Rivmic Melodies
1. Pataphysical Introduction, Pt. 1 - 1:00
2. A Concise British Alphabet, Pt. 1 - 0:09
3. Hibou, Anemone and Bear - 5:59
4. A Concise British Alphabet, Pt. 2 - 0:12
5. Hulloder - 0:54
6. Data Was Here - 3:25
7. Thank You Pierrot Lunaire - 0:48
8. Have You Ever Bean Green? - 1:19
9. Pataphysical Introduction, Pt. 2 - 0:51
10. Out of Tunes - 2:34
Esther's Nose Job
11. As Long as He Lies Perfectly Still - 2:34
12. Dedicated to You But You Weren't Listening - 2:32
13. Fire Engine Passing With Bells Clanging - 1:51
14. Pig - 2:09
15. Orange Skin Food - 1:47
16. A Door Opens and Closes - 1:09
17. 10:30 Returns to the Bedroom - 4:13
Volume Two combines the best of both worlds: playful vocals mix freely with more advanced compositional structures, bridging the gap between the debut album and the heavy instrumental work of Third. As a vocalist and lyricist, Robert Wyatt is in full flower, and as a band (including a fledgling horn section), Soft Machine are confidently exploring alternate time signatures and complex, long-form song suites.
"Rivmic Melodies" is a mock-performance of the Official Orchestra of the College of Pataphysics, bookended by fake emcee announcements from Wyatt ("it is our great pleasure, and indeed we hope yours..."). Musically, the suite alternates between mellow, piano-based vocal pieces and bracing instrumentals. The horn section makes a full appearance on "Hibou, Anemone and Bear", which also includes a face-melting organ solo over a 7/8 fuzz bass riff and some furious drumming. Other highlights include the overdubbed harmony singing on "Hulloder," the Spanish vocals in "Dada Was Here," and the ending 5/8 cacophony of "Out of Tunes," prefaced by Wyatt's winking assurance, "Here's a few fives to take away the taste of all those sevens..." There's even a fun interchange with the audience (a pataphysical rumination, if you will) in "Thank You, Pierrot Lunaire":
In his organ solos, he fills 'round the keyboards
Knowing he must find the nicest notes for you to hear
And when I know that he's found them
I feel so good... but I still can't see
Why people listen, instead of doing it themselves
The second half of the album isn't as unified as the first. Really, the first two tracks are separate songs, and the last five are "Esther's Nose Job" proper. "As Long As..." is an ode to original bass player Kevin Ayers, and as such it recycles some of the lyrics he penned for the first album. Likable but inessential. "Dedicated to You...", on the other hand, is an interesting direction the band could have explored further. The only instruments are acoustic guitar and muted harpsichord, providing elegant backing to an oblique but charming melody sung by Wyatt. The words are absolutely great, a stream-of-consciousness meditation on parabolas, geophysics, universal Maximilian (?), and eight rare cases of chicken pox.
"Esther's Nose Job" itself is a mostly instrumental suite that delves deeper into the jazz that would make up Third. Wyatt's vocals help to humanize this foray into instrumental greatness. There is one song with words implanted in the middle: "Pig" is a swinging sixties take on the carpe diem poetic tradition (a.k.a., time is short and we're young, so why won't you sleep with me?). I like to think it's called "Pig" for a reason, though undoubtedly these guys subscribed to that philosophy. It is still a fun song, with a light melody dancing above a frantic, infectious 7/8 backing.
Though the band would reach greater musical heights in Third, nowhere would they equal the humor and vocal playfulness found here. For me, this is their best album.
Arbitrary rating: 5 out of 5 fives to take away the taste of all those sevens
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