Nothing Can Stop Us (album)
Nothing Can Stop Us | ||||
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Compilation album by | ||||
Released | March 1982 | |||
Recorded | 1980–1981 | |||
Genre | Progressive rock, pop rock | |||
Length | 39:51 | |||
Label | Rough Trade | |||
Producer | Various | |||
Robert Wyatt chronology | ||||
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Official audio | ||||
"Born Again Cretin" on YouTube |
Nothing Can Stop Us is a compilation album by Robert Wyatt released in 1982.
Concept[]
Consisting primarily of tracks released as singles and B-sides during the late 1970s and early 1980s, it only contains one Wyatt composition (the opening track "Born Again Cretin"). The rest of the songs are cover versions, a selection of musically and thematically disparate songs by a very varied collection of original artists, including Ivor Cutler, 1940s protest songs, Billie Holiday, "The Red Flag", and Spanish-language numbers (including a version of "Caimanera/Guantanamera"). There is a rendition of Chic's "At Last I Am Free".
The two songs not previously issued as singles are "Born Again Cretin" (taken from an NME compilation cassette) and "The Red Flag" (which was previously unreleased.) This was the only full-length LP released by Wyatt in the ten years between Ruth Is Stranger Than Richard (1975) and his fourth solo studio album Old Rottenhat (1985)
In 1979 Peter Blackman read his poem Stalingrad to an enthusiastic audience that included Jack Dash, a famous communist trade unionist and leader of many British dock workers. After hearing Blackman perform the poem, Wyatt convinced him to record it.[1]
Release[]
In America, Nothing Can Stop Us was released on CD paired with Old Rottenhat under the title Compilation.[2]
Reception and later recordings[]
Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() ![]() |
Robert Christgau | B+[4] |
Pitchfork Media | 8.4/10[5] |
The song "Born Again Cretin" is sampled in the 1999 Italian single "Re-Born Again Cretin" by Almamegretta and Dub Colossus, featuring the vocals of Julianna, which originally appeared on the 1998 album Robert Wyatt e Noi - The Different You, a compilation on CPI Records.
Track listing[]
- "Born Again Cretin" (Robert Wyatt) – 3:10
- "At Last I Am Free" (Nile Rodgers, Bernard Edwards) – 4:17
- "Caimanera" (Carlos Puebla, Joseíto Fernández) - 5:18
- "Grass" (Ivor Cutler) – 2:39
- "Stalin Wasn't Stallin'" (Willie Johnson) – 3:22
- "Shipbuilding" (Elvis Costello, Clive Langer) - 3:06 (Bonus track added to reissues)
- "Red Flag" (Traditional) – 3:09
- "Strange Fruit" (Lewis Allan)– 3:37
- "Arauco" (Violeta Parra) – 4:35
- "Trade Union" (Abdus Salique) – 3:44
- "Stalingrad" (Peter Blackman) – 5:46
Personnel[]
- Robert Wyatt - vocals
- Mogotsi Mothle - double bass on "At Last I Am Free" and "Strange Fruit"
- Frank Roberts - keyboards on "At Last I Am Free" and "Strange Fruit"
- Bill MacCormick - bass on "Caimanera" and "Arauco"
- Harry Beckett - flugelhorn on "Caimanera"
- Kadir Durvesh - shehnai on "Grass" and "Trade Union"
- Esmail Shek - tabla on "Grass" and "Trade Union"
Album cover[]
The sleeve artwork is by Wyatt's wife Alfreda Benge.
References[]
- ^ Meddick, Simon (2020). Red Lives: Communists and the Struggle for Socialism. UK: Manifesto Press Cooperative Limited. p. 12. ISBN 978-1-907464-45-4.
- ^ https://www.allmusic.com/album/compilation-nothing-can-stop-us-old-rottenhat-mw0000689947
- ^ Unterberger, Richie. "Nothing Can Stop Us - Robert Wyatt". AllMusic.
- ^ "Robert Christgau: CG: wyatt". robertchristgau.com.
- ^ Wolk, Douglas. "Robert Wyatt: Rock Bottom / Ruth Is Stranger Than Richard / Nothing Can Stop Us / Old Rottenhat / Dondestan (Revisited)". Pitchfork.
- Robert Wyatt albums
- 1982 compilation albums
- Rough Trade Records compilation albums