Label: Sony BMG Music Entertainment (Europe), 82876872932
Style: Jazz Rock, Psychedelic Rock, Progressive Rock
Country: Canterbury, England
Time: 75:21, 38:58
Format: Flac Tracks 16/44,1 kHz
Size: 402, 222 Mb
Man,
this is a unique jazz gem yet to be heard by most jazz fans. Ok,
probably most wouldn't dig it, but who cares? The Soft Machine's third
release is one of a kind in the entire world, released in a time where
'jazz fusion' was at its early stage, this band seemed to be ahead of
most contemporary jazz rockers. Surely Miles Davis was jealous of what
this band made contemporary to the man's jazz rock experiments.
At
times so fine and British-jazzy, at others so chaotic, sometimes dreamy
as a German electronic band, yes, this is freaky jazz (rock?). Before I
enter in details, I'd like to state that the overall production is
rather weak but being 1970 not many had great productions either, so
take that in mind. However, after all, this is majestic twisted jazz,
who needs great production anyway? Ok, Miles Davis needed one.
First
composition, 'Facelift', is the one that is most inclined towards free
jazz and avant-garde out of the four big compositions. It has a lot of
dissonancy and experimental bits, though with repeated listens you will
get the whole thing better, but I got to admit that I usually skip this.
Probably the only composition of the album that seems to be affected by
the raw and dusty production, though that's mainly cause it was
recorded live. Mind you, when I'm in the mood for it, it's like
listening to an extremely powerful and noisy rock jam which really
rocks. It does evoke a bit the prog rock trend with a flute solo, among
other things. Recommended mainly to fans of Henry Cow and The Mothers of
Invention's most avant moments, and maybe some free jazz.
Second
composition, 'Slightly All the Time', announces The Machine's future
albums (Fourth and Fifth), being heavily based on jazz with great
saxophone playing courtesy of Elton Dean plus a great rhythm section,
including a bass line that is similar to 'Tout de Suite' by Davis. The
composition evolves a lot, from gentle paces to faster ones, from
beautiful melodies and moods to more ferocious ones. Definitely an
amazing construction, the first masterpiece on the album.
Third
composition is 'Moon in June', a composition that has a huge fan base
and I, after repeated listens, became to be part of it. It's the only
track featuring vocals; these are from the one and only Robert Wyatt,
the drummer of the band. A tad bit melancholic and psychedelic at first,
but in the very middle of the tune it all becomes another Soft Machine
rockin' jazzy jam with a solid performance of overlooked keyboard
master, Mike Ratledge. The ending is pretty much noise, featuring
backward playing and a noisy violin, but since already from the
beginning the track seems to be very schizophrenic in mood, it fits
really well. Odd at first, but very rewarding after various listens,
it's undoubtedely Wyatt's vocal section that is the most enjoyable and
unique.
Fourth composition, 'Out Bloody Rageous', is yet another
incredible tune that is more akin to 'Slightly All the Time' in the
jazzier aspect. But the highlight of this tune is not actually the jazzy
playing, if not the five minute spacey intro which is pure bliss. Of
course, the overall playing of the rest of the band in the rest of the
composition is fantastic, great bass work and especially superb woodwind
playing, as well as a really fine keyboard solo from Mike Ratledge. One
of the band's greatest achievements.
No further comments other than
my recommendation: Highly recommended if you're a jazz and fusion fan
looking for something completely fresh, this may blow your mind, beware.
Yes,
four different and mind-blowing compositions, which three of them I
consider completely timeless, making as a whole a masterpiece, one of
the various peaks of British rock/jazz, and definitely the Softs most
creative effort.
Third is The Soft Machine's unique jazz style
masterpiece, previously they released a psychedelic jazzy rock
masterpiece (Vol. 2), and in future years they would release a fusion
masterpiece (Bundles). What an amazing band.
(jazzmusicarchives.com/album/soft-machine/third)
01. Facelift (18:48)
02. Slightly All the Time (18:13)
03. Moon in June (19:07)
04. Out-Bloody-Rageous (19:11)
01. Out-Bloody-Rageous (11:57)
02. Facelift (11:22)
03. Esther's Nose Job (15:38)
CD1: TurboBit KatFile DailyUploads FreeDlink FikPer
CD2: TurboBit KatFile DailyUploads FreeDlink FikPer
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