Soft Releases 2005

Update December 31th 2005

Here's a list 2005 releases of The Soft Machine, Hugh Hopper, Elton Dean, Robert Wyatt, a.o.

Check out the archives:

******* Go to the 2002 Releases ******
******* Go to the 2003 Releases *******
******* Go to the 2004 Releases *******

Released

This list contains albums by Soft Machine members or featuring them, archival Soft Machine releases, and other albums that might interest fans. I'll archive release more than a year old.

  • Kevin Ayers - The BBC Sessions 1970-1976 (Hux Records)

    Another great Hux archival release of BBC material, this time a re-issue of "Singing the Bruise" and "First Show in the Appearance Business" with a couple of extra tracks. From Kevin's first BBC show they added two tracks (well known bootleg material), an unknown version of Shooting at the Moon from a different session in 1970; Lunatic's Lament from june 1970, and one track from 1974 or 1976, Stranger in "Blue Suede Shoes". For people who already own Bruise and Show this double CD will not have much added value, but the true Ayers fan can not resist buying this one.

    Update 25/09/2005: Release date 17/10/2005.

  • Tim Bowness - My Hotel Year (One Little Indian)

    Released August 2004, with contribution from Hugh Hopper. Avaialble thru Burning Shed.

  • Caveman Shoestore - Supersale (Build a Buzz Records)

    Hughscore without Hugh, Caveman Shoestore released a new album in May 2005. A new Hughscore album is also slowly progressing (see elsewhere on this page).

  • Elton Dean & Sophia Domancich - Avant (Hux Records)

    Duo album with sax and piano, just released by Hux Records and featuring four improvisations..

  • Equipe Out - Up (Voiceprint)

    Re-issue of a French only release from the early 90s. Equipe out was a band led by Pip Pyle and includes (on this CD) a.o. Elton Dean. Release date 07/03/2005.

  • Michael Gibbs - Michael Gibbs/Tanglewood 63 (Vocalion)
  • Alan Skidmore - Once Upon A Time (Vocalion)
  • Henry Lowther Band - Child Song (Vocalion)
  • Mike Westbrook - Love Songs (Vocalion)

    Not really Soft Machine related (come to think of it: Tanglewood features Roy Babbington, Jack Bruce and John Marshall; Once Upon A Time features, well, Alan "El Skid" Skidmore, Kenny Wheeler and Harry Miller, all Elton Dean comrades; Love Songs features George "Ruth" Khan and Harry Miller again; Child Song features Mike "GIlgamesh" Travis) but I'd like to give a thumbs up to the Vocalion label for re-issueing a lot of British jazz records from the early seventies. The ones mentioned are all from 2005, but they also released some Don Rendell(/Ian Carr), John Surman and Michael Garrick, many for the first time on CD. And hopefully more to come...

  • Glass - Illuminations (Musea)

    Glass is a trio from Seattle, their new album will feature contributions from Hugh Hopper, Phil Miller and Richard Sinclair. Release date set for June 2005.

    Update 02/07/2005: Release date moved to July 2005.
    Update 13/08/2005: Some setbacks aside this CD will definitely see it's release in the coming weeks, most likely early September.
    Update 14/08/2005: Out now. Can be ordered from the Musea website.

  • Carol Grimes - Mother (Irregular)

    Latest Carol Grimes (once in Delivery with Phil Miller and Pip Pyle) features a.o. Elton Dean on sax. Released January 2005

  • Hatfield and the North - Hatwise Choice - Archive Recordings 1973-1975, Volume 1 (Burning Shed)

    With the full cooperation of all Hatfield members involved, Burning Shed will release a first volume (!) of Hatfield recordings pulled from both live concerts and BBC sessions. Releasedate 31/01/2005. More info on (http://www.hatfieldandthenorth.co.uk).

    Update 29/01/2005: Out now (I've received information from Burning Shed they have dispatched my copy). Features selections from live concert tapes and four BBC Radio 1 John Peel shows recorded 1973-1974. Unreleased tracks include Hattitude, Strand on the Green, Dave Intro, Son Of Plate Smashing Dog, Blane Over Paris, Laundry Soup, Effing Mad Aincha and many more. A rare 1973 studio demo, made prior to recording the first album, is also included as a bonus track.

  • Hugh Hopper Band - Meccano Pelorus (Cuneiform)

    Re-issue of out-of-print 1991 release, orginally on WMAS. Coming March 2005.

  • Hugh Hopper - MP3 Downloads (Burning Shed)

    Burning Shed started an (payed) MP3 download site which includes three recent unreleased Hopper tunes. Guests include Charles Hayward and Nigel Morris, a.o.

  • Isotope - Isotope/Illusion/Deep End (Japanese re-issues)

    Reissues of all Isotope albums in limited papersleeves and 24-bit remastered. Released December 2005

  • Phil Manzanera - Vozero (Expression Records)

    Reissue of Phil's 1999 solo album. It includes a bonustrack featuring Robert Wyatt.

  • Phil Manzanera - 50 Minutes Later (Expression Records)

    New Manzanera album featuring Robert Wyatt on assorted instruments (percussion, keyboards, vocals and cornet). Release date set for 24th of October.

