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Soft Machine

Soft Machine was formed in 1966 by Robert Wyatt, Mike Ratledge, Kevin Ayers and Daevid Allen. Wyatt had already worked with Allen in the Daevid Allen Trio (which Ratledge occasionally jammed with) in 1963, and with Ayers in the Wilde Flowers in 1964. Although the band had its roots in Canterbury, it soon became a London- based band.

In January 1967, the band's one and only single ever was recorded : it had two songs on it, "Loves Make Sweet Music" and "Feelin', Reelin', Squeelin'". Three months later, a collections of demos was recorded at DeLane Lea Studios with producer Giorgio Gomelsky, but not officially released until 1971 (on two compilations on the French Byg label). At that time, Soft Machine had already become something of a 'cult' band on the London psychedelic scene, gigging at places like the Roundhouse or the UFO. On April 29th, 1967, they took part in an event set up by the underground paper 'International Times', which also featured the Pink Floyd, and was given the name, '14 Hour Technicolor Dream'.

During the summer, the band was involved in an avant-garde theatre project in St.Tropez, on the French Riviera, and it was on the way back that Daevid Allen was refused re-entry to England. So he stayed in France, moving on to various projects before forming Gong two years later, while Wyatt, Ratledge and Ayers decided to carry on as a trio.

In February 1968, Soft Machine embarked on a 3-month US tour (opening for the Jimi Hendrix Experience), recording their first album in New York in four days in April, with production handled by Tom Wilson and Chas Chandler, former Animals bassist and Hendrix's producer. Although quickly made (most tracks are first takes) and not particularly well-recorded, "The Soft Machine" is now considered a classic of the extraordinarily creative post-psychedelic, pre-progressive, period of the late 60's... and quite rightly so!

In May, a guitarist by the name of Andy Summers (also on the earlier Hendrix US tour, backing Eric Burdon... later in The Police, of course!) joined, for the second leg of the American tour (July-September), but left mid-tour. Disagreements on the musical direction began to arise between Ayers and Wyatt-Ratledge, leading to their parting company after the tour was completed. Wyatt stayed in Hollywood to work with Jimi Hendrix, while Ratledge and Ayers flew back to Europe. In December 1968, Wyatt was contacted by Probe, who had just released the first album, to discuss possible live dates by the band to promote it. With Ayers unavailable, Hugh Hopper was asked to join (he was about to sell his bass!), and after a month of rehearsal, the new line-up made its live debut at the Royal Albert Hall in February, a few days before entering Olympic Studios to record the second album.

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19
Album Review

Soft Machine: Other Doors

Read "Other Doors" reviewed by Glenn Astarita


Soft Machine's Other Doors is a compelling exploration into the progressive jazz-rock fusion realm, highlighting the band's evolution and continued dedication to innovative musical expression and capturing the essence of Soft Machine's improvisational brilliance. The record unfolds like a sonic journey, inviting listeners into a world of intricate compositions and virtuosic performances. What sets Other Doors apart is its raw energy and the band's ability to blend various musical elements seamlessly. Tracks such as “Kings and Queens" and the Kevin ...

3
Radio & Podcasts

A Tribute To The Late Drummer John Marshall From Soft Machine

Read "A Tribute To The Late Drummer John Marshall From Soft Machine" reviewed by Len Davis


On today's program we pay tribute to the late drummer John Marshall with an uninterrupted bracket of music from Soft Machine. We follow that with music from Yellow Jackets, Dave Weckl, Steve Weingart, Tom Kennedy, then close it out with Tribal Tech, Scott Kinsey and Joe Zawinul.Playlist Soft Machine “Fell To earth" from Other Doors (Moonjune) 00:00 Soft Machine “37 1-2" from The Dutch Lesson (Cuneiform) 07:18 Soft Machine “Hazard Profile 3-4-5" from Bundles (Esotericl) 14:36 Yellow Jackets ...

