FOURTH

(fourth of a series of eleven)

3.5 stars really! How can you follow their previous album ? By going in the direction they started with THIRD and let the Psychadelic Caterpillar transform itself into this majestic Fusion Buterfly. But by god is this ever cold sounding.....

Side 1 is made from three tracks some very jazz sounding without the fusion element especially the Ratledge-penned opening track and therefore lack a bit of punch (energy). Elton Dean makes his mark and one can feel that Wyatt will not hang around much longer as this is a totally instrumental album. I even think that Ratledge asked him not to sing on the album because he did not like his voice (Tbc).....

But this album is Hugh Hopper's album: he composed the multi-movement suite on side 2 , some of it quite delightful in athmospheres and they get some help from the "Keith Tippet Boys" Charig and Evans and from ex-Nucleus Babbington as they add much of the punch lacking on side 1 . His Kings track on side 1 was also the better one.

There is a quality about Fourth that is carried on from Third but to me is more warmer in a very subliminal way with a touch of '50 jazz played with a late '60's early '70's rock'n'fused mentality. For a long time Fourth has been the most played Soft Machine album I possess and while certainly not as diverse or as strong as Third it does have a very endearing feeling. But then again Soft Machine are a very unique band and played a music they possibly could never be masters at but with Hugh Hopper and Elton Dean bending and driving notes would help cover up any limitations/overindulged and frustrated noise that may have ebbed through. "Teeth" is a continuous rolling piece of Soft Machine filth that becomes hypnotic and embedded in your brain like a stoned out daze. All parts of "Virtually" are equal to it and this would be the nearest the Softs get to recreating a full blown almost side long jazzy jam as it shuffles along at will. The fact that Robert Wyatt does not add any vocal to any of the compositions on Fourth is in my book a blessing. His voice is certainly an acquired taste and I much preferred the complete instrumentation running from start to finish. The one big factor he provide to the Soft Machine was his drumming, he provided a raw and rocking looseness. But as he exited the Softs soon after the release of this album his replacement John Marshall lacked that edge and instead added a schooled discipline as the Soft Machine fragmented.

The story of Soft Machine's progression (some might say decline!) from whimsical psych- tinged proto-proggers (that amazingly housed Daevid Allen, Kevin Ayers and Robert Wyatt at the same time!) to full-blown jazz-fusion instrumentalists is pretty well-known. I've often felt that while the band had all the ingredients, the recipe was rarely as well-balanced as it could have been (Volume Two and Third are my favourites).

Certainly by the time Fourth was cut, the influence of the early trio was hardly felt, with Allen and Ayers long gone, and Wyatt neither singing nor composing a track on an album that was to prove his last with Soft Machine. Here the jazzer instincts of organist Mike Ratledge and sax-player Elton Dean are predominant, although it is actually bassist Hugh Hopper who makes the strongest contributions in the composing department.

Ratledge's opener Teeth is toothless for too long, and a Dean freak-out over some jazz- rock towards the end doesn't save it. Dean's Fletcher's Blemish is equally flaccid, although its improvisatory nature means that it at least isn't as sterile as Teeth. On the positive side the Hopper compositions Kings And Queens and the four-part Virtually are stronger. The former is a brooding affair, while Virtually is the highlight of the album, despite being uneven. It kicks off with a guest spot from Nucleus' Roy Babington on double bass, and as some great drumming by Wyatt to boot. When Ratledge is involved the song really cooks (I particularly like the second half of Part 2) but that isn't often enough for my liking. There's also some nice "fuzzy" playing towards the end of Part 3, but for the life of me, I can't figure out which instrument it is!

Overall though, there's nothing here that approaches the heights of Ratledge's great organ performances on the preceeding album Third, which is probably why I consider this album a disappointment. ... 54% on the MPV scale

One of my favorite Soft Machine releases, "Fourth" saw them progress further into regular jazz though it still had the canterbury sounding to it. It's similar to "Third", only more jazz oriented. As with all Soft Machine releases this one shows that this band really can play, it's more or less flawless technically, and the band masters the insanely difficult time signatures with complete ease. Unfortunately, this was drummer Robert Wyatt's last album with the band, it seemed that he didn't like the direction the band was going through, so he quitted to make his own solo career.

