The Soft Machine-Bundles (1975)

After a two-year hiatus, Soft Machine returned to the scene in 1975 with their album "Bundles". By the time of its release, much had changed since their previous, somewhat uninspired album, "Seven". For starters, they had signed with a new record label, Harvest, a label specializing in progressive rock. Furthermore, the band was taking a new musical direction after the mediocre results of their previous album, which had led them to a dead end. This new album also featured a new member, guitarist Allan Holdsworth, and finally, the band's leadership was now centered on keyboardist Karl Jenkins, who had taken over from Mike Ratledge, who left the band after the release of "Seven". Despite its lack of innovative or experimental sound, "Bundles" sounds very different from all their previous releases, something that would disappoint many of their more orthodox fans. Nevertheless, it is a splendid work focused on jazz-rock and jazz fusion. The addition of Holdsworth also provides that rock edge the band had always lacked, generally dominated by keyboards and experimentation. The album opens with the five-part suite “Hazard Profile”, an excellent piece featuring incredible Holdsworth on the six-string and perfect interplay with the keyboards. The result is simply a great fusion of jazz and rock that remains vibrant thanks to John Marshall's powerful drumming. However, the suite's dynamics unfold with different variations, beginning with the more atmospheric second part, while the intros to parts three and four serve as a prelude to the final chapter, a frenetic track showcasing a great interplay of guitar, keyboards, and drums. At this point in the album, this new Soft Machine shows their rockier side, but at the same time exhibits their more introspective and delicate facet as demonstrated in the haunting and ambient “The Floating World” which together with the atmospheric jazz “Bundles”, the jazz rock “The Land Who Waved At Trains” and the free jazz “Peff”, make up a work that is considered an icon of jazz rock and a fundamental part of the progressive genre.

Soft Machine-Third (1970)

This magnificent Soft Machine album is marked by the strong tension between the psychedelic side of the band, represented by Robert Wyatt, and the jazzy cares of bassist Hugh Hooper and keyboard player Mike Ratledge. It is precisely the struggle of these egos that makes this album a disturbing display of jazz-rock and psychedelia. In addition, by this time Soft Machine had a long history behind them and they had lost two of its founding members, the charismatic Kevin Ayers and Daevid Allen.

 "Third" was recorded live in Birmingham in 1970, with a solid base of wind players, with Elton Dean on sax, Lyn Dobson on flute and soprano sax, Nick Evans on trombone, Jimmy Hastings on flute and Violinist Rab Spall, noted for his raw and experimental sound, in a sound and compositional search on songs like 'Facelift', 'Slightly All The Time' and 'Out Bloody-Rageous', plus Wyatt's beautiful composition,' Moon in June ', undoubtedly the closest to the Soft Machine of their first two albums.

"Third" represented the transitional album, where they abandon the song format for long compositions in which they mix classical and electric instruments and in which they investigate open structures that allow improvisation,  Ratledge´s keyboard solos, Elton Dean's sax, Hooper's distorted bass, and Wyatt's processed vocals are essential features of this outstanding album.

The Soft Machine-Land Of Cockayne (1981)

By the late seventies, Soft Machine had become a kind of sanctuary where some of the best and most venerable British musicians of the previous two decades, most of them free from contractual obligations, found refuge from the modern styles that were proliferating at the time. Still under the direction and guidance of the ever-present Karl Jenkins (keyboards) and John Marshall (drums and percussion), the group reached the magnitude of a supergroup formed by the most select cast of instrumentalists: Dick Morrissey (tenor saxophone), Alan Holdsworth (guitar), Alan Parker (rhythm guitar), John Taylor (Fender Rhodes), Jack Bruce (bass), and Ray Warleigh (alto saxophone and flute), in addition to vocalists Stu Calver, John Perry, Tony Rivers, and Bill Harman. With this astonishing lineup, they recorded Soft Machine's final album, "Land of Cockayne", which would simultaneously become their final epitaph at the very beginning of the eighties. This latest release is a delightful eclectic exercise in classic sounds, excellent jazz-funk, and jazz-rock, where the musicians are simply perfect, without any excesses or self-importance, extraordinarily cohesive, and solely focused on making music fluid and light music in which each contributes their unique virtuosity. Written and composed entirely by Jenkins, the album's tone is one of relaxed and enveloping exquisiteness, dominated more by melodic suggestion (which at times approaches symphonic structures) than by the improvisational excess typical of Soft Machine's previous work. Tracks like the Floydian "Over and Above" or the ambient "Lotus Groves" lead us to the short and orchestrated "Isle of the Blessed", a prelude to the jazz-fusion tracks "Panoramia", "Hot-Biscuit Slim", and "Sky Monkey", which are the highlights of one of the best jazz-rock albums of the eighties.

