Matching Mole [Import]

1. O Caroline

2. Instant Pussy

3. Signed Curtain

4. Part of the Dance

5. Instant Kitten

6. Dedicated to Hugh, But You Weren't Listening

7. Beer as in Braindeer

8. Immediate Curtain

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
Reissue of the progressive rock act's 1972 debut album, that's unavailable domestically, packaged in a digipak. Columbia. 2001.

Matching Mole,Matching Mole,Sony/Columbia,Pop,Rock/Pop

Matching Mole [Import]

Average customer rating:

Extremely loose Canterbury rock with a lot of charm
Excellent
a lost classic
my god ....no other reviews?....I'm the 1st?

Matching Mole
Matching Mole
Manufacturer: Sony/Columbia
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Little Red Record
Hatfield and the North
The Rotters' Club
Egg
March

ASIN: B00005UDOD
Release Date: 2004-03-15

Tracks:

O Caroline
Instant Pussy
Signed Curtain
Part of the Dance
Instant Kitten
Dedicated to Hugh, But You Weren't Listening
Beer as in Braindeer
Immediate Curtain

Album Description

Reissue of the progressive rock act's 1972 debut album, that's unavailable domestically, packaged in a digipak. Columbia. 2001.

Album Details

Digipak Reissue of this Classic 1972 Debum Album from the Legendary Group featuring Robery Wyattt, Phil Miller, David Sinclair and Bill Maccormick.

Customer Reviews:

Extremely loose Canterbury rock with a lot of charm.......2007-02-12

I only just recently listened to this 1972 album in spite of my long-standing familiarity with the band members from their work with the great Canterbury bands (e.g. National Health, Caravan, Quiet Sun, Hatfield and the North, Soft Machine etc.). Given the lineup, and the high quality of their work in the other groups mentioned, I expected great things from Matching Mole. Unfortunately, this record seems a bit on the "haphazardly slapped together" side of things; notwithstanding, this debut has a great deal of charm and the Canterbury wit (both endearing qualities in my book).

The players on this album include Robert Wyatt (mellotron; piano; drums; percussion; and lead vocals); David Sinclair (Piano; organ); Phil Miller (electric guitar); and Bill MacCormick (electric bass guitar). The guest musician includes Dave McRae (electric piano). Overall, the playing is OK, with Robert Wyatt shining on the mellotron dominated O Caroline and especially the drums - he is really an excellent drummer.

The eight pieces on the album more or less flow together into one large "meta-composition" and are dominated by Robert Wyatt tracks with a single lengthy instrumental jam written by Phil Miller (Part of the Dance). In large part, the album consists of a few shorter vocal pieces and instrumental jams that revolve around a few pre-composed themes - the instrumental passages get very spacey at times. The vocal pieces contain lyrics on the order of "this is the first verse, and this is the chorus (or perhaps it's a bridge), or just another part of the song I am singing". The instrumental sections exhibit the same level of detail and at times sound no more involved than the jam sessions that you could have held with your friends in the basement.

I know that all of this sounds like I am complaining; to their credit however, the "loosey-goosey" approach to composition seems to hold together somewhat and there are a few pieces that work very well. For example, O Caroline is a very nice Robert Wyatt piece, along with his Instant Kitten and Dedicated to Hugh, but you weren't Listening, both of which feature spacey sections and a few loose riffs.

This 2001 remaster by Columbia is not too bad and has pretty good sound quality, but does not feature any liner notes or other extras.

All in all, I would recommend this album to Canterbury "completists" and hardcore proggers (like me). For those folks that are new to the Canterbury scene, I would personally recommend the following Canterbury albums before exploring Matching Mole: In the Land of Grey and Pink (Caravan, 1971); Hatfield and the North (eponymous 1973 debut and The Rotters Club, 1975); Robert Wyatt (Rock Bottom, 1974); and National Health (eponymous 1977 debut).

Excellent.......2006-04-02

Found this to my great surprise. I had the vinyl in '77 and loved it then too. I have a lot of RW and agree, not all of this LP 'Wyatt-wise' is premium. However the rest of the band are 'all that' so it matters little.

