Nick Mason's Fictitious Sports

Nick Mason's Fictitious Sports
Nick Mason's Fictitious Sports
Studio album by Nick Mason
Released	3 May 1981
Recorded	in October 1979, at Grog Kill Studios, Willow, New York by Michael Mantler, assisted by Nick Mason; mixed in December 1979 & May 1980 at Village Recorders & the Producer's Workshop, L.A. by James Guthrie
Genre	Jazz-rock, progressive rock, Canterbury sound
Length	36:15
Label	Harvest (UK); Columbia (US)
Producer	Nick Mason; Carla Bley;
Nick Mason chronology

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	^[2]

Nick Mason's Fictitious Sports is the debut solo album by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, released in May 1981 in the UK and the US. It was Mason's first major work outside of Pink Floyd.^[3]^[4] It is sung by Robert Wyatt (formerly of Soft Machine), except for the opening song. All the songs were written by Carla Bley.

Recording[]

The album was recorded in October 1979 but its release was delayed for almost two years.^[5]

I made 'Fictitious Sports' more as an exercise. There's more longevity in 'Profiles'... it's strong enough to be accepted as a 'proper' record.
— Nick Mason, ^[6]

Originally, I had arranged to go to America and make an album using all sorts of material, but then Carla sent me a cassette with some of her ideas. It was very different from what she had done before and absolutely in line with what I like. So I thought it would be much better to do that than to struggle desperately to find things that work together.
— Nick Mason, ^[6]

Track listing[]

All songs written by Carla Bley.

Side one[]

"Can't Get My Motor to Start" – 3:39
"I Was Wrong" – 4:12
"Siam" – 4:48
"Hot River" – 5:16

Side two[]

"Boo to You Too" – 3:26
"Do Ya?" – 4:36
"Wervin'" – 3:58
"I'm a Mineralist" – 6:16

Personnel[]

Nick Mason – drums, percussion, co-producer, assistant recording engineer
Carla Bley – keyboards, songwriter, co-producer
Robert Wyatt – vocals (except on "Can't Get My Motor to Start")
Karen Kraft – lead vocal on "Can't Get My Motor to Start", duet vocal on "Hot River", backing vocals
Chris Spedding – guitars
Steve Swallow – bass guitar
Michael Mantler – trumpets, recording engineer
Gary Windo – tenor, bass clarinet, flute, additional voices
Gary Valente – trombones, additional voices
Howard Johnson – tuba
Terry Adams – piano on "Boo to You Too", harmonica & clavinet on "Can't Get My Motor to Start"
Carlos Ward – additional voices
David Sharpe – additional voices
Vincent Chancey – additional voices
Earl McIntyre – additional voices
James Guthrie – mixing engineer
Hipgnosis and Geoff Halpin – cover design

References[]

^ Vernon Fitch. "Pink Floyd Archives - Nick Mason LP Discography". The Pink Floyd Archives. Retrieved 1 August 2011.
^ Nick Mason's Fictitious Sports at AllMusic
^ Fictitious Sports at AllMusic
^ Fictitious Sports: Credits at AllMusic
^ See: The credits on the album sleeve.
^ Jump up to: ^a ^b "The Amazing Pudding Reference Guide on Pink Floyd songs and records". Archived from the original on 2012-09-22.

[pf_archives-1] Vernon Fitch. "Pink Floyd Archives - Nick Mason LP Discography". The Pink Floyd Archives. Retrieved 1 August 2011.

[2] Nick Mason's Fictitious Sports at AllMusic

[3] Fictitious Sports at AllMusic

[4] Fictitious Sports: Credits at AllMusic

[5] See: The credits on the album sleeve.

[amazingpudding-6] Jump up to: ^a ^b "The Amazing Pudding Reference Guide on Pink Floyd songs and records". Archived from the original on 2012-09-22.

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[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

show v t Nick Mason
Solo albums	Fictitious Sports (1981)
Collaborations	Profiles (1985, with Rick Fenn) White of the Eye (1987)
As producer	Rock Bottom (1974) Shamal (1976) Music for Pleasure (1977) Green (1978)
Film soundtracks	Body Contact (1987) Tank Malling (1988)
See also	Middlewick House Pink Floyd Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets

show v t Carla Bley
As leader	Tropic Appetites (1974) Dinner Music (1977) European Tour 1977 (1978) Musique Mecanique (1979) Social Studies (1981) Live! (1982) I Hate to Sing (1984) Heavy Heart (1984) Sextet (1987) Fleur Carnivore (1989) The Very Big Carla Bley Band (1991) Big Band Theory (1993) Songs with Legs (1994) The Carla Bley Big Band Goes to Church (1996) Fancy Chamber Music (1998) 4 x 4 (2000) Looking for America (2003) The Lost Chords (2004) The Lost Chords find Paolo Fresu (2007) Appearing Nightly (2008) Carla's Christmas Carols (2009) Trios (2013) Andando el Tiempo (2016) Life Goes On (2020)
With Gary Burton	A Genuine Tong Funeral (1967)
With Jazz Composer's Orchestra	The Jazz Composer's Orchestra (1968) Escalator over the Hill (1968-71) Relativity Suite (1973)
With Michael Mantler	Jazz Realities (1966)
With Charlie Haden	Liberation Music Orchestra (1969) The Ballad of the Fallen (1983) Dream Keeper (1990) Not in Our Name (2005)
With Nick Mason	Nick Mason's Fictitious Sports (1979)
With Steve Swallow	Night-Glo (1985) Duets (1988) Go Together (1992) Are We There Yet? (1999)
Related articles	Discography

show v t Robert Wyatt
Studio albums	The End of an Ear Rock Bottom Ruth Is Stranger Than Richard Old Rottenhat Dondestan Shleep Cuckooland Comicopera
Live albums	Theatre Royal Drury Lane 8th September 1974
EPs	Work in Progress
Soundtracks	The Animals Film
Compilation albums	Nothing Can Stop Us Mid-Eighties Eps '68
Singles	"I'm a Believer"/"Memories" "Yesterday Man"/"I'm a Believer" "Stalin Wasn't Stallin'"/"Stalingrad" "Shipbuilding"/"Memories of You"/"'Round Midnight"
Related articles	Soft Machine Matching Mole Nick Mason's Fictitious Sports