I saw the Softmachine three times in the 70's basically this line up except with Hugh on bass. They were an incredible band live. The recordings never do justice to the power of MR's fuzzed organ.
It does seem that Ratledge was the heart and soul of SM, but they did make great music through all the permeations over the years. As long as one original (or latter day original) was around, they stayed true to the muse.
I for one am grateful for this post; it is wonderful to see a band I have admired for so many years with no forseeable promise of access to live footage of these eras of their transition. I would have liked to see them move forward with Mike Ratledge as leader and Karl Jenkins sticking to baritone sax and Rhodes piano. Karl's attempts at Coltranesque soprano solo's are headache-inducing, but when he knew his place, the Softs still bore hope for progress in shaky territory.
If you want to learn more about the Softs´history, then read Graham Bennett´s book "out-bloody-rageous. I can not understand, that people use the YouTube side to argue about their musical taste... I ( a Jazz fan) would never watch a let´s say Mark Knopfler video and than post an opinion like "John McLaughlin plays better...." That is so rediculous and surely not the purpose of YouTube. Some people argue about several pages and the topic has nothing to do with the original video..
They don't complain if its electro fusion or house fusion.. if its got rap on it people would listen to the sound of the a cement mixer if it had Dizzy rascal on it.
Well, I THINK that Six has only a couple of decent tracks on it. You should really consider the ambience of Carol Ann on Seven. If you don't like it after like the 360th time, then ... then I'm toast :D .
I agree that 7 is a much more consistant album than six, They are the sort of band that can keep you going for years.. when i first heard them i felt they were just a bit to esoteric for my taste.
I now love them, and 7 is a great record... bundles has its moments to.
my wife will not have any of it.....
'' put some motown on '' she says ''cant dance to this!
Third remains my favourite closely followed by 5 and 7... but i'm usually down the pub by track one.
It might sound strange to your wife but I find this video very dance-able, as some good Herbie Hancock joints.
Bundles is the only SM LP I got in my collection. I always wait for "floating world", it's so soothing.
All that put aside, I find there is some resemblance between this and some music by the band once known as Catalyst. Not the same geographical origin at all but some shared atoms.
What's with the slagging of Bitches Brew and Miles? On The Corner being my all time favourite album. It's incredible stuff, as is this. And the jamming / funk bits are precisely what does it for me, mixed with the psychedelia. Prog loses my interest with the really structured, overly melodic, funkless stuff with rubbish vocals - Yes, ELP, etc. Love Crimson, but the real daddies for me, apart from Miles, are Can. 4 and 5 Softies are also great. So now you know.
Hey I love Softs 4+5 too, I just cant stand any miles davis albums that may be considered "fusion" or Can for that matter. I've tried to get into them and bought some of their albums (miles+can) but they are just too repetitively boring to me. And my youtube name "progjazzfusion" was meaning "progressive jazz and fusion" not just straight prog. I went thru all the prog bands but fusion overtook my interest so I dont really like much straight prog anymore unless it is jazzy prog...ie "fusion".
I would disagree with you on the part of the vocals for ELP, some of Yes, and the Crimson, but I guess I'll have to let that go cause you have your own perspective.
Well, John plays either simple or free-time type of stuff, the way you would hear it on Cecil Taylor's "Unit Structures". But did you see that video on youtube where the Softs did a medley performance on Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, 1970?
do you mean Wyatt or Phil Howard is a great UK jazz drummer? None of the soft machiine drummers would hold up as "real" jazz drummers. I play drums and know that. But I still like them. They are all hybrids of rock drummers playing jazzy, and are hence all more or less early fusion drummers. Wyatts truly a rocker trying to play jazzy, Marshall is more technical funk/fusion and plays some slick shit from time to time, and Howard is really wild and abstract and spacey. I like them all though.
sorry but I can't stand miles or Bitches Brew...this song's album version on SIX is better though. Bitches Brew was aimlessly dictated over by Miles whims telling everyone what to play on the spot as it happened...look it up thats the facts. The musicians on bitches brew said they were confused and just doing as told by miles. Miles said he was trying to sound like Sly and the Family Stone and Jimi at that time (late 60's early 70's). But there was fusion before miles. he did not invent it.
