Canterbury Scene Pioneers 1 : The Soft Machine - Audion - Issue #54 - August 2008 (new edition in PDF format in October 2020)

Whoever it was that coined the term "The Canterbury Scene" was a lazy journalist, but it's a term that's been banded around so much that it's gained a meaning all of its own. At least to fans of progressive rock and jazz-fusion that is. In Canterbury, there is no definitive scene as such. Most people that live there would never have heard of it. Yet Canterbury was the hub where much of this scene came together. The"scene" largely stemmed from a band called The Wilde Flowers, and involved the bands Soft Machine, Caravan and Egg, and all the various offshoots and related projects that came out of these, amounting an enormous fertile world of music bridging many different genres.

My introduction to The Canterbury Scene all happened by accident, and it's hard to recall exactly what came first. I know that I saw the Danish band Secret Oyster on The Old Grey Whistle Test on TV, and was immediately hooked by them. Scarcely a week or so later (so I recall) I chanced upon a concert at the Montreux Jazz Festival that sounded like Secret Oyster to me but obviously wasn't. It turned out to be Soft Machine, circa album number 8: BUNDLES. So, looking for a live album by them I bought Soft Machine SIX first, which surprised me I can tell you! That was the start of a rocky trail of discovery, covering an extremely wide range of musical styles, dozens of classics, some perplexingly bizarre challenges, and alas some pitiful disappointments.
But that's all part of musical exploration!

It's all going weird

But now, with time on their hands, and in between record label contracts, the trio, aided by Hugh's brother guest/semi-member Brian Hopper (soprano/tenor saxes), spent a good few months experimenting with new ideas. The use of reverse tapes, echo and delay effects, etc., had all played a big role in the complexity of their recordings to date, but they wanted to take that aspect further. Mike Ratledge had been hooked by the experimental organ and tape delay works of Terry Riley and began to develop his own twist on that. This all led to SPACED a specially commissioned work created for a London multi-media event at the Roundhouse, involving ballet dancers, gymnasts and such-like, all purely avant-garde and abstract, it needed music to match. Unreleased until 1996 the CD booklet describes the use of lengthy tape loops spooled around their rehearsal rooms, days of work spent tape splicing and editing, all to make 1½ hours of music. It perplexed audiences, especially those that were expecting a Soft Machine concert, but it is weird even by today's standards! A music of dissonant organ/piano, bass and percussion, Robert Wyatt's larynx has a rest here, and instead he often seems to be destroying his drum-set, and the only real soloing is courtesy of Brian Hopper's sax, or the noises from Mike Ratledge's electric piano and organ, which he similarly seems to be abusing. Add to all that Hugh Hopper's bass on demented fuzzed and frazzled overload, it's enough to make the speakers groan and writhe! There are more melodic moments and rhythmic/looping bits too. SPACED certainly lives up to its name, it is really out there!

From Autumn 1969, a brass section was drafted in to supplement the band on stage. Many of these musicians came from Keith Tippett's band: Elton Dean (saxophones), Nick Evans (trombone) and Marc Charig (trumpet). There was also Lyn Dobson (flute, saxophone) from Keef Hartley's band. Of these Elton Dean became a permanent member for several years, changing the band's sound considerably.

January 1970 heralded what many class as the ultimate Soft Machine album, and in fact one of the all-time greats of the Canterbury Scene, namely THIRD, a landmark double LP, with just one track per side...

Hugh Hopper's Facelift is a collage of live recordings, and strongly features the winds section. Although who exactly is featured where, I don't know. Caravan's Jimmy Hastings (flute, bass clarinet) also guests on the album, and he's heard here. Facelift has the new patent of "the Softs" sound, namely Hugh's fuzz bass strongly featured, and also starts the album on a very weird footing. First we hear a subdued drone, joined by strangely mangled electric piano and dissonantly garbled organ, and whilst other instruments amble in the background a variety of winds (mostly processed electronically) writhe and splutter, leading into a vaguely drunken phase that then lurches into a patent Soft Machine riff, gaining focus, moving to a relaxed phase for a moment before going on to an almost Miles Davis like fusion drive, before returning to an organ/winds refrain heard earlier, added to and complicated by lots of clever backwards/wrong-speed tape work. In all, a patchwork flow of ideas that sew up into a complex suite.

Mike Ratledge's Slightly All The Time starts with another new aspect to the Soft Machine sound, a cool breezy ambling jazzy groove (based around various interlocked rhythmic patterns) topped by a variety of winds, changing, growing in momentum, gaining focus, changing again and so on. It includes the inset of Hopper's Noisette (not easy to identify where it is exactly until one hears later live versions) a work of similarly counterpointed themes, all put together like a complex jig-saw puzzle. This is all a hint of what they would take further on albums SIX and SEVEN.

According to a recent Robert Wyatt interview on BBC Radio 6's "Freak Zone" the first half of side 3's The Moon In June is Robert Wyatt solo. This would mean that Robert must also be playing organ and guitar uncredited, as well as singing and playing drums. The song is indeed one of his strongest, and with very clever lyrics to boot, which he would famously rewrite from concert to concert to fit the venue, country, weather, time of year etc., the most famous being the BBC John Peel "Top Gear" session version. After the song, 9 minutes in, it's allchange, in fact several all-changes that bounce to and from the song theme until it's time to let-rip, quintessential Canterbury this, close to Egg or Caravan, with that patent keyboard sound, with Robert adding wordless vocal expressions. At 15 minutes, it's time to go weird again, and some, with strange pitch-shifting effects on the organ, scuttling violin. "Edgard Varese meets Sun Ra" is one description I've read!

