Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Soft Machine
Label: CBS
Released: 1973
Length: 76:25
Rating: 4/5
»Six« was a double LP, or more precisely a studio-live hybrid, which won Soft Machine the Melody Maker award for best British jazz album in 1973. The band, none too happy with the stylistically rather schizophrenic »Fifth« (1972), could finally breathe a sigh of relief. Thanks to new member Karl Jenkins, a multi-instrumentalist who came over from Ian Carr’s Nucleus to replace Elton Dean (just as drummer John Marshall had done a year earlier), their sound settled into a subtly tuned jazz fusion, while the free jazz elements Dean had championed faded away on »Six«. That made their music a little more accessible, but that was still a long way from saying »Six« wasn’t a highly complex record that, like most albums by this legendary English band, took plenty of listens before all its virtues revealed themselves.
Compared to »Fifth«, »Six« was a step in the right direction and a noticeable improvement, and thanks to Jenkins and keyboard wizard Mike Ratledge, who always leaned toward a more structured, melodic direction for Soft Machine’s music, most of the material finally makes sense. Besides various saxophones and keyboards, Jenkins also played the oboe, an instrument pretty unusual for jazz. The pompous, sax-driven opener »Fanfare« is followed by a rearranged version of »All White«, which had already appeared in a more free-jazz take on »Fifth«. The new version brings far subtler sax and jazz arrangements, so this time it’s a real pleasure to listen to. »Between« offers varied, unusually melodic improvisations, while »Riff« features brilliant drum fills from Marshall and the gritty sounds of Ratledge’s organs.
»37 S« too, with its many melodic arrangements and sly time-signature shifts, nicely shows off the great teamwork of the subtler, jazz-fusion Soft Machine. »Gesolreut« is also among the highlights of »Six«, marked from start to finish by juicy individual arrangements, the rhythm section’s outstanding playfulness and an all-around ambient exuberance. »E.P.V« is a melancholic breather with fragile piano arrangements and the mournful sound of the oboe, which provides a lovely ambient contrast. »Lefty« is a somewhat more avant-garde experiment, marked by dissonant, obscure sounds and frenzied drumming, while »Stumble«, thanks to its almost epic piano and organ arrangements, is a pretty melodic piece. »5 From 13« contains Marshall’s mouthwatering drum solo, which he dedicated to the English jazz drummer Phil Seamen, who died in 1972. »Riff II«, which closes the live half of »Six«, continues the composition »Riff«, only shorter and played at a faster tempo.
The eleven-minute »The Soft Weed Factor«, which has a somewhat drawn-out, piano-driven intro but then turns into an excellent, ‘team effort’ piece, opens the studio remainder of the »Six« compositions. »Stanley Stamp’s Gibbon Album (for B.O.)« is marked by a dramatic piano arrangement, sparkling drum fills and nostalgic sax passages, all seasoned with a passionate organ solo. »Chloe and the Pirates« has an almost spacerock keyboard intro that, more than Soft Machine, recalls their Canterbury compatriots Gong, but the sparkling, intelligent sax arrangements quickly put things back on more ‘home’ turf, especially when it moves into a subtle, slightly dreamy section. »1983«, steeped in dark ambience and aimed at the year before Orwell’s 1984, is marked by obscure-sounding bass improvisations, strange percussive sounds and scattered piano fragments.
With »Six«, which pulled them back from the brink of ever-deeper obscurity and gave them a fair bit of stability, Soft Machine delivered one of their better efforts. The live and studio halves are equal in quality, and thanks to the polished production it’s actually hard to tell the live tracks were recorded ‘live’. Still, not everyone was thrilled that Soft Machine had perfected their distinctive approach to jazz fusion in this period. Bassist Hugh Hopper wasn’t at all happy that Jenkins had pushed him out of the songwriting role completely, so he decided to leave even before »Six« came out. He was replaced by Roy Babbington, another former Nucleus member, who had already guested on »Fourth and »Fifth« as Hopper’s help on double bass.
Line-up
Mike Ratledge – organ, electric piano, grand piano, celesta
Karl Jenkins – oboe, baritone and soprano saxophone, electric piano, grand piano, celesta
Hugh Hopper – bass guitar, sound effects on “1983”
John Marshall – drums, percussion
Production
Soft Machine
Track list
LP 1 – Live Album (41:45)
1. Fanfare (0:42)
2. All white (4:46)
3. Between (2:24)
4. Riff (4:36)
5. 37 1/2 (6:51)
6. Gesolreut (6:17)
7. E.P.V. (2:47)
8. Lefty (4:56)
9. Stumble (1:42)
10. 5 from 13 (for Phil Seamen with love & thanks) (5:15)
11. Riff II (1:20)
LP 2 – Studio Album (34:40)
12. The soft weed factor (11:18)
13. Stanley stamps Gibbon album (for B.O.) (5:58)
14. Chloe and the pirates (9:30)
15. 1983 (7:54)
