There are now brand new signed posters of the band featuring John Etheridge, Theo Travis, Fred Baker and Asaf Sirkis in the Soft Machine store here. Alos in the store are just 12 exclusive photos available of the Soft Machine Hidden Details line up signed by all four members, including the late great John Marshall.
My Only Desire Records contacted us about taking part in their Brit Jazz 45s series on the label and suggested we cover Harry Beckett’s The Dew at Dawn for the A side. We’re big fans of Harry’s jazz work and he played with jazz-rock/prog acts like the Keef Hartley Band, Manfred Mann and Jack Bruce, so very much inhabited the same musical sphere as Soft Machine. So we were delighted to take part.
Fred’s an ex-bandmate of Harry’s and his love and appreciation for the great man really shines through on his superb bass playing. Anyway, we hope you enjoy our arrangement and tribute to a key figure in British jazz.
For the B side we decided to record a new arrangement of Mike Ratledge’s “Slightly All the Time” from Soft Machine’s seminal 1970 opus ‘Third’, which we had played live before but hadn’t recorded yet. Working within the time constraints of a 7” vinyl, was an interesting but fun challenge and we think people will love this concise reworking of a Softs classic.
* Limited one-off pressing of 600 copies worldwide.
* 7” vinyl housed in a reverse-board picture sleeve.
* Mastered by and lacquer cut by Caspar Sutton-Jones @ Gearbox Studios.
Theo Travis: soprano saxophone, flute
John Etheridge: guitar
Fred Thelonious Baker: bass guitar
Asaf Sirkis: drums
The brand new Soft Machine studio album ‘Other Doors’ was released on 30 June 2023.
The band’s first studio album since 2018’s ‘Hidden Details’ it marks a new chapter in the history of the band – both an ending and a beginning for this unique band that has now been in existence for 55 years. The album introduces Fred Baker on bass and marks the final appearance on record of the band’s legendary drummer John Marshall who has announced his retirement.
It can be ordered from Burning Shed, Amazon, Proper and digitally from Spotify, Amazon Music and Itunes etc
The band prefers you to buy the physical copy as that way the artists get paid!
It is available from Bandcamp here-
Other Doors is available in a beautiful 2LP 180gm vinyl edition in three different versions, all limited. Side four will be a full set of bonus tracks. Turquoise and green vinyl editions will be out in limited and numbered runs of 300 copies whereas a Super deluxe marbled vinyl edition including a postcard signed by all 4 members of the band, a full-colour album design slipmat and a Soft Machine tote bag will be limited to 150 copies only.
Photos by Leoanrdo Pavkovic, except where credited otherwise.