The boldly named Out-Bloody-Rageous has never actually struck me as such, although it was pretty much ahead of its time, with even greater use of backwards tapes, tape delay, loops, deft editing, etc. It opens very slowly, with Mike Ratledge doing his own twist on the Terry Riley organ dervish style, which kind of cleverly steps into another slice of Soft Machine riffing (the type of thing the Dutch based Supersister also did) topped by a myriad of solos, which without warning drops into a decaying pattern of organ tones, before again gaining focus as a tripped-out space-jazz, that eventually storms along before returning to a Riley-esque phase as the finalé.

Innovative through and through. But, as you may have sussed, instead of titling loads of pieces and sewing them together, they had instead cut apart various pieces and then sewn them together in a cleverly jumbled fashion to make four suites. Because of this, the many live versions of THIRD material heard since are all quite different, as they went on to develop the compositions, with new musicians adding new ideas, and even some totally unexpected surprises. Material from THIRD can be heard on a good few excellent quality Cuneiform releases.

After this, Robert's role of lead singer became less and less part of the Soft Machine sound. Instead he started to experiment with the voice as an instrument, using electronic gadgetry, echo machines, ring modulator, etc., all taking a Soft Machine concert even further "out there!". One such gig was their unlikely inclusion at the BBC Proms, a classic concert indeed of quintessential Soft Machine.

Robert took all these experimental techniques to the next level with his "solo" debut THE END OF AN EAR on which Robert played drums, vocals, piano, and organ, aided by Soft Machine / Canterbury friends: Mark Charig, Elton Dean, David Sinclair (from Caravan) and others. Although the cover bears the words "out-of-work pop singer" it is certainly no pop album. THE END OF AN EAR is a weird outing from start to finish! I guess a lot of people, like myself, at first thought they'd put the record on at 45 rpm by mistake, as that's what it sounds like, and it still throws many that I've played it to in the UT shop. Elsewhere the record lurches into big band fusion, prog and totally twisted angular rock with clanking drums and avant-garde scat vocals to the fore. Amazing stuff, and still unique.


The jazz phase

album that I've personally never rated as one of their better ones. This is largely due to musical allergy of mine, I can't stand squawky free-jazz type sax playing, and it's an album on which Elton Dean was given far too much freedom for my liking. There's one track I don't like at all. But I won't harp on about it. The strange thing though is that much of the material is documented live as excellent versions elsewhere. Maybe that's down to Elton also playing electric piano giving him less time to idly burble rude screeches on the sax (witness the excellent "Beat Club" DVD included as a bonus with the GRIDES CD for proof of this). For me, FOURTH is the only low point in an otherwise almost flawless run of 9 albums. For some jazz fans, I know that this is their favourite!


The gradual "all change"

With a music more and more based around solos, and an increase in jazziness, it seems that Robert Wyatt had had enough, and he left in 1971 forming his own new outfit Matching Mole (the name comes from a play on "Machine Molle" the French for Soft Machine), featuring Bill McCormick from Quiet Sun, Dave Sinclair of Caravan, and Phil Miller from Delivery, amounting to a veritable supergroup where Robert could again flex his vocal chords. They released two fine albums, essential for fans of early Soft Machine, and later Robert became a successful soloist, releasing at least one classic along the way, the wonderful ROCK BOTTOM.

1971 also saw Elton Dean release his first solo album, which no doubt meant he got the jazz anguish out of his system, and hereon his playing in Soft Machine is quite different. Making use of effects and reverb, there's an air of Charlie Mariano and Klaus Doldinger to his playing on the next Soft Machine album FIVE. With former Nucleus drummer John Marshall joining, Soft Machine became much more tight and vibrant, inventing a whole new jazz-rock vocabulary of cross-genre rock and jazz innovation that was uniquely Soft Machine. The music on FIVE just rattles along, solo after solo, on top of infectious rhythmic drives that avoid the sterility of most jazz of the era. There are pauses and diversions, and lots more that keeps the music fresh even today. Unique black print on black cover too!

Yet, after lots of touring, radio concerts and sessions, Elton decided to leave and form his own band. In fact, he went on to work in all sorts of genres, from free-jazz and avant-garde through to prog. He also featured for a short while with the Dutch band Supersister, who no doubt thought of him when they were left in the lurch without a winds player. Most of his bands and projects have involved other members of the larger "Canterbury Scene" family.

Apparently invited by John Marshall was fellow ex-Nucleus multiinstrumentalist Karl Jenkins. Playing oboe, baritone and soprano saxophones, electric piano, grand piano, and celeste, he was much more than a replacement for Dean, and he had a completely different style that started to draw his aspect of early Nucleus into the Soft Machine sound. Hopper and Marshall were now becoming almost symbiotic, and a wealth of new ideas were brewing, so much so that it became time for another double. SIX ALBUM could be seen as their equivalent to Pink Floyd's UMMAGUMMA, coupling a live LP with an experimental studio LP. Live, Soft Machine had become so technically precise and flawless that they could perform a whole album length suite of segued compositions so that it felt like one big symphonic opus. Lots more keyboards, lots more electronic gadgetry, innovation was the key. The studio LP had 4 very different works: The Soft Weed Factor penned by Jenkins, prophesying where Soft Machine were to go next, Stanley Stamps Gibbon Album (for B.O.) and Chloe And The Pirates by Ratledge revisiting the atmospheric and Riley-esque elements of THIRD, and finally Hopper's weird and fuzz bass dominated 1983.