I liked 'Rock Bottom' too, and also 'Ruth is Stranger than Richard' but this LP is higher on my list than either.

a lost classic.......2006-01-20

i'd be a little more generous than the previous reviewer in saying that, while this might not be as epic as Wyatt's absolutely essential Rock Bottom, this is still a great record and not uneven to my ears, though certain highlights ("O Caroline" for sure) do stand out!

my god ....no other reviews?....I'm the 1st?.......2005-03-01

well, it's uneven as so much of Wyatt's work is, but "O Caroline" is one of the most beautiful love songs ever written & well worth the price of the CD. plus you have "Immediate Curtain" a Wyatt spacy Mellotron (strings) solo, very, very nice. & remember, Wyatt is never boring....

Average customer rating:

Magnificent Moles

March
Matching Mole
Manufacturer: Cuneiform
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Smoke Signals
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Matching Mole
Playtime
Matching Mole

ASIN: B00006IXGB
Release Date: 2002-09-17

Tracks:

March
Instant Pussy
Smoke Signals
Part Of The Dance
No 'Alf' Measures
Lything And Gracing
Waterloo Lily

Customer Reviews:

Magnificent Moles.......2006-04-17

Music that is hard to classify in one distinction. Is it prog, jazz, pop, avant garde, classic rock etc. This album encapsulates all the kinds of music it can offer. So many time changes, variations, great instrumentation, songs and words that are vague but amusing. Magnificent, totally!!

Average customer rating:

Mole Extricated
Soft Machine by another name
Rare Live Mole!

Smoke Signals
Matching Mole
Manufacturer: Cuneiform
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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March
Little Red Record
Matching Mole
Playtime
Theatre Royal Drury Lane

ASIN: B00005B53T
Release Date: 2001-05-22

Tracks:

Intro
March Ides I
Smoke Rings
Nan True's Hole
Brandy As In Benj
Electric Piano Solo
March Ides II
Instant Pussy
Smoke Signal
Lything & Gracing

Customer Reviews:

Mole Extricated.......2004-04-04

Progressive rock has always had this one element that seemed to be in opposition to the melodic, flowing, uplifting music of Yes, Camel, Focus, to name a few. This congenital growth out of prog was unusually dark, with angular movements and usually dissonant without melody or form. This style, probably more jazz-like than progressive, was interesting at times, but on this release, it is not. Harsh feedback, abrasive, incoherent ranting, uninteresting time changes, this is for the stout,

so-called, "intellectual", Rock-In-Opposition (RIO) crowd, and Soft Machine fans, I guess. I didn't find much of anything of interest on this album. Glad this Mole was short lived.

Soft Machine by another name.......2002-09-10

As the punning name suggests ("soft machine" is "machine moelleux" in French), Matching Mole is how Soft Machine might have evolved had drummer/vocalist Robert Wyatt stayed with his former group. By the time Smoke Signals and its companion release, March, were recorded in concert, Matching Mole was an outstanding performance unit that excelled in extended improvisational pieces. I think these two recently released live albums demonstrate the musical excellence of Matching Mole even better than the two studio albums that were released back in the day. Highly recommended.

Rare Live Mole!.......2001-08-02

What a treat it is to have live evidence of one of the quirkiest, unfulfilled and most short-lived bands in the whole prog-rock arena. The recordings are surprisingly good, and the playing is considerably harder-edged than their studio recordings.

Tracks:

Instant Pussy
Lything and Gracing
Marchides
Part of the Dance
Brandy as in Benge

Average customer rating:

Canterbury Cream
Little Red Landmark
Elemental
Save Your Money
Wyatt's Triumph Avant gaurd

Little Red Record
Matching Mole
Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Matching Mole
The Rotters' Club
March
Hatfield and the North
Egg

ASIN: B00000JAXT
Release Date: 1999-04-13

Tracks:

Starting in the Middle
Marchides
Man True's Hole
Righteous Rumba
Brandy as in Benge
Gloria Gloom
God Song
Flora Fidgit
Smoke Signal

Album Description

1972 album with Brian Eno on synthesizer and Robert Fripp producing for Robert Wyatt. 9 tracks. Sony.

