Old Rottenhat is the fourth studio album by Robert Wyatt. It was released in November 1985, and in 1993 it was reissued in its entirety as part of the CD Mid-Eighties. The album was produced and performed solo by Wyatt, and is dedicated to Michael Bettaney, a UK MI5 intelligence officer who in 1984 was convicted for acting as an agent-in-place for the Soviet Union.[1]
| Old Rottenhat | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Studio album by | ||||
| Released | November 1985 | |||
| Recorded | 1984–1985 | |||
| Studio | West 3 Studios, Acton, London; Acre Lane Studios, Brixton, London | |||
| Genre | Canterbury scene, art rock | |||
| Length | 43:49 | |||
| Label | Rough Trade | |||
| Robert Wyatt chronology | ||||
| ||||
Critical reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| AllMusic |   [2] |
| Robert Christgau | B−[3] |
| Pitchfork Media | 6.1/10[4] |
The New York Times wrote that, "while the tunes are low-key, they often have surprising rhythmic shifts or twists of chromatic harmony."[5] David Fricke of Rolling Stone found the lyrics pedantic in comparison to those of Nothing Can Stop Us, but considered the album musically effective, praising the tracks "The Age of Self" and "Gharbzadegi".[6]
Track listing
edit- All songs written by Robert Wyatt
Side one
edit- "Alliance" – 4:24
- "The United States of Amnesia" – 5:50
- "East Timor" – 2:52
- "Speechless" – 3:37
- "The Age of Self" – 2:50
- "Vandalusia" – 2:44
Side two
edit- "The British Road" – 6:23
- "Mass Medium" – 4:43
- "Gharbzadegi" – 7:54
- "P.L.A." – 2:31
Personnel
edit- Robert Wyatt: vocals, piano, keyboards, bass, percussion
Recording details
edit- Recorded in 1984 at West 3 Studios, Acton, London, by John McGowan.
- Recorded in 1985 at Acre Lane Studios, Brixton, by Bill Gilonis.
"Thanks to Charles Gray and Vicky Aspinall for invaluable help and advice and thanks Duncan".
Album cover
editThe artwork for the album cover was created by Wyatt's wife Alfreda Benge.
References
edit- ^ "Interviews & articles - English as a foreign language - New Musical Express 14th December, 1985 - A Robert Wyatt discography". disco-robertwyatt.com.
- ^ Unterberger, Richie. Old Rottenhat at AllMusic
- ^ "Robert Christgau: CG: wyatt". www.robertchristgau.com.
- ^ "Robert Wyatt: Rock Bottom / Ruth Is Stranger Than Richard / Nothing Can Stop Us / Old Rottenhat / Dondestan (Revisited)". Pitchfork. 4 November 2010.
- ^ Pareles, Jon (14 March 1986). "Pop Album of the Week". The New York Times. p. C24.
- ^ "Rolling Stone, Dec. 4, 1986". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on 7 February 2008.