  • NDIO - AirBack (Cuneiform)

    To be released in September 2005, an album by NDIO (Never Dance In Orange) a project led by Frank v/d Kooij who was (and still is?) the sax-player in the Hopper Band. Hopper is part-time bandmember.

    Update 17/04/2004: Definitively in the pipeline for release on Cuneiform.
    Update 11/12/2004: Release postponed to September 2005.
    Update 21/01/2005: Recording planned for February 2005 during Dutch tour.
    Update 09/05/2005: Title added.
    Update 31/07/2005: Tracklisting (from NDIO website):

    1 Big Bombay (Hopper)
    2 Last night of the prawns (Van der Kooij)
    3 Mr. Barn (Van der Kooij)
    4 Landscapes (Jarvis)
    5 Soap (Van der Kooij)
    6 Mind interception
    7 Stromboli (Hopper)
    8 Bone (Van der Kooij)
    9 Wise men (Van der Kooij)

    Update 01/09/2005: Out now, can be ordered from Cuneiform, in stores 20/09/2005.

  • Pip Pyle - Short Wave (Voiceprint)

    Re-issue of a French only release from the early 90s. The line-up of Short Wave toured as "Hugh Hopper and Friends" and includes - besides Hopper - Didier Malherbe, Phil Miller and Pip Pyle. Release date 21/02/2005.

  • Soft Bounds - Live at the Triton 2004 (Triton)

    The new project by Hugh Hopper and Elton Dean, this time with Sophia Domancich on piano and Simon Goubert on drums. Recorded at the Tritonales festival, June 17th 2004. Tracks: "La Part Des Anges" (Domancich) - Gimlet Abides / First In The Wagon (Dean) - Le Retour D'Emmanuel Philibert (Goubert) - Kings And Queens (Hopper) - Scheduled for May 2005.

    Update 04/06/2005: Scheduled for June 2005.

  • Soft Machine - Breda Reactor 1971 (Voiceprint)

    Confirmed release of the Breda 31/jan/1970 concert they played in 't Turfschip. This concert is very popular among tapetraders and will now be officially released on CD. Excellent concert from the short period they were a quintet with Lyn Dobson on flute and harmonica.

    Update 11/12/2004: Unfortunately this release is no longer confirmed and has been moved to the rumour-section.
    Update 12/02/2005: This release is now listed for release 21 March on the Voiceprint website. The title suggest this concert is from 1971, but it was recorded in 1970 with the short-lived lineup Dean/Dobson/Ratledge/Hopper/Wyatt.
    Update 09/05/2005: Quite a good recording with an excellent version of Facelift and some other good performances in a Dutch venue that looks actually like an Eastern German building...

  • Soft Machine - The Story of the Soft Machine (Retro Music)

    Another cheap collection of third-rate Voiceprint recordings. This time focusing on the Turns On discs (CD1) and some solo projects (CD2) like Wyatt's Short Break, Hopper's Cryptids and Brainville live UK. Some of this music is pretty good but as an introduction to the Soft Machine it fails miserably, and the real fans already have the CDs this was pulled from.

  • Soft Machine & Heavy Friends - BBC In Concert 1971 (Hux Records)

    The long delayed Strange Fruit twoofer mentioned on these pages for a long time can now finally be considered cancelled as Hux Records is releasing the first concert on CD on the 25th of July. As the first issue has been out of print for a long time this is a welcome re-issue and contains a (6 minutes) bonustrack as well, Slightly All The Time (excerpt)/Noisette, played as an encore that same night.

    Update 04/07/2005: Out now and apparently remastered as well.

  • Soft Machine - Out-Bloody Rageous (Anthology 1967-1973) (Sony/Columbia)

    To be released 4 July 2005. Yet another Soft Machine compilation, but then again this one finally contains official album tracks from Volume One till Seven, and.... the first single for the first time on CD (Love Makes Sweet Music/Feelin' Reelin' Squeelin').

    Tracklisting: 1 : Teeth; 2 : Feelin' Reelin' Squelin' ; 3 : Love Makes Sweet Music; 4 : Virtually ; 5 : Hope For Happiness (1) ; 6 : Kings And Queens ; 7 : Joy Of A Toy ; 8 : All White ; 9 : Hope For Happiness ; 10 : Pigling Bland ; 11 : We Did It Again ; 12 : Drop ; 13 : Why Are We Sleeping ; 14 : Gesolreut; 15 : Pataphysical Introduction; 16 : Soft Weed Factor; 17 : Concise British Alphabet; 18 : Chloe And The Pirates; 19 : Hibou Anemone And Bear; 20 : Penny Hitch; 21 : Down The Road; 22 : Hullo Der; 23 : As Long As He Lies Perfectly Still; 24 : Dedicated To You But You Weren't Listening; 25 : Out Bloody Rageous; 26 : Moon In June

    Update 04/07/2005: Out now. Awaiting my copy.
    Update 09/07/2005: This is an excellent compilation and well worth the investment if only for the inclusion of the first single. The CD has been remastered by the team from Eclectic Discs (Mark Powell and Paschal Byrne) and this certainly works out on the tracks from Third onwards. Rumour has it they have also been asked to remaster re-issues of Third, 4, Fifth, Six and Seven. Powell also wrote the informative liner notes that will not contain much news for fans but certainly describe the history of the band accurately. If you ever buy a Soft Machine compilation, buy this one.

