Robert Wyatt - Shipbuilding - Old Grey Whistle Test -1983

Рет қаралды 56,658

14 жыл бұрын

Written by Elvis Costello, performed amazingly by Robert Wyatt, probably the first performance of a song that brought tears to my eyes!

Пікірлер: 56

@andalltheangelssay212 2 жыл бұрын

David Bowie 8 jan 1997 when asked what song he wished he had written “ the one that comes to mind is Ship building. I think it is one of the most beautiful songs written. Stunning piece of work, makes me cry...just the opening bars...specifically the Robert Wyatt version, I think it’s just the most tragically beautiful song”

@markmills6465 4 жыл бұрын

Nothing much better than this. I've been listening to this for 36 years and it still sounds fresh and, sadly, relevant.

@Anolbea 6 жыл бұрын

Have to listen to this song at least once a month. "Diving for dear life when we could be diving for pearls"

@JontheBerean 4 жыл бұрын

I just heard this on "Ashes to Ashes" . A blast from the past, I loved this song !

@china100 7 ай бұрын

Still probably my favorite cultural artifact, after all these years. It doesn't get much better then this.

@stevearle 6 жыл бұрын

Oh God that's good! R.W.'s voice is such a unique approach with beautiful pitch control and restrained vibrato till just the right moment.

@johnashburne6323 Жыл бұрын

Still makes me cry all these years on

@timhughes4382 5 жыл бұрын

And better than that is difficult to imagine. Thank you Robert.

@RichardNorth-pr9qj Жыл бұрын

40 years after hearing this on John Peel's show this remains as stunningly beautiful and poignant .

@pipeandslippersman 6 жыл бұрын

the perfect marriage of singer and song.

@marshsherrif2824 6 жыл бұрын

you got it.

@alsatiancousin67 9 жыл бұрын

This is pure class

@call6060842 4 жыл бұрын

I remember this when it was aired I was 11 & was moved by Wyatt's performance I wondered what had happened to him (when I was a child) for him to be in a wheel chair. I also in my child mind thought Elvis Costello's was a cover version doh! Miss the Old grey whistle test & rich cultural music shows. In 40 years time what will the kids of today look back on, I wonder. Heart wrenching song. I think to my self Costello also wrote 'I wanna be loved' similar downward spiral kitchen sink feeling mood of life. On a lighter note E Costello also wrote & performed 'I'm a secret lemonade drinker' with his dad! Yay :)

@SoulStylistJukeBox 4 жыл бұрын

Costello wrote it for Wyatt.

@terryguest6035 3 жыл бұрын

Yep, as SoulStylistJukeBox indicates, Costello's version is a cover(even though he wrote it!)

@prestwickpioneer3474 3 жыл бұрын

It’s even more nuanced in that Clive Langer has written the song but wanted better lyrics which he asked Costello for (Langer is playing synth here). So yes, it is a genuine cover version for him though he wrote the lyrics and plays on the original. Costello’s version is just as good. They really wanted it to be a hit to get the message across. One of the best protest songs ever.

@kurtphipps7823 2 жыл бұрын

Absolutely great song

@JF-kv1gm 3 жыл бұрын

It's performances like this that made OGWT such an incredible programme. Missed sorely.(The Tube was pretty good too but a whole different vibe)

@mariopollano 2 жыл бұрын

Simply perfect

@leightondavies7413 2 жыл бұрын

Just a beautiful song

@GGMBW 3 жыл бұрын

Mark Bedford of Madness fame on double bass here

@neilconnolly485 2 ай бұрын

Remember watching it live right at the a bloke in the audience shouted vote Labour

@Qatarwol 13 жыл бұрын

Thanks for posting this. Hypnotised me when I watched the OGWT DVDs some years ago.

@CurreZalFlyers 12 жыл бұрын

Love this version too. Soulful.One of my abiding OGWT clips.

@thefeelcompany Ай бұрын

Boom. ❤

@davidmarsh3674 7 жыл бұрын

Brilliant

@davidganning8699 11 ай бұрын

Sublime

@richardthayer9146 3 жыл бұрын

i like it...i dont love it.......but i like it...why not.

@grahamboffey457 Жыл бұрын

What a great version of a great polemical tune.

@rosotchenko 2 ай бұрын

and Bedders from Madness on bass !

@johnned4848 Жыл бұрын

The greatest antiwar song . Sadly even more relevant today.

@paulkenchington6976 6 жыл бұрын

Is this the greatest song ever????

@carlcruysberghs2298 10 ай бұрын

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

@FernandoMartinho-ey6zn Жыл бұрын

brilliant

@DanimalistBoot 6 жыл бұрын

Producer Clive Langer wrote the music; EC just wrote the lyrics. Don't mistake that "just" for implying they aren't brilliant.

@arrivingarriving5166 6 жыл бұрын

Always contemporary, always relevant. Sadly.

@philclose2860 4 жыл бұрын

lovely.xx

@matiasdamianbonilla1783 3 ай бұрын

Malvinas🫶🏽🇦🇷🌞Argentinas

@trendydelquendy 2 жыл бұрын

Yeah, there's a reason I don't come here to do this.

@ScooterMcGraw 3 жыл бұрын

I prefer this version, and Suede's to Costello's. There's just something about Costello that annoys me.

@Buckblacket 6 жыл бұрын

Given that it's actually about the Falklands War it's hardly "a piece of escapist light-entertainment"!

@sonoflung 6 жыл бұрын

I do believe Mr Wyatt was being ironic!

@Buckblacket 6 жыл бұрын

He was being moronic? Agreed!

@sonoflung 6 жыл бұрын

If you're trolling then well done, but I can explain what he means and why he said it if you want.

@Buckblacket 6 жыл бұрын

Yes, go ahead.

@sonoflung 6 жыл бұрын

The song has a dark and profound subject matter, and Robert knows this. But being British, he can't talk about it directly, as we're culturally hardwired to bottle these things up, keep a 'stiff upper lip', and avoid confrontation when communicating with each other. So rather than introduce the song by literally saying 'here's a number about how the common people, the true victims of war, are blinded by the short term economical benefits to their communities, at the expense of the lives of their children who are shipped off to die', he says the very opposite, being completely sarcastic. He's poking fun at these British social conventions that say it's not 'proper' to talk about these sorts of ideas or to challenge the status quo - this is a theme that comes up in the song where 'someone gets filled in for saying people get killed in the results of the shipbuilding' Dive in to Robert Wyatt's music and the whole Canterbury Scene and you'll get an idea of this irreverent outlook and attitude towards things and how we use absurdity to address real and serious issues. An even better example is some of our classic comedy, particularly Blackadder series 4 (the one set in the trenches of WW1, probably the most profoundly unfunny backdrops they could have picked), as well as a lot of Monthy Python, who are from the same generation as Wyatt and Co, and are the best example of deconstructing our stuffy British values through absurdity and contrast. I hope most of that makes sense, the point is Wyatt means the exact opposite of what he says here.