its weird hearing soft machine referred to as "pop music", I think nowadays you wouldn't breath the word pop anywhere near soft machine, even the Kevin Ayers line-up
I recognised the voice of Michael Parkinson ( BBC tv presenter ) at the start, so I checked with imdb...the show is from a series called "Anatomy Of Pop" & this is from the first episode dated 10th Jan 1971. Broadast at 11.35am til 12am on Sunday morning, it was conceived as an educational programme, this edition apparently dealing with the "roots of modern pop" also featured Madeleine Bell, Alexis Korner, Frank Zappa & Marmalade. Google "Anatomy of Pop".
Saw the Softs perform live at Leeds Town Hall around this time and I had the great fortune during the break to visit the loo at the same time as Mike Ratledge, but he never talked much. A rare chance to hear his voice here. This video is a great find, thanks for posting.
jesus christ hopper's lines are perfect. Sometimes he plays just one note, and it sound so right, so simple, and so complex at the same time. And sometimes he just absolutely shreds. One of my two biggest inspirations as a bassist. RIP
@MrShuggieTodd@MrShuggieTodd umm probably the rather unknown yet very much incredible Jesse Krakow. He's more or less the exact opposite of Hopper. The band he's most notable is Pak, a pretty far out avant-rock-prog-punk anything band. He's lines are much more hectic, but just as amazing as Hoppers. I very warmly suggest to try them out.
@MrFigueroa007 i don't really like free jazz, but i wouldn't call most of soft machine free jazz. i suppose they had their moments, but I am glad they had structure.
its called Neo Caliban Grides, which is usually just a free improv piece, but this performace has a rare composed section that is only heard one other time, on the album "Grides"
Wyatt's comments toward the end reveal he had wisdom even in his youth. He was right.
Many of the people (unfortunately, including the Softs after Robert's departure) who minimized the importance and power of simple rock & pop went down a path of no return: "jazz rock" started getting boring & safe, & before you knew it, it had morphed into something disgraceful: smooth jazz.
Meanwhile, Robert continues to this day to release brilliant solo albums with rich, meaningful songwriting.
Clarification: I'm not slamming the music in this clip! I think this is incredible, and this was an amazing period of Soft Machine's career.
I wanted to make that clear: I think all of these guys are incredible. I just think that when Robert parted ways with the band, it began to decline. It lost the spark of mad genius that Wyatt contributed, which was a great counterweight to Ratledge's incredible compositions--himself a genius, but a very different kind of genius than Robert.
Thanks for the info on the Lowrey Organ and fuzz box combo to get that incredible sound. Now I have to find one of those on eBay. Any idea what KIND of fuzz that wuzz?
A most underrated band. I need to see this documentary in its entirety. This is the direction that so-called "fusion" SHOULD have gone. At 3:10, though, what is that keyboard instrument that Ratledge is playing? He used it on many tracks and I always wanted to know. Please tell me. Thanks.
I'm pretty sure it is just an organ with a distortion effect. It probably just isnt played through a leslie and has some different settings on the drawbars. thats what I think
A Lowrey combo organ with a fuzz pedal, he picked out some stinging leads with it, and dig the dissonance at the beginning of Virtually... all that instrument. The funny thing is Lowrey organs were cheap and not many people gigged them ever.
yeah, i owned a lowrey organ than a girlfriend got from her grandma and passed to me and it had the exact sound, i loved that damn thing. i should post some tracks we recorded with it. unfortunately the power blew and i never got it fixed.
The comment about listening to this as being "hard work" I don't totally see it that way. I think if you have developed an ear for jazz or this kind of music, listening to almost any other jazz music should be challenging but not hard work.
i think he was talking more specifically to a non-jazz audience (they were still considered a pop group that was making a crossover at this time). no doubt they have a lot of really easy to listen music if you are prepared for the dadaistic breaks throughout.
