Track Listing

1. Fanfare
2. All White
3. Between
4. Riff
5. 37 1/2
6. Gesolreut
7. EPV
8. Lefty
9. Stumble
10. 5 From 13
11. Riff II
12. Soft Weed Factor
13. Stanley Stamps Gibbon Album
14. Chloe And The Pirates
15. 1983

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #24842 in Music
• Released on: 2007-02-19
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Dimensions: .22 pounds

Amazon.co.uk Review
Rewind have compressed the original 1973 CBS live/studio double onto one CD. By this time, keyboardist Mike Ratledge was the only extant founder member, but bassist Hugh Hopper and drummer John Marshall had already become staunch right-hand men. Karl Jenkins completed the quartet, mirroring Ratledge's electric and acoustic pianos, but making his most significant contributions on oboe, soprano and baritone saxophones. Lurking behind a horrid airbrushed pink cover, the music still has a hard, probing edge: a few years later, what was left of the band would move much further towards the jazz-rock mainstream. The live cuts are characteristically extended, selections merging into a seamless sequence. "All White" highlights the piercing oboe of Jenkins, free-blowing beside Ratledge's chunky electric piano, then the leader's trademark distressed-gothic organ sound is heard at its most extreme during "Riff" and "Lefty", the latter stirring up an energised free-improv storm, boasting some particularly exciting fills from Marshall, who's impressive again during his tight-rolling "5 From 13" solo, scuttling recklessly across the stereo field. On the studio-recorded side, twin electric pianos build up oscillating crosstalk on "The Soft Weed Factor", reminiscent of Terry Riley's systems music, Ratledge weighing in with a mammoth icepick-velocity solo on "Stanley Stamps Gibbon Album". --Martin Longley

CD Description
SIX was the last album Hugh Hopper made with Soft Machine. The mysterious low-end excursion "1983" is the only number he wrote this time out (Hopper's first solo release, 1984, ishighly recommended). Founding member and keyboardist Mike Ratledge contributes the beautiful "Chloe and the Pirates" aswell as four other tracks.
The Soft Machine heard on SIXis rounded out with drummer John Marshall, who first appeared on FIVE after the departure of Robert Wyatt. The newcomeron board, reed and piano player Karl Jenkins, steps in to fill the vacancy created by Elton Dean's departure. With the exceptions of the aforementioned tunes, the band leaves behind its more cerebral hijinks to explore straight-ahead jazz-rock fusion. This lengthy set (over 75 minutes) was originally released in 1973 as a double album.

Customer Reviews

Soft & Cool
It's good that the original classic Soft Machine CBS albums are getting a definitive remaster/upgraded reissue. I guess everyone will go for the well known volumes 3 to 5 (which feature additional bonus tracks) but what of "Six"? For most people the departure of Robert Wyatt and Elton Dean was the end of the story and it is often forgotten that there was a distinctive late edition of the band in 72-74, exemplified by "Six" & featuring regulars Ratledge and Hopper joined by drummer John Marshall and multi-instrumentalist Karl Jenkins.
"Six" was a double album - in the vogue of the time one disc live / one disc studio, all included on a single CD here (no bonus tracks). Arguably this was the most musically accomplished version of the band. The live album is one long suite, effortlessly gliding back and forth through tunes and themes (mostly drawn from "FIFTH"). It's very tight and fluid, driven by understated, shifting funk or rock rhythmic patterns. The studio album contains just four tracks. "Sot Weed Factor" and "Chloe" are developments out of the languorous style pioneered on "THIRD": Terry Riley-ish loops, loping repetitive funk drum and bass, tinkling keyboards. Jenkins generally eschews jazzy improv, preferring to overlay the tracks with elegant, repetitive, extended lines on oboe or soprano. They are over-used words but I'd have to describe this music as "minimalist" & "cool". It's a far cry from the hyperactive fusion music of the 70s and might even prefigure some of the ambient, trance and trip-hop of the 90s.The other two studio tracks sound like sketches for compositions and don't stand up so well, though Hugh Hopper fans may be interested in his abrasive tape loop piece "1983" as a precursor to some of his solo work.

A period of transition
Marked the end of their lunatic exuberance. A live reprise of some of their most interesting experiments, which unfortunately does not sound as good as the originals, and a studio set of perhaps their most rewarding compositions.

Earlier albums were disgracefully good, later ones depressingly respectable (with the possible exception of their later "Alive and Well" outing) - but the studio part of this one has perhaps their most repeatably listenable work, which really ought to be classed as "classical".

So why only four stars? - because in total, it's just not quite as good as albums 4 and 5 (or 3, come to that). I had this on vinyl and only the studio part got played to death. With this release it's all on one CD.

But Definitely Worth Getting anyway.

Softly Fading
From back in 1973. First half of CD is live. I caught them on this tour when I was a student. Enjoyed it that night and this brings it all back. Karl Jenkins (Nucleus) had replaced Elton Dean from previous line-up.
Four studio tracks follow. Not quite up to incfedible standards set on Fourth and Fifth. The first three tunes, one by Karl Jenkins and two by Mike Ratlidge are very fine but Hugh Hoppers closing effort is patchy and doesnt really gel.
Overall its pretty good though and should be valued by all Soft heads.