But, let's step back a moment, Hugh Hopper had just released his debut "solo" album 1984 before this. It was as though the Soft Machine number 1983 was a kind of advert for this. George Orwell's poignant novel couldn't really have inspired a weirder album, with Hugh's fuzz bass to the fore and clanking percussives dominating much of the album, punctuated by a few Soft Machine like diversions. It still challenges many. Seemingly Hugh wanted to do more music like this, and explore other avenues, and he left the band in May 1973. Roy Babbington, who had worked with Soft Machine before (known as a double-bass player with the likes of Michael Gibbs and Keith Tippett) also from Nucleus, was a good choice as replacement.

Roy, in keeping with the increasingly electric focus of Soft Machine, took up 6-string bass guitar, adding a smoother bass underpinning. This meant that although SEVEN was like a development on the live LP from SIX it was a much smoother flowing excursion, again with even more keyboards to the fore, and the inevitable introduction of synthesizer! It was another step away from the jazzy sound of a few years earlier.


Return of the guitar hero!

We may never know quite why, but after all those years without a guitarist (since Daevid Allen's exile) it was now decided that Soft Machine needed a guitar lead. Well, nearly all other fusion bands at the time had a guitar whiz in the band, and SEVEN had been criticised for lacking any real lead focus. So, enter Allan Holdsworth (originally from the eclectic Igginbottom's Wrench) who'd also played with Nucleus and featured on Ian Carr's BELLADONNA album. He joined in December 1973 at a time when the band were also between labels, which meant a whole new repertoire had time to gel and develop before they got to record an album. BUNDLES recorded summer 1974 was even more so Karl Jenkins' show, taking those patent early Nucleus style riffs of his, pitting them against Ratledge's fuzzed keyboards and Holdsworth's guitar. It's a sizzler, and still a favourite, all a complex segue of tracks sewn together as a huge complex suite. It took some time to appear on the market though, not until spring 1975. But, Allan Holdsworth was never one to stay anywhere long, and he absconded to Tony Williams Lifetime just as the band were about to go on tour to promote BUNDLES! Allan suggested John Etheridge as a replacement. John was the first Soft Machine member to not have a Nucleus connection for some time. He was from Darryl Way's Wolf, where he'd proven his talent as one of the hottest guitarists around. Based on live material from this time he fitted into Holdsworth's role almost seamlessly.

In March 1976 the "all-change" was completed as the sole original member Mike Ratledge departed. Karl Jenkins pretty much took over Ratledge's role, with Alan Wakeman stepping-in on saxophones. The final classic Soft Machine SOFTS was recorded in Spring 1976 (it still had Ratledge featured, playing synthesizer on two track) and was amongst the most powerful sizzlers of Soft Machine. Some dismiss as not real Soft Machine. They could have called themselves ex-Nucleus really. It would have been one hell of a way to end the story!

Alive and well? Not really!

After embarking on an extensive European tour there were yet more changes to the line-up: first Alan Wakeman departed with violinist Ric Sanders filling his role, then Babbington also left replaced briefly by Percy Jones (from Brand X) and then Steve Cook (of Gilgamesh and Mirage). The live album documenting this line-up ALIVE AND WELL, RECORDED IN PARIS recorded in July 1977 is an odd one in that it starts as classic SOFTS styled fusion, with some welcome new twists, but somehow gets lost in the middle, ending up as a type of synthispace-disco music at the end.

Quite where this "electro" element came from wasn't apparent at the time, as a version of Soft Machine under the guises of Rubber Riff and Rubba had been making music for the DeWolfe library label incognito for a couple of years. The album RUBBER RIFF had the line-up of: Karl Jenkins (keyboards, flute, saxophone), John Etheridge (guitars), Roy Babbington (bass), John Marshall (drums) and Karl's wife: Carol Barratt (keyboards). It amounted to what sounded like safe sanitised Soft Machine, in small chunks, with the accent on tunes and dramatic themes instead of solos. The two albums by Rubba PUSH BUTTON and MOVEMENT are occasionally nice, but are chiefly quirky/cheesy commercial music with dodgy synths to the fore! The compositions are credited to Jenkins and Ratledge, but there's no documentation as to who the band actually were.

Anyway, I digress, as Soft Machine eventually ran out of steam after this. Whether they split up or just became an occasional "back burner" project I'm not sure. Their last gig of the 1970s is said to be December 1978, in Bremen, Germany. The 1981 album LAND OF COCKAYNE saw Jenkins, Marshall and Holdsworth together again, with former Cream bassist Jack Bruce. It's not an album I can honestly comment on though, as I've never been able to play it all! Over-produced, schmaltzy and just plain bad, it's a shame that it was ever released if you ask me. A much more interesting album is Second Vision's FIRST STEPS, with Etheridge and Sanders from 1980, which sounds much more like a logical sequel to SOFTS, albeit a more mellow affair.