The Soft Machine-Volumen Two (1969)

This is one of the quintessential Canterbury sound albums, slightly surpassing other masterpieces such as Caravan's "In the Land of Grey and Pink" or Hatfield and The North's "Rotter's Club", to name just two. Despite its short length (thirty-three minutes), this album had a huge impact at the time, with seventeen exhilarating tracks. Released in 1969, "Vol. II" is a bit less pop and more complex than its predecessor, the stunning debut "The Soft Machine" (1968), and although one of its leading figures, Kevin Ayers, doesn't appear on this new work, frankly, he isn't missed. The album shifts effortlessly (and quite rapidly) between playful pop tracks like "Hulloder", "As Long as He Lies Perfectly Still", and "Pig", and considerably more complex jazz-rock (though not fusion) pieces, such as "Hibou, Anemone and Bear" and the free jazz of "Out of Tunes". The album is divided into two distinct sides: Side A is primarily written by bassist Hugh Hopper and arranged by Robert Wyatt, while Side B is entirely written by keyboardist Mike Ratledge. Thus, Side B is much more jazz-oriented and abstract, which is surprising given Hopper's later work. Side A is more pop-oriented and, at the same time, much more accessible; however, both sides showcase incredible moments of exceptional quality. Wyatt, though occasionally grating, is impeccable here: his sloppy, choppy, and slightly high-pitched delivery perfectly complements the whimsical music. This album also marked the first time The Soft Machine used a horn section on one of their recordings, with brilliant results. Ultimately, "Vol. II" is the pinnacle of Soft Machine's varied and illustrious career, a perfect and smooth blend of jazz, psychedelia, pop, and rock.

The Soft Machine-Six (1973)

In 1973, Soft Machine released their sixth album, as the title suggests. On "Six", the British band moved away from the Canterbury sound to fully immerse themselves in jazz fusion. Released as a double album, "Six" no longer featured Robert Wyatt or Elton Dean, who were replaced by Karl Jenkins and John Marshall, respectively. Unlike the previous, more abstract "Fifth", this sixth album adopted a more elegant approach, presenting more concrete rhythms and music more accessible to the average listener. It represents the perfect fusion of rock and jazz improvisation. Divided into two parts, the first disc showcases the new live lineup, establishing an innovative style of rock and jazz with a pulsating bass and drum rhythm, along with the interplay of the horn section. However, the common thread connecting the two discs remains the distinct musical tones of Mike Ratledge's Canterbury sound, conveyed through his intricate keyboard work. The second studio album offers a more interesting use of keyboards as the main instrument, as demonstrated by tracks like "The Soft Weed Factor" and "Stanley Stamps Gibbon Album (for B.O.)", clear examples of Ratledge's cyclical keyboard loops, which cleverly filter through the rhythm section and allow for Jenkins' atmospheric saxophone passages. The psychedelic "Chole And The Pirates", on the other hand, reflects a clear nod to the band's Canterbury past, and in contrast to all of these, there's the dark and avant-garde "1983". With "Six", Soft Machine showcased their impressive instrumental interplay, partly due to Jenkins's organized dystopian approach and the remarkable accessibility of music with its manifest complexities, resulting in a hypnotic and relaxing masterpiece of avant-garde jazz-rock.

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.

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.

Soft Machine-Seven (1973)

By the time Soft Machine released their seventh album, keyboardist Mike Ratledge was the only remaining member of the original lineup, with the rest of the band comprised of former members of Nucleus: Karl Jenkins (saxophone, electric piano, and flute), John Marshall (drums), and Roy Babbington (bass). Although Soft Machine were always known for their diverse output, they all shared a deep-rooted psychedelic and Dadaist influence and an avant-garde jazz fusion sound. However, with this new release, the band's style began to show dramatic shifts in rhythm and musical direction. "Seven" features a more organic jazz sound, and while there aren't any standout tracks, the entire album flows seamlessly, as if it were a single piece. The opening track, "Nettle Bed", hints at their early Canterbury sound, but this beginning is merely a mirage of what's to come, showcasing a perfectly executed atmospheric jazz fusion. Tracks like the pleasant and floating "Carol Ann", "Day's Eye", "Snodland" or "The German Lesson", make it one of their most competent transitional albums.

Soft Machine-Fifth (1972)

Pioneers of the experimental and psychedelic jazz of the Canterbury movement, Soft Machine remained at the forefront of the genre for several years, far ahead of their contemporaries, thus avoiding falling into typical stereotypes. In 1972, the band released their fifth album, which would be the last in which they experimented with free jazz and also the last to feature one of their most important members, Elton Dean. In this release, Soft Machine's style delves deeper into the essence of classic jazz-rock. The best representation of this orientation is embodied by a series of jazzy pieces with a clear rock accent, such as "All White", "Drop", and "As If". However, the band leaves brief glimpses of their more recent past with the improvised "LBO" and the haunting "Pigling Bland" and "Bone". From here on, bassist Hugh Hopper and organist Mike Ratledge would keep Soft Machine afloat, creating major works such as "Six" and "Seven" (1973), "Bundles" (1975) and "Softs" (1976).