Customer Reviews:

Canterbury Cream.......2006-04-17

All belong to the same lineage of Canterbury clan hatfield, soft machine, national health et al. Essential Robert Wyatt and Phil Miller two big names from the Canterbur scene. I keep on discovering new sounds and variations. This is fusion that is meant to be fusion but indeed fusion in Jazz rock English fashion and so enlightening and rich. Even after so may spins you'll never tire.

Little Red Landmark.......2005-07-20

In sharp contrast to the debut self-titled "Matching Mole", there's a great deal of evidence - to the ear alone - that each band member collaborated and contributed throughout the process from song-writing to final product.
Robert Wyatt's presence, as always, obvious ... one very tall man regardless of his stature or, later, wheelchair.
Bill McCormick: a soloist, a tunesmith, and a solid reliable Canterbury sound. And that's precisely what a bass player should be in this context.
Phil Miller always seemed to have to suffer pain to play. He puts an incredible amount of effort into doing what he does, and it showed when I saw him live. I was happy to hear him more to the fore, both playing and writing.
Dave McCrae. He's no Joe Zawinul, he's Dave McCrae. This album made his mark for me. He pushed the early 70's gear further than it was designed to go, and without him this album would not be so remarkable. As good as Dave Sinclair was, I don't think he could have managed the same effect.
Miller and McCrae give the whole direction of the album more of a fusion sound than the first album had, and although some feel it doesn't work too well, I disagree strongly.

The most notable difference, however, is the atmospheric contribution of Brian Eno on VCS3. Don't expect to hear something of what might now be called the "Eno sound", though. This was before digital, where synth players had to know about the construction of sound as well as the construction of music. Eno gives an air of Morton Subotnick, The Twilight Zone, and inhaled surrealism to this album. Not Roxy Music, not Music For Airports.

The same goes for Bob Fripp's production ... this isn't Swastika Girls, not Septober Energy (although it comes close). There's an occasional production glitch - most notably with keyboards being a little too hot (to my ears, perhaps not yours), but without detracting from the music. I'm glad that's all he did; his guitar is not what I'd want to hear on this album

All together, the tracks form a whole experience. Of course the original was on vinyl, two sides with the natural break between each. But played on CD, straight through from beginning to end, it's more of a journey.

I've read that one reviewer discarded this album after one listening. Only one!!! So much music has been rejected without effort!
It's not only the reviewer's loss, but also a loss for you if you follow his advice and not bother with this album. Sometimes good music takes more than one handful of hearings to make itself clear. And that's true for most of Robert Wyatt's work until you accept him as he is.
Wyatt has the rare ability to create poignantly serious lyrics and music that are filled with humor and romance with a tinge of surreal strangeness. In that, he's a poet and an artist. But in all the covers of his songs that I've heard, the elements only come together when they are sung in his unique voice. That was true for the debut album, and it's no less true for the second and last release during the band's lifetime.

Put that together with the obvious skills of the other musicians, and what have you got. It's probably "Music for musicians" more than it is "Music for the masses", which seems a little out of place given the album title, and Wyatt's burgeoning political voice.

Take the time, make the effort, and you will be rewarded. Sure, it's a typical example of 1970's progrock in some ways. I bought the album when it was originally released in the UK, and it does begin to sound a little dated. But there is still an overwhelming uniqueness to the whole thing. There wasn't anything exactly like this before, and there hasn't been anything exactly like this since. For me, it will always be a landmark in my musical journey. Listen to it, and find out where it takes you. Explore.

Choice picks: Gloria Gloom, God Song, Righteous Rhumba, Nan True's thingy (virgin sex!!), and of course SITMOTDWCDOPA. Hahahaha! Darn it, the whole album. Sex, laughs, music, drinking, politics... what else is there? Religion.