5
Album Review

Soft Machine: The Dutch Lesson

Read "The Dutch Lesson" reviewed by Mark Sullivan


Soft Machine had played in Rotterdam several times before this 1973 show in the small theater De Lantaren. But this version of the band was relatively new. One of the earliest shows by the quartet of electric bassist Roy Babbington, Karl Jenkins (on multiple horns and electric piano), keyboardist Mike Ratledge and drummer John Marshall was documented on NDR Jazz Workshop--Hamburg, Germany, May 17, 1973 (Cuneiform Records, 2010). By late October the band had become a potent live force. They ...

2
Radio & Podcasts

Soft Machine from 1973, Trevor Watts from 1976, Vital Information and Dave Weckl band

Read "Soft Machine from 1973, Trevor Watts from 1976, Vital Information and Dave Weckl band" reviewed by Len Davis


Vital Information from Time Flies, Tony Williams from Spectrum Road, Soft Machine, The Dutch Lesson. Trevor Watts fromAnother Time, French trumpeter Erik Truffaz, Italian bassist Pippo Matino, Dave Weckl Band, Tom Coster and Brazilian bassist Fernando Molinari. Playlist Vital Information “Choreography in Six" from Time Flies (Wounded Bird) 00:00 Tony Williams “Wild Life" from Spectrum Road (Palmetto) 05:22 Soft Machine “Improvisation from The Dutch Lesson (Cuneiform) 10:48 Trevor Watts-Amalgam “Jive" from Another Time (FMR) 16:12 Erik Truffaz “Ghost ...

1
Album Review

Soft Machine: Facelift France and Holland

Read "Facelift France and Holland" reviewed by Maurizio Comandini


Sotto l'ombrello robusto chiamato Soft Machine si nascondono in realtà parecchie band. All'inizio l'interesse del gruppo, nato nel 1966 in quel di Canterbury (anche se loro non vogliono essere considerati come esponenti del cosiddetto Canterbury Sound), era per una sorta di pop-rock patafisico, che poi ha iniziato a dilatarsi verso la psichedelia, il rock progressivo, il jazz moderno, la musica creativa, l'avanguardia. Questa eccellente proposta della Cuneiform, etichetta che davvero merita un plauso particolare per l'abilità dimostrata nel riuscire a ...

5
Album Review

Soft Machine: Live At The Baked Potato

Read "Live At The Baked Potato" reviewed by Chris M. Slawecki


European progressive jazz-rock ensemble Soft Machine seems to have run through more lives than even the luckiest tomcat. They've been first-rate musicians at every incarnation, and it's heartening to hear John Etheridge (guitar), John Marshall (drums), Roy Babbington (bass) and relative newcomer Theo Travis (piano, flute, saxophone) sound so vibrant as well as accomplished on Live at the Baked Potato. Baked Potato is a souvenir, recorded at Los Angeles' legendary musical hotspot, from the ensemble's 2019 tour of ...

10
Album Review

Soft Machine: Live At The Baked Potato

Read "Live At The Baked Potato" reviewed by Chris May


Live At The Baked Potato was recorded in Los Angeles in 2019 as part of Soft Machine's 50th Anniversary Tour. (Fact check: 2019 was the band's 53rd and this lineup's fourth anniversary). The latest album is a lot of fun even though it bears little resemblance to the music of the revolutionary 1966 -1969 lineups featuring Mike Ratledge on keyboards and flute, Robert Wyatt on drums and vocals, Kevin Ayers on guitar, bass guitar and vocals, Daevid Allen on guitar ...

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3

Recording

Music Legends Soft Machine Release New Album 'Other Doors' And Announce Forthcoming Tour Dates

Music Legends Soft Machine Release New Album 'Other Doors' And Announce Forthcoming Tour Dates

Source: Glass Onyon PR - William James

Five years after the release of their last studio album, legendary UK musical institution, Soft Machine, return with a brand new album, Other Doors. Boasting new material and two numbers drawn from their extensive historical repertoire, Other Doors finds the band in their usual fiery form. Featuring John Etheridge (guitars), Theo Travis (saxophones, flutes, Fender Rhodes piano, electronics), Fred Thelonious Baker (Fretless bass), John Marshall (drums), Other Doors also features two guest appearances from long-serving bassist Roy Babbington, who retired ...

