- LP
- Recommended
- Back In
The Keith Tippett Group
Dedicated To You, But You Weren't Listening
Be With Records - Cat No: BEWITH132LP
- updated:2025-11-18
Keith Tippett — the giant UK jazz-rock pianist who passed through progressive rock, Canterbury rock and free jazz — sees his 1971 masterpiece second album "Dedicated To You, But You Weren't Listening" reissued by Be With Records. Featuring Robert Wyatt (drums) from his SOFT MACHINE days, Brian Spring (Nucleus), Elton Dean and more, this is superb, blazingly intense music. (Saito)
Track List
-
1. The Keith Tippett Group - This Is What Happens
-
2. The Keith Tippett Group - Thoughts To Geoff
-
3. The Keith Tippett Group - Green And Orange Night Park
-
4. The Keith Tippett Group - Gridal Suite
-
5. The Keith Tippett Group - Five After Dawn
-
6. The Keith Tippett Group - Dedicated To You, But You Weren't Listening
-
7. The Keith Tippett Group - Black Horse
The Keith Tippett Group's Dedicated to You, But You Weren't Listening is a landmark in cutting edge fusion/avant-jazz. A vital and profoundly adventurous Jazz-Rock record that still swings very hard, it was first released on Vertigo in 1971.
Original copies are now very tricky to score and, as most of you really should know, it’s aged ridiculously well.
A legendary work, this Be With re-issue has been newly remastered from the original Vertigo master tapes, demonstrating just why this deserves to be back in press. The stunning gatefold jacket fully restores Roger and Martyn Dean's original, arresting album artwork to complete this must-have reissue.
Alive and bursting with a joyful energy that has to be heard to be believed, Dedicated to You, But You Weren't Listening flirts with perfection. It's truly magical and forever essential.
A brilliant jazz pianist, composer, arranger and bandleader "who could make the outlands of modern music feel like the most hospitable of places" (The Guardian), Keith Tippett's second album is oft-regarded as his Canterbury album.
Indeed, not only does he draw heavily on Soft Machine members past, present and future but the album title itself archly references a Soft Machine composition. Ray Babbington handles bass alongside Neville Whitehead and the drums are shared between Brian Spring (Nucleus), Robert Wyatt(!) and Phil Howard (who would go on to replace Wyatt in Soft Machine). Gary Boyle (Isotope) is on guitar whilst the great percussionist Tony Uter is enlisted for his conga and cow bell expertise. Elton Dean on Alto Saxello, cornetist Marc Charig and Nick Evans on trombone round out this quite stunning ensemble.
Dedicated to You, But You Weren't Listening presents a collective of superhuman musicians really, *really* enjoying themselves in the studio. The sheer exuberance of the performance is totally infectious. It's wild, energetic, atmospheric and, bluntly, bordering on chaotic at points. In a word, it's beautiful.
Robert Wyatt's drumming opens the record with a bang on the majestic Be With favourite "This Is What Happens". Some have described his work here as "easily the most inspired of his career on record." It's an ultra-funky conga-driven groove that truly sparks via the duelling interplay between the three horn players. In the background, Keith's insistent piano, in conversation with those unignorable drums, is the anchor that keeps this piece rollicking away. Breathtaking.
The epic, energetic "Thoughts to Geoff" is a 10-minute jammer that tends towards the dissonant and improvisational but becomes more fluid, laconic and melodic as it unravels. The interplay between soloists and ensembles is particularly dazzling here - blazing solos by Evans, Charig and Tippett himself in a flourish of angular arpeggios interspersed with chordal elocution. Phew.
Up next, the no less-urgent Mingus-referencing "Green and Orange Night Park" is a soaring example of ambitious jazz mixed with rock aggression, with Dean strutting his stuff by launching into a scorching solo. An absolutely jaw-dropping piece. Arguably the highlight of this album of huge highlights!
Though much of the album tends to fall on the raucous side ("Gridal Suite" approaches free-jazz at its most chaotic and, dare we say it, "difficult"), there are a few more sedate, at times spacey numbers, such as the deeply impressionistic "Five After Dawn". The rhythmically complex "Black Horse" is the most accessible track here, a sort of swinging Big Band number with tight grooves, soaring horn & reed melodies, a sizzling Boyle guitar solo and tasty electric piano riffs from Tippett. An hypnotic climax to a staggering record.
This Be With edition of Dedicated to You, But You Weren't Listening has been re-mastered from the original Vertigo master tapes, Simon Francis’ mastering working together with Cicely Balston's cut at Abbey Road Studios to weave their usual magic with these wonderful recordings. The stunning gatefold sleeve has been restored in all its brainchild glory so you know you're dealing with the definitive reissue, here. Now, are you listening?
Original copies are now very tricky to score and, as most of you really should know, it’s aged ridiculously well.
A legendary work, this Be With re-issue has been newly remastered from the original Vertigo master tapes, demonstrating just why this deserves to be back in press. The stunning gatefold jacket fully restores Roger and Martyn Dean's original, arresting album artwork to complete this must-have reissue.
Alive and bursting with a joyful energy that has to be heard to be believed, Dedicated to You, But You Weren't Listening flirts with perfection. It's truly magical and forever essential.
A brilliant jazz pianist, composer, arranger and bandleader "who could make the outlands of modern music feel like the most hospitable of places" (The Guardian), Keith Tippett's second album is oft-regarded as his Canterbury album.
Indeed, not only does he draw heavily on Soft Machine members past, present and future but the album title itself archly references a Soft Machine composition. Ray Babbington handles bass alongside Neville Whitehead and the drums are shared between Brian Spring (Nucleus), Robert Wyatt(!) and Phil Howard (who would go on to replace Wyatt in Soft Machine). Gary Boyle (Isotope) is on guitar whilst the great percussionist Tony Uter is enlisted for his conga and cow bell expertise. Elton Dean on Alto Saxello, cornetist Marc Charig and Nick Evans on trombone round out this quite stunning ensemble.