Musically, the songs are well balanced and pretty even. The best cut have to be the opener, "Teeth", one of their very best songs and perhaps the jazziest on the album. Hugh Hopper's "Virtual" suite is also a stand-out here. Overall, the album has enough to please most jazz-rock/canterbury fans, though it's a bit inacessible but it's a grower, so don't worry! Newbies should hear some of their other stuff first though, otherwise this one is highly recommended. 4.25/5

It was clearly obvious by this time that Soft Machine had changed for good. This album, while good, doesn't live up to the three previous albums. The band, with little Wyatt influence (this was infact his last release with the band), had decided to head in a more avant jazz/rock direction. I agree with Hugues remark about this album seeming "cold" compared to the band's previous albums.

The incorporation of wind parts by Dean and co. make this album particularly interesting. Elton Dean is a remarkable artist and free jazz musician, and his influence on this album is even more pertinent than on Third. I may be the only one, but I particularly enjoy the album opener. It's probably my favorite track on the entire album, although Hopper's side-long suite is particularly good as well. It's too bad this was the last album with Wyatt on drums, but I can see why he left. The band were obviously treading in one direction and Wyatt in another.

Like I said, this is a good release, but to me, it is no more interesting than Wyatt's The End of an Ear, which was released earlier. While an essential release for Softs fans, I can still only award this album 3 stars, although 3.5 would be more like it. It's just not quite good enough for four stars.

THE 'MACHINE' IS LOSING STEAM!

By the time FOURTH was released-1971-, SOFT MACHINE was one of the biggest name not only on the prog scene, but on the whole rock scene overall. Their first 3 albums were total creative, innovative, ground breaking masterpieces very challenging but were received to great critic and..commercial acclaim. Quite a feat coming with some music such as FACELIFT. Their tours were also very successful and often played sold out and were even a regular staple on rock TV shows of this time in Europe as wellL.

Specialized Rock magazines held many yearly polls back then on who is the best keyboardist, best guitarist, etc and the names of HUGH HOPPER, MIKE RATLEDGE or ROBERT WYATT were always in consideration. But the glorious times won't last as SOFT MACHINE would waste no time to squander their newly aquired relative fame by releasing non-descript albums such as FOURTH.

For the first time -and only time- in SOFT MACHINE history , there won't be any personel changes between albums; So the same quartet RATLEDGE-HOPPER-WYATT-DEAN is back with some help of their friends like NUCLEUS bassist-future SOFT MACHINE member ROY BABBINGTON or the great flutist JIMMY HASTINGS. If FOURTH is numerically the successor of THIRD, there are big differences between these two releases.

1) One could expect that after 3 very creative LPs, the band at some point would lose some spark and get into some kind of a inspirational slump. It just happened here as MIKE RATLEDGE, the main architect of THIRD comes back with only one track TEETH, a complete jazz tune with absolutely no ''teeth'', 10 mns of conventional jazz with no particular memorable parts and endless soloing. This is not even jazz/rock, don't mention the word ''fusion'' either; just 50s jazz played by a 70s british band.

2) The same musicians who played on THIRD are all present on FOURTH, but there is a another BIG difference between the 2 albums. ROBERT WYATT's voice has been completely shut down as FOURTH is entirely instrumental.Any link with the past when SOFT MACHINE was playing fresh and funny music has been cut for good.When you listening to FOURTH , you cant believe that this is the same band KEVIN AYERS and DAEVID ALLEN played with not a long time ago.

Not only, we are not treated to the delicate vocals of ROBERT, but he is also completely absent in the composition department. He is merely just a drummer and that's it.I am sure you guess this would be his last album with SOFT MACHINE before going to form MATCHING MOLE ( a sacarstic frenchized name for his former band)

3) ROBERT WYATT might not have been authorized by boss MIKE to bring any new songs, but ELTON DEAN did! He came with an atrocious, horrible piece of ''music'' (or lack of) named FLETCHER'S BLEMISH a complete free-form jazz experimentation with no heads or tails. Just think of you bringing 3 friends in your garage, just take any instruments and play them without worrying what the others are doing!! FLETCHER'S BLEMISH is just as good! A shame for a band that was so creative very recently.

4) the sound of the overall music has quite changed since THIRD. First of all, MIKE RATLEDGE spends more time behind the electric piano than using his organ. One important part of THIRD magic was his organ playing, especially the unique gorgeous sound he could get out of this instrument. It is still present on some parts and of course, they are the best moments of FOURTH; the very nice KINGS AND QUEENS, the best track of the album penned by HUGH HOPPER; A 5 mn tune that could have been featured on THIRD holding its own worth.

