Soft Machine тобының тарихы мен эволюциясы

British rock band
the rock band

Soft Machine are a British rock band from Canterbury formed in mid 1966 by Mike Ratledge, Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, Daevid Allen and Larry Nowlin. As a central band of the Canterbury scene, the group became one of the first British psychedelic acts and later moved into progressive and jazz rock, becoming a purely instrumental band in 1971. John Marshall, Karl Jenkins, Roy Babbington and Allan Holdsworth being members during the band's history. The current line up consists of John Etheridge, Theo Travis, Fred Thelonious Baker and Asaf Sirkis. Though they achieved little commercial success, Soft Machine are considered by critics to have been influential in rock music. Dave Lynch at AllMusic called them "one of the most influential underground bands of their era". The group were named after the novel The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs.

Soft Machine (billed as the Soft Machine up to 1969 or 1970) 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, Wyatt and future Soft Machine bassist Hugh Hopper first played together in the Daevid Allen Trio in 1963, occasionally accompanied by Ratledge. In 1964, Wyatt, Ayers, Hopper and Hopper's brother Brian, another future Soft Machine member, were founding members of the Wilde Flowers, incarnations of which would also include future members of another Canterbury band, Caravan. By 1966, Wyatt and Ayers had both left the Wilde Flowers and reconnected with Allen for a new band called Mister Head, who also included Nowlin. After a few months Mister Head split, with Wyatt, Ayers, Allen and Nowlin joining with Ratledge to form Soft Machine. Suggested by Ayers, the name came from William S. Burroughs' 1961 novel The Soft Machine. The band became a quartet when Nowlin departed in September 1966. In 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. In February 1967, the band released a single, "Love Makes Sweet Music" (recorded 5 February 1967, produced by Chas Chandler), with "Feelin' Reelin' Squeelin (recorded January 1967, produced by Kim Fowley) as the B side, on Polydor Records. It was a commercial flop. Polydor later released these demos in 1972 as Jet Propelled Photographs. In 1967, as well as the UK, the band also played in the Netherlands, Germany, and on the French Riviera. During July and August 1967, Gomelsky booked shows along the Côte d'Azur with the band's most famous early gig taking place in the village square of Saint Tropez. This led to an invitation to perform at producer Eddie Barclay's trendy "Nuit Psychédélique", performing a forty minute rendering of "We Did It Again", singing the refrain over and over in a trance like quality. This made them instant darlings of the Parisian "in" crowd, resulting in invitations to appear on television shows and at the Paris Biennale in October 1967. When returning from France, Allen (an Australian) was denied re entry to the United Kingdom, 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. After a few weeks of rehearsals, the quartet 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. Ayers himself departed amicably after the final tour date at the Hollywood Bowl in mid 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. One of Wyatt's demos, "Slow Walkin' Talk", allowed Wyatt to make use of his multi instrumentalist skills (Hammond organ, piano, drums and vocals) and featured Hendrix on bass. 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, and recorded their second album Volume Two (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 joined the band on saxophone for a short time. In October 1969, following Brian Hopper's departure, Soft Machine became 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, though the latter two departed after two months. The resulting Soft Machine quintet (Ratledge, Wyatt, Hopper, Dean and Dobson) 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. Their propensity for building extended suites from regular sized compositions, both live and in the studio (already displayed on the first two albums), reached its apogee in Third, unusual for its time with each of the four sides featuring one suite. After differences over the group's musical direction, Wyatt left (or was fired) 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"). Their 1977 performances, documented on the live album Alive & Well released early the following year, were among the last for Soft Machine as a working band, their last performance (until the 1984 reformation) being the only Soft Machine concert of 1978, at the Sound & Musik Festival in Dortmund, Germany on 8 December, with a line up of John Marshall, Karl Jenkins, Steve Cook and Allan Holdsworth.

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 2015refn|group=nb|On 2 December 2015 at Cultuurpodium Boerderij in Zoetermeer, Netherlands and on 4 December 2015 at N9 Villa in Eeklo, Belgium. refn|group=nb|On 18 March 2016 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, 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. 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. 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 at The Baked Potato, Los Angeles, on 1 February 2019 and was initially only available as a twelve track only 200 numbered copy limited edition double vinyl LP; it has since been released on CD. The album documents their extensive 2018–2019 world tour. 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. 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. The current line up of Soft Machine, in place since August 2022, comprises John Etheridge (guitar), Theo Travis (saxophones, flutes, keyboards), Fred Thelonious Baker (bass) and Asaf Sirkis (drums). 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. The band began touring again in November 2023 with dates booked through February 2024.

Soft Machine's music encompasses progressive rock, experimental rock, jazz rock, jazz, proto prog, psychedelic rock as well as being a part of the Canterbury scene of progressive rock.

YearAlbumSoft Machine members involvedThe Wilde Flowers1965–69The Wilde Flowers (released in 1994)Ayers, B. Hopper, H. Hopper, WyattThe Keith Tippett Group1970You Are Here I Am ThereCharig, Dean, Evans1971Dedicated To You, But You Weren't ListeningBabbington, Charig, Dean, Evans, Howard, WyattCentipede1971Septober EnergyBabbington, Charig, Dean, Evans, Jenkins, Marshall, WyattElton Dean1971Elton Dean (re released as Just Us in 1998)Dean, Babbington, Charig, Howard, RatledgeKarl Jenkins (re released as Soft Machine in 1994)1976Rubber RiffJenkins, Babbington, Etheridge, MarshallHopper / Dean / Tippett / Gallivan1977Cruel But Fair H. Hopper, Dean1977Mercy Dash (released in 1985) H. Hopper, DeanElton Dean, Alan Skidmore, Chris Laurence, John Marshall 1977El Skid Dean, MarshallPlanet Earth1978Planet Earth Jenkins, RatledgeHugh Hopper, Elton Dean, Alan Gowen, Dave Sheen (re released as Soft Head in 1996)1978Rogue Element H. Hopper, DeanSoft Heap1979Soft Heap Dean, H. Hopper1979Al Dente (released in 2008) Dean, H. Hopper1982–83A Veritable Centaur (released in 1995)DeanRubba1979Push ButtonJenkins, Ratledge 2nd Vision1980First StepsEtheridge, SandersRollercoaster1980Wonderin'Jenkins, Morrissey, Parker, Ratledge, WarleighHugh Hopper, Elton Dean, Vince Clarke, Frances Knight 1998The Mind in the Trees H. Hopper, DeanSoft Works2003AbracadabraDean, Holdsworth, H. Hopper, Marshall2003Abracadabra in Osaka (released in 2020)Dean, Holdsworth, H. Hopper, MarshallSoft Mountain2003Soft Mountain (released in 2007)Dean, H. Hopper Soft Bounds2005Live at Le TritonDean, H. HopperSoft Machine Legacy2005Live In ZaandamDean, Etheridge, H. Hopper, Marshall2006Soft Machine LegacyDean, Etheridge, H. Hopper, Marshall2006Live at the New MorningDean, Etheridge, H. Hopper, Marshall2007SteamEtheridge, H. Hopper, Marshall, Travis2010Live AdventuresBabbington, Etheridge, Marshall, Travis2013Burden of ProofBabbington, Etheridge, Marshall, TravisDelta Saxophone Quartet2007Dedicated To You But You Weren't Listening: The Music Of Soft MachineH. Hopper (as a guest on some tracks)