Soft Machine:Out-Bloody-Rageous.Biography

A review by Special Collaborator Dick Heath:

Title: Soft Machine Out-Bloody-Rageous

Author: Graham Bennett

Pub: S.A.F. Publishing (URL: www.safpublishing.com).

Publishing date: October 2005

ISBN: 0 946719 84 5

Note: UK price: £20 (US $30), but Amazon.UK are discounting it to £14 (November 2005)

(I'll admit straight from the start, that I have been involved with the later stages of this biography's birth, as a proof reader and finder of the odd bit of trivia. Therefore I'm very much committed to telling the world of this excellent book).

Ever since first hearing the psychedelia of Soft Machine played on John Peel's Top Gear radio show in 1968, I felt this was a special band that stood out during period of major innovative in rock music. And then the rapid progression from psychedelic rock to the very British jazz rock of the seminal 'Third' (a contemporary album to ‘Bitches Brew’) and later the boundary breaking, jazz fusion of the 70's. While I've largely followed Machine through most of their career on record, and for instance I did the Pop Proms and was in the same building the night that the 'British Tour' recording was made, Graham Bennett clearly has made greater commitment and heard them both on record and in numerous performances. What Bennett had recognised is that Soft Machine have had a complex history: the unexpected departures, a spectacular and bitter firing, radical musical changes and radical musical innovation, then surviving only to peter out with a whimper in the early 80's. But strange to tell, while hosts of websites tell bits of their story, provide copious discographies, performance dates in scrupulous chronological order, nobody has got round to writing the definitive biography - until now. Out Bloody Rageous** is very thorough in its contents reflecting Bennett's graduate research training as a scientist, (here, well applied to the arts), with respect to the depth of research, the accuracy of detail, good analysis and most importantly telling the various stories well and with clear sense of chronology.

Virtually everybody associated with Soft Machine collaborated in this book’s creation through interviews, including the late John Peel to whom the book is dedicated. Unsurprisingly, but unfortunately Mike Ratledge was the exception; as writers in Jazzwise and Mojo magazines have discovered over the last 5 to 10 years; to this former Machinist, their history is a closed book to one of their most important members. And perhaps unlike Paul Stump and his recent Gentle Giant biography, Graham Bennett has gone out of his way and taken time to talk in detail with fellow fans of the Softs.

As a proof-reader I read the finish draft without the forwards, photos (BTW the folded out dustcover has my favourite picture), nor the discography (alas already out of date with the 4 or 5 Machine albums that have appeared this year), but now with the finished book in hand, I am really impressed. A few typos still exist, and one introduced ironically thanking the proof-readers for the corrections, and the worst (but not serious) stating I’m Sorry I’ll Read That Again as being a TV rather than a radio series. IMHO it is amongst the very best rock or jazz biographies published, for being near exhaustive in it research and reporting (cf. other similar biographies). BTW, amongst the pictures is one of Wyatt in that famous yellow suite made by Pan(Pam?), (check out the lyrics on Soft Machine's first album for further details) and reported to have been later presented to Jimi Hendrix. Lyrics are published - including the variants on record of Moon In June - so bang have gone a few of my misconceptions held for 30 years. Like Sid Smith before (i.e. with his biography, In the Court of King Crimson), Bennett is honest when offering comment about weak albums or performances. However, one reviewer in Amazon.UK while giving the book 5 stars, complained that there was a lack of critical analysis about Karl Jenkins’s contribution to Machine – read the book, and realise very few other biographers actually analysed performance etc. to anywhere the extent Bennett goes. This excellent biography is for serious contemplative reading, not the mundane fanzine (i.e. 'my band can do no wrong') level of writing. A must for Soft Machine fans, and a must for future rock biographers as an illustration about doing things right. For those uncertain between paying identical prices for this Soft Machine or the Gentle Giant biography, there is no contest, Bennett’s is much superior.

** Pure coincidence that the Soft Machine compilation issued earlier in 2005 has the same title.

, excellent review Dick and thanks for bringing it to our attention.

Another amazon purchase in progress...

You say virtually everyone involved contributed to the book. Did Wyatt provide any input do you know?

I ordered it last week thanks to you Dick!

Which brings me to another debate: How about progrock book reviews??? They couldbe in the database at the end of the tool bar or in the Misc or others section!!!!

Sean Trane wrote: I have no idea when I will be able to finish Dream Brothers (Buckley father/Son)

What is this like?  I know Gary Lucas pretty well, and he told me  he was particularly annoyed at some rewriting of the truth, on the beheast of Jeff Buckley's mother. And it is increasingly clear that the postumous double CD My Sweetheart The Drunk, included tracks Jeff Buckley never intended releasing (one was for his girlfriend's ears only), but his mother insisted - although I wonder if the delightfully quirky Genesis cover would otherwise ever been released. I started reading the Tim Buckley biog written by his guitarist Lee Underwood, but the style got to me and put it down - besides with the availability of the Soft Machine biog, then the Gentle Giant biog, these were much more preferable choices.

