SOFT MACHINE — Backwards (review)

SOFT MACHINE — Backwards album cover Live album · 2002 · Jazz Related Rock Buy this album from MMA partners
2.5/5 ·
snobb
Live album 'Backwards' is yet one more archival release from Soft Machine's "golden age". As usual, this Cuneiform archival album contains some interesting material, but this time around the sound quality is not always good or even acceptable.

The first three songs (in total 40 minutes of music) are well known compositions coming from a group concert recorded in May 1970 (soon after the release of their classic album "Third"). Of these three songs, "Facelift" and "Moon In June" are both included on 'Third', but "Esther's Nose Job" is not. In fact, all three compositions were recorded many times in different versions. The main difference is that on "Backwards" they are played by Soft Machine as a quartet (different from the studio versions on "Third", where a reeds section and a violinist participated in the recordings as well). As a result, the music on here is not as complex and is more rock-oriented. It is interesting to compare the different versions, but in all cases, the studio versions are much better.

Secondly, two of the songs on 'Backwards' come from November 1969 (one of them is the same "Facelift" again). Musically these tunes present Soft Machine in their best ever line-up - the classic quartet plus Keith Tippett's reeds section on support ( Marc Charig, Nick Evans, and Lyn Dobson). These compositions sound great musically, but the sound quality is below average.

The album's final composition is a demo version of "Moon In June", the main interest here is in the first half of the song which was recorded in late 1968 by Robert Wyatt who played all the instruments himself (initially it was his solo demo) which was then combined with the second half of the same song, recorded by the Soft Machine (quartet) in 1969.

All in all this is an interesting release for collectors and heavy Soft Machine fans, but hardly a "must have" album for all others.
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