Released in 1971, Dedicated to You, but You Weren’t Listening is the second album from the Keith Tippett Group. It was leagues above their You Are Here… I Am There debut a year earlier, and found the band hone their jazz rock craft that made them beloved throughout underground circles.
Having worked as session musician on King Crimson’s In The Wake of Poseidon and Lizard between albums, the experience Tippett gained was poured into the second album. With the addition of Canterbury Scene pioneer and Soft Machine founder Robert Wyatt on drums, it added an extra groove to the album. The pedigree also helped secure them a place on Vertigo, which, at the time, was the place to be if you wanted credibility.
In true jazz rock spirit, the album has a very improvised, ‘jam’ feel too it. At its most laid back it feels natural, while the unhinged freak outs of Thoughts To Geoff and Gridal Suite threaten to go completely off the rails at any moment. Jeff Clyne and Roy Babbington share bass duties throughout the record, giving Tippett an air-tight rhythm section and acting as the glue that holds even the most difficult and disjointed moments of Five After Dawn together.
This would be the final release under the Keith Tippett Group moniker, but Tippet himself would go on to indulge in a number of collaborative endeavours. Working with his wife, Julie; more appearances with King Crimson, andforming both Blueprint and Ovary Lodge, along with countless others in the years that would follow.
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