Release date: June 15, 1981
Label: EMI
Producer: Mike Thorne
Length: 43:51
Genre: jazz rock fusion
Rating: 7/10
“Land of Cockayne” was the tenth studio album from English prog rock pioneers and jazz fusion titans Soft Machine, and for more than three decades it was also their last. By this stage of their career there wasn’t a single original member left in the Soft Machine ranks, and that never changed again. “Land of Cokayne” was a project of keyboardist Karl Jenkins and drummer John Marshall, who ‘drummed up’ a bunch of session players between them. The standouts were former Soft Machine and Gong guitarist Allan Holdsworth, former Cream bassist Jack Bruce, former Caravan and Curved Air bassist John G. Perry, and former If saxophonist Dick Morrissey. Most of these guys had already worked together on Stevie Wonder’s album “Wonderin’” (1980).
At Jenkins’ instigation they got back together to revive Soft Machine, which had been put to rest in 1978. Guitar virtuoso John Etheridge didn’t join them for this one, though he did come back later for the live shows. Like most Soft Machine albums from their jazz era, the largely instrumental “Land of Cockayne” was laced with Jenkins’ use of the then-innovative Synclavier, which let him add orchestral-flavored arrangements to individual compositions without having to bother with extra guest members. And like most jazz rock fusion albums from the early eighties, the ultra-melodic “Land of Cockayne” was soaked in synthesizers and a somewhat synthetic production, handled by Mike Thorne. That means the album isn’t bad in terms of arrangements and atmosphere, but next to Soft Machine’s earlier achievements it’s a total lightweight. Pop and funk influences pop up on more than one track.
The opener “Over ‘n’ Above” reflects the new jazz fusion minimalism, while the female backing vocal harmonies mark their first experiment with vocals since the departure of the legendary Robert Wyatt way back in 1971. “Lotus Groves” is propped up by synthetic textures, simple flute passages, and repetitive percussion. “Isle of the Blessed” is an orchestral collage that, if nothing else, captures the allusion to the mythological Isles of the Blessed nicely with its atmosphere. With its lively sax passages, assorted drum transitions, and nostalgic central motif, “Panoramania” is one of the more interesting moments on “Land of Cockayne.”
“Palace of Glass” has more in common with ambient music and the creative expression of Jade Warrior than with the jazz fusion of the authentic Soft Machine school, while the uptempo “Hot-Biscuit Slim,” with its slight disco pulse, sounds more like a jazzy spin on some The Alan Parsons Project instrumental. The ambient “(Black Velvet) Mountain,” with its dreamy orchestral arrangements and nightlife vibe, feels like the soundtrack to a James Bond film, Roger Moore in the lead role, naturally. On “Sly Monkey,” where guest guitar wizard Holdsworth shines most of all, the opening guitar riff is lifted straight from the legendary Queen, or rather from Brian May, while the rest sounds like the backdrop to one of those TV series that were popular in the eighties.
“Land of Cockayne” was in many ways a product of its time and a reflection of where the eighties jazz fusion scene was at. Even though it’s not without its charms, it’s light-years away from the classic Soft Machine approach to jazz fusion of the first half of the seventies. Its melodic face didn’t help it catch the attention of a wider audience, which by then was already swearing by completely different musical trends, while hardly anyone remembered the days when Soft Machine were helping make the history of progressive rock and jazz rock fusion.
No wonder they didn’t record a new studio album from then on until 2018, when “Hidden Details” came out. Soft Machine’s brief comeback between 1980 and 1984 wasn’t a success, and in the years that followed the legendary band operated under various compromise names. The longest-running keeper of the Soft Machine flame on the live circuit was a version of the band called Soft Machine Legacy, which finally got to drop the Legacy tag in 2015 and three years later recorded “Hidden Details.” That ‘modern’ Soft Machine lineup, featuring Marshall, Etheridge, bassist Roy Babbington, and saxophonist Theo Travis, is still going today.
Review by: Peter Podbrežnik
Track list:
1. Over ‘n’ Above (7:24)
2. Lotus Groves (4:57)
3. Isle Of The Blessed (1:56)
4. Panoramania (7:07)
5. Behind The Crystal Curtain (0:53)
6. Palace Of Glass (3:22)
7. Hot-biscuit Slim (7:27)
8. (Black) Velvet Mountain (5:10)
9. Sly Monkey (5:00)
10. A Lot Of What You Fancy… (0:35)
Soft Machine:
Karl Jenkins – keyboards, orchestration
John Marshall – drums, percussion
Guest musicians:
Allan Holdsworth – lead guitar
Alan Parker – rhythm guitar
John Taylor – electric piano
Ray Warleigh – alto saxophone, bass flute
Dick Morrissey – tenor saxophone
Jack Bruce – bass guitar
Stu Calver – backing vocals
John Perry – backing vocals
Tony Rivers – backing vocals
Bill Harman – string section leader
