''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 jazz improvisation, improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, ...

artist

Robert Wyatt Robert Wyatt (born Robert Wyatt-Ellidge, 28 January 1945) is a retired English musician. A founding member of the influential Canterbury scene bands Soft Machine and Matching Mole, he was initially a kit drummer and singer before becoming para ...

. 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 film, crime drama Television show, 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 ...

'' 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,

) – 4:15 #"Tom Hay's Fox" – 3:33 #"Forest" (Wyatt, Alfreda Benge) – 7:55 #"Beware" (

Karen Mantler Karen Mantler (born 25 April 1966, in New York City, New York (state), New York, United States) is an American jazz pianist, singer, and composer. She is the daughter of Carla Bley and Michael Mantler. Career Her musical debut consisted of contri ...

) – 5:09 #"Cuckoo Madame" (Wyatt, Alfreda Benge) – 5:20 #"

Raining in My Heart "Raining in My Heart" is a song recorded by Buddy Holly on October 21, 1958 at the Pythian Temple on West 70th Street in New York City, with the orchestral backing by Dick Jacobs. The music and lyrics are written by the songwriting team of Fe ...

" (

Felice and Boudleaux Bryant Felice Bryant (born Matilda Genevieve Scaduto; August 7, 1925 – April 22, 2003) and Diadorius Boudleaux Bryant (; February 13, 1920 – June 25, 1987) were an American husband-and-wife country music and pop songwriting team. They were best ...

)– 2:42 #"Lullaby for Hamza/Silence" (Wyatt, Alfreda Benge) – 5:00 #"Trickle Down" – 6:47 #"

Insensatez "How Insensitive" is a bossa nova and jazz standard song composed by Brazilian musician Antônio Carlos Jobim. The lyrics were written in Portuguese by Vinícius de Moraes and in English by Norman Gimbel. Jobim recorded the song in 1994 with Stin ...

" (

Vinicius de Moraes Marcus Vinícius da Cruz e Mello Moraes (19 October 1913 – 9 July 1980), better known as Vinícius de Moraes () and nicknamed O Poetinha ("The little poet"), was a Brazilian poet, diplomat, lyricist, essayist, musician, singer, and playwright ...

Antônio Carlos Jobim Antônio Carlos Brasileiro de Almeida Jobim (25 January 1927 – 8 December 1994), also known as Tom Jobim (), was a Brazilian composer, pianist, guitarist, songwriter, arranger, and singer. Considered one of the great exponents of Brazilian mu ...

) – 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 Richard Dawkins (born 26 March 1941) is a British evolutionary biologist and author. He is an emeritus fellow of New College, Oxford and was Professor for Public Understanding of Science in the University of Oxford from 1995 to 2008. An ath ...

. "Old Europe" is about

Juliette Gréco Juliette Gréco (; 7 February 1927 – 23 September 2020) was a French singer and actress. Her best known songs are "Paris Canaille" (1962, originally sung by Léo Ferré), "La Javanaise" (1963, written by Serge Gainsbourg for Gréco) and "Désh ...

and

Miles Davis Miles Dewey Davis III (May 26, 1926September 28, 1991) was an American trumpeter, bandleader, and composer. He is among the most influential and acclaimed figures in the history of jazz and 20th-century music. Davis adopted a variety of music ...

. "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

- Percussion, Piano, Trumpet, Cornet, Cymbals, Drums, Keyboards, Vocals *

- Harmonica, Piano, Keyboards, Vocals *

Phil Manzanera Phillip Geoffrey Targett-Adams (born 31 January 1951), known professionally as Phil Manzanera, is an English guitarist, songwriter and record producer. He is the lead guitarist with Roxy Music, and was the lead guitarist with 801, and Quiet Su ...

- Vocals *

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 ...

- Vocals *

David Gilmour David Jon Gilmour ( ; born 6 March 1946) is an English guitarist, singer, songwriter, and member of the rock band Pink Floyd. He joined as guitarist and co-lead vocalist in 1967, shortly before the departure of founding member Syd Barrett. P ...

- Guitar on "Forest" *

Paul Weller Paul John Weller (born John William Weller; 25 May 1958) is an English singer-songwriter and musician. Weller achieved fame with the punk rock/ new wave/mod revival band the Jam (1972–1982). He had further success with the blue-eyed soul m ...

- Guitar *

Annie Whitehead Lena Annie Whitehead (born 16 July 1955 in Oldham, Lancashire, England) is an English 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, ...

- Trombone *

Gilad Atzmon Gilad Atzmon ( he, גלעד עצמון, ; born 9 June 1963) is a British jazz saxophonist, novelist, political activist, and writer. As a musician, he is best known as a saxophonist and bandleader. His instruments include the saxophone, acco ...

- Alto, Soprano, and Tenor Saxophones, Clarinet, Flute *Jamie Johnson - Bass Guitar, Vocals *Yaron Stavi - Double Bass *

Jennifer Maidman Jennifer Maidman (formerly Ian Maidman, born 24 January 1958) is a British musician, singer, producer, songwriter, actor and author who has collaborated extensively with many internationally well known groups and artists. Her work appears on hu ...

- Acoustic guitar, Accordion

References

Robert Wyatt albums 2003 albums Rykodisc albums Albums produced by Robert Wyatt {{2003-rock-album-stub