Customer Reviews

Live in France

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

 

 

Anyone who likes Soft machine has to have this album...although all recordings are mono it still has a great quality and captures the real essence of Soft Machine: improvise....Almost 2 hours of real music with Elton Dean on sax and Rhodes piano, Hugh Hopper on bass, Mike Ratledge on electric piano and organ and John Marshall on drums....

This is a double Cd recorded in early 1972.The line-up consists of Elton Dean,Mike Ratledge,John Marshall,and Hugh Hopper.The tracks are all instrumental and have a subdued,abstract feal to them.If your into jazzy prog this might appeal to you.The sound is quite good and if your a Soft Machine fan I would by this Cd,since now especially it is easy to find(and cheap!)At this time they would have been working on Soft Machine 6 but Dean would soon depart and be replaced by Karl Jenkins on keys and sax.The best live Soft Machine is from late 1971 when they had Phil Howard on drums which you can hear some live studio workd on "Soft Machine Turns On:Peel Sessions"It's also a double CD and probably their best work,easily a five star CD with BBC recordings from 1969-1971.Back to LIve in France,the best tune is Facelift,which has two keyboards,bass,and drums.The best live version of Facelift is on a CD called,Virtually recorded in Bremen in March 1971,must have for Machine fans.All in all this CD is worth getting for all fans of Soft Machine and for most of the genre of spacey jazz prog.

I have a problem with Elton Dean on this one... he seems disconnected from the rest of the band. He ends up leaving the band by the end of the month too. He wasnt the most consistant player either. Missing his parts on various tracks and such. Anyway... this is a mono recording but it's moot because the sound quality is most excellent. The performances are a little uninspired at times but overall a great document for this period. A bit of a rare recording I say so worth buy for Softs fans. I am a fan of the Wyatt era and this is a transition period to better stuff. In my opinion the next incarnation of the band made for more energy with Karl Jenkins. OH! Yah... sort of a sin to say from a Wyatt era fan.

A great mid career Soft Machine concert!!! This being a great performance in France!!! 12 great live trax in all!!! Lots of improvisation here!!! Lot's of the Soft's signature works are here including: Facelift,All White,Slightly All The Time,M.C,Drop,Out Bloody Rageous,but the real highlight of this concert is the triple whammy of As If, LBO(one of the coolest drum solos on the face of the Earth,and much,much longer and better than the version on "5", which is no slouch either)and Pigling Bland!!! Hugh Hopper,John Marshall,Mike Ratledge,and Elton Dean definately in peak form on this recording!!! A truly top notch package!!! Two thumbs up!!! A+

A live set consisting of nearly two hours worth of material from the albums "THIRD" and "5". Good sound quality (although it is in mono)and excellent musicianship. A must for Soft Machine fans and lovers of great jazz.

I've never quite understood what the 'big yahoo' about Soft Machine is all about.The only CD reissues of theirs that I like is 'Jet Propelled Photographs'(see my review),'Fourth' and maybe their 'Fifth' effort.With a total of twelve songs clocking in at one-hour-and-forty-five minutes,Soft Machine proves to their fans that they're fully capable of playing their own style of 'Canterbury Jazz Rock'.Actually,more jazz than anything else.Line-up here is:Elton Dean-sax&piano,Hugh Hopper-bass,John Marshall-drums and Mike Ratledge-electric piano&organ.Should appeal to fans of National Health,Caravan and Tortoise.

Beware because this very same CD has been issued by CUNIEFORM in stereo like 9 years later than this one in mono with the title "Live in Paris". Notice the title of this is "Live in France". The CUNIEFORM issue has the same cover art but a slightly different title "Live in Paris" as opposed to "Live in France" & is a superior stereo recording of it so BEWARE. A great CD nonetheless.