Soft Machine - Sweet Music - Live An Rare 1966-1969

Soft Machine - Sweet Music - Live An Rare 1966-1969

3 CD set containing rare Soft Machine material right from the very beginning to the "Third" period. Includes rare singles, demos, outtakes, related material by ex band members and very rare live material.

The studio stuff all sounds pretty much perfect. The 1969 live stuff is in very good / excellent quality, while the 1967/1968 live stuff probably only merits a "fair" sound rating but is worth hearing simply because it is so incredibly rare (particularly the complete performance from the Merriweather Post Pavilion in August 1968 which was on the tour when they were support for the Jimi Hendrix Experience). The collaboration between Wyatt and Hendrix, "Slow Walkin' Talk", is also a highlight, partly because it's a great song and partly because it's interesting to hear Hendrix play bass. Also features a brilliant 20 minute demo of "Moon In June" and all known live recordings of the short-lived septet line up which collapsed because of the logistical problems involved in getting so many people and their instruments around in a panel van. :-)

Highly recommended to anyone who is a fan of early Soft Machine, particularly the "Jet Propelled Photographs" collection and the "Soft Machine", "Volume 2" and "Third" albums.

Disc 1
1. Contusions (Demo, July 1966)
2. Another Lover Has Gone (Demo, July 1966)
3. Fred The Fish (CBS Studios, London, December 1966)
4. Love Makes Sweet Music (Mono Single A-Side, 1967)
5. Feelin' Reelin' Squeelin' (Mono Single B-Side, 1967)
6. She's Gone (Olympic Studios, London, June 1967)
7. I Should've Known (Olympic Studios, London, June 1967)
8. Soon Soon Soon (Dutch TV Appearance, September 22, 1967)
9. I Should've Known (Dutch TV Appearance, September 22, 1967)
10. I Should've Known (French TV Appearance, June 8, 1967)
11. A Certain Kind (Middle Earth Club, London, September, 1967)
12. Save Yourself (Middle Earth Club, London, September, 1967)
13. Lullaby Letter (Middle Earth Club, London, September, 1967) (not Lullaby Letter but Clarence In Wonderland instead)
14. Soft Machine Jam (Unknown Venue, 1968)

Disc 2
1. Joy Of A Toy (Mono Single A-Side, 1968)
2. Why Are We Sleeping? (Mono Single B-Side, 1968)
3. Why Are We Sleeping? (Bananamoon (Daevid Allen's Post Soft Machine Band, 1968))
4. Lullaby Letter (OOP Version Of Album Track, 1968)
5. Hope For Happiness (OOP Version Of Album Track, 1968)
6. Save Yourself (OOP Version Of Album Track, 1968)
7. My Mother's Gone To India (Bananamoon (Daevid Allen's Post Soft Machine Band, 1968))
8. Slow Walkin' Talk (Collaboration between Robert Wyatt and Jimi Hendrix, TTG Studios, Hollywood, California, USA
October 1968)
9. Joy Of A Toy (Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Maryland, USA, August 16,1968)
10. Hope For Happiness (Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Maryland, USA, August 16,1968)
11. Hope For Happiness (Reprise) (Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Maryland, USA, August 16,1968)
12. Clarence In Wonderland (Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Maryland, USA, August 16,1968)
13. You Don't Remember (Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Maryland, USA, August 16,1968)
14. Esther's Nose Job > 10:30 Returns To The Bedroom (Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, Maryland, USA, August 16,1968)

Disc 3
1. Moon In June (Demo, TTG Studios, Hollywood, California, USA
October 1968)
2. Hibou, Anemone & Bear (CBS Studios, London, March 1969)
3. Moon In June (9th National Jazz & Blues Festival, Plumpton Racecourse, Lewes, Sussex, UK, August 8, 1969)
4. Pigling Bland > Facelift > Hibou, Anemone & Bear (Paris, France, October 1969)
5. Hibou, Anemone & Bear (Paris, France, October 1969)
6. Moon In June (Actuel Festival, Amougies, Belgium, October 28, 1969)
7. Eamonn Andrews (Actuel Festival, Amougies, Belgium, October 28, 1969)
8. Hibou, Anemone & Bear (French Radio Session, Paris, France, November 1969)

Personnel:
Disc 1, Tracks 1-3:
Robert Wyatt - Drums, Vocals
Kevin Ayers - Rhythm Guitar, Vocals
Larry Nolan - Lead Guitar
Daevid Allen - Bass Guitar, Vocals

Disc 1, Tracks 4-7, 10:
Robert Wyatt - Drums, Vocals
Kevin Ayers - Bass Guitar, Vocals
Mike Ratledge - Organ
Daevid Allen - Lead Guitar, Vocals

Disc 1, Tracks 8-9, 11-14; Disc 2, Tracks 1-2, 4-6, 9-14:
Robert Wyatt - Drums, Vocals
Kevin Ayers - Bass Guitar, Vocals
Mike Ratledge - Organ

Disc 2, Tracks 3, 7:
Daevid Allen - Lead Guitar, Lead Vocals
Patrick Fontaine - Bass Guitar
Marc Blanc - Drums
Gili Smyth - Backing Vocals

Disc 2, Track 8:
Robert Wyatt - Drums, Organ, Vocals
Jimi Hendrix - Bass Guitar

Disc 3, Track 1:
Robert Wyatt - Drums, Organ, Piano, Electric Piano, Vocals
Mike Ratledge - Organ
Hugh Hopper - Bass Guitar

Disc 3, Tracks 2-3:
Robert Wyatt - Drums, Vocals
Mike Ratledge - Organ
Hugh Hopper - Bass Guitar
Brian Hopper - Saxophone

Disc 3, Tracks 4-8:
Robert Wyatt - Drums, Vocals
Mike Ratledge - Organ
Hugh Hopper - Bass Guitar
Elton Dean - Saxophone
Lyn Dobson - Flute
Nick Evans & Marc Charig - Horns

Gong - Magick Brother (1969)

01. Mystic Sister / Magick Brother
02. Glad To Sad To Say
03. Rational Anthemn
04. Chainstore Chant / Pretty Miss Tittty
05. Fable Of A Fredfish / Hope You Feel Well
06. Ego
07. Gongsong
08. Princess Dreaming
09. 5 & 20 Schoolgirls
10. Cos You Got Greenhair

In 1970, the world got its first taste of the original pothead pixie, Daevid Allen's Gong, as Magick Brother was released in France on the BYG label. Allen's wife, Gilli Smyth, penned all the tunes on the album, and Allen's now-classic "Ph.P." drawing style graces the inside of the gatefold. Leaning a little toward the pop end of the spectrum, Magick Brother is a fairly light album, devoid of the blatant psychedelic/hippie qualities which shine through so brilliantly on the later Camembert Electrique. Smyth's "space whispering" makes its debut on the opening track, though the album is not as spacy as it is ethereal. "Gong Song" is a highlight, with lyrics describing a pothead pixie who came down from the planet Gong to sing his green song -- the roots of the Gong myth. Allen's guitar sound is a bit flat and hollow throughout the project, dynamics taking a back seat in most of these recordings. He relies on distortion and various guitar augmentations, but this all works quite well in the context of the collective sound. Much of the vocal harmonizing on the album is typical of many '60s pop troupes and sounds fairly dated today. Didier Malherbe's sax and flute playing spices up this mostly pop-oriented prog rock outing, helping to make this a cut above the radio norm. Although this is an interesting release, especially for its status as the first Gong project, it is not typical Gong and is not recommended as a starting point for sampling the band's recordings.
~AMG