Soft Machine - Noisette

After the late 1969 experiment with a brass section, Soft Machine reverted back from seven members to a quintet, retaining Lyn Dobson (soprano sax, flute) and Elton Dean (alto sax, saxello). Noisette presents a set that was recorded in January 4, 1970. This was where parts of "Facelift" on the soon-to-be-materialized Third album were recorded at. The piece was left out of the set, for copyright reasons obviously.

The band opens with a stunning 12 minute rendition of "Eamonn Andrews", a piece that was never recorded in the studio, but was a mainstay in the Soft Machine setlist during the 1969-71 years. The piece's Terry Riley-like meditative organ ostinatos propelled by intense drumming, as well as thick fuzz bass improv make this one a standout composition. Twelve minutes of stellar avant-rock workout. This is followed by another piece not available on any studio album, "Mousetrap", which forms a suite with a couple of pieces integrated into "Slightly All The Time" on Third: a miniature piece that is the title-track of the album as well as "Backwards", featuring an outstanding flute solo from Lyn Dobson, very much in the vein of Roland Kirk.

Already at this stage, the band's focus was heavy on instrumental jazz-rock pieces with the reeds becoming a prominent sound among distorted organs and fuzz bass; and light on songs as the vocals are being cut back. The only piece with proper lyrics is "Hibou Anemone and Bear" and the instrumental section of it is extended with extra sax solos added before the Ratledge workout. But it's definitely nice to hear Wyatt's voice. The band takes a break and the CD cuts into (since "Facelift" is omitted) a truncated "Moon In June", a Wyatt tour-de-force cut back to the closing organ solo section and the surrounding instrumental sections which are nice of course. "12/8 Theme" is another unreleased piece, that Hugh Hopper later recorded for Monster Band, his solo album from seventies. Fifteen minute "Esther's Nose Job", a mainstay of the Softs' setlists essentially follows the late 1969 arrangement, minus the brasswinds; but with rougher sound. Barring a few Wyatt scats, this suite from the second album is strictly instrumental (one of the sections had lyrics on the studio version). And the performance of the suite always includes "Pigling Bland", a piece later recorded for the fifth album.

The encore of this set is none other than a seven-minute rendition of Kevin Ayers-penned "We Did It Again" from the first album enhanced with manic saxes from Lyn Dobson and Elton Dean as well as Wyatt's more improvised voice and a looser, jam oriented structure. Even at this stage, this incarnation of the Soft Machine could really rock out, if they wanted. Whether the Soft Machine sounded like rock or not at this stage, Hugh Hopper was right when he said that Softs were a mean live band in late 60s and early 70s. Noisette clearly shows the band grown out of their youthful Dadaist origins and paving their way for the seminal jazz-fusion sound available on Third.