HUGH HOPPER too ''forgot'' somewhere his distinctive fuzz bass which created such beautiful music mixed with the organ of RATLEDGE on THIRD . You have to wait for the end of the ex-side 2 of the album to hear it again on the side long suite VIRTUALLY reminding us of the good old sound, especially when coupled with the organ sound we loved. The problem is this HUGH HOPPER suite VIRTUALLY is nothing great compared to any THIRD 4 masterpieces.

One thing for sure, we cannot criticize the fact SOFT MACHINE was not trying to please the masses at this time, they went their own way, play the music they wanted, but i am not sure a lot of SOFT MACHINE fans wanted to listen to straight sounding Jazz with barely any rock reference in their music. This is ''serious'' music, but boring music they will perform for a while played by men with moustaches looking like college science or old Greek professors losing their fans along the road. Where were you, KEVIN at this time?with Lady RACHEL, i guess!

What a transformation between the end od 1969 and 1971? same name, two different bands with nothing in common. Surprisingly ,FOURTH did relatively well commercially, but i think it's more due to the strenght of its predecessor than the musical value of this album. In France, it went even #9 in sales in the rock sales ( even if there is barely anything remotely rock in it) but the buyers will make sure that the next FIFTH won't chart as well anywhere; they learned their lesson!

It will take time for SOFT MACHINE to come back with good albums, but they will! However, that will be -once again- a different SOFT MACHINE, a different band, a different sound! I like this band, but i have to be honest with FOURTH, i cannot give it more than.....

2 STARS.

Fourth is the ( well yes) the fourth album from The Soft Machine. On the previous album Third The Soft Machine was almost transformed from a psychadelic canterbury rock band into a jazz combo. There were enjoyable moments on Third for those of us who are not very interested in jazz, but those moments were far between. The most of Moon in June was great though. On Fourth the transformation is complete. The Soft Machine is now a jazz band.

The music is dominated by sax soloing by Elton Dean who is now a steady member of the band. Mike Ratledge also plays some organ solos occasionally. The drum and bass playing from Robert Wyatt and Hugh Hopper is great as always. Robert Wyatt has dropped the vocals on Fourth which is fully instrumental. There are still a few psychadelic moments and I must say it´s about the only thing I enjoy on this album. Virtually part 3 and 4 have an almost ambient atmospheric sound that I can partially enjoy while the be-bop/ free jazz of Teeth and especially Fletcher´s Blemish is annoying if I´m in a good mood and downright terrible if I´m not. I can´t stand this style of music.

The musicianship is good as mentioned so I won´t say anything negative about that part of Fourth.

The production is also very good.

Third was a great disappointment to me but Fourth drives the last nail into Soft Machines coffin. This is a terrible album if you ask me. This is only recommendable to jazz freaks. Don´t expect what I associate with Canterbury on Fourth which means whimsical vocals, soft prog rock with jazzy elements and great humour. The only reason I don´t rate this 1 star is because of the outstanding musicianship. This is a 2 star album for me.

I think the reason I like this album so much is because Hopper composed most of it. This is very jazzy, but at at the same time it's not normal Jazz. There are lots of dissonant and Avant-garde passages plus some Free-Jazz improvs which makes this a little difficult to digest if your not into this style of music. This is SOFT MACHINE's first all-instrumental album much to Wyatt's disappointment. He would leave after this recording.

"Teeth" is a Ratledge composition and it does have it's moments (haha). Keys, drums and sax are quite prominant early as we get outbursts of sounds until a steady melody arrives with throbbing bass. Sax leads the way though. Very jazzy. It stops before 3 1/2 minutes and then we get blasted with sounds including fuzz. Keys lead the way 4 1/2 minutes in but the music changes so often. Ratledge does lead the way though from 6 1/2 minutes in to the end with some fuzzed out organ runs. "Kings And Queens" is a Hopper tune. This is perhaps my favourite along with parts of "Virtuality". This one is dark with some atmosphere. Wyatt really shines with his intricate drum work. Sax comes and goes. The piano is reserved and the bass is subtle. Some dissonant sax late. "Fletcher's Blemish" is such a unique title. It fits the music though. This is Elton Dean's baby, and the Free-Jazz maestro offers up just that, a Free-Jazz improv. Avant-garde is the word folks.

