Though they achieved little commercial success, Soft Machine are considered by critics to have been influential in rock music.[4][5][6] Dave Lynch at AllMusic called them "one of the most influential underground bands of their era".[2] The group were named after the novel The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs.
History
Original run (1966–78)
Soft Machine (billed as The Soft Machine up to 1969 or 1970)[7] were formed in mid-1966 by Mike Ratledge (keyboards), Robert Wyatt (drums, vocals), Kevin Ayers (bass, vocals), Daevid Allen (guitar) and Larry Nowlin (guitar). Allen and Wyatt first played together in the Daevid Allen Trio in 1963, occasionally accompanied by Ratledge. In 1964, Wyatt and Ayers were founding members of the Wilde Flowers, though by 1966, they had both left that band and reconnected with Allen to form Mister Head, which also included Nowlin.[8] Mister Head proved short-lived, with the four members soon joining with Ratledge to form Soft Machine.[9] Suggested by Ayers, the name came from William S. Burroughs' 1961 novel The Soft Machine.[10] The band became a quartet when Nowlin departed in September 1966.[11]
During late 1966/early 1967, Soft Machine became involved in the early UK underground scene. Along with Pink Floyd, they became one of the major resident bands at the UFO Club and played other London clubs like the Speakeasy and Middle Earth. According to Wyatt, the negative reactions the Soft Machine received when playing at venues other than these underground clubs were what led to their penchant for long tracks and segued tunes, since playing continuously left their audiences no chance to boo.[12] In February 1967, the band released their first single, "Love Makes Sweet Music" on Polydor Records.[12]
In April 1967 they recorded nine demo songs with producer Giorgio Gomelsky in De Lane Lea Studios that remained unreleased for several years in a dispute over studio costs.[13] Polydor later released these demos in 1972 as Jet Propelled Photographs.[14] During 1967, the band began touring in other European countries, becoming especially popular in France.[15] It was on return from a tour of France in August that Allen (an Australian) was denied re-entry to the United Kingdom,[12] so the group continued as a trio, while he returned to Paris to form Gong.[16]
Sharing the same management as the Jimi Hendrix Experience, Soft Machine supported them on two North American tours during 1968.[17] Now signed to Probe Records, Soft Machine's first album was recorded in New York City in April at the end of the first tour, though it would not be released until December. Back in London, guitarist Andy Summers, later of the Police, joined the group. The new line-up began a tour of the U.S. with some headlining shows, before supporting Hendrix during August and September 1968. By the time the Hendrix tour began, Summers had been fired at the insistence of Ayers.[18] Ayers himself departed amicably after the final tour date at the Hollywood Bowl in September, and Soft Machine disbanded. Wyatt stayed in the U.S. to record solo demos, while Ratledge returned to London and began composing in earnest.[19]
In December 1968, to fulfil contractual obligations, Wyatt and Ratledge re-formed Soft Machine, with their former road manager Hugh Hopper replacing Ayers on bass. Like Ayers and Wyatt, Hopper had been a founding member of the Wilde Flowers. The band recorded their second album Volume Two in early 1969, which started a transition toward jazz fusion. The album fulfilled the band's contract with Probe and they signed with CBS Records by the beginning of 1970. In May 1969, Soft Machine acted as the uncredited backing band on two tracks of The Madcap Laughs, the debut solo album by Syd Barrett of Pink Floyd. Shortly after the Barrett recording, Hopper's brother Brian Hopper, another Wilde Flowers co-founder, joined the band on saxophone. Around this time, Soft Machine provided the pre-recorded soundtrack to a multi-media show called Spaced, which ran in London for five days during the summer of 1969. The soundtrack was eventually released commercially in 1996 by Cuneiform Records. In October 1969, following Brian Hopper's departure, Soft Machine expanded to a septet, with Wyatt, Ratledge and Hugh Hopper adding a four-piece horn section comprising saxophonists Elton Dean and Lyn Dobson, cornet player Mark Charig and trombonist Nick Evans. After two months, Charig and Evans departed, reducing the band to a quintet.[20]
The quintet continued until March 1970, when Dobson departed. The remaining quartet recorded the double album Third (1970) and its single album follow-up Fourth (1971). Third was mostly instrumental save for Wyatt's "Moon in June", the last Soft Machine song with lyrics. From Fourth onwards, the band became completely instrumental on record, and then on stage following Wyatt's departure soon after the album's release. Third was unusual for its time in having each of the four sides feature one suite.[3] Over time, it has become Soft Machine's biggest selling album. During this period, the band received unprecedented acclaim across Europe, and they made history by becoming the first rock band invited to play at London's Proms in August 1970, with the show being broadcast live on national TV.[21]
After differences over the group's musical direction, Wyatt was fired[22] in August 1971 and formed Matching Mole (a pun on "machine molle", French for "soft machine"; also said at the time to have been taken from stage lighting equipment "Matching Mole").[3] He was briefly replaced by Australian drummer Phil Howard. This line-up toured extensively in Europe during late 1971 and began the recording of their next album Fifth, but further musical disagreements led to Howard's dismissal at the beginning of 1972, with the album being completed with his replacement, John Marshall. Fifth was released in 1972, with side one comprising tracks recorded with Howard and side two comprising tracks recorded with Marshall. Later that year, Dean left the band[3] and was replaced by Karl Jenkins, who also played keyboards in addition to saxophone. Both Marshall and Jenkins were former members of Ian Carr's Nucleus. The band's next album was a half-live half-studio double album Six, released in early 1973.
