Kevin Ayers is one of rock's oddest and most likeable enigmas. There are few artists who qualify more than this recluse for music's highest accolades. He is the bridge between the psychedelia that he helped create and the new sounds and sensibilities of Roxy Music, Eno and David Bowie on whom he was a primary influence. He is also one of rock's more important (and more humane) innovators, launching Soft Machine in 1966 with Robert Wyatt, Daevid Allen and Mike Ratledge. Later he performed as a solo artist, working with noted European musicians like Syd Barrett, Mike Oldfield, Brian Eno, Lol Coxhill, Steve Hillage and John Cale. A recent Record Collector publication celebrating the 100 greatest psychedelic records describes Kevin and Syd Barrett as two of the genre's most important figures. Lured from his retreat in the South of France, Kevin is surrounded by a battalion of admirers both old and young on The Unfairground, his first album in over fifteen years. The empathy these performers bring to this album has summoned a new voice and honesty in Kevin and the performances stand now amongst the strongest he has ever committed to plastic. Kevin Ayers is one of the most significant and influential musicians of his generation. He has a unique sensibility, making ordinary lyrical subjects seem extraordinary with his rich low vocals, inventive wordplay, and bemused, relaxed attitude that belies the life of a poet and a bacchanalian lothario. Welcome to The Unfairground.