His Greatest Misses

RELEASE
October 05, 2004
LABEL
Video Arts
GENRES
Pop/Rock, Canterbury Scene, Art Rock

Album Review

The title of this 17-track Robert Wyatt compilation -- previously released only in Japan -- references his lack of commercial success while taking great care to showcase both his ambitious vision and diversity as an artist. Most of what is here is readily familiar to fans, from his fine if strangely arcane versions of "I'm a Believer" and "Shipbuilding" to the utterly, almost heartbreakingly beautiful "At Last I Am Free," "Arauco," and the starkly ingenious composition "Solar Flares" (previously a rarity). Early gems like "Little Red Robin Hood Hit the Road" are showcased along with later ones like "Heaps of Sheeps." Ultimately, there is nothing really new here, but that shouldn't stop anyone who doesn't already have some version of this collection milling about from picking it up and putting it on a few dozen times in a row. It's guaranteed to change your perception of pop. Besides, the Ryko package -- which emulates the Japanese package perfectly -- is a stunner.
Thom Jurek, Rovi

Track Listing

  1. P.L.A.
  2. Worship
  3. Heaps of Sheeps
  4. Free Will and Testament
  5. I'm a Believer [Extended Version]
  6. Sea Song
  7. Little Red Robin Hood Hit the Road
  8. Solar Flares
  9. At Last I Am Free
  10. Arauco
  11. The Age of Self
  12. Alien
  13. Shipbuilding
  14. Memories of You
  15. Muddy Mouse (B)
  16. Mister E
  17. Foreign Accents