STILL LIFE WITH GUITAR

Permanent Records, 32, Holmes Road, London NW5 3AB

STILL LIFE WITH GUITAR came out in February 1992 (January in France, I believe) and despite the hefty prices at HMV we all shot out and bought it of course. If the major proportion of the price went straight into Mr Ayers' pocket I'd have no complaint but I have my suspicions that it doesn't..... That's a whole different story however. The other side of the Acid Test is that I've not seen a single copy secondhand or bargain binned up here, so people buying it are hanging on to it.

I reviewed the album a while back for the PTOLEMAIC TERRASCOPE and, as it's a review I still stand by, I've reproduced it on the following page together with the other short reviews from the stock-rock-shock magazines. I know of at least two fanzines that also had the courtesy to review it but, to my knowledge, there's been no mention in the NME or MM.

Points I've picked up from comments that have drifted this way are that the album is well-liked and the pedigree of musician that Ayers can attract to give him a hand is impressive. Initial fears that it was too (lights dim, thunder rumbles in the distance, an owl hoots....) 'mainstream' have disappeared as people have started to hear the lyrics a little more closely. When all's said and done, they're pure Ayers heart-on-a-sleeve vintage, perhaps 'M16' and 'Irene' excluded. It is extremely well-played, mixed and produced which in contrast to some murky Indie product can give a false impression of being over-polished. Besides, we are in a CD age and I think there's a deliberate mainstream image about that whole scene to try and brainwash us that we're out of date still liking 12" square covers. Something very sanitised and unexciting about browsing CD racks, bit like choosing a meal from a Birds Eye freezer cabinet.

I've heard a moan that after 4 years 'Still Life' should be a completely original set; the converse of course is that it's encouraging that Ayers is studying his back catalogue and rediscovering it. ('When Your Parents Go To Sleep' is from 1973's 'Bananamour'; 'Thank You Very Much' is the B side of 1974's 'After The Show' single ). Ayers has a huge variety to choose from and, whilst no-one's advocating tired (tyred?) retreads of anything, there are gems from, say, 'That's What You Get Babe' that just need the pancake make-up chiselled off and a light perfume applied to the delicate bloom beneath.

Final point for UK readers only concerns the execrable way in which Permanent Records have somehow neglected to include any information at all with the UK release. In effect, you get half a product - the French ( FNAC 592025) get a lyric booklet with full musician details; the Japanese (MSI 90058) get the same booklet plus a Japanese intro and translation. Can anyone enlighten us as to the fate of the Belgian INDISC release? With apologies to lucky readers who already possess them, 'Why Are We Sleeping' includes the musician details for each track and the details of the musicians themselves. Maybe Permanent have their reasons, but have so far declined to answer a single polite letter from all I know to have written. Thank you very much Permanent - you deserve Esther Rantzen. We all wish the album to do well for Ayers' sake, but can we have our stamps back? A more recent phone call to Permanent did in fact elicit the information that the two projected 7" singles (see advert overleaf) have been 'shelved' and were 'for export' only in the first place. More tea, vicar?

MW

first published in WAWS #1, Oct 92