The Soft Machine - The Soft Machine (1968) [Remastered 2009] Repost

The Soft Machine, as reissue also titled "Volume One", is the debut album by the British psychedelic rock band Soft Machine, one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene. The band, founded in 1966, recorded and released this studio album during their 1968 tour of the USA.

Recorded in just a few days in New York while Soft Machine were touring America, this debut album is really a reflection of the band's live sets at the time : a collection of psych-flavoured pop songs linked together by instrumental, sometimes improvised, interludes. Although the arrangements don't have the sophistication of later ones, what strikes one when listening to this album is how unique a style Soft Machine had already come up with at the time. Granted, there is some naivety in both the lyrics and music sometimes (some of the songs date from the Wilde Flowers years), but also an impressive maturity as a group of players. The interplay between Ratledge's organ and Wyatt's drums is of an intensity rarely paralleled in Soft Machine's later, more jazz-oriented efforts. Kevin Ayers' contributions are concentrated on the second side, the highlights of which are the absurdly repetitive "We Did It Again" and the Gurdjieff-inspired "Why Are We Sleeping?", both of which have since remained favourites of Ayers' solo gigs.





Track Listing

01. Hope For Happiness (4:22)
02. Joy Of A Toy (2:49)
03. Hope For Happiness (Reprise) (1:39)
04. Why Am I So Short? (1:37)
05. So Boot If At All (7:24)
06. A Certain Kind (4:14)
07. Save Yourself (2:25)
08. Priscilla (1:03)
09. Lullabye Letter (4:42)
10. We Did It Again (3:46)
11. Plus Belle Qu'une Poubelle (1:00)
12. Why Are We Sleeping? (5:31)
13. Box 25 / 4 Lid (0:53)

Bonus tracks

14. Love Makes Sweet Music (2:31)
15. Feelin' Reelin' Squeelin' (2:51)

Produced by Chas Chandler & Tom Wilson
This compilation compiled and produced by Mark Powell

Members

Personnel

• Robert Wyatt - drums, lead vocals
• Mike Ratledge - Lowrey Holiday De Luxe organ, piano (on 2.7)
• Kevin Ayers - bass, lead vocals (on 2.4 and 2.5), backing vocals (on 2.1 and 2.3), piano (on 1.5)

Additional personnel:

• Hugh Hopper - bass (on 2.7)
• The Cake - backing vocals (on 2.6)

Notes

24-bit remastering from the original analogue master tapes by Pascha Byrne at The Audio Archiving Company, London
This Compilation Ⓟ & Ⓒ 2009 Polydor Ltd. (UK), A Universal Music Company





Many thanks to the original uploader: freakout

Related Releases:
* Soft Machine 1969 Volume Two [Remastered 2009]
* Soft Machine 1970 Third [Japan DSD Mastering, 2005]