Bards Of Byron Bay - Daevid Allen & Russell Hibbs

Advantages: Occational Touch of Greatness
Disadvantages: A Load of Hippy Nonsence (Sorry Hippies)

...Way back and the early nineties I was dragged kicking and screaming to one of Daevid Allen's acoustic shows, "He was in Gong, a load of whimsical hippie nonsense" was roughly my expressed opinion. That night however my thought changes albeit on a temporary basis, I was knocked back by the mans charisma and the music that night was superb. The album starts off innocuously enough with "Flamenco Zero" an acoustic number with some very nice guitar playing on it, and I am a happy Champ about this as I like the sound of a well played acoustic guitar. "Why Do We Treat Ourselves Like We Do?" again continues the theme of exceptionally well played guitar and some Hawkwind esque vocals but the general hippyness of the lyric puts me off and soon it disapears off into some whimsical land. The third track "Tally and Orlando Meet the Cockpit Pixie... Read review

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Advantages: Two albums on one cd!!
Disadvantages: Not to every ones taste!

...Soft Machine?? Who are Soft Machine I hear you asking!! Essentially they are a prog-rock fusion-jazz band from the late sixties, early seventies. Well, anyone familiar with Daevid Allen will have heard of this awesome band. They formed in 1966 in Canterbury with Daevid Allen on guitar, Mike Ratledge on keyboard, Robert Wyatt on Drums and Kevin Ayers on guitar. Daevid Allen is an Australian who played a large part in so many awesome movements. Gong, Soft Machine, Banana Moon or Daevid Allens University of Errors In 1968 they played a three month tour of the US opening for the Jimmy Hendrix Experience and recorded their first album in New York. This is an evolving band, a band whose music changes as new musicians come and go with their own influences and styles giving every album it's own personality. Many argue that "Third... Read review

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Advantages: Great songs, great playing
Disadvantages: vocals an acquired taste

...Mexican Tourist Blues". Typically, after completing the album Ayers took himself out of the loop, retiring to France where he looned about with Daevid Allen and Gong for several months. Despite good reviews "Whatevershebrings..." became another tick in the should-have-done-better column of Ayers' career. That's a shame because it's a consistently entertaining, exceptionally varied album of top tunes that is actually far more accessible than many more overtly commercial artists were able to deliver. Try it. You might be pleasantly surprised.... Read review

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