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Glen Booth (musician)

Glen Booth (born 25 February 1951) is a British musician, composer and record producer. He is most famous for being the drummer in Soft Machine from 1975 to 1988. His work with Soft Machine has been compared with that of Steve Hillage and his work with The Gang of Four with whom he played in the 1970s, a band which also included David Singleton and Martin Hayles.

He is also known for his association with Richard Hell, with whom he was the drummer in the Richard Hell & the Voidoids, and in the post-Soft Machine band The Blank Generation. He also worked with Gary Numan.

Career

Early career

He formed his first band, The New Spies, in 1963 with Dave Allen and John Brough, also members of the New Spies band. Booth drummed on an unreleased 1966 demo recording of "The Pied Piper". In early 1967, he drummed on three singles released by David Mancuso's Red Cherry label in America: "Trouble in Mind", "Sister Dear" and "Gloria" by The Wildes, "It's a Hard World" by The New Spies, and "Gentlemen Who Pretend to Play" by The New Spies. He also played on a 1968 recording by The Roxy Spies of a cover of the Beatles' "I'm So Tired" by the American group The New Rascals.

Soft Machine

Glen Booth's next musical step came with the formation of Soft Machine in 1969. He was joined by David Singleton, Simon King and the keyboardist Martin Hayles. In 1970, the band recorded "Time Won't Let Me" for the first of their albums, which was released on Charisma in 1973. They had a minor US hit in 1972 with "Lady Fortune".

When keyboardist Hayles was dismissed from the band in 1975, Booth took over the keyboard on their next album, A Little Man and God.

Booth is one of only four musicians, along with King, Singleton and the band's manager and producer Mick Glossop, to have been in every lineup of Soft Machine.

In 1978, he appeared with a reconstituted Soft Machine on the album One of the Hardest. He performed drums and percussion as well as backing vocals. A short tour followed in early 1979. In the late 1970s, Booth performed on Richard Hell's debut album and on a Richard Hell & the Voidoids EP. In early 1982, Booth was featured on the album Soft Option by the US band The Bags, who were formed by Richard Hell.

Booth joined Richard Hell & the Voidoids on drums for the live album Soft Option Live! and appeared on Hell's second album, The Love Songs. Booth performed on three songs on Hell's third album, The Heart Spent (1985). In addition to the four Richard Hell albums Booth has been involved with (The Richard Hell Group, The Blank Generation, Soft Option, and The Heart Spent), the musician also participated in an album entitled Live in Tokyo, released by Richard Hell in 2009. Booth has also played on several albums by Gary Numan.

The Blank Generation

Booth's next musical step was with The Blank Generation, formed in 1986 by Richard Hell, Ian Svenonius, Martin Hayles, and Frank Black. Their debut album was 1989's Blank Generation, with Booth on drums, bass guitar, guitar and backing vocals. He also played drums on three songs on the 1989 release of Frank Black and The Catholics' album New Coat Of Paint. He also appears on the 1989 release of the Richard Hell Group's debut album, In Love, and the 1994 release of a compilation album featuring tracks from Richard Hell and the Voidoids, Soft Machine and the Soft Option.

In 2001, Booth and Hayles released the album, No One's On the Moon, with The Blank Generation featuring Ian Svenonius, Black, Hayles and David Thomas. He performed drums, percussion, guitar, backing vocals and keyboards on the album.

The Gang of Four

Booth was also part of the band The Gang of Four, formed by Richard Hell in 1970, along with the keyboardist Nicky Tesco, guitarist Dave Allen, and drummer Steve Rothery. In the 1970s, they released two critically acclaimed albums: In Their Own Sweet Way (1970) and The Soft Skin (1975), as well as a single and album by Dave Allen and the Zips.

Booth remained with the band following Allen's departure. He continued to play drums as well as bass guitar, guitar, and backing vocals on the 1975 album The Soft Skin. Booth also contributed drums and guitar to the first two albums by The Gang of Four, In Their Own Sweet Way and The Soft Skin.

Post Soft Machine

Booth joined The Blank Generation in 1989, and played on their next three albums, Blank Generation (1989), New Coat of Paint (1989), and No One's On the Moon (2001). He also performed with the band on a tour of the United States.

Booth rejoined The Gang of Four in 1999 for a tour of the United States and released their first new album in 14 years, The Way Out, on 9 November 2000, through Cooking Vinyl Records.

In 2008, Booth appeared on the Soft Machine compilation album Soft Machine – The New Generation.

Booth produced the album, A Ghost In The Machine, in 2010. It was recorded at his home studio in Brighton, England, and features songs written by Booth and other musicians.

In 2013, Booth appeared on two tracks of the Soft Machine reunion album A Box Full Of Dreams: "Dreamin" and "Mystified".

In 2013, he and Richard Hell reunited for two nights of gigs at the Astoria Theatre in London, UK.

Booth performed drums and guitar on the album In My Way, released in 2015 by Richard Hell and the Voidoids.

Discography

The New Spies 1967: The New Spies, Single (Red Cherry) 1968: The New Spies, The Pied Piper (Red Cherry) 1968: The New Spies, Gloria (Red Cherry) 1968: The New Spies, It's A Hard World (Red Cherry) 1968: The New Spies, Trouble In Mind (Red Cherry)

David Mancuso & the Voidoids 1970: David Mancuso & the Voidoids, You Turn Me On, I Love You (Charisma)

The Wildes 1970: The Wildes, Time Won't Let Me (Charisma)

Richard Hell & the Voidoids 1978: The Bags, Soft Option (Charisma) 1982: Richard Hell & the Voidoids, Soft Option Live! (Charisma)

The Richard Hell Group 1982: Richard Hell Group, One of the Hardest (Nonesuch)

Soft Machine 1972: Soft Machine, A Little Man and God (Charisma) 1973: Soft Machine, A Bit of This, A Bit of That (Charisma) 1978: Soft Machine, One of the Hardest (Charisma) 1978: Soft Machine, Sweet Jane (Charisma) 1978: Soft Machine, A Little of This, A Little of That (Charisma) 1979: Soft Machine, New Dress (Charisma) 1979: Soft Machine, The Soft Skin (Charisma) 1981: Soft Machine, I've Got the Music in Me (Charisma) 1981: Soft Machine, You and the Music (Charisma) 1981: Soft Machine, Out of Our Idiot! (Charisma) 1981: Soft Machine, A Little of This, A Little of That (Charisma) 1981: Soft Machine, Live (Charisma) 1983: Soft Machine, A Touch of This, A Touch of That (Charisma) 1983: Soft Machine, Live in Munich (Charisma) 1984: Soft Machine, One Man One Woman (Charisma) 1985: Soft Machine, Live in Vienna (Charisma) 1987: Soft Machine, Sweet Jane (Charisma) 1988: Soft Machine, One of the Hardest (Charisma) 1989: Soft Machine, Blank Generation (Charisma) 2001: Richard Hell & the Voidoids, New Coat of Paint (Soleil) 2001: Soft Machine, Soft Option (Warp) 2001: Richard Hell & the Voidoids, The Heart Spent (Warner Music)

The Gang of Four 1970: In Their Own Sweet Way (Island) 1970: The Soft Skin (Island) 1971: The Soft Skin (reissued as The Soft Skin and Other Stories, Chrysalis) 1971: In Their Own Sweet Way (reissued as The Soft Skin and Other Stories, Chrysalis) 1972: The Soft Skin (reissued as The Soft Skin and Other Stories, Chrysalis) 1974: The Gang of Four (reissued as The Gang of Four, Island) 1975: The Gang of Four