(no point in posting this on Planet Gong, forum's dead... no one will notice this thread) So, anyone into The Soft Machine? What's your fave album? Just curious to see who, who I know here, like them I really dig them, my favorite album is: But I really love almost as much 1&2. Love jazz-fusion...
Never heard of them, but I do like another band with "machine" in their name, they are The Secret Machines. They are the psychedelic music of the new millenium But I do love jazz music.
I really don't think The soft machine were ULTRA RARE like you think. they were pretty well known. maybe more so among the artist community (nick mason directed robert wyatt's rock bottom for instance) but I also realize they didn't get ALL the attention they deserved. There are much lesser known bands that maintain high levels of talent for sure. anywho I have volumes 1-5. I can't stand volume 2 really...but volume 1 is good. volumes 3-5 seem to get jazzier as they progress and I am sure vol. 6 is even jazzier. but 5 is pretty good too. 3 seems to lack direction sometimes. Oh, and I also have spaced too. weird album, sorta rock in opposition. but if you like soft machine go to www.progarchives.com to explore other canterbury/fusion/RIO bands. national health is very good, hatfield and the north, gilgamesh...along with the countless fusion bands that blow my mind.
Well, I personally never thought they were unknown at all, where I'm from (France) they're HUGE... but they're kinda unknown to most hipforumers
I enjoy volume 1, as well. I have a cd that has both vol 1 and vol 2 on it..... I can tell that on the second volume, kevin ayers has no influence whatsoever on it.... the third album is too pretentious for my blood.
ohhh..being from france, have you heard of these 70s rock bands?: 1. carpe diem 2. Lard Free 3. Pulsar 4. Clearlight (symphony) 5. magma (I don't like these guys as much, far to complicated) 6. Tai phong....and also, lesser known Triode has a flute player who studied under Ian anderson and is as good as the master..they did just one album. and lesser known Rahmann, a fusion band from 78, just one album. five bands I have yet to listen to who are supposed to be huge are 1. atoll 2. ange 3. art zoyd 4. weidorje 5. Malicorne
I love psychedelia, but I just can't get into the Soft Machine. I have Volume 2 and some 2-CD compilation set with stuff from Volume 1 and Volume 2, but I just can't force myself to listen to it. It bores me. I don't know... maybe I need to hear Volume 1 all the way through to get a really good feel for them.
they are really good musicians. although i admit ive only got their love makes sweet music and b side song on a compilation, a cd of their demo's, and their first 2 albums. they were probably more popular in america than the uk when they toured there with hendrix.
Yeah i really like the soft machine, and everyone i've asked they didn't know they existed. i've only got volumes 1&2 and i liKE
I heard from Carpe Diem & Magma, but never hear their music, just the names... oh wait yeah I hear 1 Magma song, but I thought it was too complicated and weird too.
I don't own any Soft Machine myself but I did buy Jet Propelled Photographs for my ex as an xmas gift one year. A friend of mine had a cd, can't remember what it was called, but it had Chloe and The Pirates and Facelift on it. I think it was a compilation, I'm not sure. From what I heard of them I really like but I'm not sure which release to buy first.
Prog rock. I can`t stand it! I bought the CD with vol 1 and 2 on it, and it seems like yet another attempt to stitch together really mediocre fragments of songs so that they sound more interesting. It really doesn`t go anywhere, though. That said, I like `Rock Bottom` significantly more... it has some real standout moments musically as well as honest and sincerely interesting lyrics. It actually evokes a psychological state more engaging than that of the future acid casualty, which can only be a good thing. I also like the Soft Machine song `Memories`. Whitney Houston does a cover of it.
agreed, rock bottom is probably the most intense cd I have ever heard. you guys know the story behind that I am sure. how robert fell from a 4 story window at a party and broke his back..not even a year later and rock bottom comes out. hmm..and penny, pulsar was supposingly was tagged, unfairly, as the french pink floyd. but they were very orginal and were supposed to be pretty big in the late 70s. Ange apparently, were pretty big in france too, so i wanna check them out.
