soft machine Tale of Taliesin

[ZeeBET65]

I watched this on Karl Jenkins birthday during his interview in Dulwich College Beijing.His reaction was...Oh Lord...No.=______=... HAHAHAHAHA

[sasuke9000000]

I like how my name is taliesin

[itsanameisntit]

What song is this from: "Hey Can you climb so high that when you look down it's just a blur even with my feet on the ground My head would still be in the clouds" ???

[Wayavas1337]

which year??

[roydaviescoleman1]

Softs is Magnificent..will be timeless..get it if you can.

[SupernalOne]

cool, an old Fender 6-string bass - plus love that SG tone - these guys are good

[Krillo1331]

BLUE MAGIC

[AlexDroog71]

This is thinking mans music.

[greenscorpio1967]

thought they only become a great band when they fucked Wyatt off,He was more of an interlectual than a muscian

[lust4bass]

Hey, 2 HH electronics heads behind Karl...

[Kryl0v]

Am i the only one thinks that the guitarist (John Ethreridge) looks a lot like Ronnie James Dio?

[Fort2itis]

@Kryl0v Yes, I see it!!! Too funny! :-) RIP RJD

[zooreeka]

Only just dawned on me after all these decades that there is something of a Focus sound to this. (weed must be wearing off) However Soft Machine will always be Soft Machine and there aint no better: Caravan, Hatfield,,,, still not Soft Machine. One of my favourite tracks. Thanks for the up...

[Snakepit4321]

this is fucking EPIC. imagine hearing those haunting guitar licks high on lsd back in the day when shredding wasn't even around to be over rated. fuck

[mariopdel]

Impresionante!! , quiénes serán los 19 sordos pelotudos a los que no les gusta esto???

[cultofmao]

This tune is stuck in my head, heard it a long long time ago and every now and then it just pops back into my mind, but its always good it returns :)

[LAMBOFGOD690]

go prog rock

[aristotle358]

What's going on with the keyboardist's hair though?! It was probably fashionable then, along with the moustache, but now you'd look a right twat! Pity, cuz he's an excellent musician. If a barber left my hair like that I dread to think what I would do! Great guitaring though and good playing all round.

[somosanseppa0704]

エスリッジ！やりやり～(^o^)ノ

[matias7anriquez]

If i saw this guys, just like they appear on this video, but in this time, they'll be definetly PEDOPHILES

[69Mushrooms]

@philipatoz that's true but Yes is an amazing band, and they often wore capes (: so what you say is not always true. But I definitely agree that music should be separate from mode and fashion.

[NeilThompson30]

@69Mushrooms - the Yes album is one of the best albums ever - then Wakeman joined - and they started wearing capes.

[username91ification]

@69Mushrooms

"No good music genre is ever produced without a clothing trend to go along with it." -Frank Zappa."

[TheSeptemberRose]

Wow! I've never seen a 6 string bass before!

[TheSeptemberRose]

Great stuff!!!!!!!!!!

[Ibroadcastmyself17]

Zack galafinakis on keyboards before he turned to comedy

[nastaseS]

@Ibroadcastmyself17 have you ever heard of Karl Jenkins mate? probably not...

[spottedliver]

Is that Napolean Dynamite on drums?

[PatoEXM]

Is this song in 12/8 and 7/8 (or 7/4) during Etheridge's solo?

[jasonpp1973]

Seems a bit rushed, they should have done it more like the classic "Softs" version which is over 7 min long. Still awesome though!

[braincloth]

also try esnuria by gong, good jazz fusion music :D

[ZenoneDemosteneo]

Non male, ma sono molto meglio gli Area!

[bigtone1348]

A stand out track in a sea of drivel!

[Trimbler00]

This sucks compared to Cobham or Mahavishnu Orchestra or Miles Davis' jazz fusion. I like the earlier Robert Wyatt-era Soft Machine better.

[gillenpantera]

i guess that most people here like pink floyd and the grateful dead! if not you should! the soft machine are very talented musicians theres not many who can play like this!

[cliffburton333]

what yeear is this?

[matti2906]

AWESOME, don't like his vibrato technique thou.

[QualeFormaggio]

Soft Machine or... Mahavishnu Orchestra? LOL

[victorsaint2]

liked the track, but after seeing all the early softmachine stuff here on youtube, i have to say, i prefer the early line up with robert wyatt and kevin ayers. also: they just looked better ;)

[dickdiddley]

I grew up loving this music, and as I look back it all was inspired by Mahavishnu Orchestra that was inspired by ...

[knowbaveh]

i want to hate this song, really trying here.