Sean Trane wrote: [QUOTE=Dick Heath][QUOTE=Sean Trane]   I mean Jeff's achievement was one sole album (however good Grace was) which does not come to knee height of Happy/Sad or Starsailor. I mean Jeff spend years studying classic rock in school etc... buthis final achievement is rather tiny. Tim had around eight records hal;f of them absolute classics. Sure Jeff was completely destabilized from not having his father around (Tim has only seen Jeff twice or maybe four times as a baby) , but he was an underachiever.

I have 5 or 6 Tim Buckley albums, and perhaps the postumously released Letter from London  is my favourite  (Danny Thompson is on great form), followed by the fairly obvious choice, Goodbye Hello. Otherwise, I find others including Starsailor, uneven.  Personally, if asked the best rock album of the 90's, I would go for Grace (Nirvana' Nevermind some distance behind). Check out the album Gary Lucas managed to get the Buckey's estate to issue under his and Jeff Buckley's joint names, Songs to No One [1991-1992] - it clearly reveals the development of Buckley from an inhibited ('put upon', a term I've heard privately) individual to a quite masterful singer. What the Buckley estate don't want you to know, is Buckley's biggest hits were originally written by Gary Lucas, in his capacity as Buckley mentor - even musical tutor - Lucas gave Buckley a cassette with the instumental versions of Grace & Mojo Pin, and told Buckley to go ahead write lyrics and rearrange as necessary - the result is what you hear on Grace. Listen to Lucas's Level the Playing Field [Early Hurly Burly 1988-1994]   for the original demos.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/tg/listmania/list-browse /-/1OK5QKS5AOHUF/026-9226558-7204446

Some Updates.

Gary Lucas (let's name drop!! - see the blog for 4th January for more detail at www.garylucas.com ) introduced me to Mike Barnes (the definitive Beefheart biographer) just after Christamas, who spent some time talking about Out Bloody Rageous and Robert Wyatt. Barnes reckons OBR is the best rock biog he's read, and anticipates a lead review in Mojo magazone soon. Jon Newey editor of Jazzwise magazine, is also reviewing it (contacted me to complain about the errors but more so to moan about the comments made by Bennett wrt Stuart Nicholson's Jazz Rock A History) - so clearly a book that interests both rock and jazz people. Graham Bennett also tells me it is up for a prestiguous US publishing award!

Dick Heath wrote: Sean Trane wrote: [QUOTE=Dick Heath][QUOTE=Sean Trane]   I mean Jeff's achievement was one sole album (however good Grace was) which does not come to knee height of Happy/Sad or Starsailor. I mean Jeff spend years studying classic rock in school etc... buthis final achievement is rather tiny. Tim had around eight records hal;f of them absolute classics. Sure Jeff was completely destabilized from not having his father around (Tim has only seen Jeff twice or maybe four times as a baby) , but he was an underachiever.     I have 5 or 6 Tim Buckley albums, and perhaps the postumously released Letter from London  is my favourite  (Danny Thompson is on great form), followed by the fairly obvious choice, Goodbye Hello. Otherwise, I find others including Starsailor, uneven.  Personally, if asked the best rock album of the 90's, I would go for Grace (Nirvana' Nevermind some distance behind). Check out the album Gary Lucas managed to get the Buckey's estate to issue under his and Jeff Buckley's joint names, Songs to No One [1991-1992] - it clearly reveals the development of Buckley from an inhibited ('put upon', a term I've heard privately) individual to a quite masterful singer. What the Buckley estate don't want you to know, is Buckley's biggest hits were originally written by Gary Lucas, in his capacity as Buckley mentor - even musical tutor - Lucas gave Buckley a cassette with the instumental versions of Grace & Mojo Pin, and told Buckley to go ahead write lyrics and rearrange as necessary - the result is what you hear on Grace. Listen to Lucas's Level the Playing Field [Early Hurly Burly 1988-1994]   for the original demos.   http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/tg/listmania/list-browse /-/1OK5QKS5AOHUF/026-9226558-7204446

I'm very interested in this topic, got the book and a fair number of Tim albums, plus all the various "albums" that came out after Jeff's death ...

Interesting angle on  Lucas as a crucial songwriter ... the bitterness of Mary, Jeff's mother towards Tim, is something that Lee Underwood has spoken out against quite often, although Underwood himself can be a Tim-worshipper ...

Although I have no doubt that Tim was the greater talent, I think calling Jeff Buckley an underacheiver is quite unfair though ... the scene had changed so much ... and I believe he should be judged on Grace alone ... it's an excellent legacy ... I get very frustrated thinking about this one ...