Top middle is Daevid Allen - this photo is from early 1967 when Allen was still in the band. Summers stint was in mid '68. Now you mention it, I don't think I've ever seen a photo of Summers with the Soft Machine.
Anyone who likes Soft Machine Volume 2 probably needs to hear the 18 minute demo/work in progress version of the Rivmic Melodies side of Vol 2 on the Robert Wyatt '68 CD, including an extended Great British alphabet. Plus a 20 minute version of Moon in June begun in USA and finished later with Hopper and Ratledge. Also a track called Chelsa is an early version of Mole's Signed Curtain, whilst Slow Walkin' Talk (as previously heard on the Flotsam and Jetsom CD) became Soup Song from the Ruth/Richard solo album.
There's full CD of them Wilde Flowers by Wilde Flowers: Amazon.co.uk: Music » No, but soundboard recording from May 68 exist
"Softs" is the only one I haven't gotten yet. But I'm really enjoying all the others. Not a clunker in the bunch.
Went to my iTunes library, and made my own special edition of the Third album, I kept the tracks the same with the exception of Slightly All the Time which I tacked on Hugh Hopper's Mousetrap Medley at the end from the peel sessions,worked out pretty cool!
Nice. Aside from adding the Love Makes Sweet Music single and B side to one of the 1st album CD reissues, we seem to have had little in the way of outtakes, alt mixes or mono singles like this coming out. I'm really talking Soft machine I and II albums, here.
Exactly - for a long time this was only on the 80s Echo boxset. Great song. This was one of two songs recorded for a single - the other was 'I Should’ve Known' Also their version of Fred The Fish: We need expanded CD versions of the first two albums with tracks like She's Gone (single) , I Should’ve Known (single), Joy (single), Sleeping (single) and Fred The Fish from the original tapes.
Interesting fact, both John Marshall and Karl Jenkins played on the Jesus Christ Superstar album!, I'm talking about the original brown album by the way.
Soft Machine fans of jazz persuasion might want to check Keith Tippett's "A Loose Kite Floating in a Gentle Breeze with just my Will as an Anchor" (1984), a live recording of his septet that included a few SM alumni. One of the best recordings of the pianist and a healthy slice of abstract but ultimately tuneful avant-jazz. Moment's Notice (page 4) »
Robert Christgau gave Third a "B" rating, that surprised the heck out of me since he is not a fan of Prog.
Cuneiform's Bandcamp site has some of their releases streaming in their entirety, including Softs and related CDs. Cuneiform Records »
Makes me wonder if the intro on Out Bloody Rageous influenced the synth parts on Steve Miller's Fly Like An Eagle?, some striking similarities there!