[56drummer]

this is absolutely fantastic - what a great band

[aaszx1]

Where and when was it recorded ? Is it whole concert available anywhere ? At least audio ?

[take25again]

I love that drummer

[jhump2431]

The proper way to hold a guitar :) well atleast thats the way I do.

[88mpny]

Charvel, here I come.

[kosmischesynth]

my god, the drummer

[gfunkusarelius]

It's on the album "Softs"

[EvilSemenCunt]

Which record is this song from? I haven't seen this song on any of soft machines albums.

[PabzGLRP]

Lead guitarist (don't now his name, thanks to the constant line-up changes) looks like he's having a blast.

[boldymatic]

I can't believe that this has less views than justin beaver

[zooreeka]

Awesome... Love everything there is to love about this group in their many guises. Loves the Cantebury scene and always gave The Machine the edge over Caravan... but love both bands...

[PROMITHEASMUSIC]

Maybe it's impossible to compare Allan's magic with Roy's really nice playability, but it's still one of the most musically ''complete'' bands ever.

[killuminati63]

thias reminds me of king crimson !! for some reason



[dragonreborn888]

This band is supposed to be a huge influence on Jean-Luc Ponty's electronic influences.

[TheMinnesotaNice]

suggested listening for soft machine?

[WoutervanGrimbergen]

hoi

[antonjjok]

Jenkins is a great rock jazz romantic composer and performer, but did anybody notice his wrong start at 1:22?

[SuperEscalator]

@antonjjok I don't notice anything there, but he does mess up on a few SM recordings.

[DarkGexx]

This is just perfect, i can't say anything more.

[11CUPS13]

@DarkGexx Perfectly said. Say no more.

[hmsmagpie]

Awesome stuff. And that guitar is to die for.

[SpiritCusher]

_THE DRUMMER IS NAPOLEON DYNAMITE?..

[THRASHFKINFILLETS]

What a beautiful guitar line,this guy's got soul.Sorry Allan Holdsworth,as technically proficient as you may be, if it hasn't got soul it don't mean a thing.

[amoebamarc]

super victorious, romantic guitar god fusion heaven here

classic -  3:40

[Borderline1979]

13 people dislikes this song! If you don't have any experience in Canterbury Scene, so you are in f**king wrong place my child...Incredible, on of the favorite song, thinks for posting!

[312chicagoadam]

Phenomenal.

[HammondDER]

this concert footage sounds much better (i do mean solo) than album record

[HammondDER]

lol he is talyesYn

[tony93666]

this is amazing

[GonzaloAlbarracin]

ummm... is a bass ? or a jazzmaster? ummm... doubt...

Sorry my english, is bad=p. hablo castellano en realidad=).

Atte. Gonzalo Albarracin.

[oasisMikeGallagher]

@GonzaloAlbarracin Mmmm No no es precisamente un bajo, es una guitarra Baritona.

[GonzaloAlbarracin]

@oasisMikeGallagher Ohhh gracias por sacarme de la duda!

Ahora voy a averiguar que es una guitarra baritona=p.

Gracias por la informacion!

Atte. Gonzalo Albarracin.

[vampiroangelico]

I love Soft Machine, just like I love Brand X with Phil Collins....great band too....

Am I too far off, when I say I'm under the impression of the fact that Soft Machine and Brand X kind of inspired each other?

I noticed some similarities between the two bands' songwriting, besides the fact that Allan Holdsworth is a far better guitarist then anyone Brand X ever had on guitar....

[gfunkusarelius]

@vampiroangelico they are in the same fusion jazz genre, but as soft machine was around before brand x, the inspiration might have started from their material. however i am certain there was some intermixing. i know soft machine was inspired by the bitches brew era miles, but this recording is several years later and they had moved on.

[vampiroangelico]

@gfunkusarelius Thank you for the info.

:-)

I myself could never get into John Goodsall's phrasing....I always preferred Holdsworth, as it's closer to my style, but Brand X as a band did compose some great music.

[MyDawnlight]

@gfunkusarelius wow

[FilmyResidue]

@vampiroangelico The Influence these guys had on one another is obvious. Nobody writes a song -- or even a lick -- in isolation. Everyone hopes to impress and entertain everyone else, and everyone is influenced by anyone ever heard.

[encounter1000]

@vampiroangelico

John Ethridge was no slouch either.

[JohnBarbedWire]

@vampiroangelico Allan is indeed one of the greatest guitarists ever, but do not underestimate John Goodsall from Brand X! I wouldn´t dare to say ´far better´....

[azharkamal]

@vampiroangelico yeah, but that is john etheridge on guitar.

