SOFT MACHINE
Jet-Propelled Photographs (Fuel 2000)
Reviewed by John Sekerka

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Duking it out with Syd Barret's Pink Floyd under bubble slide projection psychedelia wigout jams, Soft Machine never quite made the splash their initial wave promised, but hey, there's still time. Scoffed at by aficionados, not to mention band members, this much bootlegged demo session may not have the spit and polish of their debut album to follow, but it does have a frivolous charm going for it. There's little to complain about when Hugh Hopper and Robert Wyatt trade vocals, and the excitement of an infant band finding its footing just can't be matched. This is trippy hippie '66 stuff, only hinting at the avant jazz direction the combo would shortly veer into. And at two minute slices, this is one easily digestible collection.

© 2003 - John Sekerka