Six (Soft Machine album)
Encyclopedia
Six is a 1973 instrumental album, originally released as a double LP
by the British
psychedelic
, progressive rock
and jazz
/fusion
band Soft Machine
who were one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene
. The previous two albums had been issued with slightly different titles in different countries (Fourth and Fifth in the UK, Four and 5 in the USA, with the former album showing a numeral 4 on the cover, while the album before that had been titled Third worldwide); on this album they deferred to their American standard for worldwide release.
Six is their first album with Karl Jenkins
(reeds, keyboards, from Ian Carr
's Nucleus
) who had replaced Elton Dean
. The album is unusual in having the oboe
as a featured instrument in a jazz-rock setting. The "B.O." to whom the track Stanley Stamp's Gibbon Album is dedicated is Bill Oddie
. Six won first place in the Melody Maker
British Jazz Album of the Year award in 1973. Bassist Hugh Hopper
left the group before the album was released.
The album includes a live record and a studio record, individually titled as shown in the track listing below. One song from the live album, "All White", had been previously recorded for their Fifth album.
Note: "Lefty" composer credit changed to (Hopper / Jenkins / Marshall) on later CD editions.
Record 1: Recorded at the Dome, Brighton
and at the Civic Hall, Guildford
and mixed at Advision Studios, London during the months of October and November 1972.
Record 2: "1983" recorded and mixed at Advision Studios, London
. All other compositions recorded and mixed at CBS Studios, London during the months of November and December 1972.
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
by the British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
psychedelic
Psychedelic
The term psychedelic is derived from the Greek words ψυχή and δηλοῦν , translating to "soul-manifesting". A psychedelic experience is characterized by the striking perception of aspects of one's mind previously unknown, or by the creative exuberance of the mind liberated from its ostensibly...
, progressive rock
Progressive rock
Progressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
and jazz
Jazz
Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...
/fusion
Jazz fusion
Jazz fusion is a musical fusion genre that developed from mixing funk and R&B rhythms and the amplification and electronic effects of rock, complex time signatures derived from non-Western music and extended, typically instrumental compositions with a jazz approach to lengthy group improvisations,...
band Soft Machine
Soft Machine
Soft Machine were an English rock band from Canterbury, named after the book The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs. They were one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene, and helped pioneer the progressive rock genre...
who were one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene
Canterbury Scene
The Canterbury scene is a term used to loosely describe the group of progressive rock, avant-garde and jazz musicians, many of whom were based around the city of Canterbury, Kent, England during the late 1960s and early 1970s...
. The previous two albums had been issued with slightly different titles in different countries (Fourth and Fifth in the UK, Four and 5 in the USA, with the former album showing a numeral 4 on the cover, while the album before that had been titled Third worldwide); on this album they deferred to their American standard for worldwide release.
Six is their first album with Karl Jenkins
Karl Jenkins
-Other works:*Adiemus: Live — live versions of Adiemus music*Palladio *Eloise *Imagined Oceans *The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace...
(reeds, keyboards, from Ian Carr
Ian Carr
Ian Carr was a Scottish jazz musician, composer, writer, and educator.-Early years:Carr was born in Dumfries, Scotland, the elder brother of Mike Carr...
's Nucleus
Nucleus (band)
Nucleus were a pioneering jazz-rock band from Britain who continued in different forms from 1969 to 1989. In their first year they won first prize at the Montreux Jazz Festival, released the album Elastic Rock, and performed both at the Newport Jazz Festival and the Village Gate jazz club.They were...
) who had replaced Elton Dean
Elton Dean
Elton Dean was an English jazz musician who performed on alto saxophone, saxello and occasionally keyboard....
. The album is unusual in having the oboe
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
as a featured instrument in a jazz-rock setting. The "B.O." to whom the track Stanley Stamp's Gibbon Album is dedicated is Bill Oddie
Bill Oddie
William "Bill" Edgar Oddie OBE is an English author, actor, comedian, artist, naturalist and musician, who became famous as one of The Goodies....
