THE SOFT MACHINE

Very Early Softs

All but the most fanatical fans (guilty as charged!) will want to avoid this release. This captures the band in concert around the time of their first album, the trio of Kevin Ayers, Robert Wyatt, and Mike Ratledge. The acoustics, in what sounds like a concrete basement, are fairly rough, and most of Robert Wyatt's vocals are all but inaudible, though that may be his own fault for not singing directly into the mic (which can be tough to do when you're busy drumming).

This set is notable for showcasing a couple of early Kevin Ayers tunes which did not appear on a Soft Machine album but later were recorded by Kevin as a solo act -- "We Know What You Mean" (aka "Soon Soon Soon") and "Clarence in Wonderland". The versions are unremarkable, but it's fun to hear them in such early, intimate versions.

Much of the set, however, is given to extended versions of tracks from the debut, which give some idea of how noisy and unhinged this band could be in their early days. "Hope for Happiness" runs for 13 minutes, with Mike Ratledge's organ screeching away at top volume. "I Should've Known" (later retitled "Why Am I So Short/So Boot if at All" for the debut) takes a similar path. As if such free form insanity weren't enough, there's a fully improvised piece called "Disorganization" that will certainly test your patience.

I'm glad to own this, but honestly it's a rough listen. Recommended to historians only.

Strange combination of two albums.

"Six" was the first jazzy LP I bought (second hand) as a teenager. At that time my understanding of Jazz was restricted to Zappa's "Hot Rats", Colosseum "Live" and perhaps some groovy bits by Traffic. Little I realized then that "Six" will be a catalyst in my future musical preferences and SM will become one of my fave bands - although not on the strength of this album.

I was told that it's great work and I listened and listened to it and eventually, it grew on me, laying the ground for further interest in Jazz. In hindsight, today I see this piece closer to Canterbury, a term not in common use back then. But really, the two genres are not that far apart.

A very good album indeed - if only a bit restrained, even somewhat drawn out. Admittedly, I am not very fond of Hopper's experimentation with sound effects on the last track "1983", something he further embraced as a solo artist in future. Suffice to say, I'd recommend the "NDR Workshop" (1973) live performance of this material as a far more superior version on many levels.

"Seven" finds the band in full flight, where Jenkins is the undisputed motivator and his playing is just superb. On the first track "Nettle bed" the band collectively and individually will blow your head off. One of the most dynamic pieces I've ever heard in music (remember, it was released in 1973!). This tune alone is worth the price of the CD. Here, even the somewhat laid back Marshall (drums) plays as if possessed by the Devil. Turn up the volume to max and hold onto your seat!

The rest of the album varies between laid-back and more lively pieces, offering a nice combination. A bit of winding down is probably needed after such a majestic start. I love this album from beginning to end - except...

...for the horrible sound quality. I know, I mentioned this before and will keep doing so, until someone in authority will notice it and/or get embarrassed enough to act. I do regular searches for a remastered copy of decent quality, but no luck so far. I'll keep thumping my fist and refuse to expire until I've heard "Nettle Bed" in it's full splendour. Phew!

On the artistic strength of "Seven" I'd like to offer a 5, but realistically, as a whole package it's a strong 4.

40 years ago almost to the date - still fresh!

This is practically a live version of "Six" that was released only a few months earlier and itself is recorded live in parts. So what's the point of investing in this release? Well, there are many reasons.

Firstly, the sound quality is far superior to "Six" that suffers from that typical, muddy sound that plagued CBS releases of that era. (Ah, for Heaven's sake, when can we have "Seven" remastered and made listenable???)

This version of "Six" is also more evolved and mature, containing hints towards the soon to be released "Seven". One can feel that Karl Jenkins - formerly of NUCLEUS, another great Jazz-Rock outfit - is establishing himself here. Bringing along two more members of his previous band, leaving Ratledge as the only founding member of Soft Machine present. Some people frown upon Jenkins for "hijacking" the original sound of SM - which wasn't that original by this stage, anyway. Both NUCLEUS and SM represent the finest of British Jazz- Rock of that era, partly due to Jenkins' involvement as a brilliant composer and performer.

Here, he plays his wind instruments with jaw-dropping ferocity that in itself is worth writing home about. Meanwhile Ratledge is doing what's the typical Ratledge approach, providing tasteful underlines on his keyboard. The rhythm section of Marshall and Babbington are also doing a fine job, although the latter appears to have difficulties with replicating Hopper's sound. He play the notes well, true to the original compositions, just can't make it sound like his predecessor. (Just like Steve Morse can't - for anything - do "Smoke On The Water" and sound like Blackmore.)