Apparently a version of Soft Machine got together for a series of gigs at the Soho Ronnie Scotts club in the summer of 1984, with a line-up of Jenkins, Marshall, Etheridge, with Dave MacRae (keyboards) and Paul Carmichael (bass). The Karl Jenkins' Soft Machine saga ends there, sadly as a rather wet whimper.


The legacy

As told above, there have been a number of attempts at Soft Machine "reformations" with various line-ups. There are also related projects of note that I should mention here.

1n the 1970s there were the "illegitimate" Soft Machine modelled outfits: Soft Head and Soft Heap involving Hugh Hopper and Elton Dean, which were semi-successful, except that Elton was given too much room to squawk on the sax at will, which ruined them for me. Many other such incarnations existed, although they were largely in the avant-garde jazz field.

The most Soft Machine like albums of the 1970s that are not Soft Machine all have Hugh Hopper as a key player. There are two Hopper solo albums: HOPPER TUNITY BOX which features a luminary cast of Canterbury talent, patent Soft Machine riffs, diversions, and some new inventions, and the even more explorative MONSTER BAND which had one side with his band live in France (very much in the Soft Machine FIVE vein) and a side of Hugh in multi-tracking mode developing a unique twist on his "1983"/"1984" works. They both feature Dean, but in a more controlled mode, in fact on these he's excellent! There's also the second Isotope album ILLUSION. Gary Boyle's fusion outfit Isotope were often a mite too fiddly for my taste, but on ILLUSION Hugh seemed to weld it all together, his fuzz bass playing a key role. It's a classic! Hugh has tried out many other styles since, and still occasionally surprises. His discography is vast!

As I said earlier in this article, Kevin Ayers went on to be quite prolific as a soloist. Generally his albums become more diverse and patchy, and more lyrical, which is a big minus if too much of Ayers singing grates on the senses, especially with pop pastiche playing an all the more important role in his work. Okay in small doses, but... Anyway, because of this I cut-off his work in the "Related of interest" listing (below) after CONFESSIONS OF DR. DREAM, arguably his last good one, which in some ways is his most experimental. Kevin's career proves to me that his leaving Soft Machine was indeed a good thing, else they'd never have been able to explore and go where they did! I'd have to say that my favourite album involving Kevin Ayers is the wonderfully eccentric album by poetess Lady June. Not at all like Soft Machine in any way, but a real fun one!

Robert Wyatt, as you may know, had a big career change after an accident which left him wheelchair bound. That hiatus gave him plenty of time to come up with the exceptionally creative and unique ROCK BOTTOM, an album with a superb cast and a very clever twisting and reinventing of his early Soft Machine work. After that Robert tried his hand as a pop singer, before he found a new vocation as a left-field experimental protest singer (?), having success on the fringe of the newwave, and has sporadically remained active through to today.

Mike Ratledge also did some session work with other bands in the 1970s, but since leaving Soft Machine he's largely worked in the studio together with Karl Jenkins. Besides the Rubba albums he and Karl Jenkins had been doing TV and soundtrack work. They also both featured with the band Planet Earth (who later turned into Sky), did much in the way of session work and other such things that led to the commercially successful Adiemus.

Eventually though a serious attempt at Soft Machine reformation bore fruit in 2002 under the guise of "Soft Works" with the line-up of: Elton Dean (alto saxophone, saxello, electric piano), Allan Holdsworth (guitar, synthaxe), Hugh Hopper (bass), John Marshall (drums), releasing the album ABRACADABRA (Universal, Japan 2003) a lineup that I don't ever recall playing together before, and it didn't really work for me either. Too polished, I guess Allan had been working in the USA too long! Apparently the project soon folded after Allan Holdsworth pulled-out, and again in his place came John Etheridge (sometimes history uncannily repeats itself) for the much more successful "Soft Machine Legacy" project. They've issued at least four albums to date: LIVE IN ZAANDAM (2005), SOFT MACHINE LEGACY (2006), NEW MORNING (2006), and STEAM (2007) with the latter featuring Gong's Theo Travis as replacement for the late Elton Dean. Soft Machine Legacy tend to do a mixture of old and new material, including a good few old classics as well as many new ideas. At least now the Soft Machine story doesn't end with a whimper but with a rebirth that's well-worth experiencing live so I'm told. The story goes on!


Discography...

This discography lists only the original LPs, other British and notable European pressings and European CD reissues




Love Makes Sweet Music / Feelin' Reelin' Squeelin'
7" Polydor BM56151 (1967)

THE SOFT MACHINE
LP Probe CPLPS 4500 (USA, 1968), Probe PLP 4500 (1968),
ABC 602 (1973), Big Beat WIKA57 (198?)

Joy Of A Toy / Why Are We Sleeping?
7" Probe 452 (USA, 1968)

VOLUME TWO
LP Probe CPLPS4505 (USA, 1969), Probe SPB 1002 (1969),
Big Beat WIKA58 (198?)

THIRD
2LP CBS 66246 (1970), CBS Embassy 30339 (197?)
CD Beat Goes On BGOCD180 (1993) slightly edited
CD Columbia Rewind 471407 2 (199?)

