Friday 12 June 2009

Another R.I.P- Dedicated to you but you weren't listening


It's been a long time since I posted. The Computer has been monopolised by my eldest who has been revising AND constantly on MSN at the same time. But I could not let the passing of one of my musical heroes pass without comment.


Many people will have not heard of Hugh Hopper. Nobody ever remembers the Bass player Yet Hugh was a crucial part of the Canterbury Scene. Without him Robert Wyatt would never have started playing as they were best friends at School. He replaced Kevin Ayers in Soft Machine and was ever present during that band's best period (albums Two to Six) Soft Machine and it's various derivatives has always been a personal favourite and rarely a week goes by without at least one of tehir tracks coming up at random on my MP3 player or else I conciously play an album or bootleg. As robert Wyatt's vocals are so distinctive so was Hugh's bass playing
I learnt of his death from leukemia today when I read his obit in the paper. May he rest in peace