Yes I agree with you, I think we're on the same page, regardless of any miles influence, their 4th + 5th are unique and my faves too. But I go back to SIX now and again for marshalls excellent drumming (he does sound like a funky black drummer at times, like lenny white + billy cobham from that time but his own thing of course). Listen to the album version he turns the beat around brilliantly, something lenny+cobham werent doing like this) I play drums and guitar and play these songs.
yeah i know that may sound confusing, but don't shoot the messenger...the musicians who played on bitches brew said that stuff themselves. They said Miles was telling them what to do but didnt seem to have a clue what he really wanted or where he was going with it. Miles himself said he wanted to sound like sly stone and jimi, etc to be more popular. A confused dictator can be aimless. Bitches Brew was heavily spliced and edited.
i saw soft machine on their only US tour. They played the Bundles album with allan holdworth at the late show at the Academy of Music in NYC. After Soft machine came larry coryell's eleventh house and 3 in the morning Rennaissance. The good old days!!!!!!
On se demande lequel de ces deux batteurs est le plus souple dans l'histoire de l'instrument: P. Collins ou Marshall??? Same Gretsch kit... That sounds HUGE!!
After Mike Ratledge left the party was over. Soft Machine 6 was the last worthwhile album, My favorites in order: 2, 3, 1, 4, 5, and 6. If you like this band you'll want to read "Soft Machine Out-Bloody-Rageous" by Graham Bennett.
Karl Jenkins on baritone sax! For more of his bari sax (and oboe) playing, check out Graham Collier's "Deep Dark Blue Centre" (1967). He gets a few pretty good solos on this album. Thus this is proof that Jenkins used to be a pretty decent jazz cat until he sacrificed his credibility by milking the SM moniker after Hopper and Ratledge were gone and with his New Age projects like Adiemus.
I saw the Softmachine three times in the 70's basically this line up except with Hugh on bass. They were an incredible band live. The recordings never do justice to the power of MR's fuzzed organ.
Pur11zz 1 month ago
4:20 is 'Chloe & The Pirates' from Soft Machine six. Beautiful.
zismoura 2 months ago
Supper Kameramann & Cuter
nimmersattxberg 5 months ago
It does seem that Ratledge was the heart and soul of SM, but they did make great music through all the permeations over the years. As long as one original (or latter day original) was around, they stayed true to the muse.
andrewt4042 11 months ago
brilliant piano work
cliffburton333 1 year ago
THAT FENDER RHODES SOUND. I WANT IT.
BassLudeman 1 year ago 3
A Soft Machine newbie here.
Can anybody please tell me what album this is from?
Thank you!
Hyardacil 2 years ago
This is from the LP- Six
combo of Gesolreut and Chloe and the Pirates.
jazzsmokeyblue 2 years ago
I for one am grateful for this post; it is wonderful to see a band I have admired for so many years with no forseeable promise of access to live footage of these eras of their transition. I would have liked to see them move forward with Mike Ratledge as leader and Karl Jenkins sticking to baritone sax and Rhodes piano. Karl's attempts at Coltranesque soprano solo's are headache-inducing, but when he knew his place, the Softs still bore hope for progress in shaky territory.
Soulvigilante 2 years ago
Comment removed
Soulvigilante 2 years ago
hey MPOURNOUZIS !!
the original song is compose of 6 parts so the title is " Gesolreut / E.P.V / Lefty / Stumble / 5 From 13 / Riff II "
I love the amazing beat of drum on the first part !!
(sorry for the english, I'm french)
simonfinfon 2 years ago
name of the song?
MPOURNOUZIS 2 years ago
If you want to learn more about the Softs´history, then read Graham Bennett´s book "out-bloody-rageous. I can not understand, that people use the YouTube side to argue about their musical taste... I ( a Jazz fan) would never watch a let´s say Mark Knopfler video and than post an opinion like "John McLaughlin plays better...." That is so rediculous and surely not the purpose of YouTube. Some people argue about several pages and the topic has nothing to do with the original video..
Tarabos1 2 years ago 15
Man, you are my hero in Youtube's comments section!
Well put! 100% agree.
Hyardacil 2 years ago
@Tarabos1 well said. the problem is, the general population of internet users is too juvenile. the problem isn't going anywhere any time soon.
cliffburton333 1 year ago
The soft machine were quite consistant until 7.
Miles Davis bitches brew is genius.
Why are people so up tight about Jazz fusion?
They don't complain if its electro fusion or house fusion.. if its got rap on it people would listen to the sound of the a cement mixer if it had Dizzy rascal on it.
droogless 2 years ago
Well, I THINK that Six has only a couple of decent tracks on it. You should really consider the ambience of Carol Ann on Seven. If you don't like it after like the 360th time, then ... then I'm toast :D .
bowdlerizer007 2 years ago
I agree that 7 is a much more consistant album than six, They are the sort of band that can keep you going for years.. when i first heard them i felt they were just a bit to esoteric for my taste.