. Six won first place in the Melody Maker
Melody Maker
Melody Maker, published in the United Kingdom, was, according to its publisher IPC Media, the world's oldest weekly music newspaper. It was founded in 1926 as a magazine targeted at musicians; in 2000 it was merged into "long-standing rival" New Musical Express.-1950s–1960s:Originally the Melody...
British Jazz Album of the Year award in 1973. Bassist Hugh Hopper
Hugh Hopper
Hugh Colin Hopper was a progressive rock and jazz fusion bass guitarist. He was a prominent member of the Canterbury scene, as a member of Soft Machine and various other related bands.-Early career:...
left the group before the album was released.
The album includes a live record and a studio record, individually titled as shown in the track listing below. One song from the live album, "All White", had been previously recorded for their Fifth album.
Side one
- "Fanfare" (Karl JenkinsKarl Jenkins-Other works:*Adiemus: Live — live versions of Adiemus music*Palladio *Eloise *Imagined Oceans *The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace...
) – 0:42 - "All White" (Mike RatledgeMike RatledgeMichael Roland "Mike" Ratledge is a British musician. Ratledge was part of the Canterbury scene and a long-time member of Soft Machine.-Biography and career:...
) – 4:46 - "Between" (Jenkins / Ratledge) – 2:24
- "Riff I" (Jenkins) – 4:36
- "37½" (Ratledge) – 6:51
Side two
- "Gesolreut" (Ratledge) – 6:17
- "E.P.V." (Jenkins) – 2:47
- "Lefty" (Soft Machine) – 4:56
- "Stumble" (Jenkins) – 1:42
- "5 From 13 (for Phil SeamenPhil SeamenPhillip William "Phil" Seamen was an English jazz drummer.With a solid background in big band music, Seamen played and recorded in a wide range of musical contexts with virtually every key figure of 1950s and 1960s British jazz...
with Love & Thanks)" (John MarshallJohn Stanley MarshallJohn Stanley Marshall, better known as John Marshall, born 28 August 1941 in Isleworth, Middlesex, is an English drummer. He was a founding member of the jazz rock band Nucleus and has worked with various other jazz and rock bands and musicians, among them J.J...
) – 5:15 - "Riff II" (Jenkins) – 1:20
Note: "Lefty" composer credit changed to (Hopper / Jenkins / Marshall) on later CD editions.
Side one
- "The Soft Weed Factor" (Jenkins) – 11:18
- "Stanley Stamp's Gibbon Album (for B.O.)" (Ratledge) – 5:58
Personnel
- Hugh HopperHugh HopperHugh Colin Hopper was a progressive rock and jazz fusion bass guitarist. He was a prominent member of the Canterbury scene, as a member of Soft Machine and various other related bands.-Early career:...
– bass guitar, sound effects on "1983" - Karl JenkinsKarl Jenkins-Other works:*Adiemus: Live — live versions of Adiemus music*Palladio *Eloise *Imagined Oceans *The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace...
– oboe, baritone and soprano saxophones, electric piano and grand piano, celeste - John MarshallJohn Stanley MarshallJohn Stanley Marshall, better known as John Marshall, born 28 August 1941 in Isleworth, Middlesex, is an English drummer. He was a founding member of the jazz rock band Nucleus and has worked with various other jazz and rock bands and musicians, among them J.J...
– drums, percussion - Mike RatledgeMike RatledgeMichael Roland "Mike" Ratledge is a British musician. Ratledge was part of the Canterbury scene and a long-time member of Soft Machine.-Biography and career:...
– organ, electric piano and grand piano, celeste
Record 1: Recorded at the Dome, Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
and at the Civic Hall, Guildford
Guildford
Guildford is the county town of Surrey. England, as well as the seat for the borough of Guildford and the administrative headquarters of the South East England region...
and mixed at Advision Studios, London during the months of October and November 1972.
Record 2: "1983" recorded and mixed at Advision Studios, London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. All other compositions recorded and mixed at CBS Studios, London during the months of November and December 1972.