Rock Bottom by Robert Wyatt

Robert Wyatt very nearly lost his life to the rock and roll lifestyle when he fell from a fourth floor window at a drunken party in 1973. As it was, he ended up breaking his back and being paralyzed from the waist down. He later credited this accident with saving his life as he stopped drinking from that point on. He was also fortunate that he had a circle of supportive friends who helped him adapt his instruments and studio so he could carry on working on this album.

Whether you like this album or not will very much depend on your tolerance for mid 70s progressive rock noodling with reedy vocals and occasional nonsense lyrics. I found it oddly affecting and he certainly has an all star band backing him on this, including Nick Mason, Mike Oldfield, Ivor Cutler and Fred Frith.

I would recommend looking for his version of ‘I’m a Believer’ on Top of the Pops on YouTube. Apparently the BBC producers didn’t want to show him performing in a wheelchair saying that it “was not suitable for family viewing”. Not surprisingly he told them to get lost and went ahead with the song as planned. The result was absolutely joyous.

Robert Wyatt on Top of the Pops