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Soft Machine (general topic)


barnaba.siegel

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Cuneiforme unearthed another live gems from the Soft Machine portfolio. In this time something particulary interesting for fans - not one, but two gigs by a Third-era quintet that lasted only 3 months. Lyn Dobson joins the classic Ratledge, Wyatt, Hopper and Dean line-up doubling Elton on sax, adding flute and even harmonica and vocal. The next interesting thing is the included DVD with a French concert, that is also on CD. It needs to be pointed out, that the video material was previously released as "Alive in Paris 1970", but of lesser quality. Plus the CD covers whole concert for the first time.

smf.jpg

I've already bought this set so quick thoughts:

1. I wasn't listening to Softs for months, so it's always a funny process of turning an inner audio switch in my ears to accommodate to their harsh, distorted sound. And it's usually not only the tone of hardcore deformed Lawrey organs and Hopper's bass, but also a sound quality. And so is here. Both gigs aren't perfect, I can hear sound deterioration between tracks on the same gig. It's all an B+/A- work, taking on the bootleg scale, but good to keep in mind it's not a clean gig.

2. Well, I must say this famous quintet is kinda overrated. Of course it's great to hear some tunes from "Third" with two saxes, but Lyn Dobson is not doing great on live situations. Not as interesting on sax as Elton Dean, his flute playing, even for the standards set by jazz-rockers (or rock-jazzers) like Bob Downes or this guy from Out of Focus from Germany, is something I'd happily skip, his harmonica playing barely suits this Machine and his vocal works... sheesh... unbearable for me plus doesn't have any delicacy or charm of Robert's singing (btw - Wyatt's gives a serious, noise performance at the end of Paris set, a more Matching Mole level of act).

3. Booklet is surprisingly thin, but there is a huge essay, so considering how many Softs' albums are out there, I guess it's ok.

So in overall - well, for sure "a must have for fan", but it wouldn'y be my favorite performance. 

 

Edited by barnaba.siegel
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I’ve just started delving into the multitude of live SM material, I just picked up this and the German NDR package also on Cunieforme, what else is recommended, the BBC ones sound good going by what I’ve heard on YouTube and just ordered Floating Points & Drop from Japan.

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17 hours ago, barnaba.siegel said:

The next interesting thing is the included DVD with a French concert, that is also on CD. It needs to be pointed out, that the video material was previously released as "Alive in Paris 1970", but of lesser quality. 

Do you mean that the previous release was of lesser quality than this version?

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8 hours ago, Teasing the Korean said:

Do you mean that the previous release was of lesser quality than this version?

I'll paste exactle what Cuneiform wrote in the description:

"Footage of the concert was previously released in 2008 on DVD, but we have gone through the original footage once again to improve video quality as well as remove or lessen soundtrack issues including fake applause and hard edits."

8 hours ago, Harbour said:

I’ve just started delving into the multitude of live SM material, I just picked up this and the German NDR package also on Cunieforme, what else is recommended, the BBC ones sound good going by what I’ve heard on YouTube and just ordered Floating Points & Drop from Japan.

It depends on what period you're interested in.
Definitely the boths BBC sets by hux are essential - first covering 1967 to 1971 and second 1971 to 1975. Soft Machine & Heavy Friends, aka BBC Live in Concert 1971, is good sound-wise, but the big pack of jazz guests was more like a jam thing rather than well-planed extension to Softs' music.

Virtually, Noisette, Grides (with DVD) - another essentials from Wyatt era. 
(and of course the double CD edition of Third, with live performance on second disc)

Floating World Live, Switzerland 1974 - must have for fans of Allan Holdsworth era.

I enjoyed also Drop (a short living quartet with Phil Howard on drums, very interesting sound), Live in Paris 1972 (the double Fender Rhodes and less of distorted organs give this set a nice delicacy).

But if you will get knee deep into SM, most of the official stuff is great. Just recently I pulled "Breda Reactor", a double CD set from Holland, quintet one more time. Years ago I wasn't fond of this music and the sound quality as well. Few days ago I'd pressed played and couldn't stop listening to it, even the hour was getting really late.

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2 hours ago, barnaba.siegel said:

I'll paste exactle what Cuneiform wrote in the description:

"Footage of the concert was previously released in 2008 on DVD, but we have gone through the original footage once again to improve video quality as well as remove or lessen soundtrack issues including fake applause and hard edits."

