Customer Reviews

Bundles

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I was turned on to this album, and in it heard my first Allan Holdsworth (guitar), at the tender age of 16 or 17, and life hasn't been the same since. I just ordered it and listened to it for the first time in about 20 years, with the clarity a CD affords, and I can see it's going to screw me up again!

There are no adequate words to describe the guitar solos on this album, especially in "Hazard Profile Part 1". This is a young Holdsworth recorded at the point of a major breakthrough in his virtuosity. He is like a machine (a "soft" machine??), relentlessly spewing impossibly long and fluid strings of legato 32nd notes. It's positively mindbending if you are a serious listener of music. If you're a musician, especially a guitarist, it's nothing short of devastating.

As for the rest of the musicians on this album, they're brilliant too. The drum work is stellar; the keyboards are at turns subtle and psychedelic; the bass is transcendently transparent; and the horns speak like the songs of a possessed shaman. "Bundles" is an entire package that flows from beginning to end, like an aural movie. The fact that this came out in 1975 is in itself devastating because it reveals just how banal and un-challenging music has become today in comparison. The jazz-rock fusion of the 70s represented a pinnacle of unabashed creativity that hasn't been touched since and I'm very afraid will likely never be seen again. "Bundles" captures a golden moment in this most special era of music.

Now I have to go listen to it again and cry some more...

this cd should have been remastered a long time ago, with that said if you like soft machine or are a allen holdsworth fan ( guilty) you need to get this. the remastering is excellent on this ,and is much better than the see for miles release.

Mike Ratledge's last album with the Softs found the band on a new label and adding guitar to their jazz-rock sound. In a nutshell, the guitar, provided by Allan Holdsworth works, and makes this one of the best fusion pieces of the mid 1970s. Worth a listen (especially by Softs fans who refuse to listen to anything the group made after Robert Wyatt left).

This CD contains truly jaw-dropping musicianship. In particular, the first nine minutes of the disk (part one of "Hazard Profile") will make you smile in joyous disbelief: Holdsworth's seemingly impossible yet mellifluous guitar shredding extends with nary a lull for some six minutes, while Marshall's drumming weaves a complex, groovy foundational beat that, alone, merits full attention. And, it's worth mentioning that this long-overdue re-master features excellent and notably crisp sound.

I see a lot of people viewing this album through the lens of the Soft Machine legacy.

Forget that. Don't judge this album on how it's not like the other Soft Machine releases. Don't judge this lineup on how it's not like previous or following lineups.

Listen to this album as a standalone work. It's hypnotic. It's fascinating. It's emotional. It's technically astounding. And it features Allan Holdsworth in some of his finest playing, imho. If you love progressive rock, or hypnotic jazz fusion even, this recording comes with my highest recommendation.

when i first bought bundles on vinyl, years ago, i did not like it very much. i thought it was cold and labored. over the years, i listened to it now and then. got some live versions of it and became very fond of the fire and passion of the playing, so bought this esoteric (not phantasm as listed) version of bundles. i take it all back. this is an excellent release. maybe, like some, i was not used to soft machine adding a guitarist to their mix. allan holdsworth, whether in the studio, and especially live, plays like he's possessed. his style if fast and fluid. it's just amazing to hear him. this esoteric release is remastered beautifully and comes with an informative booklet. this is a great addition to any jazz/rock fusion cd collection. to me, soft machine was one of those rare bands, though constantly changing, still kept releasing very moving and powerful releases. amazing how this band played in the 70's, their music is a fresh today and it was innovative back then. soft machine's music has survived the tides of time.

Yes, it is true that many elitist Soft Machine fans might shun this record because the dearly loved Robert Wyatt is not on it. Well, that is a shame. This is Mike R's (keyboards)last studio outing with the band... and he is as superb with his style of playing in a subtle, less pronounced way. Mike has grown up a lot! He approaches the fuzz box with a familiar reverence however, he has learned how to lay back some and let other intramentalist show themselves as well. The record clearly showcases various members of the entire band. It flows beautifully from Hazard Profile to the end peice, which is a showcase peice for percussion. This sounds like, and makes me remember 1975 for the intellegent expressiveness of music in the world of jazz-fusion and prog rock. I still find it captures the energy and calm of the mid-seventies very well. On the same token, it does NOT sound stuck in the seventies either!
It's not Grand Funk Railroad folks, it is the metamorphisized Soft Machine! This record, at the time of it's release, is most noticed for bringing Allan Holdsworth to the attention of the Prog Rock and ultimately the jazz world. It does that very well, but don't forget just what the Soft Machine was either! It's a great spin!

All bands have to change eventually, and the Canterbury progressive rock movement is no exception. Bundles marks a significant change in the Soft Machines sound. I actually don't think it's for the worse, but you know, there's really nothing incredibly *distinct* and original about the music on Bundles either, so in that respect it's probably a slight disappointment (but I honestly MEAN it when I say "slight").

But the album seriously deserves 5 stars because the music is flat out *awesome* the entire time.

"Hazard Profile Part 1" features an ominous and haunting intro before breaking out into a Jeff Beck-sounding guitar jam, but extended for a lengthier period of time than anything from the mid 70's Beck albums (at least the studio ones). Of the 9 minutes, about six of it is devoted to an insanely heavy guitar jam. Is it jazzy? Probably, but you'll mostly remember it for how much it rocks.

Another good comparison would probably be to Frank Zappa's "Willie the Pimp". Remember THAT incredible guitar jam? The approach is similar.

WAIT! The *best* comparison would be to Return To Forever's Where Have I Seen You Before? guitar jazzy album released around the same time. Oh well, I love this track all the same.

"The Floating World" is exactly the opposite- this lengthy track features beautifully written (and quiet) flute sections. It's actually VERY different from anything I've ever heard the Soft Machine attempt in the past, but that's alright- these guys apparently could do anything with all their talent and make it believable.

Bundles is an album I recommend for Mahavishnu Orchestra, Jeff Beck, and Camel fans. It definitely sounds different compared to other Soft Machine albums, but in terms of pure quality and memorable instrumental jams, Bundles stands up with the best of the mid 70's rock/jazz offerings.

Unlike some of the other reviewers, I am basically unfamiliar with Soft Machine's catalog, so I cannot compare this to their other recordings. I came upon this CD by hearing Hazard Profile Pt. 1 on an internet radio station, and I was so impressed that I purchased Bundles. I found this CD to be solid 70's jazz/progressive music, all instrumental, and all the songs well written and performed. I particularly like all 5 movements of Hazard, as well as the melodic quiet jazz of The Man Who Waved at Trains, and the ambient drone of The Floating World. A diverse recording, with guitarist Alan Holdsworth as the main highlight here. Highly recommended on its own terms.

One of the more challenging bands to emerge from the much heralded "Canterbury Scene" of the late 60's (Caravan, Gong and all thier friends and relatives), the Soft Machine became a full-blown rock fusion outfit on this excellent 1974 release. Sounding like a cross between Frank Zappa (think "Wakajawaka"/"Grand Wazoo" period) and the Mahavishnu Orchestra, the band really cooks on this set, propelled by Alan Holdsworth's sizzling McLaughlin/DiMeola-speed riffing.The album is not all frenetic pacing--they do slow down with some more ambient pieces, most notably the lovely "Floating World", which closes the set.In retrospect, "Bundles" holds its ground alongside a handful of seminal mid-70's fusion classics like Billy Cobham's "Spectrum", Jeff Beck's "Blow By Blow" and Mahavishnu Orchestra's "Birds Of Fire". A real sleeper.