Elemental.......2004-12-19

When I first got my used, abused, scratched wreck of an import LP copy in the 1970's, I could not escape from this dense 'beer coaster' sound fast enough. Seems it's true, this one do grow on you. It finds a crack in your brains, then the living experiments just slither in. I have been praying for this re-release for 20 years ever since.
Here is a true sound scientist's sweeping, edging into-and-outa chaotic jubilation, and the roiling clouds of beyond all glory.
I can understand utterly why listeners are all-go-or-no-show. What I don't get is how this disc remains one undiscovered masterpiece, absent on anyone's best-o'.
It is true this disc is demanding-So much that I compare this creation to the imaginary, rarely-all-there Grateful Dead roadtrip-- or better, the ultimate source that is The Holy First Velvet Underground Disc.
Wyatt's writing resides right alongside the 'literary experiment' of Lou Reed. What the "Little Red Record" may lack of VU's 3-minute pop-gem voidsongs of one heroin-doomed chanteuse, it surely makes up for with musicianship an' an elemental riot of complicated kaleidoscopic Lysergi-political fun. Share with until it is all yours all over again.

Save Your Money.......2003-11-24

Robert Wyatt has his moments, and this band was capable of some great work, but this CD is best used as a coaster for your beer can. After one listein I hurried down to the used CD store to help them rotate their stock with it. Caveat emptor!

Wyatt's Triumph Avant gaurd.......2003-09-03

I love Robert Wyatt. Matching Mole was the last band he was in before the accident that took his walking away. My Gosh, my gosh! I am listening to this record, recorded in late 71 or early 72 and with this band, they take it WAY outside! This record hints at the Canterbury scene that was and is to come. Lush and wild keyboards, great guitar, and supurb band unity! You can here how the Hatfield and the North were influenced as well as MANY other bands (many played on that album a year or so later). Robert acknowledges his socialist view point, which is probably why this record was not pushed too hard in the United states. It is a shame really as this recording was in it's time and AHEAD of it in many ways. Phenominal spin!

Average customer rating:

The soundtrack for a rainy afternoon
Just a bootleg record
HATFIELD OF THE NORTH?

Matching Mole
Matching Mole
Manufacturer: Hux Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Six

ASIN: B000KC8O10
Release Date: 2007-02-05

Tracks:

Marchides/Instant Pussy/Smoke Signal
Part Of The Dance
No 'Alf Measures
Lithing And Gracing
Immediate Kitten
Instant Pussy
Lithing And Gracing
Marchides
Part Of The Dance
Brandy As In Benj

Album Description

Robert Wyatt formed Matching Mole in 1972, shortly after he left Soft Machine and launching his solo career. They released 2 albums before he broke up the group. On the radio, features Peel sessions and live concert feat members from Caravan,National health and Hatfield of the north. Special digi-pak format with photo artwork by Robert Wyatt inc 12 page booklet. Hux 2007

Album Details

Robert Wyatt Formed Matching Mole in 1972, Shortly after He Left Soft Machine and Just Before Launching his Solo Career. Matching Mole Bore Some Similarities to his Later Work with Soft Machine. Matching Mole Released Two Great Albums in 1972, Before Wyatt Disbanded the Group and Set Out as a Solo Artist. But it is this Hux Compilation which Wyatt Now Describes as the Definitive Matching Mole Album. `on the Radio' is a Compilation of Rare BBC Recordings, Including Three John Peel Studio Sessions and a Live Concert. The Band Includes Dave Sinclair (Ex Caravan), Phil Miller (Hatfield and the North and National Health), Bill Maccormick and Dave Macrae. This Special `digi-pack' Format features an Original Cover Photograph by Robert Wyatt, who also Compiled the Running Order. The Accompanying 12 Page CD Booklet features Extensive Liner Notes by Matching Mole Bassist, Bill Maccormick, plus Rare Period Photos and Comprehensive Recording Details.

Customer Reviews:

The soundtrack for a rainy afternoon.......2007-06-29

Like sparkling apple cider, tastes may differ, but I greatly enjoyed the 20+ minutes of the first track, nothing wrong at all with the sound quality. Tracks 2, 3, and 4 do unfortunately suffer from varying amounts of dynamic range inefficiency (to put it nicely). The rest of the tracks lie somewhere in between.

