Soft Machine

1966年在英國坎特伯里（Canterbury）成軍的軟機器樂隊，其成員有鼓手Robert Wyatt，吉他手Daevid Allen，貝斯手Kevin Ayers，鍵盤手Mike Ratledge。樂隊名取自美國垮派小說家William S. Burroughs同名小說。音樂跟小說一樣滲透出濃濃的實驗迷幻色彩，他們亦是Canterbury Scene 實驗搖滾要角。發(fā)行兩張專輯后團員Kevin Ayers、Daevid Allen相繼離團，Kevin Ayers以個人名義繼續(xù)發(fā)行迷幻唱片，Daevid Allen則另創(chuàng)樂隊Gong大玩太空搖滾?；仡欆洐C器的歷史，從第4張專輯后鼓手Robert Wyatt離團成立Marching Mole，軟機器似乎只是一個附載不同樂手的音樂單位，早期與晚期的作品相當不同，特色在于以實驗精神向搖滾樂做不同探索時的創(chuàng)作，變成融合爵士樂傾向的過程。
 
做為在爵士搖滾領域一直保持著獨特的影響力，或者說最有影響力的英國爵士搖滾樂團亦不過分的The Soft Machine卻從未取得過真正商業(yè)意義上的成功。直到現(xiàn)在，對大多數(shù)60年代之后涉足搖滾樂的人來說，The Soft Machine也仍然是一支神秘而不為人所知的樂團。然而這支樂隊在六十年代的迷幻搖滾浪潮中，是最早涉獵純器樂演奏前衛(wèi)爵士搖滾的。同時他們也是Canterbury藝術搖滾舞臺（Canterbury是英國藝術搖滾重鎮(zhèn)，六十年代以來有多支大牌藝術搖滾團體來自此地，如Caravan，MikeOldfield等）最為人所敬仰的人物。
 
提及The Soft Machine的音樂生涯，就無法不提到樂隊的兩位領頭人物Robert Wyatt與Kevin Ayers。雖然The Soft Machine的音樂充滿實驗性，先鋒性，但當他們開始組團表演時，兩人卻表現(xiàn)的相當傳統(tǒng)。六十年代中期，Wyatt曾作為鼓手參加過一支Canterbury的叫做the Wilde Flowers的樂團，這支樂團的音樂對于當時當時的風氣來說是頗為偏重流行及靈魂樂的，后來Soft Machine的成員Ayers和Hugh Hopper也曾參加了這支樂團,并以他們深深的即興爵士素養(yǎng)對這支樂團組成了頗為奇異的影響。
 
1966年, Wyatt和貝司/歌手Ayers, 鍵盤手Mike Ratledge,及澳大利亞籍的吉他手Daevid Allen組成了最早的the Soft Machine。這之前Wyatt, Ratledge, Allen就曾以Daevid Allen Trio的名字在一起演出。Ratledge曾經(jīng)解釋過樂隊為何會起這么個名字，他說:“這個名字是我搞到的一本二手的William Burroughs的書的名字，取自美國的一位生理學家的演講，Soft machine是指整個人類的生物學種屬分類, 我們大家都是soft machines。我想我最初是假定我們大家在這一點上都有共同和類似之處,所以大家可能都會喜歡Soft Machine的音樂.盡管這只是我的假設，我卻希望它能變成真的。”
 
樂隊大半部分時間都呆在倫敦。1967年1月，樂團錄制了唯一一張單曲唱片，收錄&Loves Make Sweet Music& 和&Feelin', Reelin',Squeelin&兩首歌曲。三個月之后，樂隊的試音唱片錄制好了，當時卻未被發(fā)行。直到1971年這張唱片由French Byg廠牌出版后，樂迷們才得以一窺此張專輯的真面目。這張Demo可以說是流行性與實驗性兼具。此時的the Soft Machine，連同Pink loyd,Tomorrom等樂團是英國最早的一批迷幻藝術搖滾樂隊。很快the Soft Machine就與Pink成為了倫敦藝術搖滾舞臺最為受歡迎的兩個樂團。經(jīng)常在著名的UFO俱樂部演出。1967年夏季，樂團去法國參加一項前衛(wèi)劇場藝術的演出。在回程中，由于護照過期，Alleng無法再進入英國，而不得不滯留下來。從此，他就在法國呆了下來，參與了很多藝術活動，并于兩年后組建了Gong這支后來聲名大噪的樂隊。Allen 為何沒有試圖回到樂隊？后來他對記者說：“Mike是個深受古典音樂訓練的音樂家,Robert則喜歡爵士,Kevin則善于寫瑯瑯上口的流行音樂。而我則對太空音響和電子音樂感興趣，一支樂隊里能容納如此多的音樂取向是不可想象的。對他們而言，我離開可能會更好一點。”他的位置曾短暫地由Andy Summers（這位吉他手后來參加了警察樂隊）接替，樂隊大部分時間就處于沒有吉他手的狀態(tài)。
 
