Robert Wyatt started out in Soft Machine, where he recorded four albums simply called first, second, third and fourth. By fourth, he was on his way out of the band and his influence is not as prominent as in the first three.
Wyatt was both singer and drummer.
The first two albums are both psychedelic and surreal. Musically, this sort of stuff was a lot more adventurous than the majority of music being played at the time. It's a blend of Rock and what can be only termed experimental jazz. I know this sounds bad, but the records were in fact rather groundbreaking.
Apparently, one of the bands major influences was Stockhausen, and his disharmonic legacy can be felt on Third, possibly the Soft's best album.
The first two albums are a little more traditional than the vast experimental range of Third. They are surreal, both with their unpredictable music and lyrics.

However, Wyatt accomplished his best work once he'd left Soft Machine. A fall from a third storey window had left Wyatt paralysed from the waist down and while he was recovering he concocted the ironically titled "Rock Bottom" that was released in seventy four.
It's a beautiful album, possibly the best he's ever made. Of course, it's difficult to describe. Wyatt's plaintive vocals are highlighted of course and account for part of the enjoyment. But it was also with this album that Wyatt forged his distinctive musical style (which is something that is rather difficult to describe). The artist has often pointed to the fact that he wants his music to be heartfelt and sincere rather than conform to technical norms. This says some of it. You can feel the wealth of jazz and experimental know-how in Wyatt's music.At the same time he does just what he wants to his songs, making them his by playing with disharmony, overlapping where he chooses, doing things that don't usually happen in "rock" but that make his music both masterful and personal.
Rock Bottom is indeed a great album. Even Scottish poet and musician Ivor Cutler's final piece is strangely inspiring and evocative.

Wyatt has since made a good few albums and I would like to mention another two. "Nothing can stop us" and "Old Rottenhat".

I don't know quite how long Wyatt has been a communist, even if he still is one today. Apparently, he was even a Stalinist, though I personally find this hard to believe.

His political beliefs are present in at least two of his albums, the aforementionned "Nothing can stop us" and "Old Rottenhat".

They are both great albums. And you should understand that this is not propaganda, this is art.

Nothing can stop us does an incredible thing. It's Wyatt's personal reading of a collection of songs with political content from around the world. Some of these are workers' songs like "Red flag", others  are songs with political implications such as Billie Holiday's "Strange Fruit" or Elvis Costello's "Shipbuilding".
Whatever the song, Wyatt's treatment sheds a new light on the militant experience. The songs are not dogmatic or simplistic and in Wyatt's mouth they become plaintive, full of sorrow but also of strength and pain. He even manages to give a convincing performance on the Billie Holliday number and that's saying something ! Ok, so he doesn't actually better the ouststanding original, but his version is different. It's personal and powerful too.
Costello's "Shipbuilding" was included on the first edition of the cd but in subsequent re-editions has disappeared ! This is a mystery to me as it was one of the best songs on the album.

The album ends with an African poet's (I forget his name) reading of his poem entitled "Stalingrad". If there was a song to be left off the album, couldn't it have been this one ? Apparently it was left off the american edition, but that's hardly surprising...

"Old Rottenhat" is a great album too. On it Wyatt manages to create convincing songs on the subject of, amongst other things, the plight of the working class, the rise of crass liberalism, the betrayal of mainstream leftwing politics... Again, it is no mean feat to make convincing art with such matter. But Wyatt pulls it off brilliantly.
 

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