[poundtumbles]

@vampiroangelico whoaaa camel. John Goodsall was a pretty good guitarist for Brand X. Cambodia on 'Do they hurt' a case in point. Technically gifted as the great Allan is, it is nice to hear some 'soul' as well as flash ability.

[vampiroangelico]

@poundtumbles Yes there are some sporadic songs where I like Goodsall, but as far as mere phrasing, I relate to Holdsworth more. More melodic, more enjoyable, as far as I'm concerned.

[nastaseS]

@vampiroangelico ; brand x had only one guitar player (John Goodsall) and a hell of o great one; soft machine had several (Daevid Allen, Larry Nowlin, Andy Summers, Alan Holdsworth and John Etheridge) over their existence; to compare Holdsworth with Goodsall it's not really appropriate I would say, they're both amazing players in the end it's a matter of taste... nothing wrong with Etheridge either, on the contrary; somehow brand x are a continuation of the soft machine jazz period

[Tengent]

The piano riff sounds like something Mahavishnu would do.

[Skeeterhaxxorz]

Holy shit the etheridge's thumb nail is immense

[qwfwq2]

Who is the guitarist with the strato?

[twangothan]

It's not a Strat, it's a 6 string bass

[vibearato]

That thing even has a vibrato arm... hard to believe that is a bass... looks like a pretty cool guitar though

[twangothan]

@vibearato It's a Fender VI bass. Search for tit on YT. It is cool though!

[Skeeterhaxxorz]

Underground Jazz Rock, yes

[philipatoz]

Oh, and notice how, at least for MOST bands, the more dressed-down/less theatrically attired its musicians are, often the higher the quality of the music. These guys just show up in casual street attire, but they are serious professionals - letting the music speak for ITSELF! Look ma, no capes and no glitter!

[YouKnowDatGuy]

Yes is one of the bands that doesn't fit the formula.

[philipatoz]

YES - no offense to Mr. Wakeman and Co. - but notice I emphasized "MOST bands," as YES is a notable exception to the "rule."

Cheers!

[knucksoff]

I love it! A player for all time just like Rhett Tyler.

[oliverecords]

Sounds like Focus at the same period.

[LucasMarquesGHC]

1:27

HAHAHA big mustache ever

[aaszx1]

yes, big mustache must return

[sinestemusic]

Beautiful !... I am glad to hear this music here.

Thanks a lot.

[latierraprog]

Fantastic, I love the "softs" album. terrific sound and vid quality. Pity they shortened the tune so much. lacks of most middle section.

[saberliner14]

holy shit, this is pretty damn good.

sounds abit like rush at 1:20, but this is around '68 correct?

[gfunkusarelius]

@saberliner14 no, this is more like '76. their first album (totally different lineup) was '68.

[burgersoft777]

This is the Softs not Soft machine, good stuff but far removed from original line up.

Still an awesome band though.

[gfunkusarelius]

@burgersoft777 they kept the name soft machine until "land of cockayne", they just had an album called softs. obviously a much different band from early soft machine, but they kept the name.

[burgersoft777]

I know but I think you follow my drift, this is a great band but far removed from the bands origins.

[OLdies1960s]

Tanks for the GREAT UPLOAD !!!

[TheWolfjr]

It was a kind share from the YouTuber: [ jaredcanyom ]

Cheers!

[OLdies1960s]

GREAT SHARE !!!! Thanks Wolfjr !!!!

[cather333]

Thanks (TheWolfjr) for the share.

Realy good. *****

Catherine ♥

[124bjw]

Fantastic. I love soft rock sounds of electric guitar and keyboard.

Thank you again for sending. This was genius.

Bev

[mensamoo]

HAD to Howl at Magicmike! He stated the music was not easy to reconstruct!! What the hell does he think the attraction is?? Brilliant music by able musicians is to appreciated. If he wants to reconstruct watch the X factor...

Oh and ELP made fame and fortune and can never die.

[magicmike618]

that is not what i meant, i mean taking an album song from a studio and recreating it, with no multitrack sessions and making it a hundred per. recognizeable.

[mensamoo]

OK, Im not a rude person and if you were offended I apologise. But, you'll find most bands with pure ability would record what they thought was their intentions. If it didnt come out the same live then it was not a problem. And I'm sure the true fans appreciated the musicianship even if it wasn't replicated accurately. D

[philipatoz]

I'd say that only when I was younger and going to a pop or rock concert, did I expect to hear note-for-note renditions of a band's music. Certainly with jazz and/or other quality improvised genres of music, as long as the music is inspired and well-done, variations and deviations from studio recordings are much-welcomed. To me, the problem is when deviations are merely a result of sloppiness - when a band is just "phoning it in" - now THAT IS disappointing in comparison with a studio version.

