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Side by Side: Selected Lyrics
The life's work of two of British music's most unique and timeless artists, with an introduction by Jarvis Cocker.Whenever an aspiring musician asks me about songwriting I point them towards Robert and Alfie. Their work is so unusual, so perceptive, so playful and so grown-up. I don't think there's anyone to compare. If you want songs that touch your mind as well as your heart, these are the best. Wide distribution of this book could improve the state of music dramatically. - Brian Eno***Selected and arranged by the authors themselves, and featuring an introduction by Jarvis Cocker, Side by Side presents the lyrics, poems, writings and drawings of innovative musician Robert Wyatt and his creative partner, English painter and songwriter Alfie Benge.As a founding member of influential English rock bands Soft Machine and Matching Mole, and with a solo career which has lasted for over forty years and seen him collaborate with a diverse range of artists including Bjork, Brian Eno, Carla Bley, Paul Weller and David Gilmour, his own music remains unclassifiably personal.Alfie Benge is a visual artist, songwriter and pioneering music manager, having managed Robert's career for fifty years. She is also married to Robert. Since 1982 they have collaborated on many of Robert's most well-known songs.This unique volume celebrates one of the most enduring creative partnerships of the last half-century.
- GenresMusic
233 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 15, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
December 16, 2020
I never met anyone who dislikes a Robert Wyatt album. That's impossible. It's like saying that there are people who don't like good weather. I first discovered Wyatt's music when he was in The Soft Machine. I followed his music path in a very unorganized manner. I was (and still am) blown away by his masterpiece "Rock Bottom."
Nonetheless, then again, the majority of his work is in that Masterpiece category. Wyatt is a songwriter/singer, but he also sings other people's music and words. What's remarkable about his talent is that once he does a song, it becomes a Robert Wyatt song. His cover of The Monkees' "I'm a Believer." However, the original is lovely; the Wyatt version becomes something profound and moving by his understated jazzy and somewhat hairy vocal. In such a manner, he reminds me of Nina Simone in that he can capture something deep and personal when he covers another's song.
For years now, since "Rock Bottom," Wyatt has worked with his wife Alfie Benge in such a manner that they become one body. Either by her doing the art for the covers or writing the lyrics, it's hard to separate the essence of their working relationship. "Side by Side" (boy, that is an accurate title) is the two's selected lyrics, mostly on the Wyatt solo recordings. Benge did contribute words to other composers, but the majority seem to be for Wyatt recordings.
Faber & Faber, the publishers, has put out "Selected or Collected Lyrics" books that are remarkable. Other artists covered have been Kate Bush, Scott Walker (a personal favorite), Jarvis Cocker, and Billy Bragg. They all have a similar design and look, and it is a superb series. "Side by Side" is remarkable on various levels. Wyatt and Benge are very literary, and the words stand out well on a page. Without looking at the back credit for copyright permission, it can be challenging to know who wrote which lyric. Throughout the book, Benge writes a brief afterword expressing what the song is about, but not for every piece. Wyatt's lyrics are either playful or very direct when it concerns politics. In that sense, Wyatt reminds me a bit of Bertolt Brecht. Both have a talent for sharing a sense of time and place. The works they did together on a beachfront home in Spain are sensual, witty, and observant of their neighborhood. There is a travel diary or journal touch in their work that you pick up enlightened and profound information. One is always placed as the narrator confronting what's around you. A point-of-view is an essential aspect of reporting a journey or place. Wyatt and Benge have that talent.
Benge was an assistant film editor on the Nicolas Roeg film "Don't Look Now" (1973) and a good pal of the actor Julie Christie. There are cinematic touches in her lyrics/poetry that give the work a layered texture essential in all writings. Wyatt is full of wordplay, but he can also be forthright, primarily when he writes about a political topic, which he does with great moral ability. Politics can be a turn-off for many people. Still, Wyatt and Benge have a technique of inviting the listener/reader into their world. Therefore you are looking at an issue through their eyes. Although, they do pretty much point out atrocities worldwide due to Fascist or corporate capitalist interests.
"Side by Side" works as literature as well as song lyrics. If you know the songs, some pieces you can't avoid the melody in one's head. The Wyatt/Benge book opens up the textures in the songs, and therefore a deep dive into the beautiful ocean that is Robert Wyatt and Alfie Benge.