FOURTH
LP CBS 64280 (1971), CBS Embassy 30754 (197?)
CD Columbia Rewind 473003 2 (1993)

FIFTH
LP CBS 64806 (1972), CBS Embassy 31748 (1979)
CD Columbia Rewind 473002 2 (1993)

SIX ALBUM
2LP CBS 68214 (1973),
CD Columbia Rewind 473001 2 (1993)

SEVEN
LP CBS 65799 (1974)
CD Columbia Rewind 473004 2 (1993)

BUNDLES
LP Harvest SHSP 4044 (1975), Harvest 064 96356 (Germany, 1975)
CD See For Miles SEE CD 283 (1990)

SOFTS
LP Harvest SHSP 4056 (1976)
CD See For Miles SEE CD 285 (1990)

ALIVE AND WELL - RECORDED IN PARIS
LP Harvest SHSP 4083 (1978)
CD See For Miles SEE CD 290 (1990)

Soft Space
7" Harvest SPSR 419 (1978), Harvest HAR5155 (?)

LAND OF COCKAYNE
LP EMI EMC3348 (1981)
CD One Way Records S21-18936 (USA, 199?)




SOFT MACHINE / GONG: COMPLETE FAMILY
2LP Byg Records 529.201 (1971) inc. 1 side of 1967 Soft Machine

VOLUMES ONE & TWO
2LP ABC ABCL5004 (1974)
CD Big Beat CDWIKD 920 (1989) 2LPs on 1CD

TRIPLE ECHO
3LP Harvest SHTW 800 (1977) inc. debut single & Peel sessions 1969/70

UNTOUCHABLE
CD Castle CCSCD 281 (1990) Harvest selection

AS IF
CD Elite 006CD (1991) CBS selection from 3/4/5/6

FOURTH / FIFTH
CD Columbia Rewind 493341 2 (1999) 2LPs on 1CD

MAN IN A DEAF CORNER
2CD Sanctuary CMDDD897 (2004)

KINGS OF CANTERBURY
2CD Snapper/Recall SMCD 740 (2003)

SIX / SEVEN
CD Edsel MEDCD740 (2004) 3LPs on 2CD

OUT-BLOODY RAGEOUS (ANTHOLOGY 1967-1973)
CD Sony/Columbia 520039 2 (2005)




CANTERBURIED SOUNDS (1962-64)
series featuring: The Wilde Flowers, Robert Wyatt,proto-Soft Machine, etc...
VOLUME 1 - CD Voiceprint VP201CD (1998)
VOLUME 2 - CD Voiceprint VP202CD (1998)
VOLUME 3 - CD Voiceprint VP203CD (1998)
VOLUME 4 - CD Voiceprint VP204CD (1998)

THE DAEVID ALLEN TRIO - LIVE 1963 (1963)
CD Voiceprint VP122CD (1993)

THE WILDE FLOWERS - TALES OF (1964/65)
CD Voiceprint VP123CD (1993)

AT THE BEGINNING (1967)
the Ayers, Allen, Ratledge & Wyatt, DeLane Lea Studios sessions
on ROCK GENERATION 7 - LP Byg Records 529 707 (France, 1971) 1 side
on ROCK GENERATION 8 - LP Byg Records 529 708 (France, 1971) 1 side
FACE AND PLACE VOL. 7 - LP Byg Records 529 507 (France, 1972)
SOFT MACHINE - LP 2001 Metronome 200.137 (Germany, 1973)
AT THE BEGINNING - LP Charly CR300014 (1977)
JET PROPELLED PHOTOGRAPHS - LP Decal LIK36 (1988), CD
Spalax 14816 (France, 1995), CD Charly SNAP133CD (1997)

MIDDLE EARTH MASTERS (16/9/1967)
CD Cuneiform RUNE235 (2006)

SOFT MACHINE TURNS ON VOLUME 1 (1967/1968)
from Middle Earth & Speakeasy clubs, & early demos
CD Voiceprint VP231CD (2001)

SOFT MACHINE TURNS ON VOLUME 2 (1967/1968)
Amsterdam 10/12/67, Middle Earth 10/11/67, Iowa USA 11/8/68
CD Voiceprint VP234CD (2001)

LIVE AT THE PARADISO 1969 (29/3/1969)

CD bootleg (198?), Voiceprint VP193CD (1994)

SPACED (5/1969)
CD Cuneiform Records RUNE 90 (1996)

BACKWARDS (11/1969+5/1970)
CD Cuneiform Records RUNE 170 (1998)

NOISETTE (4/1/1970)
CD Cuneiform Records RUNE 130 (2000)

BREDA REACTOR 1971 (31/1/1970)
CD Voiceprint VP345CD (2005)

SOMEWHERE IN SOHO (20-25/4/1970)
2CD Voiceprint VP262CD (2004)

FACELIFT (26/4/1970)
CD Voiceprint VP233CD (2003)

LIVE AT THE PROMS 1970 (13/8/1970)
LP Reckless Records RECK 5 (1988)

aka LIVE 1970 - inferior version, but also includes 2 extra tracks (2/1970)
CD Blueprint BP290CD (1998)

GRIDES (25/10/1970+23/3/1971)
CD+DVD Cuneiform Records RUNE 230/231 (2006)

BBC RADIO 1 LIVE IN CONCERT (11/3/1971)

aka SOFT MACHINE AND HEAVY FRIENDS
CD Hux Records HUX067 (2005)

VIRTUALLY (23/3/1971)
CD Cuneiform Records RUNE 100 (1998)

LIVE IN FRANCE (2/5/72)

aka LIVE IN PARIS
2CD Cuneiform Records RUNE 195/196 (2004)

BBC RADIO 1 LIVE IN CONCERT (20/7/1972)

aka SOFTSTAGE
CD Hux Records HUX 070 (200?)

