Soft Machine

6-11-08 The Soft Machine

LPx2 CANTERBURY TAPES PORK UK 36621

1985? 15 TRKS Pirate double LP, with live and radio (BBC) works by S.M. and it’s many members

LP FOURTH COLUMBIA US C 30754

1971 7 TRKS

CD JET PROPELLED PHOTOGRAPHS DECAL UK CDCHARLY 197

1989 9 TRK Collection (60's recordings) ('89 issue)

CD LIVE AT THE PROMS 1970 RECKLESS CDRECK 5

1988 3 TRKS Live '70

LP SOFT MACHINE (Vol. 1) PROBE USA CPLP-4500

1969? 13 TRKS original issue

CD SOFT MACHINE (Vol. 1) UNIVERSAL JPN UICY-9867

1969 13 TRKS kami sleeve ('05 re-master) – and somehow it’s on the Geffen imprint!

LP SOFT MACHINE (Vol. 2) PROBE USA CPLP-4505

1969 17 TRKS

CD SOFT MACHINE (Vols. 1 & 2) BIG BEAT UK CDWIKD 920

1968/9 30 TRKS 2 on 1

LPx2 THIRD COLUMBIA US G 30339

1970 4 TRKS

CD THIRD SONY JPN MHCP 423

1970 4 TRKS ('04 issue) kami sleeve

LPx3 TRIPLE ECHO (Collection) HARVEST UK SHTW 800

1977 35 TRK Collection, booklet; boxed set

Mike Ratledge, Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, Hugh Hopper, Elton Dean – these are the five guys who made up the Canterbury group that many people find so enjoyable and influential. Gong’s Daevid Allen was also an early member, but I do not think he’s on any of the above listed titles.

I probably heard Soft Machine about 1970 or so. As a 12-year-old, there weren’t many people who would discuss music with me. If I wanted to tell someone that I liked Procol Harum, Family, Traffic, The Moody Blues and King Crimson…who would I tell? I was directed towards the bargain bin – where I believe one could easily find an LP of “Volume 2” for under $2. Well, it’s a GREAT album – and we’ve very fortunate that Soft Machine were ultimately responsible for so much good music. And I love the first album, too – but I definitely got the second album before I got the first album – and before the 3^rd album has been released (I think).

So, Kevin Ayers has solo albums a-plenty and I could find neat Gong LP’s in the bargain bin; and I’ve got three Soft Machine albums. Is this jazz? Or is it more like King Crimson? Ah, back when it all didn’t ‘matter’! It was just good music, and I liked it!

Took me a few years to get to Caravan, Egg, Hatfield & The North, marvelous Hugh Hopper solo albums etc. And I just love Robert Wyatt’s work, the Matching Mole LP’s, and all his almost-uniformly brilliant solo work – check out “Ruth Is Stranger Than Richard”!

I try to keep up with everything with Robert Wyatt’s name on it – but it’s not always easy. It took me years to remember / discover that he was still with Soft Machine for their “Fourth” album!