Live In Europe 1970

One of the few surviving relics of Soft Machine's early-'70s incarnations, this hour-long video was shot for French television in March 1970 and captures one of the band's least known incarnations in full flight. The standard core of Elton Dean, Mike Ratledge, Hugh Hopper, and Robert Wyatt is joined by saxophonist Lyn Dobson for a six-song set that might not be the most visually stimulating video you've ever sat through, but is certainly an uplifting one. The improvisations that fire the opening "Facelift" through almost 19 minutes of brilliance set the tone for the full show — elsewhere, "Eamonn Andrews" and "Out-Bloody-Rageous" effortlessly transcend their more familiar incarnations, while "Esther's Nosejob" is archetypal Soft Machine, contagiously convoluted, yet never failing to live up to the humorous overtones of its title. Of course this isn't a purchase that will appeal to anybody looking for a quick and easy entry into the multitudinous worlds of the Soft Machine — the band is certainly heading down the po-faced highway here, with Robert Wyatt's vocal improvisations capable of tiring even the most patient of his admirers. But anybody keen to discover whether this particular lineup had any virtues beyond its sheer obscurity will revel in a well-shot, warmly colored, and never less than exhilarating performance.