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 happening.) That version didn't see light of day until it was included as a bonus track on the 2003 Joy reissue, and, while I can't necessarily discern Syd's vocals among the crew, that scratchy little guitar intro & interlude feels ripped out of "Astronomy Domine"--though Ayers said he recorded a different version imitating Syd's guitar style, so who even knows which is which.

Whatever. Fun little song.

Here's the version with Syd Barrett (I think):

Here's a longer version, which I believe has Syd on backing vocals but not guitar:

Live performance by a bunch of Spanish musicians (starting about 2:30 into the clip)--ostensibly performed the same day in 2013 Ayers died?

Indie musician Gruff Rhys:

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