One of the delights of sifting through the Robert Wyatt biography 'Wrong Movements' was the amount of information it threw up concerning recording sessions, collaborations with varied musicians and one-off projects. I remember reading faithfully through the book chronologically, and musing, 'wouldn't it be great if someone had access to the master tapes'. It was only at the end, seeing the small Rough Trade ad, that it became clear that someone did.

'Flotsam and Jetsam' is a 16-track compilation taken from those recording sessions, with numerous oddities dated between 1968 and 1987. I shan't go into full factual details about each track - far better for you to explore both the CD and the biography. But it is a very fine album, and quite wonderful that a compilation of totally unreleased material should surface in 1994.

To give you a taster, the album consists of some old favourites in new contexts and plenty of one-off ventures. Only two tracks you might have heard before: the collaboration with Jimi Hendrix ('Slow Walkin Talk' - a '68 early version of 'Soup Song' featuring Hendrix on Noel Redding's bass - upsidedown!) and 'Apricot Jam' the deliciously sleazy outtake from the recordings for Lady June's 'Linguistic Leprosy' album which first turned up on the Coxhill/Miller album 'Story So Far/Oh Really' - a wonderful latterday nonsense track featuring Wyatt, Coxhill, Archie Leggett and Kevin Ayers.

All the rest is new, although you will recognise a brief demo version of 'Moon In June', and Robert's experimental vocal covers of his own 'God Song' and Richard Sinclair's 'Fol de Rol' for the BBC (alongside Francis Monkman), in the immediate aftermath of the Matching Mole break-up.

Tracks to look out include Gary Windo's superb 'Now Is The Time', taken from a 1976 session that included Hugh Hopper, Bill MacCormick and Nick Mason - this certainly wouldn't have been out of place on the musically reflective 'Ruth is Stranger...', and features Windo's unmistakable sax growlings as well as typically soulful vocals and a resounding bass line. The Symbiosis number 'Standfast' is an 12 minute testimony to Robert Wyatt's desire to jazz things up - alternately accessible and uncompromising, this reminded me of material from Keith Tippett's 'Dedicated To You, But You Weren't Listening' album from around the same time.

Another interesting period piece is the track 'Nowt Doin". A unique collaboration between a brass band and jazz musicians including Dave Macrae, Roy Babbington and, of course, Robert Wyatt. I remember reading a review about an impromptu band called The People's Liberation Front, who featured Pip Pyle, Cornelius Cardew and Laurie Baker from around this era, and all three contributed to further sessions for the 'modern folk opera' based around the 1926 General Strike from which 'Nowt Doin' was taken.

Cette compilation en apporte une nouvelle affirmation en dix-huit manifestations de 1968 à 1989. Il y a là la joie de retrouver ses amis et de travailler ensemble (Kevin Ayers, Lol Coxhill, Peter Blegvad...)- Des pièces rares, inédites ou introuvables : le swing fragile dans un rythm'n'blues de traviole avec Jimi Hendrix à la basse ("Slow walkin' talk") ; l'approximation touchante, les tremblements vocaux qui annoncent "Rock bottom" ("God song/Fol de Rol", un univers se crée) ; les expérimentations parfois un brin crispantes des 70's; un sourire pas mièvre, la joie, la déconnade, des bruits de bouche ("A little something", "Soprano/Apricot jam") ; l'amour du jazz ("Locomotive" de Thelonius Monk, adapté a capella) et du Sud (instrumentaux pour un documentaire TV espagnol, participation au groupe Claustrophobia) ; un extrait d'une longue pièce ("Will of the people") sur les grèves générales de 1926 ou cette chanson de la fin du 19e avec des arrangements cuivrés pour grand-orchestre, ou encore "The wind of change" avec les Swapo Singers (arrangé et produit par Jerry Dammers, ex-Specials) ; et en une minute comme en presque douze, avec trois fois rien ou en grande pompe, un homme de partout et de nulle part donne son cœur sans arrière-pensée. On aimerait pouvoir en dire autant plus souvent.