Nick Mason's Fictitious Sports Explained

Nick Mason's Fictitious Sports
Type:	Album
Artist:	Nick Mason
Cover:	Fictitious-sports.jpg
Released:	1 May 1981^[1]
Recorded:	October 1979, at Grog Kill Studios, Willow, New York by Michael Mantler. mixed in December 1979 and May 1980 at Village Recorders & the Producer's Workshop, L.A. by James Guthrie
Genre:	Jazz-rock, progressive rock, Canterbury sound
Length:	36:15
Label:	Harvest (UK) Columbia (US)
Producer:	Nick Mason Carla Bley
Next Title:	Profiles
Next Year:	1985

Nick Mason's Fictitious Sports is the debut solo album by Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason, released in May 1981 in the UK and the US. It was Mason's first major work outside of Pink Floyd. It is sung by Robert Wyatt (formerly of Soft Machine), except for the opening song. All the songs were written by Carla Bley. The album (along with Profiles and the soundtrack to the film White of the Eye) was remastered and reissued on August 31, 2018 as part of the box set Unattended Luggage.^[2]

Recording

The album was recorded in October 1979 but its release was delayed for almost two years.^[3]

Track listing

All songs written by Carla Bley.

Side one

1. "Can't Get My Motor to Start" – 3:39
2. "I Was Wrong" – 4:12
3. "Siam" – 4:48
4. "Hot River" – 5:16

Side two

5. "Boo to You Too" – 3:26
6. "Do Ya?" – 4:36
7. "Wervin'" – 3:58
8. "I'm a Mineralist" – 6:16

Personnel

• • Nick Mason – drums, percussion, co-producer, assistant recording engineer Carla Bley – keyboards, songwriter, co-producer
• Robert Wyatt – vocals (except on "Can't Get My Motor to Start")
• Karen Kraft – lead vocal on "Can't Get My Motor to Start", duet vocal on "Hot River", backing vocals
• Chris Spedding – guitars
• Steve Swallow – bass guitar
• Michael Mantler – trumpets, recording engineer
• Gary Windo – tenor saxophone, bass clarinet, flute, additional voices
• Gary Valente – trombones, additional voices
• Howard Johnson – tuba
• Terry Adams – piano on "Boo to You Too", harmonica & clavinet on "Can't Get My Motor to Start"
• Carlos Ward – additional voices
• David Sharpe – additional voices
• Vincent Chancey – additional voices
• Earl McIntyre – additional voices
• James Guthrie – mixing engineer
• Hipgnosis and Geoff Halpin – cover design

Notes and References

1. Web site: Pink Floyd official site.
2. Web site: Blistein . Jon . Pink Floyd’s Nick Mason Preps Solo Albums Box Set . Rolling Stone . 23 November 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210518090013/https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/pink-floyds-nick-mason-preps-solo-albums-box-set-627775/ . 18 May 2021 . 12 June 2018.
3. See: The credits on the album sleeve.