After the release of Six, Hopper left the band[3] and was replaced by Roy Babbington, another former Nucleus member. During this period, Jenkins began to take over as bandleader and main composer. After they released Seven in late 1973, the band switched record labels again, this time moving from CBS to Harvest Records, a sub-label of EMI Records. At the end of 1973, another former Nucleus member, Allan Holdsworth, was added to the band, their first guitarist since Andy Summers' brief tenure in 1968. Holdsworth stayed with the band long enough to play on the next album, Bundles (1975), before leaving in the spring of 1975. His replacement was John Etheridge, with saxophonist Alan Wakeman (cousin of Yes keyboardist Rick Wakeman) also being added at the beginning of 1976.[3] The next album, Softs (1976), was the first without Ratledge, the last remaining original member of the band, who left in March 1976. Other musicians who were members of Soft Machine during the late 1970s were saxophonist Ray Warleigh, violinist Ric Sanders, and bassists Percy Jones (of Brand X) and Steve Cook.[23] During 1977, the band recorded a live album Alive & Well, released early the following year. 1978 saw only one live performance of Soft Machine, at the Sound & Musik Festival in Dortmund, Germany on 8 December, with a line-up of Marshall, Jenkins, Cook and Holdsworth.[24][25] After this show, Soft Machine disbanded.
Occasional reunions (1980–81; 1984)
The Soft Machine name was resurrected for the 1981 album Land of Cockayne. Soft Machine also briefly reformed for a series of dates at London's Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club in the summer of 1984,[nb 1] featuring John Marshall, Karl Jenkins, Ray Warleigh, John Etheridge, bassist Paul Carmichael and pianist Dave MacRae.
Alternative bands (1978–2015)
Soft Heap / Soft Head (1978–88)
Soft Heap formed in January 1978, featuring Hugh Hopper and Elton Dean from Soft Machine, and Alan Gowen and Pip Pyle from the band National Health. Heap was the acronym formed by the initials of their first names. The newly formed band toured in the spring and summer of 1978 as Soft Head as Dave Sheen replaced Pip Pyle, due to the latter's commitments with the band National Health.[1] The live album Rogue Element was recorded on that tour and was released in 1978.
The original Soft Heap line-up reconvened in October 1978 to record their eponymous studio album Soft Heap which was released in 1979.
After two line-up changes that occurred in 1979–81, the new line-up toured intermittently throughout the 1980s, embarking on four tours during the decade with a total of 25 European concerts, culminating with a gig on 11 May 1988 at the Festival "Jazz sous les pommiers" in Coutances, France.[1]
Soft Ware (1999), Soft Works (2002–04), Soft Mountain (2003) and Soft Bounds (2004)
Soft Ware (sometimes SoftWhere) formed in September 1999, featuring Elton Dean, Hugh Hopper, John Marshall (on drums) and longtime friend Keith Tippett. This line-up would remain together only briefly, and played just a single gig (Augustusburg Hunting Lodge, Germany, 4 Sept. 1999). Then in 2002, with Tippett unavailable, another former Soft Machine member, Allan Holdsworth (on guitar), was brought in with the remaining three members of Soft Ware, who renamed themselves Soft Works in June 2002[24] to avoid confusion with Peter Mergener's band Software. As Soft Works, they made their world live debut on 17 August 2002 at the Progman Cometh Festival (at the Moore Theater in Seattle, Washington), released (on 29 July 2003)[26] their only (studio) album, Abracadabra, consisting of all new material recorded at the Eastcote Studios in London on 5–7 June 2002, and toured Japan in August 2003, Italy in January and February 2004, and Mexico in March 2004.[24]
During a Japanese Soft Works tour in August 2003, Elton Dean (on saxophone) and Hugh Hopper (on bass) formed the band Soft Mountain along with Japanese musicians Hoppy Kamiyama (on keyboards), whom Hopper had met a couple of years earlier, and Yoshida Tatsuya (from the band Ruins) on drums. Indeed, looking for a break from relatively fixed set lists and song forms, Hugh Hopper had contacted Kamiyama with the idea of hitting a studio for a day to see what might happen. Kamiyama brought in Tatsuya, and, with no discussion, the quartet dove right in, playing two 45-minute improvisations. In 2007, a year after Elton Dean unexpectedly died aged 60, the one-time meeting band released their eponymous album Soft Mountain that they had recorded on that 10 August 2003 day in Tokyo, Japan.[27] The two-part "Soft Mountain Suite" extracts the best thirty minutes from each improvisation.[28] Soft Mountain named themselves after Hoppy Kamiyama, whose name translates to "God Mountain" in English.[27]
In June 2004, Elton Dean and Hugh Hopper formed the band Soft Bounds along with Sophia Domancich (keyboards) and Simon Goubert (drums), playing at the Festival "Les Tritonales" at Le Triton in Les Lilas, France[1] (a suburb in the northeast of Paris). This concert was partially released as the (unique Soft Bounds) album Live at Le Triton in 2005.
