SOFT MACHINE Vinyl & CDs

Review: Canterbury scene stalwarts Soft Machine were well established by the time they headed out on a European tour in 1970 to promote their third album. Their performances in Paris and Rotterdam were recorded for radio broadcast and it's those live recordings that make up this two-disc set. It shows the jazz-rock fusionists at their mercurial best, with disc one featuring a performance of the Third LP in full, alongside fan favourites from its two predecessors. Disc two, meanwhile, features a handful of extended takes on tracks from all three albums they'd released up to that point, as well as a fine version of 'Teeth' - a track that would eventually surface in studio form on 1971 LP Fourth.