Thank you for the clarification! :tup

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  • barnaba.siegel changed the title to Soft Machine (general topic)

So there is a new archival set of Soft Machine records coming out this year! Cuneiform have just announced this:

SOFT MACHINE  HØVIKODDEN 1971 (4 disc set)
COMING OUT MAY 2024
(4-disc set of archival live recordings, half of which are previously unreleased, by British electric jazz/ jazz-rock legends, Soft Machine) [UK]


It seems this will be a previously known "Live At Henie Onstad Art Centre" gig, but with two new CD's.

Well, maybe the 2023 Dutch Lesson wasn't that good (mediocre sound quality and surprisingly not as interesting as the live-at-studio NDR Jazz Workshop), but I'm still thirsty for more, especially for the 1970-1971 period.

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I'm generally in on their archival stuff on decent labels, will look forward to checking this out - especially since it's what I consider their most exciting group (Dean/Ratledge/Hopper/Wyatt).

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Even though it's less "Jazz Rock" I'm partial to the very early Softs (proto Gong) Daevid Allen/Kevin Ayers/Robert Wyatt +/- Ratledge & Hopper - much more anarchic & lyric laden - most reissues (primarily live concerts) appear to revolve around the early to mid 70s

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I wonder if it's just the simple fact of available recordings... Middle Earth Masters is one of the few live gigs I've returned to from the early Softs. I do like everything up to Seven and can work with either vocals or not. But like you I have not seen too many concert CDs of pre-Elton Dean material.

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30 minutes ago, Guy Berger said:

I need to pick up more of their stuff. I have the first 5 albums plus 2 of the Cuneiform reissues (Noisette, Virtually).

Grab 'Bundles'.  Allen Holdsworth's greatest moment is the "Hazard Profile" suite.  '6' and '7' and 'Softs' and 'Live in Paris' are also well worth your time.  Karl Jenkins joined the group on '6' and quickly became the dominant voice, though Ratledge continued to have good moments until he left.

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Probe was Command/ABC. Softs were touring with Hendrix around the time the first one came out. I assume they linked up with him either in London or in France. EMI released those albums overseas but only in tiny amounts, and they were mostly done for the US/Canada market, and in quick succession. Things changed by the time Third came around, when they were signed to CBS UK. I put the first two Softs in a similar bucket to the one holding Silver Apples. 

FWIW, the Daevid Allen version of the band did have a single on Polydor (France?) but the full album was shelved. BYG put that material out when they had Gong in their stable.

Edited by clifford_thornton
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In the summer of ‘70, my half-brother came home
with both Probe albums, He said that his friend gave
them to him to give to me because, “Your brother likes
weird shit…” I was already playing the hell out of Third
by that time. I guess he was right(?)

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9 hours ago, JSngry said:

Those first two records were nothing like the remainder. Why was that? 

IMHO the jazz-influenced instrumental portions of the 2nd album are "like" a lot of what shows up on the 3rd and 4th album, and unlike anything on the 1st album.

20 hours ago, felser said:

Grab 'Bundles'.  Allen Holdsworth's greatest moment is the "Hazard Profile" suite.  '6' and '7' and 'Softs' and 'Live in Paris' are also well worth your time.  Karl Jenkins joined the group on '6' and quickly became the dominant voice, though Ratledge continued to have good moments until he left.

I'm planning to!  I just have a giant listen-to pile.

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41 minutes ago, felser said:

I got the first two (the Command albums) out of cutout bins as a teen.  Kevin Ayers on the first, Hopper on the second.  

As did I.  Woolworth’s, no more than $1.99 each.  I had the cover (was that 1 or 2?) with the wheel that turned.  The music seemed scattered and didn’t really impress me, but I could see where SM3 came from.

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3 hours ago, mjzee said:

As did I.  Woolworth’s, no more than $1.99 each.  I had the cover (was that 1 or 2?) with the wheel that turned.  The music seemed scattered and didn’t really impress me, but I could see where SM3 came from.

The turning wheel was #1.  I bought it for like $.57 from Woolworth's in East Liberty, and #2 later on from a dollar record store in Philly.  I had been exposed to them through an excerpt of "Out-Bloody-Rageous" on a fabulous Columbia sampler called 'Different Strokes'.  I picked up Soft Machine III shortly after picking up #1 (2 LPs for the price of 1, easy call), and have been with their releases ever since.

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