Track Listing

Disc 1:

1. Town Feeling
2. Song For Insane Times
3. Girl On A Swing
4. Lady Rachel
5. Stop This Train (Again Doing It)
6. Eleanor's Cake (Which Ate Her)
7. Religious Experience (Singing A Song In The Morning)
8. Soon Soon Soon
9. Rheinhardt And Geraldine/Colores Para Dolores
10. May I
11. Clarence In Wonderland
12. Oyster And Flying Fish
13. Shooting At The Moon
14. Butterfly Dance
15. Gemini Child
16. Stars
17. There Is Loving/Among Us/There is Loving

Disc 2:

1. Stranger In Blue Suede Shoes
2. Song From The Bottom Of A Well
3. Oh My
4. Margaret
5. Whatevershebringswesing
6. Decadence
7. Oh Wot A Dream
8. Don't Let It Get You Down
9. Interview
10. Caribbean Moon
11. Up Song
12. Confessions Of Doctor Dream Irreversible Neural Damage
13. It Begins With A Blessing/Once I Awakened/But It Ends With A Curse
14. See You Later
15. Ballbearing Blues

Disc 3:

1. After The Show
2. Thank You Very Much
3. Observations
4. Toujours La Voyage
5. Diminished But Not Finished
6. Farewell Again (Another Dawn)
7. Yes I Do
8. Love's Gonna Turn You Round
9. Ballad Of Mr Snake
10. Blue
11. Ballad Of A Salesman Who Sold Himself
12. View From The Mountain
13. Beware Of The Dog II
14. Hat Song
15. Money Money Money
16. Super Salesman
17. Where Do The Stars End

Disc 4:

1. Banana Introduction
2. Stranger In Blue Suede Shoes
3. Interview
4. Whatevershebringswesing
5. Oh Wot A Dream
6. Shouting In A Bucket Blues
7. Caribbean Moon
8. Don't Let It Get You Down
9. We Did It Again
10. Why Are We Sleeping
11. After The Show

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #48907 in Music
• Released on: 2008-09-08
• Number of discs: 4
• Format: Box set
• Dimensions: .45 pounds

Customer Reviews

We did it Again - Another Kevin Ayers Compilation.
As a compilation of 'the best' of Kevin Ayers work it's not bad and a very good start point for the first 11 years what's missing is recordings from the other 28 years.
The pick of songs from the first 11 is wonderful, how can you go wrong the Syd Barrett version of 'singing a song' known as 'religious Experience' should attract Pink Floyd fans who have not already purchased the wonderful first album 'Joy of a Toy'. For the more serious Kevin Collectors the attraction of Live show from 1974 with radically different version of favourites 'we did it again' and 'why are we sleeping', missing some excellent songs always subjective but 'Lunatics Lament' from 'Shouting at the Moon' is a big favourite of mine with its massive Mike Oldfield Guitar solo.
Something for all, but where are those later Kevin Ayers albums on Harvest a proper re-master of 'Yes we have No Mananas' 'Rainbow takeaway' and 'That's what you get babe' would be most welcome.
A great but flawed box set of Kevin Ayers work.

Release the other albums!
Any Kevin Ayers fan willing to spend £26 would already have these albums (I'm not that bothered about the live set). What EMI should be doing, is releasing the last three albums K.A. recorded for them, as they are now deleted & going for a lot of money on Amazon Marketplace. Anyone new to (the great) Kevin Ayers should buy EMIs first single disc compilation, it's very good, & under a fiver!
And could someone please release "Diamond Jack & The Queen Of Pain", it's far from Ayers best album, but I like it, & it's the only Kevin Ayers LP still not out on CD yet.

an essential collection from one of the all time greats
This is an extremely well assembled collection of recordings from one of music's true unique greats. Ayers is a new discovery of mine brought about by his wonderful new album The Unfairground and his first from '69 the brilliantly skewed Joy Of A Toy. Ayers is being discovered by a new generation and this collection is certainly aimed at us as I am sure that most people who have been fans for a long time would have most of the original albums that this collection draws upon. But here's the thing..for us newbies this is a great way to get started and for established fans this is a great way for them to introduce their hero to others (and support the artist in a way that home made compilations do not, keeping in mind that supporting artists is important).
Songs for Insane Times no doubt omits some tracks that fans might have wanted to be included, but that is testimony to Ayers' genius rather than any failing on the part of the compiler. I have played through this entire collection many many times now and have not hit skip once.
The live concert is extremely good. I read an account of this particular concert somewhere which describes a point when a bright light was flashed at the audience who once their eyes had adjusted back were surprised to see the stage filled with dancing trees and all sorts. That sort of magic comes through on the recordings. The arrangement for 'why are we sleeping' must I am sure served as a template for the quiet,loud, quiet of the Pixies.
Kevin Ayers, like the true maverick he is, eschewed fame and publicity. If he had 'gone for it' I am certain he would be a household name as this collection clearly demonstrates.