Listen to all the band's comments. I feel each member was sensing the importance of the rock & roll explosion because they all had passion about the world, crazy as it was in 1970. They were part of a generation that was changing their world! It was a time of passion and we need a passion again.
just anazing to see the band in this context i have many soft machine albums im a musician but like many people this scene was way before my time, so so good to see them at there zenith.
i'm now at the school that they went to, and i nearly got expelled cause i keep complaining that the wilde flowers, caravan and soft machine guys arent on our honours board. its a fucking outrage
I must admit I generally prefered pure bebop to this era of early Soft Machine. 'Softs' was my favorite. I felt they were then most original, focused and well oiiled
I think most of those people are from the southern england area, or Canturbury. Some people call this "canturbury jazz" or "canturbury progressive rock".
what a find -- and how lucky we are to get to see this material again! the section at 6:40 is absolutely wonderful ... when I first saw Soft Machine, I knew nothing of them - they were the opening act for (I need to take a breath before I type this) the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and it was Hendrix' first US performance, at a NY State University gym, no less, but a great sound system and a packed house made for a magical evening ... Wyatt had no shirt, a tophat & painted-on tie - very stylish
Very cool. I still have the "Third" album. "Facelift" was a favorite from that one. When Robert Wyatt was injured in an accident, I wrote a Soft Machine inspired tune called "Tribute to Robert Wyatt". Sorry, don't have a video of that to post, lol.
its weird hearing soft machine referred to as "pop music", I think nowadays you wouldn't breath the word pop anywhere near soft machine, even the Kevin Ayers line-up
Adamboms 2 months ago
I miss Auntie Elton every day. Lovely to see him talking and playing.
gailbrand 7 months ago
I recognised the voice of Michael Parkinson ( BBC tv presenter ) at the start, so I checked with imdb...the show is from a series called "Anatomy Of Pop" & this is from the first episode dated 10th Jan 1971. Broadast at 11.35am til 12am on Sunday morning, it was conceived as an educational programme, this edition apparently dealing with the "roots of modern pop" also featured Madeleine Bell, Alexis Korner, Frank Zappa & Marmalade. Google "Anatomy of Pop".
deathsheaddominion 1 year ago
Saw the Softs perform live at Leeds Town Hall around this time and I had the great fortune during the break to visit the loo at the same time as Mike Ratledge, but he never talked much. A rare chance to hear his voice here. This video is a great find, thanks for posting.
orrpic 1 year ago
1:33 what's the name of the song
PaulThe123 1 year ago
@PaulThe123 Neo Caliban Grides
Adamboms 2 months ago
Excellent document film,it captures real Soft Machine in 1970 very well.thank you so much.
U1950HISADA 1 year ago
They're posh.
sptfgpn 1 year ago
@sptfgpn It has never prevented Robert Wyatt from being a radical leftist, a real communist...
MrShuggieTodd 7 months ago
jesus christ hopper's lines are perfect. Sometimes he plays just one note, and it sound so right, so simple, and so complex at the same time. And sometimes he just absolutely shreds. One of my two biggest inspirations as a bassist. RIP
mioluce 1 year ago
@mioluce Nice comment. May we know who your second inspiration as a bassist is ? Tnx.
MrShuggieTodd 7 months ago
@MrShuggieTodd @MrShuggieTodd umm probably the rather unknown yet very much incredible Jesse Krakow. He's more or less the exact opposite of Hopper. The band he's most notable is Pak, a pretty far out avant-rock-prog-punk anything band. He's lines are much more hectic, but just as amazing as Hoppers. I very warmly suggest to try them out.
mioluce 7 months ago
I wouldnt say its quite hard work listening to Charlie Parker. He swings. I'd say its hard for non jazzers to listen to free jazz in general though.
MrFigueroa007 1 year ago
@MrFigueroa007 i don't really like free jazz, but i wouldn't call most of soft machine free jazz. i suppose they had their moments, but I am glad they had structure.
gfunkusarelius 1 year ago
@gfunkusarelius how can you not like free jazz.
damphear2 1 year ago
Apart from the creativity and the great yet unappreciated music...These guys are extremely cool ...
dudarstmein 1 year ago
Thanks for posting this...some great stuff here...
fusion07mp3 2 years ago
R.I.P Hugh Hopper. You were the best.
droogless 2 years ago 3
Ive got 1st album ,vinyl ,for sale. Ross
fnnichols 2 years ago
R.I.P. Hugh Hopper
runway27r 2 years ago
This comment has received too many negative votes show
wankers
clickswitchh 2 years ago
Maybe one of the parts of Virtually? It sounds like the Soft Machine 4 period
Beadbud5000 3 years ago
its called Neo Caliban Grides, which is usually just a free improv piece, but this performace has a rare composed section that is only heard one other time, on the album "Grides"
BassLudeman 3 years ago
thanks for that info.
