ALIVE & WELL - RECORDED IN PARIS

If we can forget for a minute the colourful history of the Soft Machine, the unique and pioneering act from the Canterbury scene, the Bizarre and eclectic musical stylings on the first four albums and listen to Alive And Well: Recorded In Paris for what it is. A very well executed live album of jazz rock fusion. And though live this album contains new material. Roy Babbington who had been on board since Fourth made way for Steve Cook on bass. Jenkins also recruited Rick Sanders on violin and then Softies headed to France especially to record the album that would finally put Soft Machine to bed. At least until the early eighties when the Land Of Cockayne thingy emerged regrettably. The performances here over four nights at the Theatre Le Palace, a small theatre, are electrifying and for the first time the electric guitar fits in and finds its own niche. John Etheridge plays his heart out on this album and even puts Soft Machine's latest leader Karl Jenkins in the shade, or at least into a back seat for a while. Etheridge's guitar is extremely prominent throughout this album and I guess he was lucky to have any guitar whatsoever. After the first night of this short French trek the Soft Machine had their van raided by some Parisienne thief. Guitars along with other equipment was stolen. The band members ended up having to borrow gear from elsewhere to finish off their mini French excursion and get their record done. But the change of familiar instrumentation to newer and untried machines seems to have effected the balance little. There is a finely honed atmosphere on the album and it is actually hard to believe that this album is actually live, it is crisp and clear and after almost twenty seven years still sounds bright and big. Though I am sure a few overdubs were pasted in but it still sounds impressive. One of the more unusual pieces on Alive And Well: Recorded In Paris is the techno like studio cut "Soft Space", a tune well ahead of its era with its throbbing synthetic drum beats and rhythmic acoustic guitar falling into sympathy. Apparently Jenkins wanted drummer John Marshall to record his kick bass drum and snare parts separately and this is what gives this piece the big powerful machine-gun like sound, it comes across like a thundering drum machine and by all accounts Marshall was unsatisfied with this approach, but then drummers are odd fellows to work with. Good album and a fitting coda to the Karl Jenkins led Soft Machine. Even old hand and original Softie Mike Ratledge dropped by to help with the synth arrangement on some of it.