[theo9952]

i've seen this line-up of SOFT MACHINE in a concert at the ALEXANDRA PALACE in london, in the late seventies. a few months later, the place was  once more destroyed by fire, i remember...

[magicmike618]

not so much hating but for progressive rock, not many of or not any of their music seems to have much structure and probably not easy to reconstruct even for them.that is what led to the forming and popularity of ELP, and what killed them.

[EyMeng]

ELP was killed by personality clashes. And many songs in the Prog genre are the most highly structured of all. ELP's Karn-Evil is a masterpiece that had to be composed, not just tabbed and left to interpretation. That is structure. Soft Machine borders prog and fusion/avante garde, consisting of both structure and free-form, and regardless of structure, it is the musicianship of these fantastic players that should be noted.

[gfunkusarelius]

there are always haters. youtube just gives a great opportunity for people to make noise about it.

[pandstar]

Ah great!

A vid of John Etheridge. What a treat.

One of the greats of fusion guitar.

[Yarsh52]

The key board player kind of looks like Howard Moon from the Mighty Boosh.

[getupanddosomething]

and the other guitarist is not mentioned at all

[Horsemanray]

Does anyone know what the deal is with that crazy looking Gibson he's playing. Is that a model that they sold at one point or did he modify it?

[gfunkusarelius]

not a pro, but appears to be a stock 67 SG Standard or very close to that year.

[R0b1zzle137]

the only modifications would be maybe the wammy bar and probably the pick guard

[Horsemanray]

what about the pickups

[Tarabos1]

I refuse to argue about musical passions !

[bassbreaker]

lol u just need to chill buddy, im not arguing, i just wanted to know what u were trying to say to me, and i was just asking a simple question, i wanna know more about these guys, instead of trying to look more "musically cool" than me and insulting me you should be encouraging me to check out other shit cuz incase you didnt realize, progressive genres arent the most popular, i like similar stuff that you like, so stfu, its ppl like u that ruin music

[Tarabos1]

It is useless and makes no sense to campare SoftMachine version 1970 with version 1976.

`Softs`is not a `sick`(?) album. You can try to play it by yourself (on kb or bgt or gt or dr) I bet you will fail....

[bassbreaker]

wtf are u talking about?

[bassbreaker]

i really like this groove, definitely checking these guys out more, other than "softs" whats a sick album by them?

[xTjPx]

yes, we can still call this band Soft Machine.

hey, when Wyatt left they brought up the same ?

great band(s)

[themadcapkoen]

can we still call this band the soft machine? there is no one left from the original line up.

[golfflier]

Would you beieve this is the same Karl Jenkins who went on to compose Adiemus, The Armed Man etc. Now a highly rated Classical Composer..

[kingtarkus]

Wasn't Alan Wakeman (saxophone) in the band at this point? He's nowhere to be found here.

[stereom]

@kingtarkus Wakeman left just shortly before this clip was filmed (actual date of the filming is 7th July 1976 btw).

[kingtarkus]

@stereom Thank you. The chronology on the Calyx website says for this month that Wakeman left and was temporarily replaced by Ray Warleigh (apparently not yet, though.)

[GalaxyRover1020]

Great stuff, one of my favorite versions of the band.

The pairing of John Marshall and John Etheridge was brilliant.

[amav24]

Er I think this is John Etheridge NOT Allan Holdsworth

[TruthSurge]

I knew it wasn't Allan.  I just hit this from a link and thought man... he's probably good (like I can't tell) but when ya want Holdsworth this isn't even close.

[TruthSurge]

gods.... he's chewing gum and slopping alternate crap thinking it'll fool everyone. Here's what you do... watch the first 2 min of this vid THEN immediately go watch this one. watch?v=jIC-nJRcgeU

You just have to stand in total awe of Holdsworth. No one can do that, not even Shawn Lane.

[Guilllomb]

Grande Marshall! tocan igual el 2008 que en 1978- Etheridge domina musssho las cuerdas y el tema es hermoso...

[brassabacus57]

Great musician. I remember seeing him perform with Stephane Grappelli in Rockford,Il. at Charlotte's Web. He is a really nice person. I had brought a painting for S.Grappelli. He actually walked out to my vehicle with me and then took me backstage to meet S.Grappelli. Many thanks John.

The Soft Machine album "Alive and Well"(Paris) also features J.Etheridge too. Plus check out "Live at Carnegie Hall" w/ Stephane Grappelli,Brian Torff, Diz Disley,and J.Etheridge.

[sueipas]

the tale of taliesin is featured in the album called Softs, issued in 1976 after Bundles.

