Soft Machine "Drop 2 - the Missing Bits" [joerg-TomP]
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Donaueschinger, Donaueschingen/Germany
17th October 1971 (MP2)

Source 1: Donaueschinger Musiktage 1971-10-17 320/48k mp2 broadcast
http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=204526 Dime post by Joerg - thanks !!

Source 2: Berlin 1971-11-07 SBD > ? > trade flacs *

Contrast clause:
The official 'Drop' CD has the following:
1971-11-07 at Berlin Jazztage (Tracks 1-7, starting with Neo Caliban Grides and no encore)
1971-10-12 at the Donaueschinger MusikTage, Donaueschingen, Germany (Tracks 8-10)

This post uses tracks 1-6 from Donaueschingen and tracks 8-11 from Berlin. I have all 3 recordings
and confirm than none of the official material is used here

http://www.noisette.nl/discs/DROP.htm is WRONG !! It reverses attribution of tracks to Berlin and
Donauschingen. Dark Swing > Pigling is ~6min longer from Berlin

Also posted in inferior quality 30-year old multi-generation FM Boot:
http://www.dimeadozen.org/torrents-details.php?id=204598

Fine Lewojazz artworks are included - thanks !!

Quality: A++ really great for this vintage
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Thanks to joerg for posting the recent much improved quality mp2 broadcast, the Donaueschingen
broadcast was a clear low noise recording, but which was not well served by the original station
editing / mixing. The sound was thin with little bass (isn't Hopper the best bit?) and balance way
off centre due to significant and varying phase shifts, possibly due to careless stereo "broadening"
often used by German FM stations of this vintage.

I fixed it and was a tremendous recording and performance, the better (IMHO) for the playing of Phil
Howard who for me was way the best Softs drummer. This is the only incarnation of Soft Machine that I
had the pleasure to hear, so it is a shame he and Elton were now too free for the others and a truly
great band was all to short lived. just listen to the long improv track (echoes of even Cecil Taylor)
on the BBC 1971-4 release to hear what might have been.

I was just about to post, when a Dimer told me it was to be used in the official Drop CD, so I never
posted and then urich21 told me it was from Berlin, a copy of which I also had and intended to post.
However it turned out to be a mix of the two gigs, so I thought I could not sensibly post either, given
the info on noisette.nl that turned out to be wrong when I listened to all the sources.

So I decided to produce this remaster that uses all the material NOT used in official CD, plus the
Berlin encore that I do not think has ever been posted and in better quality than has appeared before.


TomP post on Dime, Dec. 2015...Enjoy !!

Elton Dean, alto, saxello, Fender Rhodes
Mike Ratledge, organ, Fender Rhodes
Hugh Hopper, bass
Phil Howard, drums


01 - All White (3:48) > (fades in)
02 - Slightly All The Time (8:24) >
03 - Drop (4:57) >
04 - MC (2:14) >
05 - Out-Bloody-Rageous (8:55) >
06 - As If (5:16) >
07 - Dark Swing (drum solo) (4:45) * >
08 - Intro Pigling (1:22) * >
09 - Pigling Bland (6:16) *
10 - Encore Improv (8:46) *

Total = 54:44

Edit details:

Source 1:
Foobar2000 (48k wav)
Audition 3 (44.1k wav, clip removal and phase inversion)
Fixed overall phase offset by moving L-channel -4 samples throughout
Corrected large balance shift from 22:40 onwards
Corrected about 1,000 (one thousand) short phase / volume / balance changes
EQ, +3dB bass and +2dB treble
Cross-mixed channels, 98:2 ratio
Fixed a number of clicks / glitches
Extended and faded-out the abrupt applause cut

Source 2:
Fixed overall phase offset, moved L-channel -3 samples
Corrected large balance variations
Equalised volume to source 1

Both sources:
Stitched sources at the same point as the official Drop CD
Normalised volume
Phase offset correction + or 1 sample in patches throughout
Flac Tags (Tag & Rename)
TLH (flac6 + SBE / decode check)