Joy of a Toy [UK Bonus Tracks]

1	Joy of a Toy Continued 2:54
2	Town Feeling 4:51
3	The Clarietta Rag 3:20
4	Girl on a Swing 2:49
5	Song for Insane Times 4:01
6	Stop This Train (Again Doing It) 6:06
7	Eleanor's Cake (Which Ate Her) 2:53
8	The Lady Rachel 5:17
9	Oleh Oleh Bandu Bandong 5:35
10	All This Crazy Gift of Time 3:57
11	Religious Experience (Singing a Song in the Morning) previously unreleased / Bonus Track 4:46
12	The Lady Rachel previously unreleased / Bonus Track / Extended First Mix 6:42
13	Soon Soon Soon Bonus Track 3:23
14	Religious Experience (Singing a Song in the Morning) previously unreleased / Bonus Track 2:51
15	The Lady Rachel Bonus Track / Single Version 4:51
16	Singing a Song in the Morning Bonus Track 2:53

All Music Guide

As the Soft Machine's first bassist and original principal songwriter, Kevin Ayers was an overlooked force behind the group's groundbreaking recordings in 1967 and 1968. This, his solo debut, is so tossed-off and nonchalant that one gets the impression he wanted to take it easy after helping pilot the manic innovations of the Softs. Laissez-faire sloth has always been part of Ayers' persona, and this record's intermittent lazy charm helped establish it. That doesn't get around the fact, however, that this set of early progressive rock does not feature extremely strong material. Ayers' command of an assortment of instruments is impressive, and his deep bass vocals and playful, almost goofy song-sketches are affecting, but they don't really stick with the listener. It's no accident that some of the tracks recall early Soft Machine: Robert Wyatt drums on most of the songs, and "Song for Insane Times" is virtually a bona fide Soft Machine performance, featuring actual backing from the group itself. A likable but slight album that is at its best when Ayers is at his folkiest. [A 2003 British reissue added several bonus tracks.] Richie Unterberger

Rolling Stone

[A] 1969 feast of bent-pop frolic and ravishing balladry. David Fricke