Canterbury Scene S/D

I heard a Wilde Flowers collection several years ago, posted somewhere (Spotify?): demos, work tapes, at least a couple of versions of "Memories", which I read somewhere that Hugh Hopper wrote when he was 16---obviously gifted youngsters (incl.pre-Caravan), but Wyatt's already the star, without showing off; he's just got the charisma, and the writing and production (incl. the sense of a real band playing) cohere around him.
But I'm biased in his favor---I do like the Softs best with him, Ayers, Hopper, and stopped listening to them altogether when he quit or was fired (Ayers and Hopper were already gone, I think). I like most of the Wyatt I've heard, which isn't nearly all of it---so prolific---but yeah Matching Mole and others mentioned above. Also the comp Different Every Time, the two-volume edition: https://www.discogs.com/Robert-Wyatt-Different-Every-Time/master/810462
Pretty good Wyatt doc still available via the Music Documentaries Online thread, last time I checked (last week).

Speaking of Ayers, here's what I wrote about The Unfairground, his very late return, and the last album of new material released in his lifetime, I think---mainly of interest if you're wayyy into him/this scene/albums on which a seemingly hopeless old fart curmudgeon eventually comes back to creative life, at least for a while---kinda startling that way: https://papercomet.blogspot.com/2017/04/kevin-ayers.html

Ayers and Hopper weren't in SM at same time. Ayers went solo or back to Deya and Hopper came in.
Ayers era also saw Andy Summers in the band on guitar. Would love to get some recordings but not sure any exist. Summers was playing improvised ragaesque guitar lines. I don't think he got on with Ayers so he left. Oddly I think he turns up backing Ayers some time in the 70s.

Ayers solo stuff is pretty great for at least first 4 or 5 lps. There's a Dutch live set around that's pretty good also a Hyde Park one and I think I had a BBC In Concert cd too.

Also got to recommend the Robert Wyatt Theatre Royal Drury lane 1974 set even if it does dip in sound quality towards the end.