Sandwiched between his whimsical 1960 debut solo album Joy Of A Toy and the more focused Whatever She Brings We Sing two years later, 1970’s Shooting At The Moon is the album that Kevin Ayers’ most fervent supporters hold in the highest regard, while simultaneously accepting the laissez-faire approach to music that’s frequently held against him by his detractors. At a remove of over half a century, both sides of the argument hold water.
Augmented by The Whole World – pianist and keyboardist David Bedford, drummer Mick Fincher, saxophonist Lol Coxhill and a pre-Tubular Bells Mike Oldfield on bass and occasional guitar – Ayers works best when there’s a sense of focus about the songs.
