English:
Another live album from Soft Machine! “Oh, my god!”, somebody will cry. Yes, indeed, the number of live recordings of this group issued during the last 20 years significantly exceeds the number of their studio heritage. And this is wonderful! I have almost all records of Soft Machine, and every one of them is unique. They are unique not only because of the variety of the composition names and set lists, but because of the difference in their performance, the variety of the group line-up, etc. “Drop” is not an exclusion at that. Recorded in the autumn of 1971, during their German tour, it presents us another lost page of the great band’s history.
In Augustus 1971 Robert Wyatt left the band because of the growing friction with the rest of the group. He explained later, that in that period there was no creative wholeness within the band. Wyatt was more interested in bringing of absurd elements into the music, sort of silliness, as a liberating factor. The other musicians had more serious intentions. They needed somebody more professional than Robert, who became a burden at that point. Moreover, the repertoire of the band became purely instrumental and there was no space for his vocal contributions anymore. Elton Dean invited Australian drummer Phil Howard to replace Wyatt. Phil wasn’t an unknown musician to Elton. He took part in recording of Dean’s solo album before, and appeared in March of 1971 on the Soft Machine’s concert for BBC Radio One. With this line-up, the group toured in the summer of 1971 in Europe (“Drop” is a document of this period) and then in October and November in England. The same line-up appears on their next studio effort, the “5”. At the end of the year the group members took a little vacation. Hugh Hopper and Mike Ratledge started to express their dissatisfaction with the group’s music direction, proposed by the new member and Elton Dean. It was more improvised, free-jazz music, with a storm of sounds and rhythms. This lead eventually to another change of the drummer. This time it was John Marshall. But that’s a completely different story. Let’s get back to this album.
“Drop” is based mostly on the compositions that later formed the fifth album. In fact, the tour served as a sort tuning of the new material. Besides that, there’re a few tracks from the third album. Those are the tracks that earlier became instant classics back in 1970: "Slightly All The Time" and "Out-Bloody-Rageous".
The opening composition "Neo Caliban Grides" already shows the shift to the free-jazz. It actually somewhat confused me, despite the fact that I’ve already knew the song, and from other live performances as well. It seems that every musical instrument here is trying to broaden the music space around himself, and the drums come as a winner once in a while. Well, one shouldn’t ignore the fact that Phil Howard used two bass drums.
After that, everything settles a little, and seems more recognizable, however the energy, power and dynamics stay to impress, and not in the list because of the outrageous and sometimes delirious percussion avalanches. Listen to the last bit from "All White", where Elton Dean and Phil Howard dominate. After "Slightly All The Time" comes a spacious and beautiful saxophone improvisation by Elton Dean. Another jewel is doubtless the composition "Drop" itself, with it’s lengthy organ solo by Mike Ratledge, backed up by the frantic rhythm section of Hopper-Howard. "Out-Bloody-Rageous", again represents a furious struggle for power of the music instruments. This time it is difficult to tell who wins. I think: the listener.
There is of course time for the drums solo, proving at least Phil Howard’s extra-ordinarity. The difference between him and Wyatt is very clear now.
The closing composition is "Pigling Bland", which is the least free-jazz number here. At the same time, it is a powerful, compact and beautiful piece of music.
As a whole, the concert makes a very good impression, regardless of a not-ideal recording quality. It is wonderful, that in the crown of this beautiful, unique, inimitable psichodelic-prog-jazz-rock-fusion-(call it whatever you want) group, another brilliant shines: the album “Drop”. It shows, however a little, the alternative direction, which the group could follow, but didn’t.
For all fans of Soft Machine: this is a must have. However, I would not recommend this album as a starting point to get acquainted with the group.
Tracklist:
1. Neo Caliban Grides 6:23
2. All White 6:14
3. Slightly All The Time 13:16
4. Drop 7:40
5. M.C. 3:25
6. Out-Bloody-Rageous 11:30
7. As If 6:10
8. Dark Swing 1:55
9. Intropigling 0:53
10. Pigling Bland 4:44
| Musicians:
MIKE RATLEDGE Lowrey organ, Fender Rhodes electric piano
ELTON DEAN saxello, alto sax, Fender Rhodes electric piano
HUGH HOPPER bass guitar
PHIL HOWARD drums
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[Aangemeld door misha]
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