Six (Soft Machine album)

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Six
Studio album by Soft Machine
Released	1973
Recorded	1972
Genre	Jazz/Rock jazz fusion
Length	76:25
Label	Columbia
Producer(s)	?
Professional reviews
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Soft Machine chronology
Five (1972)	Six (1973)	Seven (1973)

Six is a 1973 jazzy 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. It 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. Six won first place in the Melody Maker British Jazz Album of the Year award in 1973.

[edit] Track listing

Record 1 (live) 41:45 Side 1:

1. "Fanfare" (Jenkins) – 0:42
2. "All white" (Ratledge) – 4:46
3. "Between" (Jenkins, Ratledge) – 2:24
4. "Riff" (Jenkins) – 4:36
5. "37 1/2" (Ratledge) – 6:51

Side 2:

1. "Gesolreut" (Ratledge) – 6:17
2. "E.P.V." (Jenkins) – 2:47
3. "Lefty" (Hopper, Jenkins, Marshall) – 4:56
4. "Stumble" (Jenkins) – 1:42
5. "5 from 13 (for Phil Seamen with love & thanks)" (Marshall) – 5:15
6. "Riff II" (Jenkins) – 1:20

Record 2 (studio) 34:40 Side 3:

1. "The soft weed factor" (Jenkins) – 11:18
2. "Stanley stamps Gibbon album (for B.O.)" (Marshall) – 5:58

Side 4:

1. "Chloe and the pirates" (Ratledge) – 9:30
2. "1983" (Hopper) – 7:54

[edit] Personnel

• Hugh Hopper - bass, sound effects on 1983
• Karl Jenkins - oboe, baritone & soprano saxes, electric and grand pianos, celeste
• John Marshall - drums, percussion
• Mike Ratledge - organ, electric and grand pianos, celeste

Record 1: Recorded at the Dome, Brighton and at the Civic Hall, Guilford 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.

Soft Machine

Daevid Allen | Kevin Ayers | Elton Dean | Hugh Hopper | Mike Ratledge | Robert Wyatt

Roy Babbington | John Etheridge | Karl Jenkins | John Marshall

Steve Cook | Marc Charig | Lyn Dobson | Nick Evans | Jimmy Hastings | Allan Holdsworth | Brian Hopper | Ric Sanders | Alan Skidmore | Rab Spall | Andy Summers | Alan Wakeman

Discography

Regular albums:

The Soft Machine (1968) | Volume Two (1969) | Third (1970) | Fourth (1971)

Five (1972) | Six (1973) | Seven (1973) | Bundles (1975) | Softs (1976) | Alive & Well: Recorded in Paris (1978)

Related articles

Canterbury Sound - Jazz fusion - Wilde Flowers