"Virtuality" is divided into 4 parts and takes up side two of the album. This is Hopper's suite. Part 1 features some alto sax as Wyatt keeps very busy. He seems to shine on the Hopper tunes. The sax stops as bass comes in around 1 1/2 minutes, the sound is very reserved. Keys also join in around 3 minutes as it seems to build. A fuller sound 4 1/2 minutes in as sax returns. Part 2 opens with fuzz organ and horns. The sax and drums become more prominant. This continues until we get more of a melody after 3 1/2 minutes. This sax led passage continues to the end of this part. Part 3 really does't have a lot going on. This is darker and more atmospheric. I like it. Lots of fuzz bass 2 minutes in to the end of this part with atmospheric keys helping out. Nice. Part 4 continues with the almost spacey vibe as atmospheric keys, bass and sax all play in such a laid back style. The sounds slowly build. Then it ends.

A solid 4 star album for me. I find this one adventerous at times but always rewarding.

They had the style till then face a more reformative flow at the same time as transfering the register to CBS in 1970. Show..Music..obviously..color..strong..go out..feel..have..level..free..form..require..masterpiece..finish.And, this album became the second a work from CBS. The style of the tune has the flow that unites the style of Jazz further and is constructed. However, it had already been proven not to end in mere Jazz Rock by the sensibility that Softs had in the United States and Britain. The flow of the entire tune became shape to condense the composition of a further ..free form.. tune in "Third" extremely further. However, Softs at this time will be sure to be the most important for Canterbury Scene album including "Third" and this album. Wyatt is guessed that the next plan had already arisen in his head in this album though takes an active part. However, the principal member of Softs revolutionizes in the age and the album changes the consistency of Softs little by little. It is guessed that it matches so that Wyatt may produce Solo Album in 1971 and the directionality of Softs had liquidity in it. I think that this album is indispensable if talking about mid-term Softs. And, it might be one of the masterpieces in Softs. The flow of the album lands in the suite of "Virtually" including the first "Teeth". This album with a severe flow might clarify the revolution from "Third" and the flow changed into an external limited element in "Fifth" to which possession Wyatt came off an inner element. One the top might have been received for them at this time if the history of Softs was considered.

I won't be too long in the description of this musical experience: the fourth album from "Soft Machine".

While I was positively enthusiast about their debut album, I couldn't really cope with their production afterwards (except on eside of their "Third" album).

While there was still one (and ONLY one) excellent song on their previous release ("Moon In June"), I can't find any out here. Pure jazz rock music from A to Z. Mostly free jazz and conventional one.

Not my cup of tea AT ALL. I am trying hard to find anything positive about this work. The musicianship of course, but in terms of "song" writing, this resembles to the Sahara: a huge desert as far as I am concerned.

I will rate this work with two stars (but three out of ten would be more accurate). This album is meant for jazz lovers only.

Nous ne serons jamais d'accord Antoine. Ni à propos de "Soft Machine" ni à propos de "Genesis".

The logical follow-up to Third?

Yes, I actually think this is a logical follow-up to the grandiose Third. Does logical follow-up mean a better album? No, Fourth doesn't have the 'unique' feel the previous album had, it kind of repeats the previous album's formula. However, there is a change as you expect from the band, The Soft Machine was way into deep jazz grounds by this time, with even more brass musicians on board contributing which at times may remind us of Zappa's big band stuff, there's even a double bass player to let you know that this will be jazzier than ever.

Fourth is a 70s 'jazz' album which is played greatly as one would expect, also one expects it to be memorable, but unfortunately ths time the band didn't manage that very well.

'Teeth' for example starts as an energised jazz composition with extended sax playing by Elton Dean, enough change of paces to keep the listener awake, but overall it just seems to emulate past glories. It's a good track alright, the same goes for 'Kings & Queens', a much gentler affair, and the 20 minute four-piece 'Virtually' which was entirely composed by bass player, Hugh Hopper, but nothing really strikes you as genius as 'Moon in June' or 'Out Bloody Rageous'.

Only throwaway track would be the free jazz tune 'Fletcher's Blemish' composed by Elton Dean, but surely anyone fond of Coltrane's and Ornette's noisy stuff will understand something from this tune.

I would recommend this to anyone who really digs the jazz aspect the most from Third, they'll surely find something to enjoy from Fourth, I know I do. Also, anyone looking for a quality 70s jazz album, this is not a bad one but probably not the most unique one out there.

