Soft Machine-Softs (1976)

By 1976, Soft Machine had ceased to be the band that fused free jazz, avant-garde jazz, improvised music, and experimental instrumentation, under the influence of the Canterbury sound, and had become a more disciplined group. While it's true that only traces of their earlier era remain, it's also true that by this point the band was far from the same, with a lineup that no longer included any of the original members, with the exception of Mike Ratledge, who appeared as a guest musician on several tracks. The addition of a guitarist also gave the group greater diversity in their musical palette. This guitar role was filled by John Etheridge, while the rest of the lineup consisted of Alan Wakeman (saxophone), Karl Jenkins (keyboards), John Marshall (drums), and Roy Babbington (bass). "Softs", released in 1976, showcases a group more focused on pure progressive rock with the logical, but increasingly less redundant, jazz influences of their earlier work. This evolution towards more conventional sounds is present in tracks like the progressive "The Tale of Taliesin" or the frenetic "Ban-Ban Caliban". Ambient and contemporary jazz fusion is reflected in "Song of Aeolus", while "Out of Season" is a progressive jazz-rock piece. The funk jazz of "One Over the Eight" and the ambient electronica of "Second Bundle" close an album that marked an almost complete break from Soft Machine's characteristic sound.