Customer Reviews

Jet-Propelled Photographs

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

 

 

Out of the ashes of the Daevid Allen Trio and The Wilde Flowers arose the mighty Soft Machine. Recorded in April '67, this collection of demos is interesting because we get to hear what they would've sounded like with guitar. It's played here by Daevid Allen, who left before their first album to form Gong. "The Soft Machine" (1968) contained no guitar, and the band went without it until 1975.

These early tracks differ from what fans came to know and love in two major ways. For one, the emphasis is tilted toward rock at this point in their development. It's incredible how much jazzier they became as a drum, bass, and keyboard trio without guitar. Then again, Soft Machine were always enamored of avant-jazzers like Cecil Taylor and Sun Ra - as opposed to the blues-inspired Cream (to name another trio).

The other thing is the lyrics. They are simpler, more heartfelt and direct than what they ended up using. Most are fairly conventional love songs. For example, "I Should've Known" later became "Why Am I So Short?/ So Boot If At All" on the debut. The demo version laments how he should've known his girlfriend would leave him. The debut version is a whole other theme, describing the life of a drummer in hilarious detail. Early Soft Machine could've had hit singles with their comparatively "normal" songs and commercial sound - something the funnier, jazzier Soft Machine never pulled off.

Another I like is "Jet-Propelled Photograph", which drummer Robert Wyatt and bass player Kevin Ayers sing together. Ayers later expanded this and re-titled it "Shooting At The Moon" - the title track of his second solo album. Wyatt sings everything else. A couple are holdovers from the '64 to '67 Wilde Flowers era ("Memories", "She's Gone") - but the guys play better than back then. Only "Save Yourself" and the previously discussed "I Should've Known" made it from these demo sessions onto the first album.

If you don't have "The Soft Machine", then you're missing one of the most important and best debuts of the 60's. A true psychedelic classic. They even toured the U.S. as the opening act for The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Chas Chandler (ex-bassist for The Animals) had produced Hendrix's first 2 albums, and co-produced Soft Machine's with jazz entrepreneur Tom Wilson. Wilson had produced a few of Dylan's "gone electric" albums, along with "The Velvet Underground and Nico" and Nico's "Chelsea Girl".

Soft Machine's "Volume Two" was almost as good as "Volume One" (by then they were an expanded unit), but "Third" went down a different path. No longer comprised of short eccentric songs woven into instrumental suites, it was instead long wordless jams (with the exception of Wyatt's amazing "Moon In June"). Even so, their virtuosity carried the day. Three great albums in 3 years, between '68 and '70. Psychedelic jazz/rock of the highest order. For me, that was the band's peak period.

Ayers had left after the first record, and Wyatt left after "Fourth". Both launched still-active, fascinating solo careers. "Fourth" was dull compared to what had come before. Keyboardist and founding member Mike Ratledge continued on with an ever-changing line-up as the group ventured further into serious jazz "fusion" territory. For a full account of band history and personnel, I recommend Graham Bennett's book "Soft Machine: Out-Bloody-Rageous" (2005).

If you'd like to collect their best, check out "Jet-Propelled Photographs", "The Soft Machine" (Volume One), "Volume Two", and "Third". They may not be as well remembered as some of their contemporaries (Pink Floyd, King Crimson), but they were every bit as good - and sometimes better.

As you might expect, this sounds a little like a combination between early Soft Machine and early Gong, primarily due to the presence of Daevid Allen, Gong's master loony. Daevid doesn't sing, but he plays some truly odd - and sometimes quite awful - guitar solos, and contributes to the overall attitude of fresh-faced looney whimsy. Robert Wyatt's drumming and vocals are of course utterly brilliant. Kevin Ayers contributes a couple of songs, and there are early versions of songs that would later appear in other forms on Soft Machine albums. Recording quality is adequate and the band seems under-rehearsed, which is forgivable as this was a rushed session set up by the infamous Giorgio Gomelsky to make a demo tape. It was never intended to be released to the public, but of course it was. This isn't just for Softs and Gong completists, but it sure helps if you are one. There are some great psych-pop songs on here, but it is obvious that both Daevid Allen and the Softs' best work was yet to come. Still a worthwhile diversion.

'Jet-Propelled...' is apparently a collection of 'never intended to be heard' demos.I've always thought this was Soft Machine's first actual lp,but I was wrong.The nine demos were recorded in 1967 by the original short-lived line-up of Robert Wyatt-vocals&drums,Kevin Ayers-lead vocals,Daevid Allen-guitar and Mike Ratledge-piano&organ.The demos were produced by the legendary Giorgio Gomelsky(one time member of Magma).'Jet...' has been reissued several times and it seems the disc features a completely different cover each time,this one's a beauty.Best described as eccentric British psych,not that far a cry from the Floyd/Syd Barrett era.With tracks like "Save Yourself","She's Gone" and "I'd Rather Be With You" sounding pretty good for demos,makes this CD worth giving a spin every now and again.There's only like three Soft Machine CD's I even like and this one tends to show the band at their most pop/song oriented era.Not a bad find.

Although some reviews I've read complain about Allen's guitar work, I consider it pretty good (of course, Gong's guitar work is much better). But if you don't have the single "Love Makes Sweet Music/Feelin'Reelin'Squealin" (just like me; does anybody know where I cand find it on CD?), it's perfect. The version of "Jet-Propelled Photographs" presented here, sung by Wyatt, is much better than the one presented at "Shooting at the Moon". And "When I Don't Want You" is pretty good too.

