2000 Great Songs #1274: Religious Experience (Singing A Song In The Morning)
Kind of a silly track, but there's a backstory, so... Kevin Ayers co-founded Canterbury psych/prog/jazz act Soft Machine before going on to a long and varied solo career. His 1969 solo debut, Joy Of A Toy , is pretty interesting, artsy pop not far afield from the early solo work of post-Velvets John Cale (who would later collaborate with Ayers). The track "Religious Experience" (later retitled "Singing A Song In The Morning," the refrain which is sung a few hundred times) was recorded around the same time, but not included on the album, instead released as a single. Ayers recorded the track with musicians from fellow Canterbury act Caravan , and the single is lots of fun, feather-light but a nice little sing-along celebration. But even better is an alternative version which has a post- Pink Floyd Syd Barrett playing guitar and singing backup. (Barrett was backed by the Soft Machine on a couple tracks on his first solo LP, so there was some cross-pollination...
