TS: soft machine vol. 1 vs. vol. 2 vs. third

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i say 2 wins.

― peter smith (plsmith), Thursday, 24 June 2004 17:50 (twenty-one years ago)

I refuse to make a choice between those three, I need them all.

― (Jon L), Thursday, 24 June 2004 18:02 (twenty-one years ago)

I actually don't have 3. So I chose a tape with 1 on one side and 2 on the other.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Thursday, 24 June 2004 18:05 (twenty-one years ago)

taking SIDES

― peter smith (plsmith), Thursday, 24 June 2004 18:07 (twenty-one years ago)

i haven't listened to 2 enough, but 1 is great for the pop-psych-ness, but the wyatt side of 3 is fuggin great. there's this part where the drums go into really shifty double time. sounds like it could be a jungle track, mabye something off of a Plug album.

― JaXoN (JasonD), Thursday, 24 June 2004 18:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Third.

― Joe (Joe), Thursday, 24 June 2004 18:20 (twenty-one years ago)

And while we're at it:

Soft Machine 4: Classic, Dud, or ?

― Joe (Joe), Thursday, 24 June 2004 18:25 (twenty-one years ago)

third. totally.
outbloodyrageous is THE jam.

― emma cleveland (emma cleveland), Thursday, 24 June 2004 18:28 (twenty-one years ago)

first, third, and maybe once every 5 years second. don't know why.

― el sabor de gene (yournullfame), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:11 (twenty-one years ago)

I like the fusion era (albums 3 to 6) of Soft Machine more than the first two albums, so I go with Three. I love that part on three with the extended fender rhodes intro that sounds not unlike Steve Reich.

I need to pull out those SM cds, I haven't given them a listen for a few years. I got the first six in one buy out of a used bin around 96. I gave them quite a few spins the first couple of years, but they have all blurred into one jam in my head.

I've never heard any of their records after Six. Are any of the later records worth hearing?

― earlnash, Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:23 (twenty-one years ago)

yeah, totally don't leave out Four, people!

― hstencil (hstencil), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:30 (twenty-one years ago)

hmm, a tie. One for "A Certain Kind" which makes me all misty-eyed and Four for "Moon in June" which was the last bit humor in the Soft Machine catalog (unless of course you count Elton Dean's playing on some of the later albums as humor).

― dialecticbricks (dialecticbricks), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:36 (twenty-one years ago)

What is to like about the first album?

― Tim Ellison, Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:38 (twenty-one years ago)

the heaviosity of "so boot if at all", umm, robert wyatts mournful but witty vocals... i dunno.

― peter smith (plsmith), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Replace third's version of "moon in june" with the version on their peel sessions and you have an amazing album. 1 and 3 get major points for being the best of their pop and jam sides, respectively.

― Paul Ziemba (paul ziemba), Thursday, 24 June 2004 19:57 (twenty-one years ago)

1 for me.

― Stewart Osborne (Stewart Osborne), Friday, 25 June 2004 08:31 (twenty-one years ago)

TWO!
...for the highest turnover of ideas/minute.

― Nag! Nag! Nag! (Nag! Nag! Nag!), Friday, 25 June 2004 09:22 (twenty-one years ago)

What is to like about the first album?

if you'll excuse me for a minute, i'm going to go lie down until this cardiac episode passes. may answer you afterwards.

― el sabor de gene (yournullfame), Friday, 25 June 2004 15:35 (twenty-one years ago)

― ddb (ddb), Friday, 25 June 2004 15:44 (twenty-one years ago)

Took a bit of time to fully get into it, but 3 has fully overtaken 2 as my favourite, even tho I still think the songs all could use a bit of pruning, like 3-5 minutes each. The first one is still kinda hit-or-miss.

― Myonga Von Bontee (Myonga Von Bontee), Friday, 25 June 2004 16:02 (twenty-one years ago)

Tim, all the songs are good! We Did it Again! I can't believe you don't like Soft Machine 1.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Friday, 25 June 2004 16:45 (twenty-one years ago)

was volume one the first rock album to ever feature unbroken side long suites of music? I can't think of an earlier one.

― (Jon L), Friday, 25 June 2004 16:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Side one has a break before "Why Am I So Short?". Is there also a break before the last song on side two? Might he a judgement call...

I vote for tie between 1 and 2. On "Third" I have use only for side 3.

― no opinion, Friday, 25 June 2004 17:12 (twenty-one years ago)

Re. first album: I do like Robert Wyatt's drumming. And maybe there's something to like about the looseness and sparseness of their jams as abstract jazz-influenced art music. Not convinced about the songwriting, though.

