Rock Bottom

This 1974 release was Robert Wyatt's first album after his accident: a fall from a window that left him a paraplegic. Over the years he has eloquently expressed how that accident saved his life as an artist, forcing him to reconsider his approach to music. Already a composer and singer of remarkable character (important previous works include the first three albums by his band Soft Machine), Wyatt shifted his role as a traditional trap-kit drummer to playing an assortment of tabletop percussion, as well as keyboards. Wyatt also has the advantage of working with highly sympathetic players, including, among others, Hugh Hopper, Fred Frith and Gary Windo. These musicians effectively create a highly personal world that seems to perfectly articulate Wyatt's musical vision. Gorgeous and evocative, Wyatt's music is practically a genre unto itself.