Robert Wyatt – At Last I Am Free (1980)

Now, most of you will know Robert Wyatt from his sublime reading of Elvis Costello’s, anti-Falklands war polemic/lament, “Shipbuilding”.

Others will remember him as a founder member of Soft Machine where he was drummer and sang a bit.

Others will remember him as the guy who fell out of a fourth floor window in 1973 resulting in paralysis from the waist down and a life in a wheelchair. This prompted a solo career spanning many years and highlights.

However, having posted Chic a few minutes ago (here), I have chosen Robert Wyatt as the person who pulled off extraordinary cover versions. None more so than “At Last I Am Free”; a near perfect rendering of the Chic album track which he released on Rough Trade Records in 1980.

Yes really.

Chic themselves do a beautiful version on the C’est Chic (which includes “Le Freak” and “I Want Your Love” – what a band they were!).

Just the track …. courtesy of those Youtube guys!