Artist: Kevin Ayers Title Of Album: The Harvest Years 1969-1974 Year Of Release: 2012 Label: EMI Country: UK Genre: Art Rock, Classic Rock Audio codec: FLAC (*.flac) Rip type: tracks+.cue Total Time: 05:36:56 The Soft Machine, not long after recording their first album and touring America, began breaking up -- just the first in a long series of personnel changes and subsequent new directions that formed one of art rock's winding sagas of the '70s. Kevin Ayers was the first to leave, mostly because of that American tour, and he soon became one of the first acts to release music on Harvest, a new progressive label from EMI that promised to offer the best and brightest in the new vanguard of British rock. Ayers recorded and released five albums over the next five years, all of which appear on separate discs of The Harvest Years 1969-1974, and each of which comes with bonus tracks (most of them entertaining BBC sessions). Ayers was quite the chameleon during this time, beginning with a set of psychedelic-pop whimsy akin to Syd Barrett (Joy of a Toy) but soon detouring into free-form epic prog (Shooting at the Moon, with young hotshot guitarist Mike Oldfield), and later arriving at a surprisingly straight-ahead vision of bluesy pop (Bananamour). The set offers the albums in the best sound they've ever been heard, and the bonus tracks are excellent as well. The unavoidable caveat comes, though. Why not include all the bonus tracks from previous editions, especially when they include a track actually recorded with Syd Barrett? (That would be "Religious Experience (Singing a Song in the Morning)," available on the 2003 Joy of a Toy reissue.) Quibbles aside, this is a hugely entertaining set from one of art rock's most beguiling figures. Tracklist: CD1: Joy Of A Toy 01:09:25 01. Joy Of A Toy Continued 02:54 02. Town Feeling 04:51 03. The Clarietta Rag 03:20 04. Girl On A Swing 02:50 05. Song For Insane Times 04:01 06. Stop The Train (Again Doing It) 06:06 07. Eleanor's Cake (Which Ate Her) 02:54 08. Lady Rachel 05:18 09. Oleh Oleh Bandu Bandong 05:35 10. All This Crazy Gift Of Time 03:53 Bonus Tracks: 11. Singing A Song In The Morning (Single Version) 02:56 12. Clarence In Wonderland 04:53 13. Stop This Train 05:48 14. Why Are We Sleeping 08:52 15. You Say You Like My Hat 03:14 CD2: Shooting At The Moon 01:16:59 01. May I? 04:02 02. Rheinhardt & Geraldine / Colores Para Delores 05:41 03. Lunatics Lament 04:54 04. Pisser Dans Un Violon 08:03 05. The Oyster And The Flying Fish 02:37 06. Underwater 03:54 07. Clarence In Wonderland 02:06 08. Red Green And You Blue 03:53 09. Shooting At The Moon 05:50 Bonus Tracks: 10. Butterfly Dance 03:44 11. Puis Je? 03:40 12. Gemini Child 03:14 13. The Lady Rachel 06:21 14. Shooting At The Moon 03:17 15. Derby Day 03:07 16. The Interview 00:58 17. We Did It Again / Murder In The Air 11:39 CD3: Whatevershebringswesing 01:07:30 01. There Is Loving/Among Us/There Is Loving 07:23 02. Margaret 03:20 03. Oh My 03:00 04. Song From The Bottom Ofa Well 04:37 05. Whatevershebringswesing 08:13 06. Stranger In Blue Suede Shoes 03:25 07. Champagne Cowboy Blues 03:59 08. Lullaby 02:12 Bonus Tracks: 09. Stars 03:31 10. Fake Mexican Tourist Blues 04:39 11. Lunatic's Lament 04:29 12. Oyster And The Flying Fish 03:02 13. Butterfly Dance 03:37 14. Whatevershebringswesing 07:45 15. Falling In Love Again 03:26 16. Queen Thing 00:53 CD4: Bananamour 00:57:33 01. Don't Let It Get You Down 04:05 02. Shouting In A Bucket Blues 03:45 03. When Your Parents Go To Sleep 05:47 04. Interview 04:43 05. International Anthem 00:44 06. Decadance 08:05 07. Oh! Wot A Dream 02:49 08. Hymm 04:35 09. Beware Of The Dog 01:28 Bonus Tracks: 10. Connie On A Rubber Band 03:00 11. Caribbean Moon 03:05 12. Take Me To Tahiti 03:37 13. The Interview 05:20 14. Oh! Wot A Dream 02:44 15. Shouting In A Bucket Blues 03:47 CD5: The Confessions Of Dr.Dream & Other Stories 01:05:28 01. Day By Day 03:51 02. See You Later 00:28 03. Didn't Feel Lonely Till I Thought Of You 04:10 04. Everybody's Sometime And Some People's All The Time Blues 03:08 05. It Begins With A Blessing / Once I Awakened / But It Ends With A Curse 08:18 06. Ballbearing Blues 00:56 07. Part One: Irreversible Neural Damage 04:43 08. Part Two: Invitation 01:12 09. Part Three: The One Dance Chance 07:49 10. Part Four: Doctor Dream Theme 05:12 11. Two Goes Into Four 01:41 Bonus Tracks: 12. The Up Song 03:17 13. After The Show 02:36 14. Thank You Very Much 03:01 15. Another Whimsical Song 00:23 16. The Lady Rachel 03:53 17. Stop This Train 06:12 18. Didn't Feel Lonely Until I Thought Of You 04:36