BTW, where is Ayers on this album? Did he PLAY on the thing at all (did he play bass on it?). There's almost no guitar on it (if there's any at all--last time I listened to it, I remember hearing one guitar part somewhere).

A punked up version of "We Did It Again" by Theoretical Girls would have been nice.

― Tim Ellison, Friday, 25 June 2004 17:23 (twenty-one years ago)

You've heard the Urinals version, right? Wait, that was Why Are We Sleeping. Still brilliant, though.

― Dan Selzer (Dan Selzer), Friday, 25 June 2004 17:29 (twenty-one years ago)

i take it all back. Robert Wyatt is my all time favorite artist, i really like matching mole, but i hardly ever listen to Soft Machine.

― JaXoN (JasonD), Friday, 25 June 2004 18:18 (twenty-one years ago)

7 is a good one too, if you like the latter ones. And I have Softs and Bundles on cassette somewhere but never play them, but I kind of remember liking them when I first got them. I went on a Soft Machine spree a couple years ago and got the newly released old live shows(Noisette, Virtually, and Backwards) and the first of those is definately worth having.

― nickn (nickn), Friday, 25 June 2004 23:14 (twenty-one years ago)

I gave SM's Three and Four a listen today. Elton Dean's playing sounds influenced by Rashaan Roland Kirk. That loopy keyboard intro/outro on "Out Bloody Rageous" is really great. The mellow section on "Moon In June" with the extended sax solo over the piano arpeggios reminds me a bit of "Us & Them".

― earlnash, Saturday, 26 June 2004 04:30 (twenty-one years ago)

six months pass...

oh man - pulled out the first two albums today to listen to at work, and they are just as awesome as last time i listened to them (maybe when i started this thread). i listen to wyatts solo stuff much more often, but these albums are so great - i dont know, theres something so fucking awesome and energetic, but tasteful and textured about them. theyre like the coolest nerd albums of all time. all the timbres of the instruments (and wyatts voice, come to think) are so muted and alien and drony, but never boring or too sad.

great fucking band. and i cant really decide between 1 and 2 anymore. maybe ill try to track down 4 this weekend...

― peter smith (plsmith), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 14:52 (twenty-one years ago)

2 > 1 >> 3

4 and everything else is boring

― Dadaismugness (Dada), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 14:56 (twenty-one years ago)

... but don't take my word for it, take Robert Wyatt's!

― Dadaismugness (Dada), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 14:59 (twenty-one years ago)

robert wyatt should be on ILX.

― peter smith (plsmith), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 14:59 (twenty-one years ago)

2 > 3 > 1 but not by much. They are all essential. Then Little Red Record and the other Matching Mole.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 17:09 (twenty-one years ago)

was underwhelmed by Spaced at first, even knowing it was simply a soundtrack to an installation, but I put it on last month while checking e-mail and it slowly took over the entire day.

― (Jon L), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 19:20 (twenty-one years ago)

What happened to my copy of the 2cd Peel Sessions from right around 3rd?
The one with that awesome flier on the cover (The Soft Machine TURNS ON)
FUCK. It's long gone.
Has anyone seen the tv footage of Soft Machine? There's some black and white British tv stuff with Ayers that is pretty cool (I Should've Known is the standout) and a completely bonkers german tv spot from maybe 69 or 70 with a Robert Wyatt banging on the drums with his bare hands and great psychedelic effects. I don't have that video anymore, either.

― Trip Maker (Sean Witzman), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 19:38 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, I have that on a video somewhere. I remember thinking the over the top effects were kind of cool but it's a shame you couldn't see the band better. They're almost completely obscured by all kinds of pulsating crap.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 19:49 (twenty-one years ago)

"Obscured By Pulsating Crap" - now there's an album title if ever there was one

― Rabbieismus (Dada), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 19:50 (twenty-one years ago)

I'm a sucker for pulsating crap.
I guess we're talking about the B&W one. I remember a great profile shot of Hugh Hopper standing with his bass pointing out from his waist on the german tv appearance. His head is down and nothing could break his attention.
And Mike Ratledge's look is just great.

― Trip Maker (Sean Witzman), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 19:52 (twenty-one years ago)

Did I ever tell you guys that I know someone whose best man at his wedding was Mike Ratledge? In fact Mike Ratledge is his best friend! This geezer reckons Mike was the musical talent in the band "Robert Wyatt? Oh he was only the drummer wasn't he?"

