Shooting at the Moon: Lyrics Book

Name: Shooting at the Moon: Lyrics Book
Brand: Alfred Music
SKU: 12-0571541291
Price: 41.99 USD
Availability: InStock

The Collected Lyrics of Kevin Ayers

By Kevin Ayers

Item: 12-0571541291

$41.99

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Shooting at the Moon celebrates the music and lyrics of Kevin Ayers, one of the great bohemian voices of British music. Kevin Ayers was an English singer-songwriter who was a major influential force in the English psychedelic movement and a founding member of the band Soft Machine in the '60s. With introductions by Galen Ayers, Josh Payne, and Robert Wyatt, this book includes all the lyrics from Ayers' solo career and documents a period of the UK music scene between Psychedelia and Glam Rock. Immerse yourself in the world of this influential cult singer-songwriter, with pages from his own notebooks, exclusive photographs, Ayers' own collages, and the occasional recipe.

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Series: Faber Edition

Publisher: Faber Music

ISBN10: 0-571-54129-1

ISBN13: 978-0-571-54129-4

UPC: 9780571541294

SKU: 12-0571541291

More about this title

About the Composer: Kevin Ayers

Kevin Ayers emerged as a central figure in British psychedelia during the 1960s, co-founding Soft Machine at a moment when the genre was still defining itself. His restless creativity and bohemian sensibility pushed him toward solo work that bridged the gap between avant-garde experimentation and accessible songwriting, establishing him as a cult artist whose influence extended far beyond his commercial reach.

Ayers' career straddled psychedelia and glam rock, two movements that shaped the entire trajectory of British popular music. His lyrics combined surrealism, wit, and emotional directness in ways that made him a touchstone for musicians and writers who valued idiosyncrasy over commercial formula.

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Why we love this

This book captures a pivotal moment in British rock history through the eyes of one of its most distinctive lyricists. Teachers and students studying popular music, songwriting craft, or the evolution of rock will find Ayers' words revealing, witty, strange, vulnerable, and always purposeful. The notebook pages, photographs, and personal ephemera surrounding the lyrics create a genuine window into how a serious artist worked and thought.

What to expect

Ayers' lyrics are whimsical yet grounded, mixing surreal imagery with moments of genuine emotional clarity. The book itself feels like an invitation into the private world of an artist who refused to fit neatly into any category, moving freely between absurdist humor and tender vulnerability.

Who it's for

Songwriting students, music history classes, and instructors teaching popular music composition or the British rock canon will find this essential. It's also valuable for musicians exploring how lyrical craft works in practice, beyond theory.

How to get the most out of it

Read the introductions by Galen Ayers, Josh Payne, and Robert Wyatt first; they provide essential context for understanding Ayers' artistic intentions and his place in the broader music landscape.
Study the lyrics alongside recordings of the original songs to hear how Ayers' melodies and vocal phrasing shaped the meaning of his words.
Examine the notebook pages and collages as compositional research; they reveal how Ayers developed ideas and the visual thinking that informed his songwriting process.

How to use it

Assign this alongside studies of psychedelic songwriting or British rock history to show how individual artists shaped genre conventions. It works especially well in songwriting seminars where students can analyze how Ayers balanced accessibility with artistic ambition.