FLOATING WORLD (29/1/1975)
CD Moonjune Records MJR 007 (2006)

BRITISH TOUR 75 (10/1975)
CD MLP10CD (2005)

The original note here about Voiceprint and Blueprint reissues is no longer
relevant as all such titles are now deleted

THE PEEL SESSIONS [SOFT MACHINE TURNS ON]
2LP Strange Fruit SFRLP 201 (1990)
2CD Strange Fruit SFRCD 201 (1990)

BBC RADIO 1967-1971
2CD Hux Records HUX 037 (2003)

BBC RADIO 1971-1974
2CD Hux Records HUX 047 (2003)




RUBBER RIFF
LP DeWolfe 3331 (197?)
CD Blueprint BP190CD (1994)

RUBBA - PUSH BUTTON
LP DeWolfe (19??)

RUBBA - MOVEMENT
LP Rouge (19??)

DE WOLFE SESSIONS
2LP Turning Point Music (Italy, 2002) compilation

Musician key...

Kevin Ayers KA, Roy Babbington RB, Elton Dean ED, Hugh Hopper HH, Karl
Jenkins KJ, John Marshall JM, Mike Ratledge MR, Robert Wyatt RW


Kevin Ayers - JOY OF A TOY - LP Harvest SHVL 763 (1969),
     CD BGO BGOCD78 (1990) KA HH MR RW

Julie Driscoll - 1969 - LP Polydor 2480 074 (1969) ED KJ

Kevin Ayers - Singing A Song In The Morning / Eleanors Cake
     - 7" Harvest HAR 5011 (1970) KA

Kevin Ayers - Butterfly Dance / Puis Je? - 7" Harvest HAR 5027 (1970) KA

Kevin Ayers - SHOOTING AT THE MOON- LP Harvest SHSP 4005 (1970),
     CD BGOCD13 (1990) KA MR RW

Syd Barrett - THE MADCAP LAUGHS - LP Harvest SHVL 765
     (1970) HH MR RW

Carol Grimes with Delivery - FOOLS MEETING - LP B&C CAS 1023
     (1970) RB

Nucleus - ELASTIC ROCK - LP Vertigo 6360 008 (1970) KJ JM

Nucleus - WE'LL TALK ABOUT IT LATER - LP Vertigo 6360 027
     (1970) KJ JM

Keith Tippett - BLUE PRINT - LP RCA SF 8290 (1970) RB

Keith Tippett - YOU ARE HERE... I AM THERE - LP Polydor 2384 004
     (1970) ED

Daevid Allen - BANANA MOON - LP Byg Records 529.345
     (France, 1971) RW

Kevin Ayers - Stranger In Blue Suede Shoes / Stars - 7" Harvest HAR
     5042 (1971) KA

Centipede - SEPTOBER ENERGY - 2LP Neon NE9 (1971), RCA
     DPS5042 (1974), CD BGO CD485 (2000) RB ED KJ JM RW

Lol Coxhill - EAR OF THE BEHOLDER - LP Dandelion 69 001
     (1971) KA RW

Elton Dean - ELTON DEAN - LP CBS 64539 (1971) ED RB MR

Don 'Sugar Cane' Harris - SUGAR CANE GOT THE BLUES
     - LP MPS/BASF 21 21283-1 (Germany, 1971) RW

Heads Hands & Feet - SAME - Island ILPS 9149 (1971) ED

New Violin Summit - LIVE AT BERLIN JAZZFESTIVAL - LP MPS 33
     21285-8 (Germany, 1971) RW

Nucleus - SOLAR PLEXUS - LP Vertigo 6360 039 (1971) KJ JM

Keith Tippett Group - DEDICATED TO YOU, BUT YOU WEREN'T
     LISTENING - LP Vertigo 6360 024 (1971) RB ED RW

Robert Wyatt - THE END OF AN EAR - LP CBS 64189 (1971), CBS
     Embassy 31846 (1978), CD Columbia Rewind 473005 2 (1993) ED RW

Neil Ardley - SYMPHONY OF AMARANTHS - LP Regal Zonophone SLRZ
     1028 (1972) KJ

Kevin Ayers - Oh! What A Wet Dream / Connie On A Rubber Band
     - 7" Harvest HAR 5064 (1972) KA

Kevin Ayers - WHATEVERSHEBRINGSWESING - LP Harvest SHVL 800
     (1972), CD BGO BGOCD11 (1989) KA RW

David Bedford - NURSES SONG WITH ELEPHANTS - LP Dandelion 2310
     165 (1972) KA

Volker Kriegel - INSIDE: MISSING LINK - 2LP MPS 33 21431-1 (Germany,
     1972) JM

Matching Mole - MATCHING MOLE - LP CBS 64850 (1972), CBS Embassy
     32105 (1982), CD BGOCD175 (1993), Columbia Rewind
     471489 2 (199?) RW

Kevin Ayers - BANANAMOUR - LP Harvest SHVL 807 (1973), CD BGO
     BGOCD142 (1992) KA MR RW