― Rabbieismus (Dada), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 19:54 (twenty-one years ago)

... in fact it was even more dismissive than that, it was more like, "Well, Michael was a musician, Robert Wyatt was only a drummer"

― Rabbieismus (Dada), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 19:58 (twenty-one years ago)

drummers are all queers, too

― peter smith (plsmith), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 20:02 (twenty-one years ago)

... Robert Wyatt certainly wasn't, couldn't keep his hand off the crumpet, knowhorrimean missus?

― Rabbieismus (Dada), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 20:04 (twenty-one years ago)

can't stand third, not because of the music, but the muffled production sounds terrible.

― eman (eman), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 20:07 (twenty-one years ago)

Yeah, that's what I mean about the pulsating crap. One part of me says "hey cool! trip out man!" while the other part wishes I could see them play more clearly because they're actually really fun to watch. I'll have to dig that clip out again.

― walter kranz (walterkranz), Tuesday, 25 January 2005 23:46 (twenty-one years ago)

seven months pass...

whenever i see a (full-size actual, not toy) NEMF truck,
http://sktoytrucks.com/PEM-Mack-NEMF.jpg
i wanna listen to the soft machine.
http://www.progreviews.com/reviews/images/SM-Third.jpg

― petesmith (plsmith), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 16:26 (twenty years ago)

Third (though I don't own a playable copy of any of them).

― Rockist_Scientist (RSLaRue), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 16:36 (twenty years ago)

listening to "hibou, anemone, and bear" right now. this is like the best prog-psych song of all time.

― petesmith (plsmith), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 16:43 (twenty years ago)

"Moon In June (Top Gear version)" > 2 > tuthers

― Paul (scifisoul), Wednesday, 7 September 2005 16:47 (twenty years ago)

one month passes...

If I were black, and I lived here
I'd want to be... a big man in the FBI - or the CIA.
But as I'm not - and of course I don't
and as I'm free - white and twenty-one
I don't need more power than I've got
... Except for some times when I'm broke.

Brilliant!

― Special Agent Dale Koopa (orion), Monday, 17 October 2005 14:31 (twenty years ago)

Third, by virtue of being the one I play most often...

― js (honestengine), Monday, 17 October 2005 14:59 (twenty years ago)

Skipping 29 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

I wonder: Are there any live LPs that document the complete 4 January 1970 concert? (From whence the first half of Third's "Facelift" was taken.)

― Monty Von Byonga (Monty Von Byonga), Friday, 27 October 2006 08:36 (nineteen years ago)

The Calyx website is the best Canterbury site I've found. It lists the Breda Reactor live disk as being from 31 Jan 1970, and it's got a 21 minute Facelift on it. The "Releases" section has more data than the Soft Machine section, so it's better to search there.

― nickn (nickn), Friday, 27 October 2006 17:15 (nineteen years ago)

Monty: cuneiform did put that show out, as noisette. haven't heard it. they've been churning out the archival live discs, and I'm sure they're all amazing, though this new one is the first one that goes all the way back to 1967.

BBC Sessions is one of their best, in many cases better versions of the songs -- anyone who's heard any of these, please chime in: http://www.cuneiformrecords.com/bandshtml/softmachine.html

― milton parker (Jon L), Friday, 27 October 2006 17:35 (nineteen years ago)

Actually I have Noisette I just didn't remember its recording date. It's well worth having.

― nickn (nickn), Friday, 27 October 2006 17:43 (nineteen years ago)

evidently noisette is the rest of the concert -- everything except 'facelift'

ground and sky reviews make 'noisette' and 'grides' sound key

― milton parker (Jon L), Friday, 27 October 2006 17:55 (nineteen years ago)

Spaced is cool but not really live Soft Machine.
I used to have a radio sessions 2cd thing that looked like this
http://takomasaru.net/018/img/soft.jpg
and it was great. I do actually prefer this to stuff on Third, but I've long since lost it. Maybe that 4 disc collection is something I should look into?

― Tripmaker (SDWitzm), Friday, 27 October 2006 18:54 (nineteen years ago)

The Hux sets are supposedly the best if you don't have any other live stuff. I have some of it on other disks but I plan on getting the Hux sets eventually because they're said to be the best quality. Also it's on two separate 2-disk sets, divided by years, so it's not that big of an expense at one time.

― nickn (nickn), Friday, 27 October 2006 19:18 (nineteen years ago)

man, i really want that middle earth thing to be good. i've heard some of that concert on bootlegs and it sounded like ass.

― GOD PUNCH TO HAWKWIND (yournullfame), Friday, 27 October 2006 22:32 (nineteen years ago)

just making sure everyone saw this..

