Record Reviews

SOFT MACHINE ~ RUBBER RIFF GONZO 020 (Barcode: 5060230860480) ~ UK ~ Canterbury Scene Recorded: 1976 Released: 2010 The collection of tunes composed by Karl JenkinsFind albums by this artist and recorded by the last Soft MachineFind albums by this artist lineup with guitarist John EtheridgeFind albums by this artist, bassist Roy BabbingtonFind albums by this artist and drummer John MarshallFind albums by this artist (Karl´s wife Carol BarrattFind albums by this artist plays keyboards as well) was never intended to be released as an album. It was recorded shortly following the recording sessions of "SoftsFind albums with this title", the band´s 9th album, and presents more or less the same musical patterns, with less space for improvisation or extended solo passages. This music was intended as "library music", a term used for music recorded by many British artists, which was intended to be used later by TV and cinema productions. Many of the most important British composers and musicians used this mechanism as an alternative source of income and in retrospect some truly incredible music was recorded for the vaults of many music libraries. Later on some of these recordings were released as albums, exactly like in the case of this album. In retrospect this album is every bit as strong as the rest of the late Soft Machine recordings. Although usually dismissed by music critics as feeble and even worthless, the truth is that it is quite interesting as much for the compositional aspects as for the excellent performances captured here. Let the critics say what they wish, but any true Soft Machine fan will find this music worthy of their attention and perhaps be quite surprised in case this is the first time he hears this little gem. Definitely worth investigating!

CD 1 Recommend To A Friend