樂隊剩余的成員組成的三人小組于1968年2月，作為Jimi Hendrix的暖場樂隊，與Jimi在英國共同進行三個月的全國巡演。4月，他們在紐約制作并發(fā)行了第一張真正意義上的專輯。與他們的首張Demo相比，這張專輯更多的摒棄了旋律與和演唱因素，而是將迷幻搖滾的力量融入了即興爵士的形式中。這種嘗試成功與否，當時可說是毀譽參半。專輯由Animals的前任貝司手Tom Wilson和Jimi Hendrix的制作人Chas Chandler監(jiān)制。樂隊此時的知名度相比之下，在美國反而要更大一點。實際上，他們的首張專輯，也僅在美國發(fā)行過。由于對樂隊的音樂方向發(fā)展的意見不同，Wyatt與Ayres，Ratledge發(fā)生了不和,因而當巡演結(jié)束，Wyatt仍留在好萊鎢，與Jimi一同工作，其他成員則返回了歐洲。幾個月之后，樂隊下一張專輯的發(fā)行者Probe公司聯(lián)絡Wyatt與他商討進行促銷巡演的時間,而Ayers沒有時間參與，因而離開了樂隊，Wyatt的老朋友Hugh Hopper代替了他的位置。這個新的陣容在進行了近一個月的排練之后，于Royal Albert Hall進行了首次演出。幾天之后，他們就進入了Olympic錄音室制作第二張專輯。
 
他們的第二張專輯，,Vol. 2(1969)走的更遠,完全拋棄了當時的流行樂因素而代之以更多的爵士成分。并越來越不依靠歌詞創(chuàng)作與歌唱部分。 Ratledge漸強的失真管風琴，Wyatt緊湊的充滿想像力的鼓擊，使樂隊變的雜亂無章和充滿超現(xiàn)實主義,對一般的流行搖滾聽眾來說，他們變的前所未有的難以接受。而在專輯發(fā)行之后的演出中，他們也經(jīng)常會請Hugh的兄弟Brian加入，來為他們演奏tenor sax。這是樂隊越來越傾向于爵士的跡象。1969年夏季，他們組成了一個完全爵士風格的組合，爵士鋼琴家Keith Tippett的演奏小組的成員全部加入了進來。包括 Elton Dean吹奏 alto sax,Marc Charig吹奏trumpet, Nick Evans吹奏trombone.和另外一位吹奏薩克斯的Dean Lyn Dobson。這個七人小組并未持續(xù)多久，公開露面的演出也只有，在BBC的和接近年終時，在法國的巡演。Evans和Charig隨即退出了樂團，他們倆后來都在歐洲爵士樂界取得了相當?shù)某删?。并曾參與過樂隊后來的幾張專輯。1970年出版的第三張專輯延續(xù)了Vol.2的風格,并被認為是前衛(wèi)搖滾及爵士搖滾的里程碑式的作品,盡管對于大多數(shù)樂迷來說，這張專輯顯得太過匪夷所思。
 
1970年樂隊乾脆變成了一支徹底的演奏樂隊，而Wyatt則是樂隊里唯一仍然迷戀歌唱的人。夏季，他推出了首張個人專輯The End Of An Ear，他把自己描述為一位“過時的流行樂歌手”，而實際上這張專輯幾乎毫無流行樂成分，內(nèi)頁不印歌詞，演唱怪聲怪調(diào)，歌聲似乎是一種樂器，在經(jīng)過錄音、處理之后又被重放出來，每首歌的歌名都在影射一支Cantebuary樂隊。但總體說來，專輯的概念性并不是很明顯，Wyatt的音樂方向也多少有些混淆。秋季W(wǎng)yatt, Hopper, Ratledge和Dean Lyn Dobson在一起錄制了這第四張專輯,這是Wyatt參與的最后一張專輯。之后，Wyatt由于與樂隊其他成員對于音樂的想法日漸分離，并認為其他成員在對他進行蓄意排擠，遂于1971年離開了樂隊,組建了自己的樂隊Matching Mole。這個樂隊也未持續(xù)多久，他就開始了至今的個人發(fā)展生涯。之所以這么做，也許是為了尾隨Kevin Ayers的舉動，此時Kevin Ayers 已出過好幾張個人專輯了。
 
對于樂隊來說，Wyatt's的退出使樂隊喪失了他們在英國爵士搖滾樂壇曾有過的舉足輕重的地位。盡管樂隊的作品可說是樂隊成員的共同努力結(jié)果，但Wyatt在音樂中流露出的幽默和充滿狂暴感情的演唱卻是無可替代的。Ratledge與Hopper和樂隊其他樂手仍勉力維持Wyatt退出后的the Soft Machine,盡管此時的他們已變成了一支單純的器樂Fusion風格的演奏團體，只是在偶然的不經(jīng)意間，才能流露出樂隊以前的靈性。Hopper于1973年離開,最后一位原始成員Ratledge也于1976年退出了樂隊。樂隊剩下的成員仍然用the Soft Machine的名字進行活動，直到1990年才宣告解散。但這段時間的the Soft Machine如同人們所常說的那樣，只是個名字罷了。
 