  • Soft Machine - SoftStage (BBC Radio One Live in Concert 1972) (Hux Records)

    After re-releasing the first BBC Radio One CD (previously on Windsong), Hux now also re-issues the second one with corrected date and tracklisting. No extra tracks mentioned and I'm not sure if it's remastered (I assume it will be). Available now through the Hux website, in stores 31/08/2005.

  • Soft Machine - British Tour '75 (MLP)

    Live recording from 11 October 1975.

    Update 04/06/2005: Press release from the record company:
    To be released on September 5th: Soft Machine - British Tour '75 (MLP10CD) was recorded at Nottingham University in Oct 1975.

    Tracklisting: Bundles / Land of the Bag Snake / Out of Season / JVH / The Man Who Waved At Trains / Sideburn / Ban Ban Caliban / Hazard Profile Pts 1-5 / Song of Aeolus / Sign of Five / The Floating World
    Update 01/09/2005: Out now.

  • Graham Bennett - Soft Machine - Out-Bloody-Rageous (SAF Publishing)

    First ever Soft Machine biography to be released this year with forewords by Daevid Allen, Hugh Hopper and John Etheridge.

    Update 04/07/2005: Release date set at 30 September 2005.

  • Soft Machine Legacy - Live in Zaandam (Moonjune)

    A limited edition CD (1.500 pcs) with the highlights of the Zaandam concert from May 10 2005. Album will be released July 1st and can be pre-ordered from the Moon June website by clicking on this link to the shopping cart. As I was in the audience that night I can only recommend you buy this album as you will not be disappointed.

    Tracks:
    1. ASH (Etheridge) 11:39
    3. 1212 (Hopper) 12:01
    3. BAKER’S STREET (Dean) 6:52
    4. KINGS & QUEENS (Hopper)9:11
    5. TWO DOWN (Marshall/Etheridge) 2:44
    6. BIG CREESE (Etheridge) 8:32

  • Soft Machine Legacy - Live in Europe (free MP3 download) (Moonjune)

    Moonjune has released two MP3s of the Soft Machine Legacy live during their European tour. . You can download them by using the links below:

    Soft Machine Legacy - As If (Live in Bilston 15/05/2005)
    Soft Machine Legacy - Facelift (unknown venue)

  • Robert Wyatt - Live at Drury Lane (Rykodisc)

    Most exciting news of this year so far: Rykodisc UK confirmed that they are working on the tapes of the Drury Lane concert Wyatt gave in 1974 (i.e. his only solo-concert ever!). This is what the email stated: "We are indeed talking to Robert about releasing a CD of the 1974 Drury Lane concert. We have the tapes and we just need to find the time to edit and master them. I would anticipate that we could release the record in the first half of this year." PLEASE NOTE that this does not mean it will be released, so please be patient. If I get any more information I'll let you know.

    Update 25/07/2004 (1): No real news, just to let you know I am waiting for more news as desperately as most of you. BTW, the albumcover shown is from the Las Vegas Fandango bootleg and not the official front of the possible Rykodisc release.
    Update 25/07/2004 (2): Just heard via the Dondestan mailinglist (thanks to fastone_pg) that "Live 1974" will be released in Japan on 29/09/2004. Hopefully a domestic release is also in the pipeline.
    Update 05/08/2004: According to Rykodisc UK the Drury Lane concert will be released but not until next year. I'm awaiting their comment on the upcoming Japanese CD.
    Update 06/08/2004: According to Rykodisc UK the planned Japanese release "Live 1974" is a mistake. It will not be released in Japan next month but is definately in the pipeline for 2005.
    Update 06/08/2005: FINALLY AN UPDATE ON THIS RELEASE: Planned for October 11th this will be a completely mastered/mixed version of the famous Las Vegas Fandango bootleg, although apparently "God Song" is missing. Tracklisting:

    1. introduction by John Peel
    2. Dedicated to you but you weren't listening
    3. Memories
    4. Sea Song
    5. A Last Straw
    6. Little Red Riding Hood Hit The Road
    7. Alife
    8. Alifib
    9. Mind Of A Child (Julie Tippetts)
    10. Instant Pussy
    11. Signed Curtain
    12. Calyx
    13. Little Red Robin Hood Hit The Road
    14. I'm A Believer

    Update 14/09/2005: A promo copy got into my mailbox today and I can tell you - after listening to half of the disc - that this is definitely the archival release of the year. The sound is excellent for a concert recorded in the seventies. The set of musicians who joined Wyatt on stage is a cross section of Canterbury alumni: Hugh Hopper, Dave Stewart, Fred Frith, Julie Tippetts, Mongezi Feza, Gary Windo, Mike Oldfield and Ivor Cutler, to name a few. The music itself is beautiful and adds a new dimension to the studio versions we (should) all know by heart. Consider this a must-buy.