Free Form Cup Semi Final Match 6 *fange 10- Lord Rother 6*

[never/ever]

A

Kevin Ayers - Stars





B

Roberta Flack - Jesse

[The Modernist]

I've never really connected with Kevin Ayres, which is a shame as he seemed an interesting character. This isn't the track to win me over. It had a very beery 70s vibe, I could imagine it as the theme song to some laddish Budgie/Minder type show. The proggy bit in the middle didn't work either, like Keith Emerson forcing himself into the middle of a Chas n' Dave record.
Big Roberta Flack fan, but this isn't what I'd pick from her - a little too saccharine (that string arrangement!) and MOR. Still the purity of the voice means it gets my vote.

B

[Purgatory Brite]

A

[pcqgod]

A is really more of my kind of thing.

A.

[toomanyhatz]

Two artists I love, both past their peak. Odd choices from both - anything from the first two or three albums from one or the other probably could have taken this easily.

These are fine for what they are, just a little more obvious that there were 'hitmakers' trying to bury their natural personality in something more marketable. It happens. They're still irrepressible enough personalities that it's going to come out regardless.

Hmmm- 70s slacker slickness or soft rock slickness?

I guess A has a tiny bit more of what I like about it. And it's not like Ayers was ever going to even be Scott Walker level, let alone leap into the world of Bowie and Elton.

[Neige]

B comes across as much too straight and saccharine, I expected more from Roberta Flack - to be honest, I don't think I'd ever choose to play it instead of Janis Ian's original. 4/10

A is a b-side I have as bonus track on my CD copy of Whatevershebringswesing and I suppose the prominent bass is played by Mike Oldfield. I enjoyed that much more than I thought i would and might give the album a spin later today, it's been a while... 8/10


A

[fange]

Good match! A by a nose today.


A

[Darkness_Fish]

Ok, perhaps the last two tracks weren't the worst. This is also very much not my thing, and sounds like a prog cover of the theme tune to Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. Clunky and clumsy beyond belief.

This is a proper slush fest, and I'm not going to be able to sit through the full time of this without vomiting syrup. Everything about this is as fake as can be. Nasty.

Abstain.

[The Fish]

Ayers not my thing
Flack my thing

B

[trans-chigley express]

Not the greatest Ayers choice but I enjoy it well enough but just doesn't feel like a standout. The b-side to Stranger in Blue Suede Shoes as I recall as I use to have a single.

B was beautifully sung and mercifully free of the awful vocal gymnastics that modern singers would have been doing all over it. I didn't find it too syrupy either despite the strings. Not really my thing but I can appreciate it.

A but it's much closer than I was expecting.

[Mike Boom]

A

The Ayers track builds nicely to a crescendo and I find most of the stuff he does is at least interesting, and I enjoyed this track a lot. B is not really my thing

[Andrews Sisters Conundrum]

Ayers did one, maybe two great songs, right? and this isn't one of them. G and D_F's descriptions made me laugh. It's an unlikeable effort. 'Stranger in Blue Suede Shoes' would have won this match very easily.

Roberta Flack had the loveliest voice. This track is a bit too 'Broadway musical' for me, but it beats the Dennis Waterman-isms of A

B

[Good Night Austin, Texas]

Easy A , there was a bit that sounded like Gong. B was boring for me.

[Lord Rother]

6 votes cast, all for tracks that appear to be the losers.

KA just grates on my ears most of the time. RF can always be relied upon for a stunningly beautiful vocal.

B

[Hightea]

Not the best Ayer’s tune but still like it.
Not the best RF song but still okay.

Ayer’s for the win A

[Santa C]

Nice tracks

A

Is more my thing

A







.

[GoogaMooga]

Zilth Pilchards once made me sit through a Kevin Ayers album, and all I remember was that he sounded like a frog.

A knee-jerk vote for Roberta Flack.

B

[Rayge]

B for me

[never/ever]

fange 10

Lord Rother 6