Alive & Well: Recorded in Paris

Alive & Well: Recorded in Paris
Live album by
Soft Machine
ReleasedMarch 1978
Recorded6–9 July 1977 at Théâtre Le Palace, Paris, France
GenreJazz rock[1]
Length39:06
LabelHarvest
ProducerSoft Machine
Soft Machine chronology
Softs
(1976) 		Alive & Well: Recorded in Paris
(1978) 		Land of Cockayne
(1981)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic [1]

Alive & Well: Recorded in Paris is a (mostly) live album by the jazz rock band Soft Machine, released in 1978. It is their first album recorded entirely without any founding members of the band, as Mike Ratledge left the group during recording of the previous album Softs. It is also first album since their debut not to include any wind instruments.

Overview

As reported on the booklet of the 2010 edition, it was recorded almost entirely live, by The Manor Mobile recording engineer Alan Perkins, during a 4-night residency at Paris' Théâtre Le Palace in July 1977. Much of the album was later mixed and partially re-recorded in studio; the track "Soft Space" was completely re-recorded in studio and released as a single ("Soft Space" parts 1 and 2) in April 1978.[2]

After the final performance recorded for the album, the band's van was broken into and burglarized. Among the items stolen was Etheridge's Gibson SG electric guitar he used during the shows.[3][4]

Track listing

All songs composed by Karl Jenkins except where indicated.

Side one

  1. "White Kite" – 3:00
  2. "Eos" – 1:22
  3. "Odds Bullets and Blades Pt. I" – 2:18
  4. "Odds Bullets and Blades Pt. II" – 2:33
  5. "Song of the Sunbird" – 1:24
  6. "Puffin" – 1:18
  7. "Huffin" – 5:12

Note: on original LP pressings, the audience noises after the end of "Huffin" continue into the runout groove.

Side two

  1. "Number Three" (John Etheridge) – 2:25
  2. "The Nodder" – 7:13
  3. "Surrounding Silence" (Ric Sanders) – 4:04
  4. "Soft Space" – 8:17

2010 Double-CD issue

CD 1

  1. "White Kite" – 3:00
  2. "Eos" – 1:20
  3. "Odds Bullets and Blades (Part I)" – 2:19
  4. "Odds Bullets and Blades (Part II)" – 2:33
  5. "Song of the Sunbird" – 1:25
  6. "Puffin'" – 1:17
  7. "Huffin'" – 4:42
  8. "Number Three" (John Etheridge) – 2:26
  9. "The Nodder" – 7:12
  10. "Surrounding Silence" (Ric Sanders) – 4:05
  11. "Soft Space" – 8:18

CD 2

(all previously unreleased except tracks 9 & 10)

  1. "K's Riff" – 4:41
  2. "The Nodder" – 7:13
  3. "Two Down" (John Etheridge, John Marshall) – 2:27
  4. "The Spraunce" (Peter Lemer, Steve Cook) – 6:27
  5. "Song of Aeolus" – 3:41
  6. "Sideburn" (John Marshall) – 7:44
  7. "The Tale of Taliesin" – 8:08
  8. "Organic Matter (Alan Wakeman, John Etheridge, John Marshall, Karl Jenkins, Roy Babbington) / One Over the Eight" (Steve Cook) – 5:55
  9. "Soft Space, Part One" (edited version) – 4:15
  10. "Soft Space, Part Two" (disco version) – 5:41

Personnel

Soft Machine

References

  1. ^ a b Ruhlmann, William. "Soft Machine - Alive & Well: Recorded in Paris (1978) album review, releases & credits | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
  2. ^ "Music Week" (PDF). p. 56.
  3. ^ "John Etheridge- Guitar".
  4. ^ "John Etheridge interview".