Dedicated to You, But You Weren't Listening presents a collective of superhuman musicians really, *really* enjoying themselves in the studio. The sheer exuberance of the performance is totally infectious. It's wild, energetic, atmospheric and, bluntly, bordering on chaotic at points. In a word, it's beautiful.
Robert Wyatt's drumming opens the record with a bang on the majestic Be With favourite "This Is What Happens". Some have described his work here as "easily the most inspired of his career on record." It's an ultra-funky conga-driven groove that truly sparks via the duelling interplay between the three horn players. In the background, Keith's insistent piano, in conversation with those unignorable drums, is the anchor that keeps this piece rollicking away. Breathtaking.
The epic, energetic "Thoughts to Geoff" is a 10-minute jammer that tends towards the dissonant and improvisational but becomes more fluid, laconic and melodic as it unravels. The interplay between soloists and ensembles is particularly dazzling here - blazing solos by Evans, Charig and Tippett himself in a flourish of angular arpeggios interspersed with chordal elocution. Phew.
Up next, the no less-urgent Mingus-referencing "Green and Orange Night Park" is a soaring example of ambitious jazz mixed with rock aggression, with Dean strutting his stuff by launching into a scorching solo. An absolutely jaw-dropping piece. Arguably the highlight of this album of huge highlights!
Though much of the album tends to fall on the raucous side ("Gridal Suite" approaches free-jazz at its most chaotic and, dare we say it, "difficult"), there are a few more sedate, at times spacey numbers, such as the deeply impressionistic "Five After Dawn". The rhythmically complex "Black Horse" is the most accessible track here, a sort of swinging Big Band number with tight grooves, soaring horn & reed melodies, a sizzling Boyle guitar solo and tasty electric piano riffs from Tippett. An hypnotic climax to a staggering record.
This Be With edition of Dedicated to You, But You Weren't Listening has been re-mastered from the original Vertigo master tapes, Simon Francis’ mastering working together with Cicely Balston's cut at Abbey Road Studios to weave their usual magic with these wonderful recordings. The stunning gatefold sleeve has been restored in all its brainchild glory so you know you're dealing with the definitive reissue, here. Now, are you listening?
Keith Tippett Group's "Dedicated to You, But You Weren't Listening" is a landmark of cutting-edge fusion/avant jazz. Released on Vertigo in 1971, it remains a hard-swinging, vital, profoundly adventurous jazz-rock record. Original copies are now extremely hard to find, and as most people know, this album has aged remarkably well. A legendary work, this Be With reissue has been newly remastered from the original Vertigo master tapes, proving that this record deserves to be pressed again. The stunning gatefold sleeve fully restores the original, captivating album artwork by Roger and Martin Dean, completing the package. Alive and bursting with joyous energy, "Dedicated to You, But You Weren't Listening" has to be heard to be believed. It's truly magical, and forever essential. The second album by Keith Tippett — the jazz pianist, composer, arranger and bandleader who could "make the outer fringes of contemporary music feel like the most hospitable place around" (The Guardian) — is often regarded as his Canterbury album. Indeed, not only does he draw heavily on past, present and future members of Soft Machine, the album title itself quotes a Soft Machine song. Roy Babbington handles bass alongside Neville Whitehead, while drum duties are shared by Brian Spring (Nucleus), Robert Wyatt (!), and Phil Howard (who later replaced Wyatt in Soft Machine). Gary Boyle (Isotope) plays guitar, and the great percussionist Tony Uter contributes his conga and cowbell expertise. Elton Dean on alto sax, Mark Charig on cornet and Nick Evans on trombone round out this magnificent ensemble. On "Dedicated to You, But You Weren't Listening," superhuman musicians are having a really, really good time in the studio. The exhilaration of the playing is utterly infectious. It's wild, energetic, atmospheric and, frankly, at times close to chaotic. In a word: beautiful. Robert Wyatt's drumming opens the album in spectacular fashion on the majestic Be With favorite "This Is What Happens." Some call his work here "the most inspired playing of his career." A super-funky conga-driven groove truly sparks as the three horn players duel. Behind it all, Keith's relentless piano converses with the drums that give the track its commanding presence. Breathtaking. The epic, energetic "Thoughts to Geoff" is a ten-minute jam with a dissonant, improvisational bent that grows fluid, talkative and melodic as it unravels. Solos from Evans, Charig and Tippett himself unfold amid angular arpeggiated flourishes and eloquent chordal storytelling. Phew. Next, the Mingus-evoking "Green & Orange Night Park" is an uplifting mix of ambitious jazz and rock aggression, with Dean delivering a fervent solo. A genuinely stunning piece — without question an album highlight! Much of the record leans toward the raucous ("Gridal Suite" approaches free jazz at its most chaotic and, dare we say, "difficult"), but there are also calmer, sometimes cosmic numbers like the deeply affecting "Five After Dawn." The rhythmic, complex "Black Horse" is a swinging big-band-styled number — tight groove, soaring horn and reed melodies, a heated Boyle guitar solo, and tasty Tippett electric piano riffs — and it's the most accessible track here. A hypnotic climax to an astonishing record. This Be With edition of "Dedicated to You, But You Weren't Listening" has been remastered from the original Vertigo master tapes, with Simon Francis mastering and Cicely Balston cutting at Abbey Road Studios, working their usual magic on this wonderful recording. The stunning gatefold sleeve has been restored to its full brainchild glory, so you can see why this reissue is the definitive one. So — are you listening? (auto-translated from information)