Comments for Soft Machine, Hopper-Dean-Tippett-Gallivan: Cruel but Fair

Not an actual Soft Machine album, but as half the players are SM alums, I`ll put it here anyway. :)Lineup: Hugh Hopper: Bass guitar Elton Dean: Alto sax, saxello Keith Tippett: Piano, electric piano Joe Gallivan: Drums, percussion, synthesizerFree jazz album featuring Hopper and Dean of Soft Machine, Tippett of King Crimson, and Gallivan of.... uh... well, I don`t know, but he doesa good job on this. The music is very improvisational, very close in spirit to SM`s Fourth. Dean dominates the project, and shows him to be aunderrated sax player. Tippett is also all over the place, giving solos that are alternately melodic, furious, and atonal; similar to his work on KC`s In the Wake of Poseidon. I wouldn`t recommend this for someone who is new to SM, but the established fans should love it.