SOFT MACHINE - Volume Two UK'69 Probe 1st Press Rare Pink Labels. Near Mint
£
50
$
66
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Description
ARTIST: THE SOFT MACHINE
TITLE: VOLUME TWO
FORMAT: VINYL 33RPM 12" LP
LABEL: PROBE
RELEASED: UK 1969
CONDITION:
VINYL: NR MINT
SLEEVE: EXCELLENT
LABELS: EXCELLENT +
UK PROBE (SPB 1002) FIRST PRESSING (December 1969)
AN EXCELLENT COPY OF SOFT MACHINE’S FIRST UK RELEASE
PRESSED WITH RARE PINK PROBE LABELS
“MADE IN GT. BRITAIN BY THE GRAMOPHONE CO. LTD.”
MATRIX: SPB 1002 A-1G / SPB 1002 B-1G
HOUSED IN THE ORIGINAL FRONT LAMINATED FLIPBACK SLEEVE "Printed and made by Garrod & Lofthouse Ltd.”
Volume Two introduces a stronger jazz influence to the sort of humour, dadaism and psychedelia present on The Soft Machine (1968).
Volume Two was inspired by Frank Zappa's Absolutely Free and the album consists of two long compositions.
Acting on a recommendation from Frank Zappa, the band split the two tracks into smaller pieces which were given arbitrary names
The first Soft Machine LP usually got the attention, with its movable parts sleeve, as well as the presence of ultra-talented songwriter Kevin Ayers.
But musically, Volume Two better conveys the Dada-ist whimsy and powerful avant-rock leanings of the band. Hugh Hopper took over for Ayers on bass, and his fuzz tones and experimental leanings supplanted Ayers' pop emphasis.
The creative nucleus behind this most progressive of progressive rock albums, however, is Robert Wyatt. He provides the musical arrangements to Hopper's quirky ideas on the stream-of-consciousness collection of tunes on side one.
Unlike the first record, which sounded choppy and often somnolent, this one blends together better, and it has a livelier sound.
The addition of session horn players enhanced the Softs' non-guitar lineup, and keyboardist Mike Ratledge, whose musical erudition frequently clashed in the early days with the free-spirited Wyatt, Ayers, and Daevid Allen, lightened his touch here.
He even contributes one of the album's highlights with "Pig" ("Virgins are boring/they should be grateful for the things they're ignoring").
But it's Wyatt who lifts this odd musical jewel to its artistic heights.
He uses his tender voice like a jazz instrument, scatting (in Spanish!) on "Dada Was Here," and sounding entirely heartfelt in "Have You Ever Bean Green," a brief tribute to the Jimi Hendrix Experience, with whom the Softs toured ("Thank you Noel and Mitch, thank you Jim, for our exposure to the crowd").
Fans of the Canterbury scene will also relish "As Long As He Lies Perfectly Still," a loving tribute to ex-bandmate Ayers.
This is the one record that assimilates rock, absurdist humour, jazz, and the avant-garde to perfection
Side 1: (play is continuous)
Pataphysical Introduction Part 1
A Concise British Alphabet Part 1
Hibou, Anemone And Bear
A Concise British Alphabet Part 2
Hulloder
Dada Was Here
Thank You Pierrot Lunaire
Have You Ever Bean Green?
Pataphysical Introduction Part 2
Out Of Tunes
Side 2: (play is continuous)
As Long As He Lies Perfectly Still
Dedicated To You But You Weren't Listening
Fire Engine Passing With Bells Clanging
Pig
Orange Skin Food
A Door Opens And Closes
10.30 Returns To The Bedroom
LABELS: EXCELLENT+
Clean, unmarked labels - one light spider mark side two.
VINYL Visual: NR MINT
Looks almost new, maybe played a couple of times. No visible markings apart from one small barely visible hairline on side two.
SLEEVE: EXCELLENT
Clean front laminated sleeve has some minor corner bumps and a couple of very light creases, spine is clear and bold
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