I now love them, and 7 is a great record... bundles has its moments to.
my wife will not have any of it.....
'' put some motown on '' she says ''cant dance to this!
Third remains my favourite closely followed by 5 and 7... but i'm usually down the pub by track one.
droogless 2 years ago
down the pub? what do you mean by that? And who is a Dizzy rascal?
bowdlerizer007 2 years ago
Ahah, Motown.
It might sound strange to your wife but I find this video very dance-able, as some good Herbie Hancock joints.
Bundles is the only SM LP I got in my collection. I always wait for "floating world", it's so soothing.
All that put aside, I find there is some resemblance between this and some music by the band once known as Catalyst. Not the same geographical origin at all but some shared atoms.
oliverecords 2 years ago
Hmmm, prefer their song "Why are we sleeping?", maybe because I don´t like jazz at all.
ashetonpop 2 years ago
What's with the slagging of Bitches Brew and Miles? On The Corner being my all time favourite album. It's incredible stuff, as is this. And the jamming / funk bits are precisely what does it for me, mixed with the psychedelia. Prog loses my interest with the really structured, overly melodic, funkless stuff with rubbish vocals - Yes, ELP, etc. Love Crimson, but the real daddies for me, apart from Miles, are Can. 4 and 5 Softies are also great. So now you know.
charliehungerford 3 years ago
i think bitches brew is the best for fusion miles. but everything else i agree with. Crimson are the best.
boogster123321 3 years ago
Hey I love Softs 4+5 too, I just cant stand any miles davis albums that may be considered "fusion" or Can for that matter. I've tried to get into them and bought some of their albums (miles+can) but they are just too repetitively boring to me. And my youtube name "progjazzfusion" was meaning "progressive jazz and fusion" not just straight prog. I went thru all the prog bands but fusion overtook my interest so I dont really like much straight prog anymore unless it is jazzy prog...ie "fusion".
progjazzfusion 2 years ago
Hey, if you don't like Can, then maybe it's because you didn't here "Soup" on Ege Bamyasi (which isn't really jazz)
bowdlerizer007 2 years ago
I would disagree with you on the part of the vocals for ELP, some of Yes, and the Crimson, but I guess I'll have to let that go cause you have your own perspective.
bowdlerizer007 2 years ago
Marshall's aminal
MunkhbatDavajaargal 3 years ago 2
Well, John plays either simple or free-time type of stuff, the way you would hear it on Cecil Taylor's "Unit Structures". But did you see that video on youtube where the Softs did a medley performance on Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, 1970?
bowdlerizer007 2 years ago
Comment removed
3Phoam 3 years ago
do you mean Wyatt or Phil Howard is a great UK jazz drummer? None of the soft machiine drummers would hold up as "real" jazz drummers. I play drums and know that. But I still like them. They are all hybrids of rock drummers playing jazzy, and are hence all more or less early fusion drummers. Wyatts truly a rocker trying to play jazzy, Marshall is more technical funk/fusion and plays some slick shit from time to time, and Howard is really wild and abstract and spacey. I like them all though.
progjazzfusion 3 years ago
Comment removed
3Phoam 3 years ago
Comment removed
3Phoam 3 years ago
sorry but I can't stand miles or Bitches Brew...this song's album version on SIX is better though. Bitches Brew was aimlessly dictated over by Miles whims telling everyone what to play on the spot as it happened...look it up thats the facts. The musicians on bitches brew said they were confused and just doing as told by miles. Miles said he was trying to sound like Sly and the Family Stone and Jimi at that time (late 60's early 70's). But there was fusion before miles. he did not invent it.
progjazzfusion 3 years ago
Comment removed
3Phoam 3 years ago
Yes I agree with you, I think we're on the same page, regardless of any miles influence, their 4th + 5th are unique and my faves too. But I go back to SIX now and again for marshalls excellent drumming (he does sound like a funky black drummer at times, like lenny white + billy cobham from that time but his own thing of course). Listen to the album version he turns the beat around brilliantly, something lenny+cobham werent doing like this) I play drums and guitar and play these songs.
progjazzfusion 3 years ago
Comment removed
3Phoam 3 years ago
"aimlessly dictated" (which might be an oxymoron) then "he was trying to sound like..."
dude, make up your mind
bethellodge 2 years ago
yeah i know that may sound confusing, but don't shoot the messenger...the musicians who played on bitches brew said that stuff themselves. They said Miles was telling them what to do but didnt seem to have a clue what he really wanted or where he was going with it. Miles himself said he wanted to sound like sly stone and jimi, etc to be more popular. A confused dictator can be aimless. Bitches Brew was heavily spliced and edited.
progjazzfusion 2 years ago
wow! john marshall kicks ass!