This collection, ostensibly recorded as a demo for their management, is a glimpse into what the second-most-important psychedelic group in London was up to in spring 1967. The recording quality is good, even if Daevid Allen's guitar chops weren't up-to-snuff (he's famously flagellated himself over this fact). Many of the songs on this set were later refashioned into pieces more in keeping with the progressive direction of the following five years. Even still, they sounded very unique to their contemporaries and wrote many oblique tunes with hooks (see "Jet Propelled Photograph", "I Should've Known" and "Memories"). What's missing are 1.) the recording of "Fred The Fish" from the same sessions 2.) the single "Love Makes Sweet Music" / "Reelin' Feelin' Squealin'" and 3.) the miscellaneous single tracks recorded by this line-up, including another "Fred The Fish", "Television Dream", "What's The Use In Tryin'" and the single version of "She's Gone". If some smart/wealthy collector can compile these tunes together for release, the results would be the lost psychedelic milestone of 1967. Anybody?

Finally Charly has released the "lost" album of the early Soft Machine. They have succeeded in making the product sound pretty good and listenable (for instance the Dressed To Kill release from 2000 sounds awful *shun!*). This is, as said, a "QUITE" good document of the early "psychedelic" style SM, only "quite" because it does NOT accurately represent how they could sound like at their top performance, like when they played live, so try to get any live recordings between '67-'68 to hear that. Sadly, not many good quality recordings available from that period however. "Quite" good also because Ratledge's keyboards and organs does not come into it's frontline position as it should. One reason might be that they're drowned by Daevid Allen's excellent guitarplaying (which well could have been tuned up a bit higher on the tone scale), but also poor original production. Still it's all worth 3.75 stars, or why not 4, as it's a complimentary studio recording to the great innovative, groundbreaking and powerful live performances during this time period of SM. So don't miss this album. Nevertheless studio recordings seems to have been a problem to the Soft's as they were not happy with the first s/t album and how it sounded. And I personally think the second album is not a great hit at all - IMHO. SM overall had their most interesting period during '67-'68 and also during the "Third" and "Fourth" period until Wyatt finally left. At the fourth album release the studio work also sounded very well - IMHO.

This is yet another reissue of the band's demo recordings, made by Giorgio Gomelsky before the band was signed. At this point, Daevid Allen (of Gong fame) was very much a part of the group. Unfortunately, on this recording he is the band's weak point. He plays with a lot of energy and takes a lot of chances, but it would have been nice if he had tuned his guitar every once in a while.

Overall, though, this is a minor quibble. Robert Wyatt's drumming and singing is, as usual, excellent. He sounds young and full of fire, and it's a joy to hear him here. Ayers contributes his bit as well, adding a bent pop sensibility and his inimitable musical viewpoint. Ratledge, for his part, is surprisingly restrained as compared to subsequent releases, but he does quite well.

This is a far cry from the jazz fusion the Softs would eventually be known for; it's far closer to demented British pop music, with most of the songs being relatively short, but nonetheless intense and innovative. This record is an absolute must for people who appreciate Wyatt, Ayers, Daevid Allen, or the early Soft Machine, and would be recommended for anyone into the more eclectic and demented side of British rock of the 1960's.

These are demo tapes recorded in 1967, a year before Soft Machine's first album was released. The CD is only 30 minutes long and consists of 9 tracks. The sound quality is fair to poor. It does not have a wide dynamic range, the upper end is fuzzy, and there is a hiss. Jet-Propelled Photographics has been released several different times and used to come with a different cover. This same music is also released on a CD with a different cover and has been called Dressed To Kill and At The Beginning.

Soft Machine on this album consists of Daevid Allen (Gong), Kevin Ayres, Mike Ratledge and Robert Wyatt. Ayres and Allen would leave the group before the first album was recorded.

This is quite a bit different than anything Soft Machine would end up doing. It is kind of the pop-psychodelic music of the times. For the most part, these are short 2 to 3 minute songs. It sounds like any of the British hippy, pop-psycholodelic music of the times. Much of the music (especially the organ) sounds just like the generic rock music that was used in bar and disco scenes in bad movies during the sixties.

There are 3 tracks that are fairly interesting. I Should Have Known is stretched out to 7 minutes and does have some nice guitar and organ work. Some of the songs on this disc seem very familiar to me. I am sure that they have been reworked and reused on other projects by the group members.

I don't know why people always go nuts over early demo material and give it rave reviews. It is interesting to hear the origins of a band. But, it isn't the best thing a band does, the sound quality is ussually bad, the tracks are incomplete and it usually isn't worth hearing more than once. And usually, the band hasn't hit it's peak yet.

Soft Machine started out as the Daevid Allen Trio, with Allen, Wyatt, Ratledge and Hugh Hopper. Allen read his poetry while the rest played free form jazz (a CD of the group is due out soon). They broke up for a while, when Wyatt and Hopper formed the Wilde Flowers. They got back together (with Ayres in place of Hopper) and toured. They were the opening act for Jimi Hendrix at one time, and Hendrix's manager recorded this demo tape. Allen later got stuck in France because of visa problems (he is Australian) and Ayres left the group. Ratledge and Wyatt made the first Soft Machine album and Hopper rejoined the band after that.