3

Festival

MoonJune Music Festival Toledo 2023 Featuring Soft Machine, Diego Amador, Dwiki Dharmawan, Dewa Budjana, Markus Reuter Anchor & Burden And More

MoonJune Music Festival Toledo 2023 Featuring Soft Machine, Diego Amador, Dwiki Dharmawan, Dewa Budjana, Markus Reuter Anchor & Burden And More

Source: Glass Onyon PR - William James

September 28-30 and October 1, 2023 At the Circulo De Arte Toledo, Plaza San Vincente, Toledo, Spain Music That Fits Toledo MoonJune Music and M Films Producciones present a multi-sensory festival of eclectic, international progressive music expanding the boundaries of jazz, rock, global music, and the unknown. Join visionary presenters Leonardo Pavkovic and Mauricio Aguinaco in historic Toledo, Spain, for four days of extraordinary concerts, roundtable discussions with seasoned music industry professionals, regional gastronomical delights, and the warm camaraderie ...

3

Recording

Hugh Hopper Of Soft Machine’s Legacy Enhanced With The Re-Release Of 'Jazzloops' And 'The Stolen Hour,' Featuring His Soft Machine Bandmates – Out Now!

Hugh Hopper Of Soft Machine’s Legacy Enhanced With The Re-Release Of 'Jazzloops' And 'The Stolen Hour,' Featuring His Soft Machine Bandmates – Out Now!

Source: Glass Onyon PR - William James

Hugh Hopper was a key member of Soft Machine and an accomplished solo artist but passed away in 2009. His legacy is now being celebrated with the re-release of two of his solo albums which had been hard to find until now. Both Jazzloops and The Stolen Hour feature his Soft Machine bandmates guesting throughout including: Robert Wyatt, Elton Dean and John Marshall. Other guests include Gong alumni Didier Malherbe and French guitarist Patrice Meyer. This double disc re-mastered set ...

3

Recording

Soft Machine Announce New Album "Hidden Details" & World Tour Dates, With First North American Dates Since 1974

Soft Machine Announce New Album "Hidden Details" & World Tour Dates, With First North American Dates Since 1974

Source: Glass Onyon PR - William James

In support of their forthcoming new album, British music legends Soft Machine will embark on their first North American tour since 1974 in October 2018, followed by the second North-American leg of the tour in January/February 2019. In concert, their set list will include material from all parts of the band's repertoire from 1970 onwards, but this is emphatically not a nostalgia act resting on its laurels. Last weekend Soft Machine played their first two shows in North America since ...

1

Recording

Soft Machine Legend Hugh Hopper 10-CD Set Of Unreleased Recordings To Be Released By Gonzo Multimedia

Soft Machine Legend Hugh Hopper 10-CD Set Of Unreleased Recordings To Be Released By Gonzo Multimedia

Source: Glass Onyon PR - William James

London, UK - Hugh Hopper and Soft Machine fans worldwide are rejoicing to the news of the pending release of HUGH HOPPER - DEDICATED TO HUGH, a 10-CD Archival Celebration of the music of bass guitarist, composer, Hugh Hopper comprised of previously unreleased Hi-Fidelity recordings. Compiled by Michael King, a Canadian Hugh Hopper Scholar, the CDs will be released individually, beginning with Volume One, entitled 'Memories'. This ten part series is to compliment a heretofore large body of work (over ...

