Middle Earth Masters

Another in Cuneiform’s series of Soft Machine archival re-releases, this one is of live 1967 performances at London’s famed Middle Earth Club (yes, the place where bands like Syd Barrett’s Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin first cut their teeth). Very early recordings of this band, they swing closer to the song-like acid psychedelia that dominated the scene, sounding more like early Pink Floyd “songs” than say the jammy Miles Davis stuff that they themselves influenced later. Speaking of influencial, track 5 sounds exactly like what Sun Ra was into…7 years later (and track 6 was almost ripped off verbatim by Stereolab 30 years later). Don’t underestimate the power and influence of this band. For fans of Pink Floyd, Can, Miles Davis, Weather Report, Sun Ra, Stereolab.

1) very Syd Barrett’ish psyche whimsical ditty, very different for this band
2) very 60’s psyche feel in guitar, again more
toned down Pink Floyd rock than what you’d expect from SM
3) bossa nova “cool” jazz flare, still noisey organ/guitar
4) epic psyche-prog, slow to build but launches into crazed organ and swirling themes
5) noisey kick as organ solo, very very Sun Ra circa 1974, ends abruptly
6) another London era riff, but with a driving feel and searing organ that could pass for early Stereolab in a second
7) bad ass low toned buzzy organ; wow, very songlike, very psyche, very epic hook, fantastic
8) more of a typical soft machine jam, god these guys were bass-asses
9) briefer, psyche song, chill
10) kind of a rock feel, with parts and changes, epic, 60’s, kick-ass with distorto vocals (again think early stereolab)
11) a pretty ballady song, like only Robert Wyatt can do (sounds like a soul cover?), really beautiful
12) very brief vocal experimental, take on “we did it again”