Michael Gibbs - JUST AHEAD - LP Polydor 2683 011 (1973) RB JM

Hugh Hopper - 1984 - LP CBS 65466 (1973), Atmosphere IRI 5010
     (France, 1980), CD Mantra 051 (France, 1996), Cuneiform RUNE 104
     (1998) HH JM

Volker Kriegel - LIFT! - LP MPS 21 21753-1 (Germany, 1973) JM

Matching Mole - LITTLE RED RECORD - LP CBS 65260 (1973),
     CBS Embassy 32148 (1982), CD BGOCD174 (1993), Columbia Rewind
     471488 2 (199?) RW

Nucleus - LABYRINTH - LP Vertigo 6360 091 (1973) RB

Ovary Lodge - OVARY LODGE - LP CBS SF 8372 (1973) RB

John Surman - MORNING GLORY - LP Island ILPS 9237 (1973) JM

Stomu Yamash'ta & East Wind - FREEDOM IS FRIGHTENING
     - LP Island ILPS 9242 (1973) HH

Kevin Ayers - CONFESSIONS OF DR. DREAM - LP Island ILPS 9263
     (1974), CD BGO BGOCD86 (1991) KA MR

Ayers/Cale/Eno/Nico - JUNE 1, 1974 - LP Island ILPS 9291 (1974) KA RW

Coxhill/Miller - THE STORY SO FAR / OH... REALLY - LP Caroline
     C1507 (1974) KA RW

Hatfield & The North - HATFIELD & THE NORTH - LP Virgin V2008
     (1974) RW

Lady June - LINGUISTIC LEPROSY - LP Caroline C1509 (1974) KA RW

Robert Wyatt - ROCK BOTTOM - LP Virgin V2017 (1974), CD Virgin CDV
     2017 (1989) HH RW

Stomu Yamash'ta & East Wind - ONE BY ONE - LP Island ILPS 9269
     (1974) HH

Robert Wyatt - I'm A Believer / Memories - 7" Virgin VS114 (1974) RW

Brian Eno - TAKING TIGER MOUNTAIN (BY STRATEGY)
     - LP Island ILPS 9309 (1975) RW

Isotope - ILLUSION - LP Gull GULP 1006 (1975) HH

Phil Manzanera - DIAMOND HEAD - LP Island ILPS 9315 (1975) RW

Julie Tippetts - SUNSET GLOW - LP Utopia UTS601 (1975) ED

Robert Wyatt - RUTH IS STRANGER THAN RICHARD - LP Virgin V2034
     (1975), CD Virgin CDV 2034 (1989) RW

Henry Cow - CONCERTS - 2LP Caroline CAD3002 (1976) RW

Hopper/Dean/Tippett/Gallivan - OH FOR THE EDGE - LP Ogun
     OG 900 (1976) ED HH

Isotope - DEEP END - LP Gull GULP 1017 (1976) HH

Michael Mantler - THE HAPLESS CHILD - LP Watt WATT4 (1976) RW

Jan Steele/John Cage - VOICES AND INSTRUMENTS - LP Obscure 5
     (1976) RW

Elton Dean Quartet - THEY ALL BE ON THIS OLD ROAD - LP Ogun
     OG410 (1977) ED

Elton Dean & Alan Skidmore - EL SKID - LP Vinyl VS103 (1977) ED

Dean/Wheeler/Gallivan - THE CHEQUE IS IN THE MAIL - LP Ogun
     OG610 (1977) ED

Hugh Hopper - HOPPER TUNITY BOX - LP Compendium FIDARDO7
     (Norway, 1977), CD Cuneiform RUNE 240 (2007) ED HH

Hopper/Dean/Tippett/Gallivan - CRUEL BUT FAIR - LP Compendium
     FIDARDO4 (Norway, 1977) ED HH

Intercontinental Express - LONDON - LP Compendium FIDARDO 8
     (Norway, 1977) ED

Michael Mantler - SILENCE - LP Watt WATT5 (1977) RW

Dudu Pukwana - DIAMOND EXPRESS - LP Freedom FLP 41044
     (1977) ED

Robert Wyatt - Yesterday Man / Sonia - 7" Virgin VS115 (1977) RW

Carla Bley - EUROPEAN TOUR 1977 - LP Watt WATT8 (1978) ED HH

Elton Dean's Ninesense - HAPPY DAZE - LP Ogun OG910 (1978) ED

Brian Eno - AMBIENT #1 MUSIC FOR AIRPORTS - LP Ambient
     AMBC001 (1978) RW

Planet Earth - PLANET EARTH - LP Pye NSPL 18556 (1978) KJ RW

Soft Head - ROGUE ELEMENT - LP Ogun OG527 (1978) ED HH

Soft Heap - SOFT HEAP - LP Charly WATT8 (1978) ED HH

Keith Tippett's Ark - FRAMES - 2LP Ogun OGD0034 (1978) ED

Gilgamesh - ANOTHER FINE TUNE YOU'VE GOT ME INTO
     - LP Charly CRL 5009 (1979) HH

Hugh Hopper - MONSTER BAND - LP Atmosphere IRI 5003 (France, 1979),
     CD Culture Press 3012782 (1996) ED HH

Elton Dean Quintet - BOUNDARIES - LP Japo 60033 (1980) ED

Hopper/Gowen - TWO RAINBOWS DAILY - LP Europa/Red ROUGE1
     (1980), CD Cuneiform RUNE 77 (USA, 1995) HH

Matching Mole - BBC RADIO 1 LIVE IN CONCERT (27/7/72)
     - CD Windsong WINCD 063 (1994) RW

Matching Mole - SMOKE SIGNALS (1972) - CD Cuneiform RUNE 150
     (USA, 2001) RW

Matching Mole - MARCH (3/1972) - CD Cuneiform RUNE 172
     (USA, 2001) RW

The above listing is not a complete discography!

