, Island , Jun 1974) (with Nico,
John Cale John Davies Cale (born 9 March 1942) is a Welsh musician, composer, singer, songwriter and record producer who was a founding member of the American rock band the Velvet Underground. Over his six-decade career, Cale has worked in various sty ...
and
Brian Eno Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...
) *''
Lady June's Linguistic Leprosy ''Lady June's Linguistic Leprosy'' is an experimental music/spoken word album by poet Lady June (a.k.a. June Campbell Cramer). It features musical contributions by Kevin Ayers and Brian Eno. Overview The recording was made for £400 in the l ...
'' (Caroline/Virgin, Nov 1974) (with Lady June and
Brian Eno Brian Peter George St John le Baptiste de la Salle Eno (; born Brian Peter George Eno, 15 May 1948) is a British musician, composer, record producer and visual artist best known for his contributions to ambient music and work in rock, pop an ...
*''Odd Ditties'' (Harvest 1976) (a collection of rarities and unreleased tracks) *''The Kevin Ayers Collection'' (SFM 1983) *''Banana Productions: The Best of Kevin Ayers'' (EMI 1989) *''BBC Live in Concert'' (Windsong 1992) *''Document Series Presents Kevin Ayers'' (Connoisseur Collection 1992) *''1969–80'' (Alex 1995) *''First Show in the Appearance Business: The BBC Sessions 1973–1976'' (Strange Fruit 1996) *''The Garden of Love'' with Mike Oldfield and Robert Wyatt (Voiceprint 1997) *''Singing the Bruise: The BBC Sessions, 1970–1972 ive' (Strange Fruit 1998) *''Too Old to Die Young: BBC Live 1972–1976'' (Hux 1998) *''Banana Follies'' (Hux 1998) *''Turn the Lights Down'' (live) with the Wizards of Twiddly (Market Square 2000) *''The Best of Kevin Ayers'' (EMI 2000) *''Didn't Feel Lonely Till I Thought of You: The Island Records Years'' (Edsel 2004) *''Alive in California'' (Box-O-Plenty Records, November 2004) *''BBC Sessions 1970–1976'' (Hux 2005) *''Some Kevin Ayers'' (white label promo 2007) *''Songs For Insane Times: An Anthology 1969–1980'' (EMI, September 2008) *''The Harvest Years'' (5 X CD box set, Harvest 2012 ) – Includes ''Joy of a toy'', ''Shooting at the Moon'', ''whatevershebringswesing'', ''Bananamour'' and ''The Confessions of Dr. Dream and other stories'' all with bonus tracks, single mixes, B sides, BBC session tracks. ''Odd ditties'' is omitted and ''Confessions'' is included despite it being originally released on Island, not Harvest.


References


Further reading

*Steve Peacock, "Gong: The Return of the Banana" (''Sounds'', 16 October 1971) *Nick Kent, "Is This Man A Dipso?" (''NME'', 31 August 1974) *Kenneth Ansell, "Let's Drink some Wine and Have a Good Time" (''ZigZag'', 46, 1974) *Nick Kent, "Ayers and Graces" (''NME'', 7 December 1974) *Mike Flood Page, "Despair and Temperance in Maida Vale" (''Sounds'', 25 January 1975) *Max Bell, "The Confessions of Doctor Amphibious and the Malaysian Headwash" (''NME'', 24 May 1975) *John Ingham, "Golden Ayers" (''Sounds'', 6 March 1976) *John Ingham, "Ready to Die" (''Sounds'', 3 July 1976) *''Tomorrow Never Knows: Rock and Psychedelics in the 1960s'' (University of Chicago Press 2002) *''Turn on Your Mind: Four Decades of Great Psychedelic Rock'' (Hal Leonard 2003) *Jonathan Glancey, "You Need a Bit Missing Upstairs to Play This Game" (''The Guardian'', 4 July 2003) *Graham Bennett, ''Soft Machine: Out-Bloody-Rageous'' (SAF Publishing 2005) *''Whatevershebringswesing'' sleevenotes by Martin Wakeling (EMI, September 2006) *''Joy of a Toy'' sleevenotes by Martin Wakeling (EMI, September 2006) *''The Rare Record Price Guide'' (Diamond Publishing Group Ltd, Oct 2006) *James McNair, "Kevin Ayers: Mojo Working" (''Mojo'', July 2007) *Lisa Verrico, "The Unsung Hero of Psychedelia" (''Sunday Times'', 2 September 2007) *Garth Cartwright, "The Father of the Underground" (''Daily Telegraph'', 30 August 2007) *Simon Reynolds, "Kevin Ayers and Robert Wyatt" (''Reynoldsretro'', 14 December 2007) * ''The New Musical Express Book of Rock'', 1975, Star Books,


External links

*
1998 Kevin Ayers interview
a
Perfect Sound Forever
(online music magazine) * The Wire's
NME news story An interview from 2008
with '' The Word'', re-published in 2013 by ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide ...
''. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ayers, Kevin 1944 births 2013 deaths 20th-century British male singers 20th-century English bass guitarists 20th-century English singers 21st-century British guitarists 21st-century British male singers 21st-century English bass guitarists 21st-century English singers ABC Records artists Canterbury scene English experimental musicians English male singer-songwriters English male singers English pop singers English record producers English rock bass guitarists English rock singers Experimental composers Harvest Records artists Island Records artists Male bass guitarists Musicians from Kent People educated at Simon Langton Grammar School for Boys People from Herne Bay, Kent Progressive pop musicians Progressive rock bass guitarists Psychedelic rock musicians Sire Records artists Soft Machine members The Wilde Flowers members