The 1980 Listening Post - Kevin Ayers - That's What You Get Babe

Kevin Ayers - That's What You Get Babe

#45

February 15 1980

Kevin Ayers

That’s What You Get Babe

Genre: Ego

1.5 out of 5

I have read things about Kevin Ayers like he and Sid Barrett are the two most responsible for modern rock, post-Elvis, I guess.

But I have never seen any evidence of this. Mainly because my experience with Kevin comes from his 80s output.

In the case of those albums, he seems to just be a crappy songwriter who puts a lot of instrumentation around bad ideas and wraps them up and presents them as “songs”. Most of the time, to me, he sounds like a 3rd rate baritone Nillsson. 

Harry had a sense of humor. Kevin seems to have had that extracted. 

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0YGVNV_2Hww&list=PLDFA3F7020684B404

The 1986 Listening Post - Kevin Ayers - As Close as You Think

Kevin Ayers - As Close as You Think

#275/1400

June 1986

Kevin Ayers

As Close As You Think

Genre: Rock

1.75 out of 5

I’m loathe to research this but…why does Ayers have a record contract? Surely no one is buying this trash in 1986. The single is dull, the rest? Like the last one. He’s not a great songwriter, nor a grand instrumentalist. He’s like a poor version of latter day Steve Miller. 

I’m bored. 

Honestly, the songs are all pretty boring and uninspired until we get to the two song site “Budget Tours (Pts 1 & 2) at the end. Those are, at least, attempts at keeping the audience listening. Not great, but, hey, Kevin isn’t that great to begin with. 

Thanks to Listening Poster Kyle Fabel for the link. You get a free subscription to The Listening Post!

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/76js72huw8jux6x/AABxKlycwUYqyInCiJE7hnsaa?dl=0&fbclid=IwAR3hGHAjD7Z8QLp8dANTteC1VnUiujNQxeU7zLnlnWDhD-sAIhfa5VEt7uE&preview=08+Budget+Tours+(Part+One).mp3

The 1984 Listening Post - Kevin Ayers - Deja...Vu

Kevin Ayers - Deja...Vu

#68

March 1984

Kevin Ayers

Deja…Vu

1.75 out of 5

Who’s in the mood for some white boy blues? 

The best I can come up with here is that Ayers seems to be a blues version of Harry Nillson. “Thank God for a Sense of Humor” is actually mildly more entertaining than it’s title. 

Ayers’ ego is dripping all over this record. 

But it isn’t until his cover  of “Lay Lay Lady” that I want to throw this record—nope. Not gonna go that way. I also had jokes about time traveling back to recording of this and murdering Kevin’s cat—-and something about regretting this whole project—-

It’s just so very very awful. 

https://itunes.apple.com/us/album/dei%C3%A0-vu/285024998