AD Music Ltd., 5 Albion Road, Bungay, Suffolk, NR35 1LQ, England.      [www.admusiconline.com] [email: admin@admusiconline.com] Altres [www.altres.co.uk] [info@altres.co.uk] Auricle Music -> Ultima Thule (UK) Gregorio Bardini, Via Delle Querce 15, 39011 Lana (BZ), Italy Barking Green / Buzzle, Tim Story, P.O. Box 415, Maumee, Oh 43537, USA      [storypod@aol.com] Enrico Bassi, c/o Via Ungheria 109, 36025 Movent Vil, VI - Italy Neil Campbell [www.neilcampbellcollective.com] Celeno / N.R. Hills [http://homepage.ntlworld.com/nrhills] Cuneiform Records, P.O. Box 8427, Silver Spring, MD 20907-8427, USA.      [www.cuneiformrecords.com] Cyclops Records, P.O. Box 834a, K-O-T & Surbiton, Surrey, KT1 9BZ.      [Fax. 020 8397 2998] [www.gft-cyclops.co.uk]  Pinnacle Records (UK) DiN, 38 Church Lane, Ormesby, Middlesbrough. TS7 9AP, England.      [01642 327 482] [www.din.org.uk] [email: info@din.org.uk] ECM [www.ecmrecords.com] -> New Note (UK) Eternity's Jest / Quarkspace, PMB 212, 1487 West Fifth Avenue, Columbus, OH      43212, USA. [www.quarkspace.com] [pwdood@quarkspace.com] 4Zero [www.4zerorecords.co.uk] -> Shellshock/Pinnacle Garden of Delights [email: garden-of-delights@t-online.de] Geometrik Records [www.geometrikrecords.com] ICR [www.icrdistribution.com] -> Cargo (UK) Important Records [www.ImportantRecords.com] -> F Minor/Cargo (UK) Lunar Dunes -> Cadiz/Pinnacle (UK) Moon City Music / Black Carrot [www.blackcarrot.net] Musea Productions & Distribution, 138, rue de Vallières, 57070 Metz, France.      [Fax: +33 387 366473] [www.musearecords.com]      [data@musearecords.com] Points Of Friction, c/o Spagyric, 19241 Kenya St., Northridge, CA 91326, USA      [www.pointsoffriction.com] Brendan Pollard [brendon.pollard@ntlworld.com] Poseidon/Vital etc. -> Musea Distribution Prudence, BSC Music, P.O. Box 46, 82055 Icking, Germany.      [+49 8178 1533, Fax. +49 8178 1212] [www.bscmusic.com] Ricochet Dream, PO Box 153, Red Bank, NJ 07701, USA      [www.ricochetdream.com] Nachtricht/Rixongs [rick@rcrane7.fsnet.co.uk] September Gurls, Sigmundstrasse 92, 90431 Nürnberg, Germany.      [Fax. +49 911 318233] [www.septembergurlsrecords.com] Spotted Peccary [www.spottedpeccary.com] Synkronos P.O. Box 22, Upper Darby, PA 19082-0022, USA.      [www.synkronosmusic.com] [info@synkronosmusic.com] Synthetic Symphony -> SPV (Germany -> Cadiz/Pinnacle (UK) Transubstans, c/o Record Heaven, Box 24, 274 02 Skivarp, Sweden      [+40 466644] [www.recordheaven.net] [record.heaven@telia.com] Trigon, Rainer Lange, Gebhardstr. 29, 76135 Karlsruhe, Germany      [www.heavyzenjazz.de] [www.trigon.in] [rainer@trigon.in] Virta [Andekdoten] -> Shellshock/Pinnacle [UK] _______________________________________________ Note: many of the addresses above may no longer be valid, and are of historical reference only. Use a web search engine like Google or a resource like Discogs to find current addresses. Ultima Thule [the retail arm and publisher of Audion] can supply many titles reviewed in Audion, or at least may be able to help you locate them. Phone and ask for Alan if you have an enquiry, and I'll see what I can do. Ultima Thule offer a specialist mail-order service dealing with the types of music you'll find in Audion, but are not able to stock everything. Ultima Thule, 21 Heather Road, Leicester, LE2 6DF, England. Phone 0116 2702354 www.ultimathulerecords.com PayPal: utle2uk@btconnect.com https://www.facebook.com/groups/ultimathulemusic/ _______________________________________________ Distributors (i.e. Pinnacle, EMI, Universal, BMG) generally only work through retailers, and will not deal directly with the public, you will need to order their products through a record retailer! These days, most businesses have easy to find web-sites, and can be contacted by e-mail. -> denotes who distributes the label (enquire with a retailer, i.e. Ultima Thule, Wayside Music, Musea, HMV, Fnac). When no contact address is given it usually means one of two things... 1) there is no address given on the album. 2) the reviewer didn't supply any such information to Audion.