Live Paradise

AMG Review of Live Paradise

Lindsay Planer
All Music Guide

Live Paradise (1995) is among the surfeit of CDs -- both bootleg and legit -- to feature a 45-minute segment of Soft Machine at the Paradiso Club in Amsterdam circa 1969. This follows the departure of Kevin Ayres (guitar) after the band's 1968 North American tour supporting the Jimi Hendrix Experience. Remaining were Hugh Hopper (guitar/bass/vocals), Mike Ratledge (keyboards), and Robert Wyatt (drums/vocals), who cut loose on the mile-a-minute Dadaist and free-form Volume Two (1969) album, from which the selections on this set have been derived. This band probes and barrels though a majority of the platter with Hopper leading the combo through frenetic versions of the semi-suite medley of "Hulloder," "Dada Was Here," "Thank You Pierrot Lunaire," "Have You Ever Bean Green?," and "As Long as He Lies Perfectly Still." Purists and keen-eared enthusiasts will notice several variations from the LP's running order, such as the opening, which places "Dada Was Here" in front of "Hulloder." Another significant alteration is the absence of the jazzy "Out of Tunes," as well as the misfit acoustic ballad "Dedicated to You, But You Weren't Listening." Their non-presence actually reinforces the repertoire as well as the trio's ability to plummet swiftly into a raw and piercing combo of "Pig," "Orange Skin Food," "A Door Opens and Closes," as well as an aural nosh-up on "10:30 Returns to the Bedroom." The results are completely satisfying, if not a bit exhausting just to hear. While neophytes might wish to begin their Soft Machine sojourn with the Vols. 1 & 2 (1989) two-fer, those seeking more of the same are well served here.