[barrabas600]

much better allan holdsworth. specially as an improviser.

[amriirma]

pfff, after a few months of not watching my you-tube favo's, this is one of the few left... (the rest has been removed...). @tengent I thought taliesin was somewhat else spelled...

[antonjjok]

well I musi admit, after more than 30 years of listening to Soft Machine I prefer this than the music from the overestimated Third period. Maybe 5th and 6th stand high as well,

[Tengent]

What is the song called? I looked through their albums on Wiki, can't seem to find "Tale of Taliesin".

[whateverlikesgadge]

I find myself watching this one a lot.

Such great tone and phrasing.

[lordkrandel]

Roy Babbington (bass)... Yeah but where is the bass in here? Looks like the bass player has a guitar

[powerchord89]

It's a fender Bass VI, its essentially a baritone guitar.

[shishyupal]

Marvelous hypnotizing piece. I love the haircut of the keyboard player, like a playmobile !

[stratoleft]

I'm just wondering what I was thinking when this group was on the scene. I had heard of Return to Forever because they were relatively well publicized. Knowing myself as well as I do, I would have liked Soft Machine better.

[margix]

if you like this music try to listen the young band DIAGONAL on myspace or lastfm they are sensational!!!!

[ExtremeBogom]

I'm sure this made a fair few lsd trips life changing.

[petar870602]

are you fucking kidding me?this joker cant match Holdsworth in a million years!

[VDGG94ki]

I've met John Etheridge, he is a very nice guy, and a genius at guitar. He couldn't play this tepid Mahavishnu rip-off music, so what? He never tried to be a balls-out fusionist, and this mode of Soft Machine practically crawled up its own ass and died.

[davlaurent]

this track from "softs" 1976 'lp

bass roy babbington

guitars john etherridge

drums john marshall

karl jenkins on piano..

(also alan wakeman on sax in the album)

[gesseferro]

Caracaa..... Antigo Dream Theather

hehehe

[GecSword]

Sorry I'm really new to soft machine - why is the bassist playing a guitar?

[Gary19702]

That's a fender 6 string bass he's playing, they made them in the mid 60's through the mid\late 70's

[marcfedak]

thanks gfunkusarelius for posting this. I never heard later soft machine after mike ratledge left before. Even though I prefer the Kevin Ayers and Robert Wyatt era soft machine slightly more (their vocals adds a warmth to the band's atonal experimentalism), this piece is excellent, and reminds me somewhat of early Mahavishnu Orchestra at the end,

[Uelysd]

Tambien en la música hay puntos fundamentales de inflexión, el de este grupo es sin duda uno de ellos.

Geniales y creativos adelantados a su tiempo, como debe ser.

[terrytickler]

what do people think of land of cockayne

i love it what do you think

[gfunkusarelius]

are you trying to start a war? haha. seriously, that is the only album from soft machine that i never bought. i think it is a fine album in it's own right, it is just so far away from the original softs that i think almost no one likes it. i even bought "Rubber Riff" and i think a lot of that stuff sounds like prize music from The Price Is Right.

[terrytickler]

really beacuse i had to track down a copy on cd for mate of mine who was looking for years

he was over the moon when i found for him

he said that it is in his top 5 all time albums

i never new people did not like it you learn something new every day

no offence intended to anyone

many thanks

terry

[gfunkusarelius]

i was just kidding mostly. i just said it because so many people argue which "version" of soft machine is best. it's a very passionate subject, lol.

[ruleoforder]

Simple music for simple minded people.

LOL. LONG LIVE IGNORANT SHEEP...

[condreye]

To paraphrase the candidate, I knew Soft Machine. This isn't a bad group but they're no Soft Machine. This franchise is more like the Fleetwood Mac of jazz/art/prog. Can you imagine these guys backing up Syd Barrett? I can't. ( Original Softs played on Syd's solo records as well as ex-Soft Kevin Yers quirky masterpiece Joy of a Toy.)

[metalburger2]

Kevin was a horrible guitarist and musician his early work with the Soft Machine was proof of this. Soft Machine's transformation into a brilliant fusion act could have never happened with out Kevin having left. In all honesty look at the playing here: Marshall is an incredible drummer, Etheridges solo is brilliant, and Karl's song writing is second to none. This is a whole different level musically compared to the drug induced of time noise of Kevin Ayers era Soft Machine.

[minyzoto]

this has nothing to do with the original soft machine, anyone who sees this MUST be clear that this is not what soft machine was all about, and its true, none of the original members are even here, so why call it soft machine :S??

[mensamoo]

dick. its better. full stop.