Soft Machine
Turns On

The double-disc set “Turns On. An Early Collection” (2014) from the UK based Floating World Records is a single release-reissue of two SOFT MACHINE’s archival albums, “Turns On Volume 1” and “Turns On Volume 2”, which were released originally by Voiceprint in 2001 and sold as two separate items. CD 1 (16 tracks, 73 mins) collects both studio and live cuts from the mid-end 1967. The most of tracks, some of them came from WILDE FLOWERS’ repertoire, were performed by the trio of Robert Wyatt (drums, vocals), Mike Ratledge (organ, piano), and Kevin Ayers (bass, guitar, vocals), with Daevid Allen (guitar, vocals) appearing only on four songs. CD 2 (14 tracks, 73 mins) focuses on live materials by the Wyatt - Ratledge - Ayers line-up from 1967-1968. The main drawback of “Turns On” is its sound quality which ranges from just poor to terrible: there are lots of distortions, blurry spots, and clicks throughout, while vocal, guitar, and drums on some tracks are simply unheard. Like its predecessors, this re-issue set is clearly for the die-hard fan only, or for the lovers of noisily raw and dirt psychedelia, or for the archivists who surely know that “Turns On” set represents the only historical documents of SOFT MACHINE performing live during their short stint as a trio: at “Concertgebouw” in Amsterdam, Holland (Dec 10, 1967), and at “Col Ballroom” in Davenport, US (Aug 11, 1968). Yet, I’m not sure it’s enough to contest serious and absolutely reasonable complains about the release from casual music lovers.