While many claim Kevin Ayers’ influence was great, the list of artists who actually sound like him is shorter than his attention span was. A stop-start career, in which he was often more interested in reclining intoxicated on a sunny beach than grafting at the musical craft, nonetheless delivered multiple fascinating moments, and his solo debut, now reissued in its original format, remains a gorgeous and beguiling maverick masterpiece.
After leaving Soft Machine, he mulled over packing it all in. Jimi Hendrix gave him a guitar and, reanimated, he delivered the songs that became Joy Of A Toy to the fledgling Harvest label, who spent generously on its production.