Tosh and Kimley will discuss this book on their podcast BOOK MUSIK. You can hear it here: Book Musik podcast
Nonetheless, then again, the majority of his work is in that Masterpiece category. Wyatt is a songwriter/singer, but he also sings other people's music and words. What's remarkable about his talent is that once he does a song, it becomes a Robert Wyatt song. His cover of The Monkees' "I'm a Believer." However, the original is lovely; the Wyatt version becomes something profound and moving by his understated jazzy and somewhat hairy vocal. In such a manner, he reminds me of Nina Simone in that he can capture something deep and personal when he covers another's song.
For years now, since "Rock Bottom," Wyatt has worked with his wife Alfie Benge in such a manner that they become one body. Either by her doing the art for the covers or writing the lyrics, it's hard to separate the essence of their working relationship. "Side by Side" (boy, that is an accurate title) is the two's selected lyrics, mostly on the Wyatt solo recordings. Benge did contribute words to other composers, but the majority seem to be for Wyatt recordings.
Faber & Faber, the publishers, has put out "Selected or Collected Lyrics" books that are remarkable. Other artists covered have been Kate Bush, Scott Walker (a personal favorite), Jarvis Cocker, and Billy Bragg. They all have a similar design and look, and it is a superb series. "Side by Side" is remarkable on various levels. Wyatt and Benge are very literary, and the words stand out well on a page. Without looking at the back credit for copyright permission, it can be challenging to know who wrote which lyric. Throughout the book, Benge writes a brief afterword expressing what the song is about, but not for every piece. Wyatt's lyrics are either playful or very direct when it concerns politics. In that sense, Wyatt reminds me a bit of Bertolt Brecht. Both have a talent for sharing a sense of time and place. The works they did together on a beachfront home in Spain are sensual, witty, and observant of their neighborhood. There is a travel diary or journal touch in their work that you pick up enlightened and profound information. One is always placed as the narrator confronting what's around you. A point-of-view is an essential aspect of reporting a journey or place. Wyatt and Benge have that talent.
Benge was an assistant film editor on the Nicolas Roeg film "Don't Look Now" (1973) and a good pal of the actor Julie Christie. There are cinematic touches in her lyrics/poetry that give the work a layered texture essential in all writings. Wyatt is full of wordplay, but he can also be forthright, primarily when he writes about a political topic, which he does with great moral ability. Politics can be a turn-off for many people. Still, Wyatt and Benge have a technique of inviting the listener/reader into their world. Therefore you are looking at an issue through their eyes. Although, they do pretty much point out atrocities worldwide due to Fascist or corporate capitalist interests.
"Side by Side" works as literature as well as song lyrics. If you know the songs, some pieces you can't avoid the melody in one's head. The Wyatt/Benge book opens up the textures in the songs, and therefore a deep dive into the beautiful ocean that is Robert Wyatt and Alfie Benge.
Tosh and Kimley will discuss this book on their podcast BOOK MUSIK. You can hear it here: Book Musik podcast
November 22, 2020
I absolutely loved being able to read more about the works of my grandparents, being able to read stories about them from years ago was really interesting.
December 16, 2020
Tosh and I discuss this on our Book Musik podcast.
Wyatt started his music career as a founding member of The Soft Machine in the 1960s and released his first solo album in the early 70s. Alfie, his wife, manager, and creative partner is an artist who has done all of his cover art as well as writing many of his lyrics. Robert and Alfie are former card-carrying members of the Communist Party of Great Britain and avid followers of ‘pataphysics – the science of imaginary solutions. The tension between serious and playful, political and dreamy is a key feature in their work. This collection of lyrics and artwork is a beautiful testament to their inspiring collaboration.
Wyatt started his music career as a founding member of The Soft Machine in the 1960s and released his first solo album in the early 70s. Alfie, his wife, manager, and creative partner is an artist who has done all of his cover art as well as writing many of his lyrics. Robert and Alfie are former card-carrying members of the Communist Party of Great Britain and avid followers of ‘pataphysics – the science of imaginary solutions. The tension between serious and playful, political and dreamy is a key feature in their work. This collection of lyrics and artwork is a beautiful testament to their inspiring collaboration.
