FACE AND PLACE VOL. 7 [AKA: JET PROPELLED PHOTOGRAPHS, AKA: AT THE BEGINNING]

My review of JET PROPELLED PHOTOGRAPHS is primarily intended for big fans of the band like myself. This demo isn't for people with a passing interest in The Soft Machine. As others have suggested, this is the kind of late 60's psychedelic pop/rock which was so popular at the time. There are bands who wrote and played in this style more compellingly; Jefferson Airplane is the first band that comes instantly to mind. The 9 songs on JET PROPELLED PHOTOGRAPHS are very well-performed; the great skills of the group are evident even in their first recording. David Allen's guitar and Mike Ratledge's keyboards stand out for me.

Like other Soft Machine releases, the singing is just adequate. The song writing is also adequate, but I wish the band would stretch out more and show off their instrumental skills. Most of the songs, which appear in different form on later albums, haven't really stuck with me. Since we can't give 2 1/2 star ratings, I'll give JET PROPELLED PHOTOGRAPHS 3 stars. I like most of Soft Machine's music, although there's quite a bit I haven't listened to. If you listened to the band's early official releases repeatedly, JET PROPELLED PHOTOGRAPHS is a good alternative.