Special mention is due to the guest musicians. Art Themen on saxes is just incredible. A pure joy to hear when he takes center stage. Equally, Gary Boyle on guitar is doing very pleasant, Holdsworthian licks. (Interesting to note that Boyle later established his band ISOTOPE with no other, but Hugh Hopper on bass! This fine band was then - quite erroneously - likened to BRAND X, whose complexity they never really challenged.)

This performance is a "must have" to any collector of Jazz-Rock. Great sound, great delivery.

Connoisseur's choice in Jazz.

Interesting to see these two albums released on one disc. Common practice is of matching a better album with a bonus-like weaker one. This is not the case here as both of them - albeit slightly different - are excellent works on their own, if for various reasons.

SM remains one of my fave bands from the '70s and I deeply appreciate most of their works. This band is a rare phenomenon where regardless of the diversity of styles, drastic changes in musical directions/ personnel, 40 odd years on their music remains relevant - and brilliant.

By the time they released "Fourth" in 1971, there was little - if any - trace of their former Psychedelic approach. This album is pure British Jazz of the most artistic (i.e. difficult) kind. Deep, dark, meandering pieces, perhaps closer to the ECM label than to standard CBS works. Admittedly, one must have at least a cursory understanding of Jazz and even then it's probably the most difficult SM album to get into. One of the finest examples of "heavy" Jazz and to me it's a masterpiece, but one must be in the mood for it.

"Fifth" came out in 1972 and is a lighter and more accessible effort still in the Jazz vein, but closer to Jazz-Rock. Side A of the LP has a different rhythm section to side B, yet the album as a whole retains it's integrity.

Both albums are excellent and highly recommended.

In the overall sense, VOLUME TWO is a marked improvement over the first Soft Machine album. The band sounds more tightly stitched and definitely more confident. The sound here is fuller, which is a plus considering the debut had a few production issues. While the whimsy of Kevin Ayers is no longer here, the late Hugh Hopper brings a nice, fuzzy, warm tone that further propels the group towards jazz fusion. If you're like me and looking at this in retrospect, VOLUME TWO is quite a halfway point between the debut and THIRD.

Part of what makes this album cohesive is that most of the tracks belong to either ''Rivmic Melodies'' (the entire A side of the record) or ''Esther's Nose Job'' (the last five tracks of the B side). Soft Machine are at least attempting to give somewhat of a unified connective-ness to this record, although it ends up functioning very similarly to Frank Zappa's ABSOLUTELY FREE album where the tracks are all laid out distinctly, but form a pageant/suite/epic. ''Esther's Nose Job'' most closely resembles an epic with distinct sections as the parts there flow very well into each other. There's a bit of jaggedness in trying to call ''Rivmic Melodies'' an epic; I mean, the tune goes from a goofy alphabet recitation to straight up fusion in ''Hibou, Anenome and Bear'' (the highlight track) and ultimately ends with avant-gardery in ''Out of Tunes''. ''Rivmic Melodies'' reminds me more of the second side of the third Chicago album.

Still, this volume of Soft Machine's catalog is worth checking out. It sounds like Mike Ratelidge gained a lot more confidence in the writing department, and Wyatt became a better singer almost overnight. Plus, the soft ''Dedicated to You?'' is a nice break from the action in the right spot.

Messy start for one of the premier Cantebury bands.

Most of the debut of the Soft Machine dabbles in whimsical psych-pop with heavy jazz leanings. It would be nice if the music gelled cohesively, but it sounds as if the pop and the jazz are having a contest to see which will appeal to the listener most. The end results happen to be pop songs that have great melodies but poor finishes and more cerebral jazz motifs that sound inebriated.

This album almost seems bittersweet as Gong maestro Daevid Allen was out before the album's release and bassist Kevin Ayers was out of the band the next year. Ayers's bass sound is kind of unique, usually sounding muffled though, but ''Joy of a Toy'' has a serene bass melody that really sticks out and makes it a highlight track on the album. Wyatt's drumming and vocals sound strangely flat, something he'd fix soon enough.