October 27, 2020
"Side by Side" is a revelation – in which two lovely people – Alfie and Robert – have created a vivid imprint of their personalities. In its pages, they come alive almost as if one had suddenly found oneself enjoying the uplifting experience of being in their company. It reflects how two marvellous creative minds discovered each other and, through love, decided to share resources and set out on a remarkable life-long partnership. In words and pictures, we see how they go through life endlessly caring for each other and their fellow humans, intuitively observing and noting the tiny details of day-to-day existence that throw light on the bigger picture. We learn about their insights and concerns about the future of the human condition and the way the world is heading.
Robert has become familiar to many of us through his studio albums, CDs and singles with their enormous collection of eclectic songs that have made a profound impression on millions of people world-wide for over forty years, despite of – or perhaps because – they defy classification! This is where we first became aware of his razor-sharp political radar laying bare the world’s many injustices in his lyrics and where we heard his very distinctive and instantly recognisable voice. That’s where we also encountered Alfie’s own delightful quirky world in the surreal illustrations on the album covers and sleeves.
But now, here, on the page, we get a clearer overview of the personal shared language they developed together to express their thoughts. We get a sharper impression of how Robert unites an intense political consciousness with a sense of the absurd. His humorous rhymes appear to lighten the mood while subtly suggesting a deeper level of existential awareness. We can also appreciate how, as a former film-maker with a sharp eye, Alfie brings the film editor’s grasp of montage to her poems – what to include and what to leave out. The book is a joint compilation. The deftly-written word-pictures which formed the song lyrics on the albums – here reproduced as poems – are supplemented with added sketches and explications giving context about what inspired them.
What is truly heart-warming is how, against all the odds, this modest volume Side by Side manages to contain the essence of an enormous body of work and thought. Undaunted by the setback of an unfortunate serious accident in 1973, which would have floored others, they adjusted to their new limitations with indomitable good humour which shines through their words like a warm fireside. We get a poignant glimpse of lives borne with love, dignity and down-to-earth forbearance. Truly a book to cherish.
Robert has become familiar to many of us through his studio albums, CDs and singles with their enormous collection of eclectic songs that have made a profound impression on millions of people world-wide for over forty years, despite of – or perhaps because – they defy classification! This is where we first became aware of his razor-sharp political radar laying bare the world’s many injustices in his lyrics and where we heard his very distinctive and instantly recognisable voice. That’s where we also encountered Alfie’s own delightful quirky world in the surreal illustrations on the album covers and sleeves.
But now, here, on the page, we get a clearer overview of the personal shared language they developed together to express their thoughts. We get a sharper impression of how Robert unites an intense political consciousness with a sense of the absurd. His humorous rhymes appear to lighten the mood while subtly suggesting a deeper level of existential awareness. We can also appreciate how, as a former film-maker with a sharp eye, Alfie brings the film editor’s grasp of montage to her poems – what to include and what to leave out. The book is a joint compilation. The deftly-written word-pictures which formed the song lyrics on the albums – here reproduced as poems – are supplemented with added sketches and explications giving context about what inspired them.
What is truly heart-warming is how, against all the odds, this modest volume Side by Side manages to contain the essence of an enormous body of work and thought. Undaunted by the setback of an unfortunate serious accident in 1973, which would have floored others, they adjusted to their new limitations with indomitable good humour which shines through their words like a warm fireside. We get a poignant glimpse of lives borne with love, dignity and down-to-earth forbearance. Truly a book to cherish.
October 6, 2020
Most of the texts printed here have been sung on various Robert Wyatt albums, but given Wyatt’s idiosyncratic (maybe unique) approach to song many listeners other than myself might not have given them the attention they deserve, instead accepting them as simply another “sound” in the music. Then there are the other texts—including excerpts from Alfie’s diaries—which haven’t appeared elsewhere, as well as a good number of sketches and paintings by Alfie. Buy this book because: 1) it puts a little money in Robert and Alfie’s pockets; 2) it thanks Faber for publishing this book; 3) it gives you the chance to pay more attention to the words; and 4) Wyatt is one of the most significant musical artists of the past 50 years, and these works deserve respect.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews