Nothing Can Stop Us

Nothing Can Stop Us
Compilation album by Robert Wyatt
Released	March 1982
Recorded	1980-1981
Genre	Progressive rock, pop
Length	39:51
Label	Rough Trade Records
Producer	various
Robert Wyatt chronology
The Animals Film (1982) Nothing Can Stop Us (1982) Old Rottenhat (1985)

Nothing Can Stop Us is a compilation album by Robert Wyatt released in 1982.

Concept

Consisting primarily of tracks released as singles and B-sides during the late 1970s and early '80s, it only contains one Wyatt composition (the opening track "Born Again Cretin"). The rest of the songs are cover versions, a selection of musically and thematically disparate songs by a very varied collection of original artists, including Ivor Cutler, 1940s protest songs, Billie Holiday, "The Red Flag", and Spanish-language numbers (including a version of "Caimanera/Guantanamera"). There is a rendition of Chic's "At Last I Am Free". The two songs not issued as singles are "Born Again Cretin" (taken from an NME compilation cassette) and "Red Flag" (which was previously unreleased.) This was the only full-length LP released by Wyatt in the ten years between 1975's Ruth Is Stranger Than Richard and his fourth solo studio album Old Rottenhat.

The song "Born Again Cretin" is sampled in the 1999 Italian single "Re-Born Again Cretin" by Almamegretta/Dub Colossus, featuring the vocals of Julianna, which originally appeared on the 1998 album Robert Wyatt e Noi - The Different You (compilation on CPI Records).

Release

In America, Nothing Can Stop Us was released on CD paired with Old Rottenhat under the title Compilation.

Reception

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic
Robert Christgau	B+ link
Pitchfork Media	(8.4/10.0) link

Track listing

1. "Born Again Cretin" (Robert Wyatt) – 3:10
2. "At Last I Am Free" (Nile Rodgers, Bernard Edwards) – 4:17
3. "Caimanera" (Carlos Puebla, Joseíto Fernández) - 5:18
4. "Grass" (Ivor Cutler) – 2:39
5. "Stalin Wasn't Stallin'" (Willie Johnson) – 3:22
6. "Shipbuilding" (Elvis Costello, Clive Langer) - 3:06 (Bonus track added to reissues)
7. "Red Flag" (traditional) – 3:09
8. "Strange Fruit" (Lewis Allan)– 3:37
9. "Arauco" (Violeta Parra) – 4:35
10. "Trade Union" (Abdus Salique) – 3:44
11. "Stalingrad" (Peter Blackman) – 5:46

Personnel

• Mogotsi Mothle: double bass on "At Last I Am Free" & "Strange Fruit"
• Frank Roberts: keyboards on "At Last I Am Free" & "Strange Fruit"
• Bill MacCormick: bass on "Caimanera" & "Arauco"
• Harry Beckett: flugelhorn on "Caimanera"
• Kadir Durvesh: shehnai on "Grass" & "Trade Union"
• Esmail Shek: tabla on "Grass" & "Trade Union"

Album cover

The sleeve drawing was by Wyatt's wife Alfreda Benge.

References