― poortheatre (poortheatre), Saturday, 28 October 2006 18:02 (nineteen years ago)

yeah, that clip is amazing.

there's a version of that on middle earth masters, which I bought last night -- the sound is actually not bad, considering, although it's a room recording with almost no vocals in the mix whatsoever during the loud parts, which is most of it (apart from a long wyatt scat intro to 'hope for happiness' -- you can barely hear them -- but they did a great job eq'ing and restoring all the dropouts, so it's very listenable

they're still barebones, but with an insane amount of energy -- the songs are still skeletal riffs, but the improv sections are extremely abrasive, noisy and abstract. completely out for 1967, and not 'psychedelic' either -- kind of brutal and tough, not trance, everyone in the room wide awake. first impression is that this might not be for too many repeat plays, but very happy to be able to hear this.

― milton parker (Jon L), Saturday, 28 October 2006 23:05 (nineteen years ago)

2 > 1 > 3

― So Ho La (So Ho La), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 01:35 (nineteen years ago)

The Hux BBC set is better than the old Strange Fruit version because it adds the Kevin Ayers-era sessions.

― Hot Hot Heat (Hot Hot Heat), Tuesday, 31 October 2006 14:19 (nineteen years ago)

four years pass...

Did Ayers leave in the middle of 1 or something? Why does he do so few vocals? He's all over the stuff that predates Vol. 1.

― dan selzer, Friday, 18 February 2011 20:39 (fifteen years ago)

Wyatt is a real strong vocalist, too.

― Trip Maker, Friday, 18 February 2011 20:42 (fifteen years ago)

Wyatt's one of my all-time fave vocalists, but it seems like Ayers has more songwriting credits, and a unique voice. Just surprised it's not more present on that album.

According to wikipedia, he only left after the Hendrix tour that followed the LP.

― dan selzer, Friday, 18 February 2011 20:46 (fifteen years ago)

two weeks pass...

I'm not gonna lie: I love Wyatt, really love Whatevershebringswesing, but I havea hard time getting into the first two records.

― Naive Teen Idol, Monday, 7 March 2011 20:22 (fifteen years ago)

crazy talk.

― dan selzer, Monday, 7 March 2011 20:33 (fifteen years ago)

I know, I know. But it may be that I just don't have a place in my life right now to listen to hyperactive jazzy prog pop with organ blares and offkilter song structures.

― Naive Teen Idol, Monday, 7 March 2011 20:49 (fifteen years ago)

First one is wayyyy more listenable, I mean casually listenable. It's more like poppy prog psych.

― Aquarian Necromancer Octopus (GOTT PUNCH II HAWKWINDZ), Tuesday, 8 March 2011 02:32 (fifteen years ago)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VGxin_agFQQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AQZH3E-J7QI

Old college buddy had ^this on a vhs and it freaked me OUT

― Trip Maker, Tuesday, 8 March 2011 02:36 (fifteen years ago)

one year passes...

Wonder how these would have fared in this new poll era. Listening to Third a lot lately...

― If Assholes Could Fly This Place Would Be An Airport, Tuesday, 27 March 2012 03:57 (fourteen years ago)

four months pass...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZP9FY_4PNA
not sure if this is what trip maker posted above, but anyway -- blowing my mind today.

― tylerw, Monday, 20 August 2012 19:15 (thirteen years ago)

Nah, it was a different Euro tv appearance. ^This is higher quality and waaaay longer.
Will have to check it out later.

― Trip Maker, Monday, 20 August 2012 19:28 (thirteen years ago)

yeah, pretty awesome to see them putting it all together. wyatt is an unbelievable drummer.

― tylerw, Monday, 20 August 2012 19:34 (thirteen years ago)

which is the one with "Lullaby Letter", that's the one

― frogbs, Monday, 20 August 2012 19:36 (thirteen years ago)

One I posted featured Wyatt going off on the drums with his bare hands and then chanting with some echo effects and psychedelic visuals.
It was cool.

― Trip Maker, Monday, 20 August 2012 19:43 (thirteen years ago)

cool, think i'm going to digging around for more Soft Machine videos! This one is super high quality and very nicely filmed.

― tylerw, Monday, 20 August 2012 19:47 (thirteen years ago)

This is the "obscured by pulsating crap" one I was talking about

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CtYFVtNlpKg

― wk, Monday, 20 August 2012 23:19 (thirteen years ago)

also
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gETYS-sNI9E

― wk, Monday, 20 August 2012 23:19 (thirteen years ago)

One of my faves, from 1967. Seems to be truncated, but still excellent.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN8pyoCj5rQ&list=FLdRAbd-ijOi91p1tG3koMPA&index=4&feature=plpp_video

― nickn, Tuesday, 21 August 2012 04:08 (thirteen years ago)

Hmmm, mislinked. I wonder if it's been removed and I'm seeing a cached copy.

