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Curtis Ensler's Collection

Soft Machine   10/05/1969

Lyceum, London, UK
Media CDR   1 disc
J-Card Comment REMASTER

Soft Machine
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Lyceum, London, England
5th October 1969
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Source: Dime post by brainodrain - thanks !!
http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=132176

Lineage: Mono Cassette>Grundig Reel to Reel>Cassette>PC Soundcard>Audition>SoundBooth
Beta>FLAC Frontend Level 6, NR and Compression applied in Audition

Changes made (Nero 7):
Selected better sounding Right Channel to restore back to the original mono
Applied bass and treble EQ, drums and organ are clearer
Added track markers, closely match info supplied by 'urich21'
Fixed glitches at 6.49 (track04), 0.03 (track08), 0.24 & 0.26min (track09)

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

Quality: B+ for the recording, A++ for the rare performance
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This a recording of a sadly under-represented period when the trio are moving to the
Three material, but without the horns, so it is very rare (to me) and any such
recording merits making the very best of whatever is available.

I did the editing above and discussed the set list with the expert 'urich21' so here
it is now, still slightly rough, in the best quality I can manage and with the
encouragement of original poster (brainodrain)...

...Enjoy !!

Set List (55.59)
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17.45 Moon in June
04.43 Facelift
05.57 Eamonn Andrews
07.16 Mousetrap > Noisette (quiet) > Backwards > Mousetrap (reprise)
11.27 Esther's Nose Job
03.50 Facelift (Spaced) *
00.21 Dedicated To You But You Weren't Listening
03.39 We Did it Again
00.56 Noisette (loud)

* My title, agreed with 'urich21'

Thanks again to 'brainodrain' for his great post and encouragement !

Original (updated) info with additional comments from 'urich21':
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This is Soft Machine 7 ½ or a brief return to 6 (that's the version of the band not
their albums; see the Soft Machine Family Tree in Graham Bennett’s awesome biography
of the Softs ‘Out-Bloody-Rageous’, I hope he finds a copy of this recording as I think
he would enjoy it). This version of the Softs was a momentary return to the trio of
earlier that year. This is their one and only gig after Brian Hopper left the band and
before the short lived Septet appeared. The trio for the night at the Lyceum was:

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

The sound quality is perhaps typical for an audience recording from the period, but NR
and compression have improved it considerably, and there are many places where the
searing power of Ratledge’s Lowrey organ and Hopper’s Fuzz bass break through to give
some breathtaking glimpses of what was a rare and wonderful sound to behold. This
recording has never seen the light of day before. I just dug it out of my collection of
vintage tapings and this is it’s first release. Duration: 55 minutes.

Setlist/edit points and comment thanks to urich21:

1. Moon In June (17:45)
2. Facelift (4:49)
3. Eamonn Andrews (5:53)
4. Mousetrap (3:42)
5. Noisette (quiet) (0:35)
6. Backwards (2:03)
7. Mousetrap reprise (0:52)
8. Esther's Nosejob (11:35)
9. improv / Facelift middle section reprise (3:42)
10. Dedicated To You But You Weren't Listening (0:21)
11. We Did It Again (3:38)
12. Noisette (loud) (0:56)

The closing medley (9-12) is something I hadn't heard the like of before.
The (instrumental) quote of "Dedicated..." in particular is absolutely unique.
Also rare is the abandoned coda for "Facelift", which doesn't quite fit in - it was
still played at Amougies with the septet.

Further comment from stereom:

Actually, I've always viewed that bit (which does sound a bit clumsy on this date, but
more fully realized with a beautiful cornet solo on Amougies date) as an abandoned
intro to "Eamonn Andrews" more than anything. The last riff in C-minor is pretty much
an "Eamonn Andrews" melody, sort of, it was also used as a segue link from "Facelift"
to truncated "Moon In June" in 1970.

Also, after "Dedicated" melody and that loud organ swell and the introductory drum
fill, there seems to be an edit into some loud organ-based music which I can't identify
at all. Sounds similar to "Noisette" coda, but it isn't exactly like that. And then it
cuts into "We Did It Again".

BTW, this isn't probably the final power trio gig. According to the Soft Machine
chronology on Calyx.club.fr, there was one more gig:
November
[08] London, Regent St. Polytechnic [trio gig]

Even so, here the fusion elements really have started to seep in, as Ratledge now uses
electric piano, though a bit more scarcely than he would wind up using. And the
arrangement of "Mousetrap"/"Esther's Nosejob" is essentially as on "Peel Sessions",
sans horns, except that the recording confirms "Pigling Bland" didn't find its way to
the band's setlist until the horns joined. They play "Eamonn Andrews" too. The closing
medley is indeed great and it blends their fusion leanings and psychedelic/prog flavour
quite well. "Facelift" improv really sounds more like "Spaced Two" on "Spaced" (1996),
but performed live rather than with tape loops, "Dedicated" quote is unique, "We Did
It Again" is rousing and it was nice they started playing that tune again in 1969, and
to blast it off with dangerous "Noisette", great idea.

This is really a transitional concert, from "Live At the Paradiso"/June 1969 Peel
Session sound they show their first signs of their Fusion era right around the corner.
Trades Allowed Yes
Owned by Curtis Ensler · Last Updated May 23, 2023