Soft Machine-Fourth (1971)

The history of Soft Machine has been marked from its proto-avant-garde and psychedelic beginnings, under the driving force of Daevid Allen, Kevin Ayers, and Robert Wyatt, to its evolution into a band of excellent, fully-fledged jazz fusion instrumentalists, led first by Mike Ratledge and later by Karl Jenkins. "Fourth", as its title indicates, is the British band's fourth album and belongs to the group's second phase, the one led by organist Ratledge. It would also be the last with drummer Robert Wyatt as an official member of Soft Machine. Completing the band were bassist Hugh Hopper and saxophonist Elton Dean, while Mark Charig (trumpet), Roy Babbington (double bass), Alan Skidmore (saxophone), and Jimmy Hastings (flute and clarinet) appear as supporting musicians for the recording. This release features no vocals or psychedelic influences, but rather a solid, conventional jazz-rock/fusion band with experimental elements. The music here is generally heavily influenced by Miles Davis's avant-garde jazz, unlike the typical Canterbury jazz-rock. Musically, it comprises a series of well-balanced pieces, as demonstrated by the pulsating jazz of "Teeth" and the dark, atmospheric "Kings and Queens". Free jazz is also present in "Fletcher's Blemish", while the album's centerpiece, "Virtually", occupies the entire second side of the original record a suite with diverse moods ranging from traditional jazz to atonal improvisations featuring Elton Dean's saxophone, interspersed with dissonant passages over dreamy ambient electronics.