Rock Bottom

More than anything, Rock Bottom is a record to be felt, and it feels like a dream. Swirling, drifting currents of sound wash out of the speakers, Wyatt's abstract lyrics coming accross like a poem that is difficult to understand in a literal sense, yet one instinctively knows exactly what is meant. It is remarkably visual music - it would be the perfect soundtrack to film of newly discovered creatures that live undisturbed on the ocean floor. Fittingly, as the sea and its inhabitants are recurring themes in the lyrics. I can think of few other albums (well, none) which namecheck brine, porpoises, baby sperm whales and starfish!

I won't dwell much on the merits of the individual tracks - the album is best appreciated as a whole in one sitting. However, my personal highlight is the exquisite Alife, Wyatt's deeply personal long song about his relationship with Alfreda Benge, who painted the beautiful album cover.

Love and hope abound on this album. Wyatt began writing the songs shortly before suffering the accident which left him confined to a wheelchair, and finished them during his long convalescence. Unsurprisingly, there is a palpable sense of uncertainty about the future in his fragile vocals, but ultimately the overwhelming feeling is one of positivity and acceptance. Maudlin self pity doesn't even appear on his emotional register.

Rock Bottom is one of the most thoughtful, beautiful and original albums of the 1970s. It is truly progressive music -groundbreaking and idiosyncratic - without any of the bombast that characterised so much of the musical output of his contemporaries. The only record I can think of comparing it to is Miles Davis' In A Silent Way, with which it shares a soothing, meditative quality. I would recommend it unreservedly to anyone wanting to have an unforgettable musical experience.

First of all, it took a fair number of listens to truly appreciate it fully. On first play, I was a little confused with it. Wyatt does not, and probably cannot, make traditional music. There is something about all the albums of his I have heard, something which makes them feel fragile and open. Because he is unable to write conventionally, Wyatt has instead built his own set of rules that only he seems to follow. This is what you might call a difficult album.

Secondly, Wyatt's voice is definetely an aquired taste. It's initially jarring, but you do grow to love it.

Thirdly, this album is somehow timeless. Because its lyrics are profoundly unusual, they haven't dated much. I'm too young to have been around when this came out, but unlike other albums of the era, the music doesn't show its age. The sounds are still fresh, and the songs are still so perfect within themselves.

Fourth and finally, the songs are truly original and unusual. Some are so bizzare in structure that they shouldn't work at all. Once they click however, they each show their own qualities and quirks, which all add up to the greater whole. Listening to the album in sequence once this click has occured, becomes a joy.

I feel that, given enough time to enjoy it, this album is one of the most rewarding musicals experiences a person may ever have.

I won't go into the history behind the album as you can most probably (such as him being on a wheelchair, and part of the album centred on Venice) find it on other more detailed or even better reviews!
I'm just giving a personal account on why Rock bottom has had such a great impact on me recently.