Search for Soft Machine - Dim Dam Dom, Oct.1967

― nickn, Tuesday, 21 August 2012 04:10 (thirteen years ago)

I see the correct title when the ILX page refreshes, but it quickly changes to the Henry Cow clip.

― nickn, Tuesday, 21 August 2012 04:11 (thirteen years ago)

Different links to the same thing? Should be Hope For Happiness/Improvisation, 5:27

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN8pyoCj5rQ&playnext=1&list=PL0B9318D9F1834F0B&feature=results_main

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SN8pyoCj5rQ&playnext=1&list=PL593F407085FC7A9E&feature=results_main

― nickn, Tuesday, 21 August 2012 04:30 (thirteen years ago)

First one there may have worked.

― nickn, Tuesday, 21 August 2012 04:31 (thirteen years ago)

third by such a distance it's crazy

― the late great, Tuesday, 21 August 2012 04:49 (thirteen years ago)

vol 2

― Romney's Kitchen Nightmares (WmC), Tuesday, 21 August 2012 12:43 (thirteen years ago)

one year passes...

soft machine; 1968-08-25 Ce Soir On Danse

― Thomas K Amphong (Tom D.), Tuesday, 19 November 2013 13:47 (twelve years ago)

... good looking bunch of lads, I see a bright future for them

― Thomas K Amphong (Tom D.), Tuesday, 19 November 2013 13:51 (twelve years ago)

ten years pass...

Highly improbable hairy chested Spooky Tooth-like cover of "A Certain Kind" by one-hit wonders Bloodrock (a band I'd never heard until about half an hour ago).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rv-8us77U90

― Not waving but droning (Tom D.), Wednesday, 24 April 2024 17:56 (two years ago)

I hope Hugh Hopper earned some money out of it at least.

― Not waving but droning (Tom D.), Wednesday, 24 April 2024 17:56 (two years ago)

lol bloodrock- a band i checked out solely based on name/cover art and also one of the reasons i stopped doing that.

― interstellar anthropologist+music philosopher, (Austin), Wednesday, 24 April 2024 18:07 (two years ago)

utterly turgid. bloodrock seem like a band purpose-built to do doomy "heavy prog" epics about plane crashes... and yet they only did one. shocking that they didn't have a flautist!

― Kate (rushomancy), Wednesday, 24 April 2024 19:37 (two years ago)

Absolutely insane percentage of people in this thread did not pick the third album.

― Slim is an Alien, Wednesday, 24 April 2024 20:03 (two years ago)

if I'm picking a single track it's Slightly All The Time. But if I'm choosing a whole LP it's probably the first one. All three are 10/10 albums anyway.

― This is Dance Anthems, have some respect (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Wednesday, 24 April 2024 20:42 (two years ago)

really should get around to doing that Canterbury scene poll

― This is Dance Anthems, have some respect (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Wednesday, 24 April 2024 20:44 (two years ago)

yeah I'd have to go with the 1st one here, sorry 3 lovers

― I painted my teeth (sleeve), Wednesday, 24 April 2024 20:44 (two years ago)

my well worn and beloved US 2-fer copy of 1+2:

https://i.discogs.com/iAQosDNsUJMYciwTyhJbLkNo8D0D2uaAj4cmkj4gxao/rs:fit/g:sm/q:90/h:597/w:600/czM6Ly9kaXNjb2dz/LWRhdGFiYXNlLWlt/YWdlcy9SLTIwMDEz/MjYtMTQzMzMwNTU3/MC02NDQyLmpwZWc.jpeg

― I painted my teeth (sleeve), Wednesday, 24 April 2024 20:45 (two years ago)

the bloodrock singer sounds like joe cocker if he were a muppet.
(that's bad)

― This is Dance Anthems, have some respect (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Wednesday, 24 April 2024 20:48 (two years ago)

The CD I have is of 1+2 and Box 25/4 Lid functions perfectly as a short breather between the two. Must be really odd to listen to it without the crashing opening to 2 following.

― This is Dance Anthems, have some respect (Camaraderie at Arms Length), Wednesday, 24 April 2024 20:54 (two years ago)

(xp) There was a lot of it about then.

― Not waving but droning (Tom D.), Wednesday, 24 April 2024 20:59 (two years ago)

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