''Cuckooland'' is the eighth studio album by
jazz rock
Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, amplifiers, and keyb ...
artist
Robert Wyatt. It was released in 2003 on
Hannibal Records
Hannibal Records was a British record label and one of the first to work with the World music genre.
Hannibal was started by Joe Boyd in 1980. Boyd had produced records by artists such as Nick Drake, The Incredible String Band and Fairport ...
. The artwork is by
Alfreda Benge
Alfreda Benge is a lyricist and illustrator. She was born in 1940 in Austria to a Polish mother, and came to England in 1947. Her stepfather, Ronald Benge, was a prominent librarian who established library schools in developing countries. She has b ...
. ''
The Wire
''The Wire'' is an American crime drama television series created and primarily written by author and former police reporter David Simon. The series was broadcast by the cable network HBO in the United States. ''The Wire'' premiered on June 2 ...
'' named ''Cuckooland'' the record of the year in its annual critics' poll.
Track listing
All tracks composed by Robert Wyatt; except where indicated
#"Just a Bit" – 5:09
#"Old Europe" (Wyatt,
Alfreda Benge
Alfreda Benge is a lyricist and illustrator. She was born in 1940 in Austria to a Polish mother, and came to England in 1947. Her stepfather, Ronald Benge, was a prominent librarian who established library schools in developing countries. She has b ...
) – 4:15
#"Tom Hay's Fox" – 3:33
#"Forest" (Wyatt, Alfreda Benge) – 7:55
#"Beware" (
Karen Mantler) – 5:09
#"Cuckoo Madame" (Wyatt, Alfreda Benge) – 5:20
#"
Raining in My Heart" (Felice and Boudleaux Bryant)– 2:42
#"Lullaby for Hamza/Silence" (Wyatt, Alfreda Benge) – 5:00
#"Trickle Down" – 6:47
#"Insensatez" (Vinicius de Moraes, Antônio Carlos Jobim) – 4:24
#"Mister E" (Karen Mantler) – 4:20
#"Lullaloop" (Alfreda Benge) – 2:59
#"Life Is Sheep" (Karen Mantler) – 4:14
#"Foreign Accents" – 3:48
#"Brian the Fox" – 5:31
#"La Ahada Yalam (No-One Knows) (Nizar Zreik)" – 4:16
Notes
"Just a Bit" is dedicated to Richard Dawkins.
"Old Europe" is about Juliette Gréco and Miles Davis.
"Lullaby for Hamza" is followed by 30 seconds of silence, to provide in Wyatt's words, "A suitable place for those with tired ears to pause and resume listening later".
Personnel
*
Robert Wyatt - Percussion, Piano, Trumpet, Cornet, Cymbals, Drums, Keyboards, Vocals
*
Karen Mantler - Harmonica, Piano, Keyboards, Vocals
*Phil Manzanera - Vocals
*
Alfreda Benge
Alfreda Benge is a lyricist and illustrator. She was born in 1940 in Austria to a Polish mother, and came to England in 1947. Her stepfather, Ronald Benge, was a prominent librarian who established library schools in developing countries. She has b ...
- Vocals
*Brian Eno - Vocals
*David Gilmour - Guitar on "Forest"
*Paul Weller (singer), Paul Weller - Guitar
*Annie Whitehead - Trombone
*Gilad Atzmon - Alto, Soprano, and Tenor Saxophones, Clarinet, Flute
*Jamie Johnson - Bass Guitar, Vocals
*Yaron Stavi - Double Bass
*Jennifer Maidman - Acoustic guitar, Accordion
References
Robert Wyatt albums
2003 albums
Rykodisc albums
Albums produced by Robert Wyatt
{{2003-rock-album-stub