Most of the poppier tracks are highlights. ''We Did It Again'' is one of those repetitive things that ends up being fun (and sounds like it should be in a soundtrack to a 60's beach movie), ''Save Yourself'', ''Lullabye Letter'' and ''Hope for Happiness'' are very strong in the melody department, and ''Why Are We Sleeping'' gives the album a good epic finish (other than the little experiment at the end). There are many transition tracks that aren't too bad, but end up being just filler. There are also some huge question marks like the plodding ''A Certain Kind'' and the messy avant-garde ''So Boot If All'' that wreck the album's consistency.

It's a piece of prog history, but several kinks still need to be worked out here.

(As a footnote, this review was written a few weeks before the passing of bassist Kevin Ayers. I would like to add in post that Ayers kept a sardonic yet whimsical sense of humour that ultimately provided some of the more memorable features on this album.)

Of all the archival Soft Machine live releases that have come out since the early 1990s (and there have been many), this double CD remains one of my very favorites. This captures the band in their full electric jazz mode circa "Fifth", and is probably the best-sounding live document of the Softs I've yet heard, beating out even the excellent "Virtually" Cuneiform release. On top of that, the performance is highly professional, yet loose and daring.

For this 1972 concert, the lineup was Elton Dean (sax, e.piano), Mike Ratledge (e.piano, organ), Hugh Hopper (bass gtr), and John Marshall (drums). The set list contains all of "Fifth" (minus the experimental studio sax piece "Bone") and most of "Third" (no "Moon in June"). Many Soft Machine fans will lament the departure of original drummer Robert Wyatt, who always added an exciting layer of spontaneity in his drumming and vocal contributions, but what they lost in excitement they gained in superlative technique with John Marshall. With his busy yet rock-solid drumming, the band seems more capable of stretching out than ever before, confident that Marshall will keep things moving forward. This is a welcome relief after the brief but chaotic five month period where original replacement drummer Phil Howard toured with the band -- as exciting as his free-jazz inclinations were, Ratledge and Hopper seemed to be at a loss for playing in that style (as evidenced on the historically worthwhile yet indubitably inferior "Drop" archival release).

The "Fifth" material sounds much like it did on the proper album -- smooth, slow jazz grooves with the "noisy" side of the band kept to a minimum (though still present). The "Third" material is also significantly more mellow than it was in the Wyatt days, and to good effect. At the very least, one can be assured that this isn't "just another version of Facelift" (to borrow a common complaint about the frequent and often similar archival releases) on here; in fact, the song "Facelift" isn't really even recognizable as such until at least halfway through its 17 minute length, getting rid of the crazy organ distortion intro in favor of a slowly bubbling fusion jam that eventually gives way to the song's main theme. Even "Slightly All the Time", which was a fairly mellow jazz piece to begin with, gets a looser arrangement with Elton Dean not so much playing the melody as suggesting it. Maybe he was getting a little tired of playing it; he would soon leave the band, having essentially lost the battle to move the band into more free jazz during the past year. Further confirming the loose nature of the set, the closing number is an eleven minute improvisation called "At Sixes", which blends so easily in with the rest of the set that it's sometimes hard to notice it's a different piece.

Excellent live Soft Machine, highly recommended for fans of their more jazzy side. Superb sound quality (recorded for a radio broadcast, I believe), inspired, expert performances, and some of the band's best tunes in the set list. Not essential, but an excellent addition to any Soft Machine, Canterbury, or Jazz Rock/Fusion collection.

This was the first 100% instrumental Soft Machine album and the last to feature Robert Wyatt. Saxophonist Elton Dean is a full member now and he has a big influence on the band's sound. Wyatt left because he didn't like the non-vocal, more jazz-inclined direction the group was heading into. He formed his own group named after the French term for Soft Machine: 'machine molle'(Matching Mole). Here they take the jazz element of the previous two albums and put more emphasis on it, while mostly ignoring their psych-rock past. This is basically a fusion album with no real 'Canterbury' sound involved. Some guest musicians appear, including wind players whom some might be familiar with from some Crimson and Caravan albums; and bassist Roy Babbington who plays acoustic double bass here while Hugh Hopper plays the electric bass parts (he will replace Hopper as Softs' bassist later on).