Risboro 2 years ago
Does any one know what is the name of the number they are playing here?
Thanks.
Risboro 3 years ago
Neo-Caliban Grides
BassLudeman 3 years ago
Wyatt's comments toward the end reveal he had wisdom even in his youth. He was right.
Many of the people (unfortunately, including the Softs after Robert's departure) who minimized the importance and power of simple rock & pop went down a path of no return: "jazz rock" started getting boring & safe, & before you knew it, it had morphed into something disgraceful: smooth jazz.
Meanwhile, Robert continues to this day to release brilliant solo albums with rich, meaningful songwriting.
idealtypical 3 years ago 2
Clarification: I'm not slamming the music in this clip! I think this is incredible, and this was an amazing period of Soft Machine's career.
I wanted to make that clear: I think all of these guys are incredible. I just think that when Robert parted ways with the band, it began to decline. It lost the spark of mad genius that Wyatt contributed, which was a great counterweight to Ratledge's incredible compositions--himself a genius, but a very different kind of genius than Robert.
idealtypical 3 years ago 2
Ratledge looks a little like Zappa, eh?
zortotron 3 years ago
Perfecto!! Soft Machine was simply an incredible creative band...
Carlito1988 3 years ago
Thanks for the info on the Lowrey Organ and fuzz box combo to get that incredible sound. Now I have to find one of those on eBay. Any idea what KIND of fuzz that wuzz?
cartoonlike 3 years ago
A most underrated band. I need to see this documentary in its entirety. This is the direction that so-called "fusion" SHOULD have gone. At 3:10, though, what is that keyboard instrument that Ratledge is playing? He used it on many tracks and I always wanted to know. Please tell me. Thanks.
cartoonlike 3 years ago
I'm pretty sure it is just an organ with a distortion effect. It probably just isnt played through a leslie and has some different settings on the drawbars. thats what I think
bknv2 3 years ago 2
A Lowrey combo organ with a fuzz pedal, he picked out some stinging leads with it, and dig the dissonance at the beginning of Virtually... all that instrument. The funny thing is Lowrey organs were cheap and not many people gigged them ever.
VDGG94ki 3 years ago
yeah, i owned a lowrey organ than a girlfriend got from her grandma and passed to me and it had the exact sound, i loved that damn thing. i should post some tracks we recorded with it. unfortunately the power blew and i never got it fixed.
gfunkusarelius 3 years ago
sounds like a violin eh
AstroLogicalBeats 3 years ago
4 outstanding individuals
MeinErsterFilm 3 years ago
Cool, its great to see some footage of the rare early version of the song, "Neo-Caliban Grides"... I wonder where the whole video is.
tacomatic0 3 years ago
...great Soft machine...his magic e mystic music...changed prog-music...they apported a gloriosy epic-sound!
michaelbrigante 4 years ago 6
This is beautiful & intense music. I was born in '71 & have heard of them but, this is the first to hear them.
CadillacL 4 years ago 2
Wow, Ratlidge actually spoke? I didn't know that.
junkdrum 4 years ago
The comment about listening to this as being "hard work" I don't totally see it that way. I think if you have developed an ear for jazz or this kind of music, listening to almost any other jazz music should be challenging but not hard work.
harmono 4 years ago
i think he was talking more specifically to a non-jazz audience (they were still considered a pop group that was making a crossover at this time). no doubt they have a lot of really easy to listen music if you are prepared for the dadaistic breaks throughout.
gfunkusarelius 4 years ago
@harmono Yeah man, if it's hard work listen to something else.
angrysamoan666 1 year ago
Wonderful, wonderful post! Thank you-
eddrousch 4 years ago
Apart from Wyatt this is the first time I've heard the actual voices of the band. They hardly ever talked on stage.
Steveco 4 years ago
Great piece of video here...thanks for sharing this!
fusion07mp3 4 years ago 2
Mike Ratledge had a cool look sorta similar To John Cales Velvet Underground era look. Both were Out-Bloody- Rageous!
swans1997 4 years ago
It doesn't get any better! Thanks! Post more!
