Latest Release
- FEB 2, 2024
- 2 Songs
- The Soft Machine · 1968
- The Soft Machine · 1968
- The Soft Machine · 1968
- The Soft Machine · 1968
- The Soft Machine · 1968
- Third · 1970
- The Soft Machine · 1968
- The Soft Machine · 1968
- The Soft Machine · 1968
- Bundles · 1975
Essential Albums
- Soft Machine’s self-titled 1968 debut (a.k.a. Volume One) stands as a seminal work in the prog-rock canon. Recorded as song demos over a few days’ time in a New York studio, the album catches the group in its fledging stages, not long after it emerged from Britain’s now-legendary Canterbury Scene. Drummer Robert Wyatt and keyboardist Mike Ratledge command the spotlight with their fiery interplay, aided by Kevin Ayers’ dexterous bass work and Daevid Allen’s probing guitar lines. The songs here are wildly eclectic, juxtaposing R&B/pop tunes (“Save Yourself”) with psychedelic effusions (“Lullaby Letter”) and goofy novelty numbers (“We Did It Again"). The dreamily complex “Hope for Happiness” and the mystically inclined “Why Are We Sleeping?” find Soft Machine melding jazz and rock influences with striking originality. Wyatt’s high, delicate vocals (particularly on “A Certain Kind”) lend a soulful quality to even the band’s more abstract moments. For sheer audacity and verve, this may be Soft Machine's finest hour.
- 2023
- 2011
- 2011
- 2007
- 2006
Artist Playlists
- From psychedelic whimsy to instrumental jazz fusion.
- Psychedelic freak-outs, austere prog rock, and disco synths.
- 2014
Compilations
About Soft Machine
A pioneering British psychedelic group during the late '60s, Soft Machine ultimately developed a unique, forward-thinking brand of jazz-rock, tinged with progressive and experimental touches. As the leading light of the Canterbury scene, the combo were hugely influential to the burgeoning jazz fusion and experimental rock scenes. Originally based around surreal, heady, rhythmic, harmonic, and melodic deconstructions of conventional pop song structures, Soft Machine's music gradually morphed into a much looser, more improvisational style on their breakthrough 1970 album Third, which found favor with fans of American acts such as Weather Report and Return to Forever. After disbanding in the late '80s, various members performed as Softs, Soft Machine Legacy, and ultimately a reunited Soft Machine; they released Live at the Baked Potato in 2020. The group was a launchpad for several members' solo careers, including Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, Elton Dean, Allan Holdsworth, Mike Ratledge, and Hugh Hopper.
- ORIGIN
- Canterbury, England
- FORMED
- September 1966
- GENRE
- Rock