Recording

Soft Machine Legacy Releases New Studio Album "Burden Of Proof"

Soft Machine Legacy Releases New Studio Album "Burden Of Proof"

Source: Chris M. Slawecki

Soft Machine Legacy makes their most powerful statement to date, delivering an album of epic proportions and their first studio output since 2007's Steam. Infectious grooves, undeniably hip vibes and sizzling performances dominate the outing, as the veteran progressive music masters continue to break new ground and offer listeners yet more previously-unseen facets of their dynamic musical persona. Featuring some intriguingly-inviting new writing, the album is a breath of fresh air for progressive music and a bold furtherance of the ...

205

Performance / Tour

Soft Machine / Jeff Aug 2009 Tour Dates

Soft Machine / Jeff Aug 2009 Tour Dates

Source: All About Jazz

July 17, 2009 will be the world premiere of the Jeff Aug World Record Tour documentary film by Daniel Munding of Live-In TV.

See video trailer below. ...then its off to the U.S. for a quick coast-to-coast tour.

JEFF AUG Raw Fingers & Steel Strings U.S. Tour 2009 Presented by DAddario Strings, Dunlop & Planet Waves Guitar Accessories 18.08.2009 - New York City, NY, The Living Room (7pm showtime) 20.08.20009 - Washington, ...

156

Obituary

Hugh Hopper Bassist, Composer for Soft Machine

Hugh Hopper Bassist, Composer for Soft Machine

Source: Michael Ricci

Hugh Hopper, 64, a bassist and composer for the progressive rock group Soft Machine, died of leukemia June 7 in Kent, England.

After serving as the group's road manager, Hopper stepped up to offer compositions and virtuoso performances on six of the group's albums. His songs include “Facelift" and “Kings and Queens." He left the group in 1973 to pursue a variety of projects in experimental jazz and avant-garde rock.

Born in Canterbury, England, on April 29, 1945, he was ...

364

Recording

Soft Machine "Drop" (Recorded Live in 1971) - Moonjune Records's New Release

Soft Machine "Drop" (Recorded Live in 1971) - Moonjune Records's New Release

Source: All About Jazz

MOONJUNE RECORDS NEW RELEASE: SOFT MACHINE “DROP"

MIKE RATLEDGE Lowrey organ, Fender Rhodes electric piano ELTON DEAN saxello, alto sax, Fender Rhodes electric piano HUGH HOPPER bass guitar PHIL HOWARD drums

Recorded live during the German tour in the Fall of 1971. Original recordings edited and remastered by Mike King in October of 2008, with thanks to Aymeric Leroy for pitch correction.

Liner notes by Steve Lake.

Dedicated to the memory of Elton Dean ...

283

Recording

Delta Saxophone Quartet Feat. Hugh Hopper - "Dedicated to You but You Weren't Listening - The Music of Soft Machine"

Delta Saxophone Quartet Feat. Hugh Hopper - "Dedicated to You but You Weren't Listening - The Music of Soft Machine"

Source: All About Jazz

MoonJune records announces the new release: DELTA SAXOPHONE QUARTET “Dedicated To You But You Weren't Listening - The Music Of Soft Machine" Formed in 1984, the Delta Saxophone Quartet has never sought, or needed to find, a level or a comfort zone. Whether performing works by Steve Martland, Mike Westbrook, Steve Reich, Philip Glass or Terry Riley, their musical choices have always come with their own demands and challenges. Sometimes personnel changes merely solidify an existing repertoire and dampen the ...

The Wrong Object
band / ensemble / orchestra
SoSaLa
saxophone, tenor
Christoph Gallio
saxophone, soprano

Photos

Concerts

Apr 12 Fri
Soft Machine
Le Triton
Les Lilas, France

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

The Dutch Lesson

Cuneiform Records
2023

buy

Other Doors

MoonJune Records
2023

buy

Facelift France and...

Cuneiform Records
2022

buy

Hidden Details

MoonJune Records
2018

buy

Switzerland 1974

Cuneiform Records
2015

buy

Proto

Comma (Japan)
2012

buy

Videos

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Gong
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