BassLudeman 3 years ago
que batero toca mejor que el
jejej esta claro que nadie
fatherfocus 3 years ago
Thanks..simply great! I've been looking for this video since 1972 :)
stefano531956 3 years ago
thanks a lot for sending this great stuff. Its taking me a long way back. lovely.thanks.
josepolo950 3 years ago
great fun catching these concerts, & later with allan, with jsm powering things along very nicely.
GigVid 4 years ago
i saw soft machine on their only US tour. They played the Bundles album with allan holdworth at the late show at the Academy of Music in NYC. After Soft machine came larry coryell's eleventh house and 3 in the morning Rennaissance. The good old days!!!!!!
oregonbobv 4 years ago
They did at least one other U.S. tour - opening for Hendrix Experience throughout 1967 - tapes exist.
HeavyTheWorld 4 years ago
Actually summer '68 was the U.S. tour with Hendrix.
HeavyTheWorld 4 years ago
Actually summer '68 was the U.S. tour with Hendrix.
HeavyTheWorld 4 years ago
chloe and the pirates is beautiful ! Thanks a lot for posting this !
ReefAmeen 4 years ago
Gesolreut
FrozenStormrider 4 years ago
Gruppo epico e favoloso!
ariacurva 4 years ago
karl Jenkins- the master of the oboe!
oregonbobv 4 years ago
das Starten, die Vereinigungsstraße, aber noch Süße umzukehren!
bluewank 4 years ago
grandes musicos
jorgealbertobaron 4 years ago
you have hazard profile 1 2 3 4 5 in video montreux 1974 ?
my vhs is very very old
fatherfocus 4 years ago
Is there a DVD of all this?
Steveco 4 years ago
see for more Soft Machine, noisette - nl
siroen 4 years ago
Cracking version of 'Gesolreut'! Never heard Roy Babbington play this track before now! That Fender Bass VI sounds great! Thanks for posting this!
Musichead1968 4 years ago
the first concert that i saw was ... soft machine in france in 73 ( 13 years hold ) great video thanks
Didmam 4 years ago
almost Nucleus without Carr....but great!!! :-)
MusicaAntiqua71 4 years ago
Great stuff...thanks for posting this!
fusion07mp3 4 years ago
The jam sessions during the Wyatt years were more appealing to me, but this is awesome. Chloe and the Pirates is entrancing.
penndraegon 4 years ago
Such a groovy rhythm section.
TommyNick1986 4 years ago
On se demande lequel de ces deux batteurs est le plus souple dans l'histoire de l'instrument: P. Collins ou Marshall??? Same Gretsch kit... That sounds HUGE!!
balihew 4 years ago
je pense qui si wyatt avait continuer il aurait été meilleur !!
panodafish 4 years ago
thanks for clips recent softs biog -
'out-bloody-rageous' is a good all-round read
fusionphaze 4 years ago
After Mike Ratledge left the party was over. Soft Machine 6 was the last worthwhile album, My favorites in order: 2, 3, 1, 4, 5, and 6. If you like this band you'll want to read "Soft Machine Out-Bloody-Rageous" by Graham Bennett.
mrodontoid 4 years ago
But be carefull. There is unfair biesm against the post six days. The newer music takes getting used to. Six is their greatest album.
mcgarrie1 4 years ago
Karl Jenkins on baritone sax! For more of his bari sax (and oboe) playing, check out Graham Collier's "Deep Dark Blue Centre" (1967). He gets a few pretty good solos on this album. Thus this is proof that Jenkins used to be a pretty decent jazz cat until he sacrificed his credibility by milking the SM moniker after Hopper and Ratledge were gone and with his New Age projects like Adiemus.
stereom 4 years ago
Encore!!! j'ai joui 12 fois!!
balihew 4 years ago
Je l'ai joui 20 fois quand je suis achete le "six album" il y a quelques anes!
mcgarrie1 4 years ago
more more more more more woooooooooooow
the best video of youtube
genial esta gira en paris del six
thanks thanks
fatherfocus 4 years ago