Kevin Ayers
Joy Of A Toy LP

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.

NEW / Released in 1969 / Reissue 2015

Tracklist:

A1 Joy Of A Toy Continued

A2 Town Feeling

A3 The Clarietta Rag

A4 Girl On A Swing

A5 Song For Insane Times

B1 Stop This Train (Again Doing It)

B2 Eleanor's Cake (Which Ate Her)

B3 Lady Rachel

B4 Oleh Oleh Bandu Bandong

B5 All This Crazy Gift Of Time