SIX/SEVEN

This compilation is actually (as the name most obviously suggests) two albums (Six and Seven.surprise, surprise) put together. I will give a short overview of these together but will hopefully write a review of each album sometime later this year.

Six and Seven continue on from what Five started, which is a return to more jazz oriented music. Six is the last Soft Machine album bassist Hugh Hopper is featured on and he is replaced by Roy Babbington on Seven. It is not the first Soft Machine album Roy is featured on as he played double bass on Fourth and Five as a contribution to Hugh Hoppers bass playing. The only original member left on Seven is Mike Ratledge. The band does a great job of keeping the jazz feel but has moved away from the distinct Canterbury sound found on albums featuring Robert Wyatt. This is an instrumental album.

It is worth buying if you are considering buying these two albums and find this for cheaper (it probably will be as I have usually found two albums-in-one release to be cheaper than the two albums separately) and it has a good overview of Soft Machine's history in the 7 page booklet and is very well written but not necessary. The albums are good and if you like Five you are sure to like these two and only one purchase is necessary (or if like me you got this for free from a friend - thanks James!) for both these albums. 4/5 stars.

The Soft Machine - Six/ Seven

This compilation is The Soft Machines six and seventh album released together for the price of one CD. A real treat if you like their music. There is a coherence in The Soft Machine´s sound on Six and Seven that justifies this release.

Six:

The sixth album from The Soft Machine called Six is where The Soft Machine again began to spark my interest after the jazzy Fourth and Fifth. Six is a very jazzy album as well but it´s like some of the old psychadelic parts have returned. The are much nicer here though and not quite as edgy as they were on Third, but they are there.

The album is divided into a live part and a studio part. The live part is very well performed and with a really good sound quality. There is a lack of audience appreciation between the songs though and that pretty much kills the idea of a liver performance IMO. Riff II which is the last song of the live set does include audience noises though and it´s nice to hear. The music on the live part does remind me of Fourth and Fifth but the relentless sax soloing isn´t as hysterical as on the two previous albums and there are actual structures in some of the songs. 5 from 13 (for Phil Seamen with love & thanks) is a good example of a great theme it´s just too bad that what could have been a great song is ruined by a boring drum solo. The theme returns in the end of the song though.

The studio part of the album consists of 4 songs where especially The soft weed factor is a slow building song with some great themes. The studio part is generally the most likable seen from my point of view.

The musicianship is great and Hugh Hopper says goodbye to The Soft Machine with 1983, which is a typical Hugh Hopper composition. Drummer John Marshall is now a fulltime member of the group ( he only played on half the tracks on Fifth) while saxophonist Elton Dean has been replaced by Karl Jenkins who is a bit more restrained in his playing style than Elton Dean was.

Six is a more accessible album than both Fourth and Fifth but it´s still way too jazzy and unstructured jamming to satisfy my taste and I´ll rate it 2 stars.

Seven:

The Seventh album from The Soft Machine called Seven is a step in the right direction for the band. I can´t hide that their last four albums really haven´t been to my taste but with this album they have left the very unstructured and jamming jazzy approach that has haunted their music. Seven is much more streamlined and pleasant to listen to. Fans of the more avant garde jazzy parts of The Soft Machine will be disappointed with Seven. The Soft machine has a much more accessible sound on this album and there are even traces back to their Canterbury roots which I find very enjoyable.

Nettle bed starts the album and it´s a great song. IMO it´s obviously the best song here and it points toward their early Canterbury sound. Untill D.I.S. all songs are good. There are some really good jazzy themes in songs like Carol Ann, Day's eye and Tarabos. D.I.S. is one of those songs where I have to ask why I should waste my time with something like this which seems to be random notes played just for the sake of it. A step back on an else good album. Unfortunately Snodland continues the bad trend as it is a short interlude which is really unneccessary. Penny Hitch and Block seque into another. Penny Hitch being the structured part with themes and Block being the solo part. Down the Road is a pretty good song too while The German and the French Lesson songs are short rather unnessassary songs.

The musicianship is good but the bass is a good deal more subdued after Hugh Hopper has left which is a real shame. Roy Babbington is also a great bassplayer though and delivers what he should. Mike Ratledge is as a pleasant surprise very dominant with lots of soloing as a contrast to the constant wailing sax soloing on Fourth and Fifth. John Marshall is a great drummer and he delivers some good tight playing on Seven.

The sound quality is becoming more modern but it´s still great seventies sounding.

Seven has ignited my almost dying interest in The Soft Machine again even though the jazzy part of The Soft Machine´s sound never really appealed to me. This album is much better than the previous three and deserves a 3 star rating for that.

The combined conclusion after listening to these two albums is that this idea deserves a 3 star rating.

This is a nice two for the price of one 2 cd set. As far as I gather, there is no extra tracks here.

Soft Machine went more or less straight jazz on this album. Karl Jenkins took over the band and ran it his way. There is nothing straight about Soft Machine though. Their jazz has their own sound and signatures. Most often, it has some avant-garde slant to it. The first half of Six is also a live album. Most of Six feels like one long improvisation with organs, saxophones and flutes. The stuff here is good. Seven follows the same path as Six. Improvised jazz with some space rock and avant-garde influences. Seven is also a good album.

These two albums are pretty similar and it was a good idea to release them as a 2 CD budget release. If you do not own any of these two albums, this 2 CD package is therefore recommended.

3 stars

Strange combination of two albums.

"Six" was the first jazzy LP I bought (second hand) as a teenager. At that time my understanding of Jazz was restricted to Zappa's "Hot Rats", Colosseum "Live" and perhaps some groovy bits by Traffic. Little I realized then that "Six" will be a catalyst in my future musical preferences and SM will become one of my fave bands - although not on the strength of this album.

I was told that it's great work and I listened and listened to it and eventually, it grew on me, laying the ground for further interest in Jazz. In hindsight, today I see this piece closer to Canterbury, a term not in common use back then. But really, the two genres are not that far apart.

A very good album indeed - if only a bit restrained, even somewhat drawn out. Admittedly, I am not very fond of Hopper's experimentation with sound effects on the last track "1983", something he further embraced as a solo artist in future. Suffice to say, I'd recommend the "NDR Workshop" (1973) live performance of this material as a far more superior version on many levels.

"Seven" finds the band in full flight, where Jenkins is the undisputed motivator and his playing is just superb. On the first track "Nettle bed" the band collectively and individually will blow your head off. One of the most dynamic pieces I've ever heard in music (remember, it was released in 1973!). This tune alone is worth the price of the CD. Here, even the somewhat laid back Marshall (drums) plays as if possessed by the Devil. Turn up the volume to max and hold onto your seat!

The rest of the album varies between laid-back and more lively pieces, offering a nice combination. A bit of winding down is probably needed after such a majestic start. I love this album from beginning to end - except...

...for the horrible sound quality. I know, I mentioned this before and will keep doing so, until someone in authority will notice it and/or get embarrassed enough to act. I do regular searches for a remastered copy of decent quality, but no luck so far. I'll keep thumping my fist and refuse to expire until I've heard "Nettle Bed" in it's full splendour. Phew!

On the artistic strength of "Seven" I'd like to offer a 5, but realistically, as a whole package it's a strong 4.