With the release of
Floating World Live
, as of 2006 there were four CDs on the market -- two studio and two live discs -- representing the peak of
Soft Machine
's "guitar fusion" years.
Bundles
and
Softs
(studio) and
British Tour '75
(live) are all recommended to anyone for whom jazz-rock fusion doesn't cause a breakout in hives, with the live discs capturing inspired performances and having an edge over the studio efforts. The expertly recorded
Floating World
is clear evidence that
Allan Holdsworth
was just what
needed in the mid-'70s. By the time this live German show had been (partially) captured by Radio Bremen in January 1975,
Holdsworth
had been with the band for slightly over a year, and
the Softs
had already recorded
with him. This is a killer live set, and
's lightning-fast scalar runs, wide-interval leaps, and expressive note-bending over the band's vamps and composer
Karl Jenkins
' chordal changes -- not to mention his prominent positioning in the mix -- make
a must-hear for any fans of the blurry-fingered axeman. He plays a touch of beautiful violin as well. No wonder jaws were dropping all around -- and apparently including the jaws of his bandmates, for
sounds rather less like the work of a fully collaborative band and more like a live date by a guitarist-led fusion outfit than the
recording from later that same year after
John Etheridge
had joined the group following
's departure.
The flow of the overall
set is at least partially to blame for any slight comparative shortcomings, particularly during the first half but redeemed by some inspired playing from all quarters at the conclusion. The group seems to have barely gotten underway when
Roy Babbington
's bass solo, "Ealing Comedy," makes an appearance; it's a great showcase including some Canterbury-esque fuzz in the mold of the pioneering
Hugh Hopper
, but its placement so soon in the proceedings somewhat derails the initial momentum of "Bundles" and "Land of the Bag Snake." And midway through, it doesn't help that "Hazard Profile," the
Jenkins
multi-part composition that would soon introduce
to flabbergasted listeners upon the release of
, fades out after less than five minutes -- that's where the radio station placed its commercial break. (Curious listeners are encouraged to check out the 2015
Cuneiform
CD/DVD set
Switzerland 1974
, which presents a version of the complete "Hazard Profile" from a July 1974 performance at the Montreux Jazz Festival and, in fact, an overall set order more like
itself.) Both the
British Tour
CDs feature solo
Mike Ratledge
synthesizer and
John Marshall
drum'n'gong interludes -- here respectively named "North Point" and "J.S.M." -- but on this disc they further tilt the balance away from the full-band music and contribute to the feeling that
had become a vehicle for solo statements with
leading the way.
Still, this is a vital document proving that
were capable of some truly magnificent music during the mid-'70s -- and they were still evolving, testing the waters in live performance on a funked-up jam like "Riff III" that would later develop into "Ban-Ban Caliban" after
bailed and
Etheridge
climbed aboard.
reveals
caught up in the excitement of a new direction thanks to an extraordinary guitarist who provided the band with a much welcome shot in the arm. The new direction heard here would continue with
blazing his own impossibly fast trails on the six-string, and
would experience a final peak -- as demonstrated on
,
, and
Alive & Well: Recorded in Paris
-- before dissolution and mediocrity truly began setting in. ~ Dave Lynch