SOFT MACHINE – Time Trips 1969-1972 (4CD)

Four Discs of music that will melt your brain. All are either Very Good or Excellent quality, so it’s not a jarring experience to sit through all four discs, they have a certain continuity to them. I think this is a great time period of music and these guys were just on another level.  It’s a fun thing to ponder, whether there are any bands that can do this sort of thing today – and the answer is “I really don’t think so”.

SOFT MACHINE TIME TRIPS
1969-1972

Disc 1
Live at the Lyceum, London, October 5, 1969

Lineup
Mike Ratledge – Lowery Organ, Piano
Hugh Hopper – Bass (Fuzz Bass)
Robert Wyatt – Drums, Vocals

1. Moon In June (17:45)
2. Facelift (4:43)
3. Eamonn Andrews (5:57)
4. Mousetrap-Noisette-Backwards-Mousetrap reprise (7:16)
5. Esther’s Nosejob (11:27)

Disc 2
6. improv – Facelift middle section reprise (3:50)
7. Dedicated To You But You Weren’t Listening (0:21)
8. We Did It Again (3:38)
9. Noisette reprise (0:56)

1970-10-10
Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club London England

Lineup
Elton Dean – alto sax
Hugh Hopper – bass
Mike Ratledge – organ
Robert Wyatt – drums, vocals

10. -Facelift
11. -Kings and Queens
12. -Virtually (pts.2 & 3)
13. -Slightly All The Time
14. -Eamonn Andrews
15. -Esther’s Nose Job
16. -Fire Engine Passing with Bells Clanging – Pig –
Orange Skin Food – A Door Opens and Closes –
10.30 Returns To The Bedroom (pt. 1) – Pigling Bland –
Esther’s Nose Job (reprise) –
10.30 Returns To The Bedroom (pt. 2)

Disc 3

Casino Lido, Venice, Italy
September 24, 1971

1. – Drop – MC – Out-Bloody-Rageous (20:57)
2. – All White Slightly All The Time – Plain Tiffs (21:22)

Lineup
Elton Dean – alto sax, saxello, fender rhodes electric piano
Mike Ratledge – organ, fender rhodes electric piano
Hugh Hopper – bass
Phil Howard – drums

Disc 4

Piper Club, Rome, Italy
24 April 1972

01 -All White – 7:47
02 -Slightly All The Time 1 – 8:39
03 -Slightly All The Time 2 – 3:36
04 -Drop – 5:56
05 -MC – 5:24
06 -Out-Bloody-Rageous – 14:00
07 -As If 1 – 1:01
08 -As If 2 – 0:50
09 -As If 3 – 3:33
10 -As If 4 – 5:19
11 -As If 5 – 0:26
12 -LBO – 9:04
13 -Pigling Bland – 5:04

Line Up:
Mike Ratledge – organ, electric piano
Hugh Hopper – bass
Elton Dean – alto sax, saxello, electric piano
John Marshall – drums