樂隊早期的很多作品都是出自Hugh Hopper之手，即使有段時間他還不是樂隊成員時也是如此。Ayers,Wyatt和Daevid Allen也都有各自的作品.當樂隊變得越來越偏向純演奏風格時，Mike Ratledge的地位變的重要起來，取代了Hugh Hopper。1972年Karl Jenkins加入了樂隊之后，主要的創(chuàng)作都是由他進行，在1976年Ratledge退出之后更是如此，幾乎所有的作品都是由他寫出。
 
Soft Machine were never a commercial enterprise and indeed still remain unknown even to many listeners who came of age during the late 60s, when the group was at its peak. In their own way, however, they were one of the more influential bands of their era, and certainly one of the most influential underground ones. One of the original British psychedelic groups, they were also instrumental in the birth of both progressive rock and jazz-rock. They were also the central foundation of the family tree of the Canterbury Scene of British progressive rock acts, a movement that also included Caravan, Gong, Matching Mole, and National Health, not to mention the distinguished solo careers of founding members Robert Wyatt and Kevin Ayers.
 
Considering their well-known experimental and avant-garde leanings, the roots of Soft Machine were in some respects surprisingly conventional. In the mid-60s, Wyatt sang and drummed with the Wilde Flowers, a Canterbury group that played more or less conventional pop and soul covers of the day. Future Soft Machine members Ayers and Hugh Hopper would also pass through the Wilde Flowers, whose original material began to reflect an odd sensibility, cultivated by their highly educated backgrounds and a passion for improvised jazz. In 1966, Wyatt teamed up with bassist/singer Ayers, keyboardist Mike Ratledge, and Australian guitarist Daevid Allen to form the first lineup of Soft Machine.
 
This incarnation of the group, along with Pink Floyd and Tomorrow, were the very first underground psychedelic bands in Britain, and quickly became well loved in the burgeoning London psychedelic underground. Their first recordings (many of which only surfaced years later on compilations of 1967 demos) were by far their most pop-oriented, which doesnt mean they werent exciting or devoid of experimental elements. Surreal wordplay and unusually (for rock) complex instrumental interplay gave an innovative edge to their ebullient early psychedelic outings. They only managed to cut one (very good) single, though, which flopped. Allen, the weirdest of a colorful group of characters, had to leave the band when he was refused reentry into the U.K. after a stint in France, due to the expiration of his visa.
 
The remaining trio recorded its first proper album in 1968. The considerable melodic elements and vocal harmonies of their 1967 recordings were now giving way to more challenging, artier postures that sought — sometimes successfully, sometimes not — to meld the energy of psychedelic rock with the improvisational pulse of jazz. The Softs were taken on by Jimi Hendrixs management, leading to grueling stints supporting the Jimi Hendrix Experience on their 1968 American tours. Because of this, the group at this point was probably more well-known in the U.S. than their homeland. In fact, their debut LP was only issued, oddly, in the States. For a couple of months in 1968, strangely enough, Soft Machine became a quartet again with the addition of future Police guitarist Andy Summers, although that didnt work out, and they soon reverted to a trio. The punishing tours took their toll on the group, and Ayers had left by the end of 1968, to be replaced by Wyatts old chum Hugh Hopper.
 
Their second album, Volume Two (1969), further submerged the bands pop elements in favor of extended jazzy compositions, with an increasingly lesser reliance on lyrics and vocals. Ratledges fuzzy, buzzy organ and Wyatts pummeling, imaginative drumming and scat vocals paced the band on material that became increasingly whimsical and surrealistic, if increasingly inaccessible to the pop/rock audience. For their third album, they went even further in these directions, expanding to a seven-piece by adding a horn section. This record virtually dispensed with vocals and conventional rock songs entirely, and is considered a landmark by both progressive rock and jazz-rock aficionados, though it was too oblique for many rock listeners.
 
Soft Machine couldnt afford to continue to support a seven-member lineup, and scaled back to a quartet for their fourth album, retaining Elton Dean on sax. Wyatt had left by the end of 1971, briefly leading the similar Matching Mole, and then establishing a long-running solo career. In doing so he was following the path of Kevin Ayers, who already had several solo albums to his credit by the early 70s; Daevid Allen, for his part, had become a principal of Gong, one of the most prominent and enigmatic 70s progressive rock bands.
 
For most intents and purposes, Wyatts departure spelled the end of Soft Machines reign as an important band. Although Soft Machine was always a collaborative effort, Wyatts humor, humanism, and soulful raspy vocals could not be replaced. Ratledge and Hopper kept the group going with other musicians, though by now they were an instrumental fusion group with little vestiges of their former playfulness. Hopper left in 1973, and Ratledge, the last original member, was gone by 1976. Other lineups continued to play under the Soft Machine name, amazingly, until the 1990s, but these were Soft Machine in name only.