3 stars: Borderline to be a 2 stars, well-played and some fine compositions but not all that fresh nor memorable. Though a must-have for the band's fans, that's for sure, it's not bad after all.

Fourth is the only Soft Machine's studio album, recorded with the same line-up as previous release (Third in this case). If Third was for band a revolutionary step from jazzy psychedelic pop/rock to complex jazz-rock territory, Fourth is excellent evolutionary example.

You will hardly find band's psychedelic pop/rock roots on Fourth, they are gone forever (both together with Wyatt vocals;dissatisfied with new direction he will leave band soon after Fourth will be released.Almost all albums compositions are written by Hopper, and band's sound moved towards more interplays between all musicians (instead of more solo oriented earlier works).

Music there is fully instrumental perfectly balanced complex jazz fusion with plenty of Dean's sax soloing (but still not extremely free form),Wyatt's drumming is possibly his ever best and all band sounds as real team of equal skilled musicians.Additional brass section and acoustic bassist add more texture to the sound.

Fourth is strong next step after excellent Third, step towards more jazz direction (for good and bad), and one of the best band's release ever. Possibly, only on this album you can find so good collective work of all musicians as one team and great balance between free form improvisation and structured compositions.

A transitional Machine.

Fourth is a bit of an odd beast in the Softs catalogue. Progressing further into the realm of jazz than anything previous, but still keeps a very unique aire about it. The sound of this record is the main attraction for me. I have yet to find an album in any genre that sounds the same. Not necessarily in terms of the music, but in terms of the sounds of the instruments themselves. The music I also feel is unique, perhaps being closer to free-rock than free-jazz (even though this was mostly composed). The drums pound away, never excessively erratic but never complacent. The sax doesn't blow everything away with its ferocity for the entire record, but is tuneful yet still with elements of extended freedom. The organ is nothing short of majestic at times, and provides some wonderful atmosphere, especially on side two. Hugh Hopper probably plays the greatest role, being he dominates the writing credits on Fourth. Perhaps that's even more credit to it him then, to evoke this sound of the group. There are also a handful of familiar faces that guest on double bass, horn, and a host of woodwind instruments.

Teeth begins the proceedings with an excellent melody line and some wonderful playing by Elton Dean. I particularly love Wyatt's drums here. So free sounding, yet quite composed. All elements included this is one of my favorite Soft Machine songs of any era. Kings And Queens is like the tide, ebbing and flowing, propelled by the almost soothing bassline of Hopper and the drums of Wyatt, creating a wonderful atmosphere. Fletcher's Blemish is similar in sound to Teeth but freer, and unfortunately less successful. Side two is Hopper's epic track Virtually. Admittedly, some parts of this suite do drag on, but there are some absolutely gorgeous moments as well. The last third or so of Part two is top notch Soft Machine, and the ending part is meditative and a fitting resolution to the suite and the disc.

All in all, Fourth is top tier Soft Machine. There is a bit of frustration with this release, as the sound is absolutely brilliant, but the results are not nearly that high. And unfortunately this would be Wyatt's swan song with the Machine, meaning the full potential of this group is probably not fully realized, which is a shame. Still, a strong album, but probably not the best one to start your Soft Machine journey with. Jazz fans will also find more to like here than previous albums whereas fans of psychedelic rock will probably find less to like. 4 to 4.5 stars. Recommended.

Fourth - the Softs did go in for nice simple studio album titles early on in their career didn't they? - is infamously the last studio album from the Soft Machine to feature Robert Wyatt's playing, and the only one of his tenure in the band in which he is not permitted to sing (though he did have to fight tooth and nail to have Moon In June, the sole vocal track, included on Third). This under-use of Wyatt's talents is baffling to me - equally baffling is the way his drumming is sometimes buried in the mix - and as a result of that, for a good long time I found it difficult to get into.

With the recent 2007 round of remasters of this and other mid-period Soft Machine albums by Esoteric Recordings (which, among other things, makes Wyatt's drums a bit less drowned out in the mix than I remember them being in early CD versions of the album), along with my newfound appreciation for late-period Soft Machine (it helps if you regard the post-Six band as essentially being a continuation of Nucleus by other means), I've found that I'm more able to appreciate Fourth on its own terms, rather than grumping about what could have been had Wyatt been permitted to air his ideas (as he was able to anyway on the Matching Mole debut album).

