And this is ‘Follow Your Heart’ composed by John McLaughlin, first heard on ‘The Joe Farrell Quartet’ LP (1970) and in 1971 on John’s own ‘My Goal’s Beyond’…
Almost identical to these untrained ears. Much prefer the Farrell/McLaughlin version.
That later Soft Machine widdly stuff sounds like fingernails on blackboards to me.
Perhaps ol’ Vishface is fully aware and doesn’t care. No huge sums of royalties claimable I suspect, in any case.
On a possibly not entirely related note, and this may just be one for Colin H: does Manumission on the Don Rendell Quintet’s Roarin’ bear a striking similarity to the Michael Parkinson theme tune or us it just me?
I have all the Rendell-Carr Quintet albums, but not that Rendell ‘solo’ one…
Incidentally, the two stand-out R-C albums for me are the first and last of the five: Shades of Blue and Change Is – magnificent, in different ways! I don’t quite hear what the fuss is about Dusk Fire.
There is a slight similarity. Same sort of tempo. The Rendell version is a bit more ‘soul jazz’ in feel with clear Horace Silver influences. And, of course, he shares the front line with the wonderful Graham Bond. The Parkinson Theme (and that’s its official title) was composed by Harry Stoneham.
Both are on Spotify if you want to compare.
I love Soft Machine One and Two, and Three has it’s moments. They’re easy records to connect with for anyone who had their formative years in the early 90s as groups like Ultramarine, Gorkys Zygotic Mynci and Super Furry Animals referenced them quite a bit.
I’ve shyed away from going further as Ayers and Wyatt are the main attraction for me and tbh if you’re going to get into Jazz Fusion I’m not sure later Softs is the place to go – – but I’ve been inspired by Luke Haines’ article in this months Record Collector to seek out Soft 7 – and I really like that track you posted regardless of the original intent.
The very late stuff without numbers, Bundles etc is OK and little less earnest than 4 – 6. Ric Sanders appears on one live LP, (Alive and well: Live in Paris) long before his Albion and Fairport folkie incarnation.
Notwithstanding the OP: I have to say that I run rather against the general flow here. Soft Machine 7 was the first LP that I heard by them – it may also have been the first jazz-fusion album I owned (I might have written about this previously in the context of Charlie Hayes’ Record Exchange in Pollockshaws – can’t find the post, of course, so it might have been before the Great Crash).
I got to know 3 to 7 long before hearing the first two (which I naturally grew to love) – and I suppose I still feel that they get a bad press due the blindly accepted wisdom, occasionally from people who haven’t actually heard them (no risk of that on THIS site, of course!).
No accounting for taste, I suppose – mine included!
I’ve long avoided Soft machine in any form due to Ratledge’s annoying organ sound. I can’t abide it. Thankfully, having heard Seven last week, it isn’t too apparant.
Thing is, that organ sound (or a close derivative) keeps springing up in a Canterbury context, eg, Dave Sinclair, Dave Stewart – maybe not quite as harsh, but not a million miles away….something in the water?
And this is ‘Follow Your Heart’ composed by John McLaughlin, first heard on ‘The Joe Farrell Quartet’ LP (1970) and in 1971 on John’s own ‘My Goal’s Beyond’…
Almost identical to these untrained ears. Much prefer the Farrell/McLaughlin version.
That later Soft Machine widdly stuff sounds like fingernails on blackboards to me.
Perhaps ol’ Vishface is fully aware and doesn’t care. No huge sums of royalties claimable I suspect, in any case.
It’s a rather jolly tune either way. Love the canterbury organ on the interpretation based on version.
On a possibly not entirely related note, and this may just be one for Colin H: does Manumission on the Don Rendell Quintet’s Roarin’ bear a striking similarity to the Michael Parkinson theme tune or us it just me?
I have all the Rendell-Carr Quintet albums, but not that Rendell ‘solo’ one…
Incidentally, the two stand-out R-C albums for me are the first and last of the five: Shades of Blue and Change Is – magnificent, in different ways! I don’t quite hear what the fuss is about Dusk Fire.
There is a slight similarity. Same sort of tempo. The Rendell version is a bit more ‘soul jazz’ in feel with clear Horace Silver influences. And, of course, he shares the front line with the wonderful Graham Bond. The Parkinson Theme (and that’s its official title) was composed by Harry Stoneham.
Both are on Spotify if you want to compare.
That’s a good catch, Colin. I’ve listened to both for years and never made the connection. I think the Softies version is nicer, though!
I’ve managed to avoid Soft Machine entirely until now (bought some recordings for research purposes). What was Ratledge thinking?
I love Soft Machine One and Two, and Three has it’s moments. They’re easy records to connect with for anyone who had their formative years in the early 90s as groups like Ultramarine, Gorkys Zygotic Mynci and Super Furry Animals referenced them quite a bit.
I’ve shyed away from going further as Ayers and Wyatt are the main attraction for me and tbh if you’re going to get into Jazz Fusion I’m not sure later Softs is the place to go – – but I’ve been inspired by Luke Haines’ article in this months Record Collector to seek out Soft 7 – and I really like that track you posted regardless of the original intent.
It’s amusing, isn’t it: ‘nobody knew who was in it any more…’
The very late stuff without numbers, Bundles etc is OK and little less earnest than 4 – 6. Ric Sanders appears on one live LP, (Alive and well: Live in Paris) long before his Albion and Fairport folkie incarnation.
Notwithstanding the OP: I have to say that I run rather against the general flow here. Soft Machine 7 was the first LP that I heard by them – it may also have been the first jazz-fusion album I owned (I might have written about this previously in the context of Charlie Hayes’ Record Exchange in Pollockshaws – can’t find the post, of course, so it might have been before the Great Crash).
I got to know 3 to 7 long before hearing the first two (which I naturally grew to love) – and I suppose I still feel that they get a bad press due the blindly accepted wisdom, occasionally from people who haven’t actually heard them (no risk of that on THIS site, of course!).
No accounting for taste, I suppose – mine included!
I’ve long avoided Soft machine in any form due to Ratledge’s annoying organ sound. I can’t abide it. Thankfully, having heard Seven last week, it isn’t too apparant.
Thing is, that organ sound (or a close derivative) keeps springing up in a Canterbury context, eg, Dave Sinclair, Dave Stewart – maybe not quite as harsh, but not a million miles away….something in the water?
Here’s a nice tune…