Amougies (Day 5) - 28 Oct 1969 - Soft Machine - aud - expurgated

Many thanks to the taper JJB and original poster urich21 for their work in providing these wonderful recordings to us.

Many thanks to everyone at dimeadozen for their work in providing this wonderful service to us.

And finally, thanks are due to all the other rabid, maniac, hard-core music fanatics out there - recording, copying, mastering, trading, sharing and giving.  

Tracks 1, 3 & 6 = flac-->wav-->cdwav(removed never released soundtrack material)-->wavs-->flac
Tracks 2, 4 & 5 = unedited - same as original banned torrent.

INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO COMPILE A COMPLETE VERSION OF THE SOFT MACHINE AMOUGIES SET:
  1. Download this torrent
  2. Obtain a copy of the never released soundtrack to the unauthorized film of the festival from somewhere else.
  3. Take track one of the never released soundtrack (total time: 9:45,) split the track at the 3:11 mark and save the first half of the track as file name 01b_Moon_In_June.
  4. Take track nine of the never released soundtrack (total time: 3:09,) split the track at the 0:43 mark and save the first half of the track as file name 03b_Eamonn_Andrews.
  5. Take track fourteen of the never released soundtrack (total time: 1:23) and change the file name to 06b_Hibou_Anemone_And_Bear.

ORIGINAL INFO FILE BELOW:
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FESTIVAL ACTUEL, AMOUGIES (Belgium) 
Day Five - October 28, 1969

SOFT MACHINE

source: audience recording

Well, this is the end, I'm afraid... The last in our Amougies series, and a personal favourite.

This is the only recording in circulation of a complete concert by the shortlived septet line-up of Soft Machine. Amougies wasn't quite their debut (they played a warm-up gig in Liverpool a few days before) but this is certainly where most people heard them for the first time. Although a major change in the band's instrumentation, the addition of a brass section didn't actually alter their basic set all that much, the only composition written especially for this line-up being "Pigling Bland", the new coda to "Esther's Nosejob". Everything else (including the rare coda to "Facelift" which shows up on the September trio gig from Amsterdam) had been played by the trio (and quartet with Brian Hopper). Similarly, the fact that Robert Wyatt doesn't sing much was not so much a consequence of the enlarged line-up than one of its causes - apart from Hopper and Ratledge's new compositions being all-instrumental, Wyatt just couldn't cope with his dual role very well. Actually, the Amougies concert has some of his best live singing, particularly the "New York" sequence of "Moon In June". This was in part due to the band's recent acquisition of an Echoplex echo chamber. But most of "Moon In June", alas, is played instrumentally... but it is played very well, particularly by Ratledge who makes expert use of fuzz and wah-wah. All in all, this is a precious document of an exceptional line-up, a welcome complement to what little is available commercially (on "BBC Radio 1967-71" and "Backwards").

Apparently, the first half of this set was broadcast on radio at the time, on either the Belgian RTBF or Luxemburg's RTL, and is in circulation in bootleg form. The sound is arguably better than the recording here, but I opted to leave this version as it is as it offers a slightly different sonic perspective on the performance. I think the broadcast version has been seeded here already anyway. Perhaps a repeat would be a good idea.

Just before we go on (...to the next part of our song...), the usual warning about the sound quality - the tape recorder used was way below modern standards and the sound is nowhere near "professional" quality. This reservation aside, however, this is simply an unbelievable document of a legendary festival, and so our hearfelt thanks to the taper, JJB, for recording this at the time, and for allowing me to seed it here. 

1. Moon In June (14:51)
2. Facelift (10:24)
3. Eamonn Andrews (8:05)
4. Mousetrap / Noisette / Backwards / Mousetrap Reprise / drumlink (9:50)
5. Esther's Nosejob (incl. Pigling Bland) (15:15)
6. Hibou, Anemone And Bear (6:21)

Robert Wyatt - Drums & Vocals
Mike Ratledge - Lowrey Organ & Hohner Pianet
Hugh Hopper - Bass
Elton Dean - Alto Sax
Lyn Dobson - Soprano Sax
Marc Charig - Cornet
Nick Evans - Trombone