Regarding the performances, this is finely improvised avant fuzz-jazz and if you're familiar with Robert Wyatt (and keeping in mind that *this* is what he left Soft Machine to do) then you'll know Matching Mole emphasizes mood and attitude over structure, and values coloring outside the lines over following a score.

I assume I'm writing this review for fans. If you know nothing of Matching Mole then I would recommend starting with one of their studio albums (or even Soft Machine *Third*) to provide some small, fleeting amount of context.

Just a bootleg record.......2007-06-27

If you love Robert Wyatt and own all possible records from Canterbury Tales, Soft Machine than I suggest to buy this one. Other wise if you are not a collector then pass your way. Recording is such poor quality ...
My suggestion would be rather to convert Matchine Mole or espeially Soft Machine LPs to remastered (with bonus) cds instead

HATFIELD OF THE NORTH?.......2007-04-12

That's what the product description says. Oh, well.

This is nearly 78 minutes of live material drawn from various John Peel sessions and a live set from BBC Radio 1. The sound quality is uniformly undistinguished, but the music and the playing are very distinguished indeed. Some of it pre-dating Little Red Record, given the line-up here of pre- and post-Caravan, Hatfield, Soft Machine, Quiet Sun / Random Hold types, MM comprises nothing short of a Canterbury Super Group, and lasted about as long as any other super group. Never the less, even in earliest stages the music has that indefinable quality that so defines Canterbury -- and so absolutely applies to nothing else. Of course, you've heard much of these on the studio releases, and the live releases Smoke Signals and March. But not these performances, which here provide more insight into the workings of MM, their interpretations of the work and their responses to each other's playing. Absolutely no reason to not add this fine document to your MM file and extend the life of this too short-lived group by, uh, nearly 78 minutes.

Average customer rating:

The first mole
The first mole
strange but true

Matching Mole

Manufacturer: Bgo (Beat Goes on) (UK)
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000011MW
Release Date: 1993-10-07

Customer Reviews:

The first mole.......2003-02-06

Matching mole (a play on the french name of Soft Machine (Machine Molle)), Matching Mole (MM) was Robert Wyatt's first group after leaving the Softs (although it was his second album, following his solo "End of an Ear" (EOAE)). Consequently, it sits comfortably between these earlier works and MM's second album and Wyatt's later solo work. The second side reminds of EOAE, with a lot of atmospheric techniques surrounding Wyatt's wordless vocals. The first side contains three bona fide classics. First, "Caroline" is relatively straight-ahead tune, but the melody is infectious and the sentiment very heartfelt through Wyatt's plaintive vocals. The next is a clever Wyatt play on song structure. The lyrics simply specify the structure "And this is the first verse/And this is the bridge/Or perhaps its just another key change" (of course, accompanied by said key change). The melody will stay in your head for days (in a good way).

Next is Phil Miller's "Part of the Dance" a long instrumental piece featuring Miller's typically long melody lines. It merits many listens as the playing is outstanding by all members.

This may not be MM's best (or most accessible) effort (see "Little Red Record"), but contains enough stimulating and thoughtful music to keep real music lovers (and Wyatt fans) very happy for a long time.

The first mole.......2003-02-06

Next is Phil Miller's "Part of the Dance" a long instrumental piece featuring Miller's typically long melody lines. It merits many listens as the playing is outstanding by all members.

strange but true.......1999-12-25

Although stretching the boundaries set by the earlier works of Soft Machine, Caravan, Gong and the rest of the Canterbury crowd, Matching Mole remained true to the artistic vision first set out by those bands. Without compromise and respecting the intelligence of the listener they produced a body of work unmatched to this day. Not always succesful, most of the cuts available represent a revolution easily as important to the rock of the 60's and 70's as bebop was to the jazz of the 40's. They took their artistic vision to the limits, producing a body of work remarkable in it's melodic invention. Listen to this album many, many times before making a judgement. "Caroline" is as finely crafted a pop tune as ever came from the Brill building.