Musically speaking, the tracks lie on a continuum from a slightly more jazzy take on the fusion sound of Third (as on Virtually) to an approach which takes on so much of jazz and incorporates so little rock that it's no longer really fusion, just jazz - as seen with Teeth. The difference in approach is most striking when you come to this album after listening to the absolutely blinding fusion rendition of Teeth on Grides, a live album recorded partway through the process of recording Fourth, so it's clear that quite late in the day a sudden change in direction has been mandated.

My guess is that some persons within the Machine were angling to get more recognition from the jazz establishment (having thoroughly won over the progressive rock crowd), but the end result is that material like Teeth ends up coming across as being less experimental or novel than material being released by people like Miles Davis, who at the time was approaching fusion from the jazz end (rather from the rock end as the Softs did). That said, the album still paves the way for a more serious take on Canterbury which both the Softs themselves, Wyatt, and other groups such as National Health or Gilgamesh would dip their toes into in the future. At this stage in time, Soft Machine were so ahead of the curve that even when they put their feet on the brakes a little, they're still right on the cutting edge.

This was the first 100% instrumental Soft Machine album and the last to feature Robert Wyatt. Saxophonist Elton Dean is a full member now and he has a big influence on the band's sound. Wyatt left because he didn't like the non-vocal, more jazz-inclined direction the group was heading into. He formed his own group named after the French term for Soft Machine: 'machine molle'(Matching Mole). Here they take the jazz element of the previous two albums and put more emphasis on it, while mostly ignoring their psych-rock past. This is basically a fusion album with no real 'Canterbury' sound involved. Some guest musicians appear, including wind players whom some might be familiar with from some Crimson and Caravan albums; and bassist Roy Babbington who plays acoustic double bass here while Hugh Hopper plays the electric bass parts (he will replace Hopper as Softs' bassist later on).

Overall not as great an album as Third was, but this has one advantage over that album: better production. Third sounded like it was recorded on 4-track in someone's bedroom; Fourth sounds like it was recorded in a professional recording studio on a 16-track console. Fifth would be an improvement sonically over this but also more jazzy as well. Although 'fusion' this still sounds different from your typical American fusion of the time; the fuzzed out organ and bass along with the backwards effects gives this a more 'British' flavour. The only Ratledge composition "Teeth" opens the album with some acoustic double bass; this is probably the most trad jazz sounding track on the album. Not until the wah-organ and fuzz-bass show up does it sound like fusion. Not one of Softs' best songs but a highlight of this album.

"Kings And Queens" is a song you can listen to on PA. It's the only song by the Machine that you can stream on PA but it is not a good introduction to the band for anyone who has never heard their music before. This has somewhat of a similar vibe to what Miles Davis was doing at the same time. "Fletcher's Blemish" was written by Dean and is the most avant- jazz oriented track on the album. They be all up in your face with their noisiness. To some this would sound like some toddlers were let loose in a recording studio.

Hopper's four-part "Virtually"(which comprised the original second side) is what saves Fourth from being just another fusion/avant-jazz album. This is the centerpiece of the whole album and basically could be considered an epic due to the four parts segueing into each other (even though they are four seperate tracks). Part 1 is based around 2 notes to which the musicians improvise around. Part 2 starts with duelling sax and organ. This track is pretty free with no structure at all until it reprises the earlier 2 notes. Part 3 starts with backwards organ and overdubbed saxes playing atonally. Then wah-organ and double bass soloing. Then some fuzz-bass soloing.

Part 4 opens with phased organ and (non-fuzz) electric bass noodling, along with some subdued sax work. Some backwards effects later. The last two parts are basically drumless but Wyatt is still present. Definately not a place to start with Soft Machine. You're better off checking out the first three albums first, or if you are already a fusionhead proceed directly to the album Bundles. One of the group's weaker efforts but not unlistenable. 3 stars.

In October of 1970, Soft Machine started recording their fourth studio album. Their previous, two-disc release, Third , contained four long epics, each with its distinctive flavor. Robert Wyatt's piece, 'Moon In June', which was the only vocal track on the album, clearly showing his own musical vision, quite different from one of his band-mates. In fact, on his first solo album, The End of an Ear, Wyatt described himself as an "Out of work pop singer currently on drums with Soft Machine". The jazz-fusion oriented path Soft Machine had taken undoubtedly did not please his musical sensibilities. For their upcoming album, the group invited a double-bass player, Roy Babbington, who had previously played with Keith Tippet. A horn section, different from the one on Third, was also added, consisting of Alan Skidmore on tenor saxophone, Jimmy Hastings on alto flute and bass clarinet, Nick Evans on trombone, and Mark Charig on cornet. Fourth was released in early 1971 and was followed by Robert Wyatt's departure from the band.

