Soft Machine - Noisette (1970)

Elton Dean - alto sax , saxello
Lyn Dobson - soprano sax, flute, vocal
Hugh Hopper - bass
Mike Ratledge - electric piano, organ
Robert Wyatt - drums, vocals

"...Britain's best answer to electric Miles Davis" - Pulse

O grupie Soft Machine nie ma chyba sensu pisać, bo wychodzę z założenia, że jest ona doskonale znana. Gdyby ktoś jednak jakimś niefartem nie wiedział, co to za zespół i jakich wielkich wielkich muzycznych dzieł dokonał to odsyłam do wikipedii (póki jeszcze istnieje :))

Noisette is the third in our Soft Machine series, recorded January 4th, 1970 at the same concert as "Facelift" on Third, by the short-lived quintet formation of the group: Elton Dean & Lyn Dobson-reeds, Hugh Hopper-bass, Mike Ratledge-keyboards & Robert Wyatt-drums & vocals. Noisette features the rest of the concert, & showcases a band in transition from their earlier psychedelic/ progressive sound towards the jazz rock sound of Third & Fourth. It features the quintet performing versions of material from their 1st two albums as well as material not available on their studio albums. Mastered directly off of the 30 year old 15ips master tapes, this release boasts superb live sound for the time period, & includes rare, unseen photos and liner notes by Aymeric Leroy

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In more than an hour of music from a January 4, 1970 concert, this represents the group just after they shrank from a septet to a quintet due to the departure of Nick Evans and Marc Charig. Only one other track by these five, "Facelift" (on Third), has previously been released; the five-man lineup would be short-lived, as soprano saxophonist/flautist Lyn Dobson would leave in early 1970. This is at least the sixth release of archival, non-album Soft Machine material from the late 1960s and early 1970s, counting their BBC Peel Sessions compilation, Live at the Proms 1970, Live at the Paradiso 1969, the 1971 show on Virtually, and the previously unreleased 1969 tapes on Spaced. Apparently the well of unissued material from the era is much deeper than anyone thought, and it could be that, all things considered, this release is among the best of the lot. The sound is decent; it's certainly better than it is on Live at the Proms 1970. There is a good selection of material from the Third era, not all of which made it onto their studio albums, including "Moon in June," "Eamonn Andrews," "Mousetrap," and "12/8 Theme" (this last track appearing on disc here for the first time). There's also "Esther's Nose Job" from the second album and Kevin Ayers' "We Did It Again" from the debut. At this point the Soft Machine were becoming more of a jazz group than a rock one, and almost wholly instrumental, except for some scattish vocals from Robert Wyatt and Lyn Dobson once in a while. Principally the tone is that of high-energy with occasionally frenzied soloing and dueling between Ratledge's electric keyboards and the saxophones, underscored by Wyatt's busy drumming and Dobson playing the flute in the Roland Kirk talk-play style on "Backwards," --- Richie Unterberg

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