I'd heard a lot about Soft Machine, but had never heard a single track before picking up 5. Coming at it with zero expectations I ended up pretty pleased with a freeish fusion album. Then all the Soft Machine fans I talk to are like "dude wtf '5' is shit you need to get up on vol 2."
I do, whole different (awesome) sound, etc. Point being, I find myself in the minority among Soft Machine fans I know that really likes 5. What says ILM?
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Sunday, 24 June 2007 22:13 (eighteen years ago)
I know someone who claims that "5" is "the one," so you're not alone.
I also once heard that you could judge someone's prog-endurance by how high they went up the Soft Machine album chain, which is a funny but mostly untrue standard.
I personally don't care much for any but the 1st, and maybe the 3rd.
― oo, Sunday, 24 June 2007 23:18 (eighteen years ago)
which soft machine release has "we know what you mean"? i watch that youtube clip endlesslllyyy..
― poortheatre, Sunday, 24 June 2007 23:24 (eighteen years ago)
that's just on the early bbc sessions cd, think, and maybe the early-material jet propelled photographs comp
― oo, Monday, 25 June 2007 00:14 (eighteen years ago)
Ive got to try to get into the Soft Machine. I tried once a while ago and just could not stand them. To be fair, I disliked everything relating to the Canterbury Scene. It didn't seem jazzy or free, it didn't seem otherwordly and weird, it just seemed disjointed in an awkward put on way with neutered production and poor song foundations. I tried just recently to get into Robert Wyatt solo and could not do that. But I'm really like the Gong I've heard and some Caravan and my dad has a bunch of their records so I guess I'll try. It's been a few years and my tastes have changed a lot, so I'll see.
Which one would be the best for someone who's into late Miles like Live Evil and On the Corner? Or maybe something with a darker psychedelic bent?
― filthy dylan, Monday, 25 June 2007 00:16 (eighteen years ago)
probably Egg
― oo, Monday, 25 June 2007 00:18 (eighteen years ago)
oh, also Arzachel, which featured Steve Hillage
― oo, Monday, 25 June 2007 00:22 (eighteen years ago)
agh, sorry, and though it's not Canterbury (just Canterbury inspired) you should definitely look into Picchio dal Pozzo
― oo, Monday, 25 June 2007 00:25 (eighteen years ago)
I listen to the fusion Soft Machine records more than the first two. I think Vol. 4 is my favorite.
― earlnash, Monday, 25 June 2007 00:57 (eighteen years ago)
i like 5 a lot. but it's as far as i'm willing to follow the Wyatt-less Softs.
Djam Karet Moving Gelatine Plates P.D.P. seconded browse the Wayside Music catalog.
― Mr. Hal Jam, Monday, 25 June 2007 03:07 (eighteen years ago)
I like the pre-first-album demos a whole lot. They're like a stripped-down version of the first record.
― libcrypt, Monday, 25 June 2007 16:09 (eighteen years ago)
As someone who owns two On the Corner t-shirts, I wholeheartedly endorse Mr. Hal Jam's selections.
― BIG HOOS aka the steendriver, Monday, 25 June 2007 17:33 (eighteen years ago)
"Six" is good!!!! Well, not the live album bit, that's rubbish but the studio tracks are really interesting, best stuff they'd done since "Third" in my opinion.
― Tom D., Tuesday, 8 January 2008 12:50 (eighteen years ago)
Yes, I would agree "Six" is underrated.
― Joe, Tuesday, 8 January 2008 12:58 (eighteen years ago)
Though I like a lot of the live stuff...the Coltrane opening bit is wonderful
Live stuff bored me, I felt like I'd heard it all before. I was sad to realise that Mike Ratledge's fuzz organ by this album now sounded exactly like a Stevie Wonder harmonica solo played at 78rpm
― Tom D., Tuesday, 8 January 2008 13:18 (eighteen years ago)