Overall not as great an album as Third was, but this has one advantage over that album: better production. Third sounded like it was recorded on 4-track in someone's bedroom; Fourth sounds like it was recorded in a professional recording studio on a 16-track console. Fifth would be an improvement sonically over this but also more jazzy as well. Although 'fusion' this still sounds different from your typical American fusion of the time; the fuzzed out organ and bass along with the backwards effects gives this a more 'British' flavour. The only Ratledge composition "Teeth" opens the album with some acoustic double bass; this is probably the most trad jazz sounding track on the album. Not until the wah-organ and fuzz-bass show up does it sound like fusion. Not one of Softs' best songs but a highlight of this album.

"Kings And Queens" is a song you can listen to on PA. It's the only song by the Machine that you can stream on PA but it is not a good introduction to the band for anyone who has never heard their music before. This has somewhat of a similar vibe to what Miles Davis was doing at the same time. "Fletcher's Blemish" was written by Dean and is the most avant- jazz oriented track on the album. They be all up in your face with their noisiness. To some this would sound like some toddlers were let loose in a recording studio.

Hopper's four-part "Virtually"(which comprised the original second side) is what saves Fourth from being just another fusion/avant-jazz album. This is the centerpiece of the whole album and basically could be considered an epic due to the four parts segueing into each other (even though they are four seperate tracks). Part 1 is based around 2 notes to which the musicians improvise around. Part 2 starts with duelling sax and organ. This track is pretty free with no structure at all until it reprises the earlier 2 notes. Part 3 starts with backwards organ and overdubbed saxes playing atonally. Then wah-organ and double bass soloing. Then some fuzz-bass soloing.

Part 4 opens with phased organ and (non-fuzz) electric bass noodling, along with some subdued sax work. Some backwards effects later. The last two parts are basically drumless but Wyatt is still present. Definately not a place to start with Soft Machine. You're better off checking out the first three albums first, or if you are already a fusionhead proceed directly to the album Bundles. One of the group's weaker efforts but not unlistenable. 3 stars.

The tenth and final studio album - and the group's only official release of the 1980's - 'Land Of Cockayne' finds Soft Machine very much at the end of the line, creatively-exhausted and without a single original member in sight. Issued in 1981, 'Land Of Cockayne' finds ex-Nucleus member Karl Jenkins now taking charge, though by now all links to the group's Canterbury-forged jazz-fusion past have been more-or-less extinguished in favour of a slick new studio-polished approach that has more in common with The Alan Parsons Project than it does with Miles Davis. Indeed, 'Land Of Cockayne' has precious little in common with virtually all of Soft Machine's previous efforts, all ten of this album's compositions written and composed solely by Jenkins who, wrongly-or- rightly, seems intent on dragging his group kicking-and-screaming into the new decade. The results, then, are more than a little disconcerting, with the major bone of contention being that this sounds like a completely different group. Aided by a veritable war-chest of musical talent - 'Land Of Cockayne' features contributions from the likes of Jack Bruce(Cream), Allan Holdsworth(UK) and Dick Morrissey(If)to name but a few - 'Land Of Cockayne' is certainly not without it's moments, yet its all a far cry from the heady peaks of 'Third' and 'Six' and undoubtedly the group's weakest overall release. Some group's simply cannot transcend the era of their own conception and the suspicion remains that maybe Soft Machine simply weren't meant for the 1980's, their dense, hazy, psych-drenched fusion sound a product of a different time. With Disco, post-punk and synth-pop now the order the day, Soft Machine were all used up by 1981, with Jenkins best intentions merely serving to extend a musical lifeline that has nothing more to give. That said, 'Land Of Cockayne' is still far better than it ought to be - both album opener 'Over 'n' Above' and the clipped beats of 'Hot Biscuit Slim' manage to impress - yet Soft Machine's swansong still doesn't provide the finishing touch they truly deserved. Although their overall legacy remains unaffected - the first nine albums are all, in the own way, rather brilliant - album number ten provides a disappointing end to an otherwise fabulous career. STEFAN TURNER,

After a few weeks of putting it off, I listened to Third, my first Soft Machine album. These guys have taken jazz fusion and canterbury, fused them together, and contorted, twisted, and bent them into this wild hot pot of psychedellic jazz (I'm getting very creative on the adjetives this time). The 80 minutes that I spent with the album were very exciting and interesting. My only grief with the album is the third track, "Moon in June", the only song on album with vocals, which are delivered by the band's drummer, Robert Wyatt. Now, he has a fine voice, and I enjoyed his preformance, however, it completely threw me off. It just seemed out of place. But, anyway, great album. If you like jazz fusion and/or psychedellic rock, I'd give it a listen. 3/5