Robert Wyatt & Soft Machine

Talk about any music other than Pink Floyd/Solo Stuff
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rememberaday
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Re: Robert Wyatt & Soft Machine

Post by rememberaday »

But I can realize that they were a good progressive/psychedelic band.
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Re: Robert Wyatt & Soft Machine

Post by J Ed »

rememberaday, if youre going to add to a thoughtfragment 4 minutes later, why dont you just edit your previous post? the above half-a-post makes no sense out of context because it is now at the start of a brand new page

OnTopic: when you say you were listening to Joy of a Toy, do you mean the song from Soft Machines first album, or Kevin Ayers solo album of the same name?
the first Soft Machine album was even less representative of where the band would go than Piper is to Floyd, so I urge you to also be sure to listen to Volume Two and Third - all three are essential

I was just thinking these guys are obviously fans of the authors William Burroughs and Thomas Pynchon (Daevid Allen was in fact friends with Burroughs before he even met Wyatt and the gang)
I think the taken-apart-and-put-back-together-inside-out quality of their compositions is a musical equivalent to Burroughs famous cutup literary technique
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Re: Robert Wyatt & Soft Machine

Post by rememberaday »

Ok point taken. Sorry, cause I’m new to posting on forums as a whole.

I meant the first Soft Machine album. Actually I checked it out because Soft Machine was playing with Barrett Floyd (which I like) in the UFO Club in 1967. So I thought their psychedelic stuff would be similar. Turns out they’re more jazzed out whereas Syd’s Floyd, is more whimsical and spacy.
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Re: Robert Wyatt & Soft Machine

Post by Jimi Dean Barrett »

Sorry to bump this thread, but I've ordered Robert Wyatt's "Greatest Misses" Japanese only compilation.
I know I am cheating and should buy albums to go with "Shleep". But I found the charm of a Robert Wyatt best of too much to resist.
So far, I'm disappointed there's nothing from "End Of An Ear". But I'm looking forward to the CD making me eat my own words over actually having a single doubt! Should be delivered this week.
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Re: Robert Wyatt & Soft Machine

Post by Jimi Dean Barrett »

Just delivered! See you later tonight then! <ii>
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Re: Robert Wyatt & Soft Machine

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I see there's a few mentions of Kevin Ayers here - really just in passing, but I really think he's one of the most over-looked musicians around in the late '60s-early '70s.

I'm drawn to his solo albums more than anything else in the Soft Machine family tree, save for the first Soft Machine album - he's kind of a Syd analogue in a few ways (only that he kept his career going, of course..)

I've even made the odd playlist of albums where I combine Pink Floyd tracks with tracks from Kevin Ayers solo albums, to see how it would've sounded if he'd actually replaced Syd circa 1968!

How does this sound for a "parallel universe" Ayers-Floyd album of 1970?

Side 1
There is Loving Among Us, There is Love
If
Summer '68
Rheinhardt & Geraldine, Para Delores

Side 2
Atom Heart Mother


As an aside, I love doing these sort of 'what-if' playlists - it started when I found someone's "Beatles 1971" list where they'd taken solo tracks to piece together what a follow-up to Abbey Road may have sounded like. I just spent a little time in iTunes and knocked round a few ideas

My personal favourites are a virtual Lou Reed/John Cale 1974 album and a virtual 1991 Husker Du album...
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Re: Robert Wyatt & Soft Machine

Post by Jimi Dean Barrett »

I will talk about Kevin Ayers and hope to get more of his later solo stuff. But I'd like to bring this back to Bob.

I've been listening to His Greatest Misses and I'm really happy "Old Rottenhat" sounds like a perfect album to begin.
I've already heard most of Rock Bottom from that absolute perfect "Going Back A Bit" compilation.
I read up a bit and it turns out the "consensus" even from Robert is that "End Of An Ear" was juvenile. I'm still interested in hearing it, but from the tracklisting I'd go:

Old Rottenhat, Ruth Is Stranger Than Richard, Nothing Can Stop Us, Cuckooland and Dondestan in order of hearing next.
I already own Shleep. I've just realised I haven't left room to put in End Of An Ear and Rock Bottom...
I think the only Robert Wyatt discography that isn't Wiki is this Italian one, half translated, that really lays in Cuckooland.

I think His Greatest Misses would have been better served if I'm A Believer was at the start of the disc. As it would mirror the generic Greatest Hits albums of more chart successful acts. And get the album off to a faster start.

Now we need Kevin Ayers to make an album called "His Greatest Hits Kevin Was Half Arsed About Promoting" and this time, make sure Japan doesn't get it's only release!

Volume Two by Soft Machine seriously has to go in the all time top ten albums from the 60's. (I'd put of all time)
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Re: Robert Wyatt & Soft Machine

Post by rosm »

I bumped into Nick Mason's Fictitious Sports last night again. Robert does a pretty bit of singing on that too.
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Re: Robert Wyatt & Soft Machine

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I got a copy of Rock Bottom today. <ii> I am not sure why it took me so long.
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Re: Robert Wyatt & Soft Machine

Post by rosm »

It took you almost 40 years nosaj ;-)
Enjoy it, it's very nice!
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Re: Robert Wyatt & Soft Machine

Post by my breakfast. »

I'm getting into Matching Mole at the moment. I quite like them as they kept at least some of the English pretensions of Hatfield and the North and Caravan under control. I prefer their second album generally, as their debut album suffers from the same creative bankruptcy that ruins The End of An Ear. I guess the problem is, left to his own devices Robert Wyatt would put his odd, childish and sometimes oddball humour over anything. However with a good band he could be dialed in a little (though I still find his echoplex scat solos a bit tiring). However without Wyatt the Soft Machine lost a certain grasp of what anybody would actually want to hear and slowly drifted into tepid jazz fusion devoid of memorable musical moments in favour of creating music that meets a strict academic quota.
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Re: Robert Wyatt & Soft Machine

Post by nosaj »

my breakfast. wrote:I'm getting into Matching Mole at the moment.

That is why I bought Rock bottom. I kind of enjoy Matching Mole from time to time. Then again, I like the first two Soft Machine albums and occasionally will tolerate the third...the rest...meh.
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Re: Robert Wyatt & Soft Machine

Post by Jimi Dean Barrett »

Sorry to bump this thread back from the dead but SOFT MACHINE ARE BACK!!
The 70's players have teamed up with Prog young Theo Thingy for a new album called "Hidden Details".
It's up on YouTube now! https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=O ... JSGhLuJbGY <ii> <ii> <ii>

It's only the third track "Ground Lift" that isn't clicking with me. And John Marshall really is not just Soft Machine's Greatest Drummer but he really should be mentioned as a Great British Drummer Of All Time.

Album released 21st of September and first day sale from me!
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Re: Robert Wyatt & Soft Machine

Post by qjamesfloyd »

How does this sound for a "parallel universe" Ayers-Floyd album of 1970?

Side 1
There is Loving Among Us, There is Love
If
Summer '68
Rheinhardt & Geraldine, Para Delores

Side 2
Atom Heart Mother



When I first heard There is Loving/Among Us/There is Loving I just knew Kevin had been listening to Atom Heart Mother. This track also has Mike Oldfield playing Bass guitar on it.
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Re: Robert Wyatt & Soft Machine

Post by twcc »

OFF TOPIC ... but worth a re-post

Robert Wyatt with guest drummer performing "I'm A Believer" on Top Of The Pops in September 1974

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5ivg0cDBgo