Cuckooland
Sixteen tracks with Karen Mantler, David Gilmour, Paul Weller and Brian Eno, and a Mercury Prize nomination.
Robert Wyatt, 2003
- Released
- 29 September 2003
- Label
- Hannibal, Rykodisc
- Producer
- Robert Wyatt, Jamie Johnson
Cuckooland came out on Hannibal and Rykodisc, with artwork by Alfreda Benge. It was produced by Wyatt and Jamie Johnson and includes three songs by Karen Mantler. Guests include David Gilmour on guitar on Forest, Paul Weller, Annie Whitehead on trombone, Gilad Atzmon on saxophones, clarinet and flute, and Brian Eno on vocals. Just a Bit is dedicated to Richard Dawkins, Old Europe is about Juliette Gréco and Miles Davis, and Lullaby for Hamza is followed by thirty seconds of silence so that tired ears can pause.
The BBC's Chris Jones wrote that listening to it is like having a cup of tea with a very, very intelligent friend. In All About Jazz, Joshua Weiner called it consistently beautiful and fascinating, and a good example of how jazz can be absorbed into other music. The album was nominated for the Mercury Music Prize.
Track listing
- Just a Bit5:09
- Old Europe4:15
- Tom Hay's Fox3:33
- Forest7:55
- Beware5:09
- Cuckoo Madame5:20
- Raining in My Heart2:42
- Lullaby for Hamza/Silence5:00
- Trickle Down6:47
- Insensatez4:24
- Mister E4:20
- Lullaloop2:59
- Life Is Sheep4:14
- Foreign Accents3:48
- Brian the Fox5:31
- La Ahada Yalam (No-One Knows) (Nizar Zreik)4:16
Personnel
- Robert Wyatt percussion, piano, trumpet, cornet, cymbals, drums, keyboards, vocals
- Karen Mantler harmonica, piano, keyboards, vocals
- Phil Manzanera vocals
- Alfreda Benge vocals
- Brian Eno vocals
- David Gilmour guitar on Forest
- Paul Weller guitar
- Annie Whitehead trombone
- Gilad Atzmon alto, soprano and tenor saxophones, clarinet, flute
- Jamie Johnson bass guitar, vocals
- Yaron Stavi double bass
- Jennifer Maidman acoustic guitar, accordion
More from Robert Wyatt
Rock Bottom (1974), Nothing Can Stop Us (1982), Old Rottenhat (1985), Shleep (1997), Comicopera (2007)
Sources
- Cuckooland, Wikipedia
- Robert Wyatt, Cuckooland, BBC Experimental (2003)
- Robert Wyatt: Cuckooland, All About Jazz (2003-12-19)