MIKE RATLEDGE
Leonardo Pavkovic and Mike Ratledge; photo by John Etheridge
An Appreciation of the Soft Machine co-founder
By Dr. Gary Gomes
(April 2025)
Mchael Ratledge was a legendary keyboard player. I have no problem saying I considered him a genius in his field, both as a keyboard player and composer.
Ratledge was primarily associated with Soft Machine and their circle of associates, including guest spots on albums by Kevin Ayers, Elton Dean, David Bedford, Syd Barrett, and he performed on the live BBC performance of Mike Oldfield's Tubular Bells. He also teamed up with Karl Jenkins for Adiemus' recording in the 1990's. He also composed several film scores in the 1980's and helped develop a synthesizer in the 1970's.
Ratledge actually studied avant garde music at Oxford with Mal Dean and Rab Spall (the latter appeared on Soft Machine Third), but he went to Oxford on scholarship and studied psychology and philosophy (the latter earned him an award). His primary musical training was in classical music and he would play Hindemith pieces along with his friend Brian Hopper (Hugh Hopper of Soft Machine's brother). His family only played classical music at home, but Ratledge became interested in playing jazz. His initial influence was Cecil Taylor and he worked from Taylor to Monk, Miles Davis, Herbie Hancock, and Coltrane, among others, as his main influences.
Ratledge found his way into music after being asked to play piano in the Daevid Allen's Trio. His original plan was to apply for a scholarship to study poetry in the United States, but applied too late for the scholarship and was asked to join Soft Machine. He agreed. It is one of the most eccentric rock career paths I ever encountered.
Soft Machine started out as a song-based rock group using two guitarists (Allen and Larry Nowlin). Nowlin left fairly early on, and Allen was not allowed re-entry into the UK after the band toured France because of a drug record. So the group, with Kevin Ayers on bass and Robert Wyatt on drums, soldered on to near legendary status in the English underground and actually toured the United States with Jimi Hendrix in 1968 (Andy Summers was on guitar with the band for part of that tour). Soft Machine, evolved into a very tight outfit, with Ratledge (like Keith Emerson of the Nice and Brian Auger, among others) as the lead instrumentalist on Lowrey organ, as he couldn't afford even a used Hammond Organ. I will get back to the Lowrey in a bit.
After the Hendrix tour, during which they recorded their 1968 debut album which was basically a studio version of their live set, (produced indifferently by Tom Wilson), the band actually broke up, because the tour schedule was relentless (one reason groups broke up so quickly in the late 1960's was the fact that bands rarely had any free time to relax as they were on a virtually perpetual tour schedule, which quickly burned out many bands). Soft Machine reformed because they legally owed ABC/Probe a second album. Ayers wasn't available, so they recruited tour roadie and friend Hugh Hopper on bass, who had to practice relentlessly to play the material on Soft Machine Volume 2 (1969).
Both the first and second albums were arranged in suite fashion and Ratledge wrote little on the first album. But his playing was almost like Cecil Taylor adapted for the Lowrey organ--ridiculously free, adventurous and bursting at the seams--and fed through a fuzz box, according to some sources, recommended by Jimi Hendrix as a way to make the Lowrey sound more exciting. The sound was one of a kind, although Dave Sinclair and Dave Stewart approximated his sound using Hammond organs.
Ratledge's work was totally unique and continued to evolve, through the recordings we hear on Spaced (recorded in 1969, released in 1996). Ratledge actually developed a unique soloing technique of running phrases, similar to Coltrane's playing style.
This technique was built out of necessity as whenever Ratledge stopped playing, massive levels of feedback would result. This non-stop technique led to extraordinarily long phrases of incredible speed. Ratledge's solo work was among the fastest keyboard soloists I ever heard. His playing, also seemed to owe next to nothing to the blues.
He was also a pioneer of simultaneous start and stop passages with Hugh Hopper, similar to King Crimson's debut, but several months ahead of King Crimson's debut album release. As a matter of fact, I would even postulate that Ratledge and Soft Machine anticipated most of King Crimson's ideas by months, as Soft Machine incorporated free improvisation, conflicting minimalism and self-referential rock songs long before King Crimson did (Soft Machine also provided some backing on Syd Barrett's first solo album).
Ratledge's writing skills were also tremendous. composed half of the epic Third album (1970), and his peak composition, to my mind, was "Teeth" on Fourth (1971), which contained a bass introduction, extreme time signature shift, a minimalist section and a killer organ solo section. His later work was very good, with Fifth (1972) showing a move to free jazz on half of the album and fusion on the other half.
With Six (1973), more compositions went to Karl Jenkins, but the electric piano work was extraordinary. Ratledge actually placed in the Downbeat Critics Polls as an organist and electric piano Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition.
By Bundles (1975), which was essentially Ratledge's last full album with Soft Machine, most of the focus has shifted to guitarist Allan Holdsworth, and Ratledge, the last original band member, finally left, focusing on guest slots, films, catalogue music, music for commercials (including "I Heard it Through the Grapevine" and "I Feel Free"). He worked with Jenkins again in the 1990's as noted before.
It might seem strange that I focus so much attention on a musician who wasn't that well known, and was an active touring musician for only ten years. However, Ratledge, like Captain Beefheart, Carl Ruggles, and Anton Webern, among others, created a unique, highly skilled musical legacy. He was a virtuoso keyboard player (he played contemporary classical pieces as a prelude to the Soft Machine's appearance at the Proms event). He was one of the pioneers of jazz fusion. He managed (along with Garth Hudson) to make the Lowrey organ a serious rock instrument out of necessity. This was the first double keyboard organ I played, as my organ teacher had one, and I was astonished at the guts Ratledge could bring to it. He also headed a group for years without a superstar guitarist for years. That was a personal element of admiration for me. Soft Machine, no matter who was in it, was identifiable immediately, thanks in large part to Ratledge's compositional influence, which endured from the second album forward.
This was a legend in music, deserving more recognition, and now sadly, passed away. But he does leave a unique legacy, that few people could match even after 50 years of absence from touring. That's pretty amazing.
Mike Ratledge and John Etheridge; photo by Leonardo Pavkovic
And see our article about early Soft Machine
Special thanks to Moonjune Records for their help with the photos here
