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After The Show

Here is a 1974 7" single by Kevin Ayers on the Island label. It was released a few months after his ambitious (but, to my mind, lacklustre) album The Confessions of Dr. Dream and Other Stories, and one month after the June 1 1974 concert featuring Nico, John Cale and Brian Eno; which may have been a happier occasion had Ayers' dalliance with the then Mrs. Cale not been brought to light shortly before it.

'After The Show' itself is rather a tepid number, and an odd choice for a single. The attraction for me is all in the B-Side, 'Thank You Very Much', a song I dearly love. Ayers sings it soft & low, accompanied only by acoustic guitar. It's a refreshingly simple and direct recording, in sharp contrast with the overcooked production that prevailed on Dr. Dream. 

Neither of the songs on the single were on Dr. Dream nor on Ayers' next album Sweet Deceiver. I bought it two or three years ago from one of my usual haunts in Chepstow. It cost me a pound for a copy that isn't exactly in tip-top condition.

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