Soft Machine Legacy (2004–15)
In October 2004, a new variant of Soft Works, with John Etheridge permanently replacing Holdsworth, took the name of "Soft Machine Legacy" and performed their first two gigs (two Festival shows on 9 October in Turkey and 15 October in Czech Republic), Liam Genockey temporarily replacing John Marshall who had ligament problems (the first Soft Machine Legacy line-up being consequently: Elton Dean, John Etheridge, Hugh Hopper and Liam Genockey).[24] Later on, Soft Machine Legacy released three albums: Live in Zaandam[29] (2005), the studio album Soft Machine Legacy[29] (2006) recorded in September 2005 and featuring fresh material and the album Live at the New Morning[30] (2006). After Elton Dean died in February 2006, the band continued with British saxophonist and flautist Theo Travis, formerly of Gong and the Tangent.
In December 2006, the new Legacy line-up recorded the album Steam[31][32][33] in Jon Hiseman's studio. Steam was released in August 2007 by Moonjune before a European tour.
Hopper left in 2008 because he was suffering from leukaemia, so the band continued live performances with Fred Thelonious Baker deputising for Hopper. Following Hopper's death in 2009, the band announced that they would continue with Roy Babbington again replacing Hugh Hopper on bass.[34]
Soft Machine Legacy released their fifth album in October 2010: a 58-minute album entitled Live Adventures recorded live in October 2009 in Austria and Germany during a European tour.[35]
Founding Soft Machine bassist Kevin Ayers died in February 2013, aged 68,[36][37] while Daevid Allen died in March 2015 following a short battle with cancer, aged 77.[38][39]
On 18 March 2013, the Legacy band released a new studio album, titled Burden of Proof.[40] Travis stated that "legally we could actually be called Soft Machine but for various reasons it was decided to be one step removed."[41]
A return to the name "Soft Machine" (2015–present)
In September and October 2015, it was announced that the band Soft Machine Legacy, comprising drummer John Marshall, guitarist John Etheridge, bassist Roy Babbington and sax, flute and keyboard player Theo Travis, would be performing under the name "Soft Machine" in late 2015 and early 2016: two shows in the Netherlands and Belgium in early December 2015[42][nb 2] and a series of seven UK shows in March–April 2016.[42][44][nb 3] In December 2015, it was confirmed that the band were officially dropping the "Legacy" tag from their name moving forward, thus reactivating Soft Machine for the first time since 1984.[44]
Another former Soft Machine member, Allan Holdsworth, died on 15 April 2017 at the age of 70 at his home in Vista, California, from heart failure.[47][48][49]
On 7 September 2018, Soft Machine released Hidden Details on Dyad Records in the UK and Tonefloat Records in the US, their first new studio album since 1981's Land of Cockayne. In Fall and Winter 2018, they toured the world as part of their 50th anniversary celebration and in support of the new album, and the US in January and February 2019.[nb 4]
On 20 March 2020, Soft Machine released Live at The Baked Potato, their first original live album since 1978's Alive & Well. It was recorded live on 1 February 2019 at The Baked Potato, Los Angeles, and was initially only available as a twelve-track only-200-numbered-copy limited edition double vinyl LP but it has since been released on CD. The album documents their extensive 2018–2019 world tour.[52][53]
On 7 December 2021, Soft Machine issued a press release announcing that Babbington was retiring from the band, to be replaced by Fred Thelonious Baker.[54]
In June 2023, the band released a new studio album, Other Doors. The album was recorded with John Marshall before he retired from music. Marshall died on 16 September 2023.[55]
