Chapter One - Jet-Propelled Photographs (1967)
The Soft Machine, 1967 The year is 1967. Psychedelia is in full swing, The Beatles had begun working on their masterwork album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and the clubs are a hotspot for acts providing a new sound for this new youth culture. Among the many bands to populate the clubs are The Soft Machine, formed in 1967 by and consisting of Daevid Allen on guitar and vocals, Kevin Ayers on bass and vocals, Mike Ratledge on keyboards, and Robert Wyatt on drums and vocals. The band mainly played in the UFO Club in London, along with fellow psychedelic rock pioneers, Pink Floyd, of whom became close friends with each other, especially Kevin Ayers and Pink Floyd’s guitarist Syd Barrett. “We enjoyed seeing each other perform, sharing songwriting ideas, and we just really influenced each other musically.” Kevin Ayers, 2006 Pink Floyd signing with EMI, 1967 When Pink Floyd signed a record contract with EMI in February 1967, Barrett insisted to their manager Andrew Kin