Product Description

A limited run of the engine, the highlights of unlimited imagination. Getting in and out of sight, the way SOFT MACHINE roll on seems unstoppable, not least because the band's many line-ups allow former members come together in any combination and still sound canonical. Or not so canonical, as the band that visited Zaandam on May 10th, 2005 lean more towards highly charged jazz fusion rather than progressive experimentation - judging by this limited edition concert recording which is only a part of what was played on that night. It starts elegiac, with John Etheridge and Elton Dean popping interplay of guitar and sax on "Ash", gains momentum when Hugh Hopper's bass and John Marshall's drums hit the bottom and clicks into Coltrane-esque groove on a new Hopper's tune, "1212". Yet the groove and the momentum are emotional, while the rhythmic extravaganza is mostly withdrawn from here. Still, exotic ebbing and quirky patterns are retained in classic "Kings And Queens" and let loose on "Big Cheese" where the instrument jolt as if to get back to the time the legacy of which this MACHINE fully live up to. (LET IT ROCK, Isarel by Dmitri Epstein) MoonJune Records exec Leonardo Pavokovic is not one to give up on his dream of the ultimate Soft Machine line-up. His endeavors to date have culminated in the Softworks CD and tours between 2002-2004 but this was met with mixed success despite the creditable line-up that included Allan Holdsworth on guitar. 2005 brought the opportunity to include John Etheridge (replacing Holdsworth) for a newer more vital incarnation with distinct links back to Soft Machine Five. Three tracks in this limited edition CD are live recordings of previous material while three others are new tracks worked up specifically for the European tour. EtheridgeÕs song ÒAshÓ opens the disc with his distinctive tone that now resembles a careful blend of John Scofield and Mike Stern circa their stint with the 80s Mile Davis band. His nimble fingers sprint across the fret board showing adept restraint as Elton Dean doubles the lead line on saxello. DeanÕs own piece, ÒBakerÕs StreetÓ is the only live songs from the Softworks sessions and it succeeds here as a pensive ballad. Bass monster, Hugh Hopper reprises his classic piece from Soft Machine Fourth, ÒKings & QueensÓ which begins with his familiar phrasing and DeanÕs expressive alto sax melody retaining a timeless tranquil quality. Ò1212Ó is a new Hopper song where the ensemble really shows what it can do with this line-up. Hopper introduces a tentative theme that both Dean and Etheridge slowly embrace in unison before the guitarist gets down to adding realtime fills and riffs behind DeanÕs enthused improvising. Finesse drummer John MarshallÕs gets to doing a bit of off the cuff jamming with the guitarist on ÒTwo DownÓ much like their previous energized endeavors together on Softs (1976). EtheridgeÕs new piece, ÒBig CreeseÓ closes out the disc with the band rocking it up a bit in an unexpected but wholly commendable direction. EXPOSE MAGAZINE, USA by Jeff Melton

About the Artist

THE SOFT MACHINE LEGACY is the super-star band including 4 former members of the legendary British rock and jazz-rock institution, SOFT MACHINE. SOFT MACHINE PROFILE (courtesy of Aymeric Leroy, Calyx Ð France) British jazz-rock pioneers John Etheridge, Elton Dean, Hugh Hopper and John Marshall are known for their work with the legendary UK band Soft Machine. HUGH HOPPER played in Soft Machine between 1968 and 1973 ELTON DEAN played in Soft Machine between 1969 and 1972 JOHN MARSHALL played in Soft Machine between 1971 and 1979 JOHN ETHERIDGE played in Soft Machine between 1975 and 1978 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. For "Volume Two" and most of the subsequent gigs, the trio was augmented by Hugh's brother, Brian, who played tenor saxophone. This was the symptom of the band's gradual evolution towards jazz, clearly apparent on the album. In the Autumn of 1969, a permanent brass section was recruited from pianist Keith Tippett's jazz band : Elton Dean on alto sax, Marc Charig on trumpet, Nick Evans on trombone. Another sax (and flute) player, Lyn Dobson, was added following Dean's recommendation. The resulting septet was only together for a few weeks, recording BBC sessions in November and touring