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Reviews

Soft Machine — Drop
(Moonjune MJR023, 1971/2009, CD)

Soft Machine — Floating World Live
(Moonjune MJR007, 1975/2006, CD)

by Jon Davis, Published 2025-10-08

Drop Cover artFloating World Live Cover art

Out of the multitude of live Soft Machine albums available, Drop and Floating World Live stand as two of the best, and with these new remasters, they sound even better. Drop dates from the fall of 1971, and represents one of the few documents of the band with neither Robert Wyatt nor John Marshall on drums – Phil Howard takes that role. He played on the first half of Five and appears on a couple of other live recordings, but his tenure in between the two primary drummers was not long. But he fits in well and doesn’t alter the core identity of the band in any way. The rest of the band at this point consisted of Hugh Hopper (bass), Mike Ratledge (keyboards), and Elton Dean (saxes and keyboards), and the setlist is similar to what’s found on H​ø​vikodden 1971 and Virtually. Which is not to say the performances are the same. The interpretations of “Neo Caliban Grides,” “All White,” “Out-Bloody-Rageous,” “Pigling Bland,” and the rest changed significantly from show to show — they were after all a jazz group, and it’s not just the solos that are different every time. This is a prime example of the quality of Soft Machine at the time. Floating World Live takes us into a different phase of the group’s history. It was January 29, 1975, and Mike Ratledge was the only musician remaining from the 1971 lineup. John Marshall and Roy Babbington made up the formidable rhythm section; Karl Jenkins was there on keyboards, sax, and oboe; and Allan Holdsworth was on board playing guitar and violin. Bundles had been recorded but not yet released, so the audience was getting a preview of the new configuration, featuring a guitar for the first time since the very early days. Much of the setlist draws from Bundles, featuring the title track, “Land of the Bad Snake,” “The Man Who Waved at Trains,” “Peff,” and “The Floating World,” along with the first part of “Hazard Profile.” Holdsworth was the kind of musician who tends to become a focus of attention no matter where he appeared, and certainly that’s the case here — I really think this is one of his finest recordings — but the whole band is totally amazing. While Holdsworth is tossing off his ridiculous runs in “Endgame,” Marshall and Babbington are right there with him, and the electric pianos provide perfect support. “Ealing Comedy” in this interpretation becomes one of Babbington’s finest moments, practically a six-minute bass solo that is full of imagination and virtuosity. And speaking of solo spots, “J.S.M.” is a drum solo that tops ten minutes and is riveting from start to finish. Maybe I’m incapable of being objective on this subject, but I fail to see how anyone could listen to these two albums and not come to the conclusion that Soft Machine was one of the best jazz groups of the 70s.

Filed under: New releases, 2009 releases, 1971 recordings, 2006 releases, 1975 recordings

Related artist(s): Elton Dean, Hugh Hopper, Soft Machine, Allan Holdsworth, John Marshall

More info
http://softmachine-moonjune.bandcamp.com/album/drop-remastered-2
http://softmachine-moonjune.bandcamp.com/album/floating-world-live-re-mastered

 

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