The Soft Machine* – The Soft Machine

Soft Machine - The Soft Machine album cover

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Label:	ABC Records – LP-4500
Format:	Vinyl , LP, Album , Uncensored, Die-Cut Gatefold, True Sound
Country:	US
Released:	Nov 1968
Genre:	Rock
Style:	Experimental

Tracklist

A1	Hope For Happiness Written-By – M. Ratledge*	4:20
A2	Joy Of A Toy Written-By – M. Ratledge*	2:49
A3	Hope For Happiness (Reprise) Written-By – M. Ratledge*	1:37
A4	Why Am I So Short? Written-By – M. Ratledge*	1:38
A5	So Boot If At All Written-By – R. Wyatt*	7:22
A6	A Certain Kind Written-By – H. Hopper*	4:10
B1	Save Yourself Written-By – R. Wyatt*	2:25
B2	Priscilla Written-By – R. Wyatt*	1:05
B3	Lullabye Letter Written-By – K. Ayers*	4:37
B4	We Did It Again Written-By – K. Ayers*	3:46
B5	Plus Belle Qu'une Poubelle Written-By – K. Ayers*	1:01
B6	Why Are We Sleeping? Written-By – R. Wyatt*	5:31
B7	Box 25/4 Lid Written-By – M. Ratledge*	0:47

Companies, etc.

Manufactured By – Grand Award Record Co., Inc.
Manufactured By – True Sound Manufacturing Corp.
Mastered At – Fine Recording Studios
Record Company – ABC Records, Inc.
Published By – Amm Jay Music Inc.

Credits

Design [Cover Design] – Henry Epstein
Drums – Robert Wyatt
Lead Guitar – Kevin Ayres*
Liner Notes – Arnold Shaw
Mastered By – P17*
Organ – Michael Ratledge*
Producer – Tom Wilson (2)

Notes

First issue sleeve with a circular die-cut in sleeve, revealing rotating 'clockwork' card insert through which the band be viewed on a full-color backing sheet. Uncensored images of a nude girl on the inside and back of the gatefold and under the clock insert. (An added "bikini bottom" was used to censor these images on the second US version of this album, cat suffix 'X').

Labels: Track timings on labels differ to those on inside sleeve. On the labels the side indications are 'Side 1' and 'Side 2'. First catalog number on spine and cover, second on label.

ABC owned two NYC-area pressing plants which used the same equipment and produced the same, characteristic pressing ring. Plates made for the newer plant, True Sound, added 'TƧM' to the runouts [this] but in all other respects this release is identical to The Soft Machine.

Plated at Longwear Plating.

"Mfg. by Grand Award Record Co., Inc., a subsidiary of ABC Records Inc. 1330 Avenue of the Americas, New York, N.Y. 10019".
'Command/Probe' appears on the spine while the labels and front cover show 'Command/ABC Records/Probe.'

"...Selections published by Amm Jay Music Inc. - BMI".

Barcode and Other Identifiers

Matrix / Runout (A-side runout, variant 1): LP- 4500 AS - 2LW P17 LW[sideways] TƧM
Matrix / Runout (B-side runout, variant 1): LP- 4500 B - SB - 255 LW[sideways] TƧM
Matrix / Runout (A-side runout, variant 2): LP- 4500AS - 2LW P17 εΓ TSM
Matrix / Runout (B-side runout, variant 2): LP- 4500 B - SB - 255 εΓ TSM

Other Versions (5 of 59)

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	Title (Format)	Label	Cat#	Country	Year
	The Soft Machine (LP, Album, Stereo, Uncensored, Die-Cut Gatefold)	ABC Records	LP 4500, LP-4500	US	1968
Recently Edited	The Soft Machine (LP, Album, Monarch, Gatefold Die-cut, Uncensored)	Probe	LP 4500, LP-4500-S	US	1968
Recently Edited	The Soft Machine (LP, Album, Stereo)	Probe	LP 4500 X	US	1968
	The Soft Machine (LP, Album, Gatefold)	Probe	LP 4500 X	US	1968
Recently Edited	The Soft Machine (LP, Album, Stereo, Flipback Cover)	Barclay	920 082, 0 920 082, 0920 082		1968