SOFT MACHINE PARIS CONCERT REPORT
Printed From: Progarchives.com
Category: Progressive Music Lounges
Forum Name: Live Performance Reviews
Forum Description: Performance Reviews by Members
URL: http://www.progarchives.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=15838
Printed Date: December 22 2024 at 08:19
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Topic: SOFT MACHINE PARIS CONCERT REPORT
Posted By: oliverstoned
Subject: SOFT MACHINE PARIS CONCERT REPORT
Date Posted: December 13 2005 at 08:32
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SOFT MACHINE CONCERT REPORT
Before the concert, i met Alucard and it was my first progarchives meeting! Alucard is a very gentle person, and we had much pleasure to evoke our favourite bands and albums together. Then we moved to the “New morning” and were happy to find very few people (about 40 persons!!) and an intimist atmosphere. The new morning is a jazz club so it explains this peaceful mood. As we discuss prog music with Alucard in front of the toilet, a living god passed in front of me to go into the toilets: it was Hugh Hopper himself!! I was amazed and could even speak a word, as i was completely astonished to see him so close. Sorry Alucard! (Although it was not the first time I saw him). Then the concert started. I was not surprised that sound was ten times too loud, as they amplified sax and drums to make it sound “rock”, whereas it was completely unnecessary, as we were in a little space, designed for acoustic jazz. So i put cotton pieces inside my ears, and it became almost bearable. This line up is very efficient on a technical level… Drums and bass were incredible, despite of the “bumped low” due to over amplification. For sure, Mr Marshall is a killer on drums! Hugh Hopper is still very good, Elton Dean plays in the same vein than he always did. Mr Etheridge on guitar is quite skilled but a little too violent and demonstrative sometimes. They played Third but sound was too square and cold to feel the studio albums nostalgia. Second set was softer, with more melodic compositions. To sum up, this concert was quite good but unfortunately sound was too loud as usual in rock concerts. There was a little lack of magic, inspiration, but I was expecting it. However, they were all very good, better than the concert i’ve seen about four years ago with another drummer, far less good than Marshall who is a killer. |
Replies:
Posted By: Alucard
Date Posted: December 13 2005 at 10:29
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Thanx for the flowers Oliver, I'd say the same for you ...it was defintely too loud and not very balanced, you couldn't hear Elton Dean's Fender Rhodes and I was disappointed by John Etheridge. Like Oliver I prefered the second set especially 'Kings and Queens'. BTW : They were filming the concert and it will be released as a DVD, so you can judge youself! ------------- Tadpoles keep screaming in my ear "Hey there! Rotter's Club! Explain the meaning of this song and share it" |
Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: December 13 2005 at 10:36
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I suppose that you two went to a concert that was played by a formation called: Soft Machine Legacy
They have no real right to the historical name. They recorded in June a live album in zaandam, Holland and I reviewd it about one month ago! ------------- let's just stay above the moral melee prefer the sink to the gutter keep our sand-castle virtues content to be a doer as well as a thinker, prefer lifting our pen rather than un-sheath our sword |
Posted By: oliverstoned
Date Posted: December 13 2005 at 10:46
| I think the album you reviewed is the one they were playing just before the concert starts. I quite agry with your point of view saying that this line up doesn't embodies the guenuine SM. That's why ther's not the magic of our fav studio albums. |
Posted By: Sean Trane
Date Posted: December 13 2005 at 10:53
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Salut Olivier!! Unless you soeak of my review , in my post I do only say that they do not have the right to be called Soft Machine. As for my review of the album, Etheridge belongs to a whole different generation of SM than the other three. I did not rate the album well but I believe I was fair too! ------------- let's just stay above the moral melee prefer the sink to the gutter keep our sand-castle virtues content to be a doer as well as a thinker, prefer lifting our pen rather than un-sheath our sword |
oliverstoned wrote:
Posted By: oliverstoned
Date Posted: December 13 2005 at 10:59
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Bonjour Hugues!
Indeed i was alluding to your review that i just read. Yes, Etheridge comes from the late 70's fusion era, which explains the cold and technical sound he has. But yes, it stays a good band, i agree. I'd just like to hear them live without this ridiculous bumped low sound which almost ruined their performance. |
Posted By: Alucard
Date Posted: December 13 2005 at 11:11
Maybe it is linked to the country, in France they are touring under 'Soft Machine': press, concert tickets, posters! ------------- Tadpoles keep screaming in my ear "Hey there! Rotter's Club! Explain the meaning of this song and share it" |
Posted By: oliverstoned
Date Posted: December 13 2005 at 11:13
| Yeah, maybe a legal issue! |
Posted By: hawkbrock
Date Posted: January 05 2006 at 08:20
| I like Soft Machine so its good to hear that they still play... did they play Eamon Andrews? |
Posted By: oliverstoned
Date Posted: January 05 2006 at 08:38
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Not sure...reminds me from which album it is?
You should easly see them in the UK... |
Posted By: hawkbrock
Date Posted: January 05 2006 at 15:31
| Eamon Andrews is only on live albums such as Kings of Cantebury, or their BBC sessions 4 cd set... |