Soft Machine - Hovikodden 1971 (2024) [Hi-Res]

While the two sets from the second night (February 28, 1971) have been released before, THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT THE ENTIRE TWO-NIGHT STAND HAS BEEN RELEASED. So half of this is previously completely unreleased.

This is a excellent, stereo recording of the band performing in a relatively small hall; the balances between the instruments are not perfectly balanced, but there is no other recording by Soft Machine that I know of that sounds as much like the band are performing *right* in front of you!

Additionally, we were able to improve in a modest but definitely noticeable way the not-perfect balance between the instruments on this edition.

Soft Machine’s two concerts at the Henie-Onstad Art Center near Oslo, Norway, in late February 1971 were special in several respects. The circumstances, of course, were unusual...in a museum space, as part of an art exhibition by the Boyle Family, and Mark Boyle’s films were projected during the performances. It was part of the last European tour that featured the ‘classic quartet’ line-up before they went to the USA and split apart. But more significantly, both shows were recorded, and superbly at that, providing a rare glimpse into how, at this stage in the band’s existence, the music could change significantly from one night to the next, even when the setting didn’t.

Elton Dean: alto sax, saxello, Hohner pianet
Hugh Hopper: bass
Mike Ratledge: Hohner pianet, Lowrey Holiday Deluxe organ, Fender Rhodes
Robert Wyatt: drums, vocals