Bucky315 4 years ago
Listen to all the band's comments. I feel each member was sensing the importance of the rock & roll explosion because they all had passion about the world, crazy as it was in 1970. They were part of a generation that was changing their world! It was a time of passion and we need a passion again.
Beadbud5000 4 years ago
just anazing to see the band in this context i have many soft machine albums im a musician but like many people this scene was way before my time, so so good to see them at there zenith.
MADROCKS212 4 years ago
i'm now at the school that they went to, and i nearly got expelled cause i keep complaining that the wilde flowers, caravan and soft machine guys arent on our honours board. its a fucking outrage
HaroldMD 4 years ago
I must admit I generally prefered pure bebop to this era of early Soft Machine. 'Softs' was my favorite. I felt they were then most original, focused and well oiiled
wigginsdesign 5 years ago
mike ratledge has the coolest sun glasses ever.
dazedandconfucious 5 years ago
and also very interesting accent!
how can you call it?
(I'm not from english-speaking area)
dankton1976 4 years ago
I think most of those people are from the southern england area, or Canturbury. Some people call this "canturbury jazz" or "canturbury progressive rock".
harmono 4 years ago
Yup. English Home Counties. That's pretty much 'received English'. They're from Kent, specifically, but that's not the Kent colloquial accent.
gavinmorris 4 years ago
Isn't it basically an attempt to play (free) jazz instead of rock?
zapspace 5 years ago
i would say more like an attempt to invent fusion.
gfunkusarelius 5 years ago
OUT-BLOODY-RAGEOUS INDEED!
danelectroman70 5 years ago
what a find -- and how lucky we are to get to see this material again! the section at 6:40 is absolutely wonderful ... when I first saw Soft Machine, I knew nothing of them - they were the opening act for (I need to take a breath before I type this) the Jimi Hendrix Experience, and it was Hendrix' first US performance, at a NY State University gym, no less, but a great sound system and a packed house made for a magical evening ... Wyatt had no shirt, a tophat & painted-on tie - very stylish
DoctorPatient 5 years ago
Hey, Wicked! Mike Ratledge speaks! Such a shame there's only 7½ mins. Anybody out there got any more? Thanks so much for posting this!
Musichead1968 5 years ago
Great film!Many thanks!The best classic line up.Its a great pity Elton Dean is no longer with us.
kocisko 5 years ago
To me this was the golden era of Soft Machine.
gianca60 5 years ago
What was the name of this program?! When was it originally broadcast? Lord, why can't we buy this!?
A lot of the performance here was included in The Robert Wyatt Story, but it would be fantastic to see all of it. Incredible, thanks!!!
splayjanx 5 years ago
i dont know the name. i got just this clip from a friend who had it on DVD from a friend...it was part of a program that was about pop music.
gfunkusarelius 5 years ago
dude, i swear spinal tap got much influrnce from this, and yes, finding this was awsome
therepublicans 5 years ago
give me the source file, you nazi. now now now.
duffytanglewood 5 years ago
i tried, but it ended up being naked horses
gfunkusarelius 5 years ago
then...give me naked horses!!!
and, y'know...you're still like...a nazi and stuff.
ashfordwebb 5 years ago
Very cool. I still have the "Third" album. "Facelift" was a favorite from that one. When Robert Wyatt was injured in an accident, I wrote a Soft Machine inspired tune called "Tribute to Robert Wyatt". Sorry, don't have a video of that to post, lol.
myrg450 5 years ago
More Daevid Allen/Kevin Ayers/Robert Wyatt era Soft Machine please!
AfroZen 5 years ago
That was probably the best thing that happend to me all day.
EamonAndrews 5 years ago
More Soft Machine please!
MikeTabla 5 years ago
Thank You So Much for posting this! It's so wonderful to hear them speak about their music. My friends and I are die-hard Soft Machine fans!
BKRattler 5 years ago
im a die hard fan too, where i live hardly anyone knows about soft machine, i think they are way underrated, they're a great awesome band.
bambz89 5 years ago
Excellent! Thanks!
ekausel 5 years ago