The current line-up of Soft Machine comprises Etheridge, Travis, Baker and drummer Asaf Sirkis.[56][57] They embarked on a seven-date UK "Spring 2023 Tour" beginning on 3 February 2023 at the New Cross Inn in London and ending on 26 May 2023 at City Varieties in Leeds.[nb 5] The band began touring again in November 2023 with dates booked through November 2024.[58]
Marshall, Jenkins, John Etheridge, Ric Sanders, Steve Cook
1 February 2019
2020
Live at The Baked Potato
Marshall, Etheridge, Roy Babbington, Theo Travis
Archival live albums
Recorded (exact dates given unless unconfirmed)
Released
Album
Line-up
April – 10 December 1967 (includes some studio recordings)
2001
Soft Machine Turns On Volume 1
April – June 1967 recordings: Mike Ratledge, Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, Daevid Allen 22 September – 10 December 1967 recordings: Ratledge, Wyatt, Ayers
September 1967 – May 1968
2006
Middle Earth Masters
Ratledge, Wyatt, Ayers
10 November 1967 – 11 August 1968
2001
Soft Machine Turns On Volume 2
29 March 1969
1996
Live at the Paradiso 1969
Ratledge, Wyatt, Hugh Hopper
4 January 1970
2000
Noisette
Ratledge, Wyatt, H. Hopper, Elton Dean, Lynn Dobson
17 January 1970
2022
Facelift France & Holland (Disc 2)
31 January 1970
2005
Breda Reactor
2 March 1970
2022
Facelift France & Holland (Disc 1 + DVD)
20 – 25 April 1970
2004
Somewhere in Soho
Ratledge, Wyatt, H. Hopper, Dean
26 April 1970
2002
Facelift
November 1969 – May 1970
2002
Backwards
November 1969 recordings: Ratledge, Wyatt, H. Hopper, Dean, Dobson, Mark Charig, Nick Evans May 1970 recordings: Ratledge, Wyatt, H. Hopper, Dean
Ratledge, Marshall, Jenkins, Babbington, John Etheridge
Archival studio recordings
Recorded
Released
Album
Line-up
April 1967
1972
Jet Propelled Photographs (gained this title in 1988, previously released under various other titles including Faces and Places Vol. 7 and At the Beginning)
Mike Ratledge, Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, Daevid Allen
↑ A week of gigs from 30 July to 4 August 1984.[24]
↑ On 2 December 2015 at Cultuurpodium Boerderij in Zoetermeer, Netherlands[43] and on 4 December 2015 at N9 Villa in Eeklo, Belgium.[42]
↑ On 18 March 2016[45] as part of the HRH Prog 4 Festival (scheduled from 17 to 20 March) at Camp HRH (Hafan y Môr Holiday Park), Pwllheli, North Wales, UK,[46] on 19 March at the Brewery Arts Centre, Kendal, UK, on 20 March at the Bristol Jazz Festival, Bristol, UK (once scheduled then cancelled and rescheduled for 16 November 2016 at The Robin 2, Wolverhampton, UK), on 24 March 2016 at the Talking Heads in Southampton, UK, on 26 March 2016 at Trading Boundaries, Sheffield Green, East Sussex, UK, on 30 March at the Assembly Rooms, Leamington Spa, UK, on 31 March 2016 at the Band on the Wall in Manchester, UK, on 1 April 2016 at Nell's Jazz & Blues Club in London, UK.[42]
↑ Soft Machine embarked on 6 September 2018 in Oslo, Norway on a world tour starting with a 10-date Europe leg (ended on 19 September 2018 in Jena, Germany); followed on 6 October in Baltimore by a 12-date North American leg – their first North American tour since 1974 (ended on 23 October in Saint Paul, Minnesota); followed on 3 November in Canterbury by an 11-date second European leg (ended on 16 December 2018 in Bonn, Germany); and embarked on 21 January 2019 on a 14-date second North American leg (ended by a 5-date residency from 4 to 8 February 2019 at Key West, Florida through Cozumel, Mexico at the Cruise to the Edge festival).[50][51]
↑ On 3 February 2023 at the New Cross Inn (a pub in New Cross) in London; 8 February at the Tivoli Theatre, Wimborne; 9 February at The Pavilion, Falmouth; 15 February at Band on the Wall in Manchester; 16 February at Backstage at The Green Hotel in Kinross; 17 February at Zeffirellis in Ambleside; 26 May 2023 at City VarietiesMusic Hall in Leeds
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