Name: The Dutch Lesson
Brand: Soft Machine

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Catalogue number

RUNE490491

Colour

Colour details

Discogs ID

Format multiplier

Download code

Download code: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Extended format

Extended format: No

Format detail

Format Music GB

Limited edition

Release date

2023-04-28

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Supplier GB

Shellshock

Tax rate GB

Standard:20

UPC / Barcode

0045775049021

Total Cap

CDx2

Artist

Soft Machine

Genre GB

Psychedelic

Label GB

Cuneiform

With their website <a href="http://www.cuneiformrecords.com">www.cuneiformrecords.com</a>, Cuneiform provides a platform for music enthusiasts to explore and discover extraordinary talent across various genres. Collaborating with Wayside Music, an online music mail order service founded in 1980, they have established themselves as a trusted source for exceptional musical experiences.

Soft Machine is an English rock and jazz band from Canterbury, formed in mid-1966. The band was named after the novel "The Soft Machine" by William S. Burroughs. Led by Australian artist Daevid Allen, the group was influenced by the emerging Beat Generation and the music philosophies of Sun Ra. They started as a free-jazz outfit called the Daevid Allen Trio before evolving into Soft Machine with members Robert Wyatt, Mike Ratledge, and Kevin Ayers. Their eponymous album released in 1968 is considered a classic of the late 1960s psychedelic era.

The band gained popularity on London's psychedelic scene and performed at various iconic venues such as The Marquee and UFO club. They also took part in notable events like the '14 Hour Technicolor Dream' alongside Pink Floyd and Velvet Underground. Despite several lineup changes over the years, Soft Machine continued to push boundaries with their experimental sound.

Today, Soft Machine remains active with current members John Etheridge on guitar, Theo Travis on saxophone/flute/piano, Fred T. Baker on bass (since 2022), and Asaf Sirkis on drums (since 2023). Their music continues to captivate audiences with its unique blend of rock and jazz influences.

Soft Machine live recordings go, the second half of 1973 has until now been poorly documented. We have the NDR Jazz Workshop performance in Hamburg from May 1973, but having been taped just after Roy Babbington had joined, it is greatly of interest to followers to hear how the line-up would have gelled after a few months on the road. Shortly after the period documented here, the band would swell to a quintet, in order to accommodate a guitarist (first Allan Holdsworth and then John Etheridge, who remains in the band to this day), an instrument that the band had not featured since fall, 1967! Recorded at De Lantaren, Rotterdam, The Netherlands, on October 26, 1973, this previously unknown and never-before released recording showcases the band as a road-tested powerhouse. The Dutch Lesson is the 11th release in Cuneiform’s on-going series of archival releases documenting the work of Britain’s restlessly creative Soft Machine.

The Dutch Lesson

Music GB