Old Rottenhat

Old Rottenhat is the fourth studio album by Robert Wyatt. It was released in November 1985, and in 1993 it was reissued in its entirety as part of the CD Mid-Eighties. The album was produced and performed solo by Wyatt, and is dedicated to Michael Bettaney, a UK MI5 intelligence officer who in 1984 was convicted for acting as an agent-in-place for the Soviet Union.^[1]

Old Rottenhat
Studio album by Robert Wyatt
Released	November 1985
Recorded	1984–1985
Studio	West 3 Studios, Acton, London; Acre Lane Studios, Brixton, London
Genre	Canterbury scene, art rock
Length	43:49
Label	Rough Trade
Robert Wyatt chronology
The Animals Film (1982) Old Rottenhat (1985) Dondestan (1991)

Critical reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[2]
Robert Christgau	B−[3]
Pitchfork Media	6.1/10[4]

The New York Times wrote that, "while the tunes are low-key, they often have surprising rhythmic shifts or twists of chromatic harmony."^[5] David Fricke of Rolling Stone found the lyrics pedantic in comparison to those of Nothing Can Stop Us, but considered the album musically effective, praising the tracks "The Age of Self" and "Gharbzadegi".^[6]

Track listing

All songs written by Robert Wyatt

Side one

1. "Alliance" – 4:24
2. "The United States of Amnesia" – 5:50
3. "East Timor" – 2:52
4. "Speechless" – 3:37
5. "The Age of Self" – 2:50
6. "Vandalusia" – 2:44

Side two

1. "The British Road" – 6:23
2. "Mass Medium" – 4:43
3. "Gharbzadegi" – 7:54
4. "P.L.A." – 2:31

Personnel

• Robert Wyatt: vocals, piano, keyboards, bass, percussion

Recording details

• Recorded in 1984 at West 3 Studios, Acton, London, by John McGowan.
• Recorded in 1985 at Acre Lane Studios, Brixton, by Bill Gilonis.

"Thanks to Charles Gray and Vicky Aspinall for invaluable help and advice and thanks Duncan".

Album cover

The artwork for the album cover was created by Wyatt's wife Alfreda Benge.