Soft Machine's style on Fourth may appear as radical compared their first two works from 1968 and 1969, but is in fact merely a natural development they made from Third. The recruitment of a double-bass player, however, is a breakthrough and a turning point in the band's career. This might be interpreted as a definitive cut-off from rock. Yes, they probably still could rock out, but they were by no means a rock band anymore. The group creates a unique blend of elements of Miles Davis' mid-late sixties post-bop, free jazz of Cecil Taylor, Ornette Coleman, and Charles Mingus, and ambient music, that could be connected with pioneering bands such as Popol Vuh. Fourth also has a one-of-a-kind, inexplicable flavor that indicates that Soft Machine is a European outfit and differentiates them from contemporary groups from the United States. Similarly to Third, Fourth is largely focused on improvisation, therefore showcasing the instrumentalism of the musicians.

The newly-recruited horn section helps the band in reaching a certain amount of versatility in their sound. Although Elton Dean's alto saxophone and saxello is still dominant in the band's soundscapes, they are now enriched with sounds of a flute, a trombone, a cornet, and a tenor sax. Most often, these instruments play together, creating an interesting 'metal wall' of horn sounds, but solo parts on each of them are not uncommon. Mike Ratledge's keyboard rig is extended with a Hohner pianet, which the virtuoso finds particularly useful on parts, where strong rhythmical background is needed. His signature fuzzed-out Lowrey organ sound, which is one of the few common elements between Soft Machines debut and Fourth, plays an important role on his break-neck speed solos. With a double-bass player onboard, Hugh Hopper's contribution might seem limited, but the bassist's unique style and bass timbre is still crucial to Machine's sound. Robert Wyatt, who quite rightfully might not have been happy with a direction his band took, proves how much of a versatile drummer he was with his accurate and precise drumming.

Side one of Fourth is occupied by three tracks. The work starts with Ratledge's composition 'Teeth'. It starts out with a complex theme, which smoothly dissolves into a jam (which at parts reminds me of 'Hope For Happiness' from Soft Machine's debut). Then, we are approached by Hopper's piece 'Kings and Queens', which despite following a simple structure is one of the most memorable tracks from the album with a slightly gloomy, melancholic feel. Side one is closed with 'Fletcher's Blemish', a loud, atonal, horn-driven jam that lies just on the border of being classified as free-jazz and fusion. Side two comprises Hugh Hopper's four-part suite 'Virtually'. Part 1 is kept in a traditional jazz feel and is based on improvisation. Part 2 builds up tension, which leads to an atonal jam with Elton Dean's saxophone in the foreground. Part 3 opens with dissonant noises achieved by manipulating instruments with studio equipment on dreamy electronic ambient basis. Part 4 is basically an extension of Part 3 with smooth passages fading until the end of the album.

Fourth marks the end of Soft Machine's Canterbury scene years and begins what is known as group's 'classic' era as a jazz-fusion act. The music on the album might not be very compelling, at least in my book, but is a much-needed listen and is crucial to the development English jazz to come. A lot of the times, one will find their thoughts drifting far away from the music, which might be a testimony of its' well, soporific aspect. The album is more than decent in its own right, but is rather stodgy, insignificant, and unmemorable at the same time. No wonder why Robert Wyatt left Soft Machine. However, it is recommended to listen to the album and forge your own opinion. Fourth gets well-deserved three stars!

Although they had only formed a mere five years prior from the ashes of the Wilde Flowers, THE SOFT MACHINE had transmogrified from a beat inspired 60s psychedelic pop and proto-prog entity into a fully fledged jazz-fusion behemoth after adding Elton Dean to the roster for their epic 1970 double length album "Third" which found the trio turned quartet not only dropping the definite article "THE" from their moniker but also found the role of founding member Robert Wyatt's input quickly diminishing from the overall scenario. On the first two SOFT MACHINE albums, Wyatt's role was the main feature with his unmistakably unique vocals showcasing the music but with the addition of Dean along with an additional cast of guest musicians mostly out of the jazz circuits, Wyatt found himself ever more estranged from the creative direction that his fellow band mates were conjuring up around him and by the time "Third" came out he had to fight tooth and nail just to get the one vocal song to be sandwiched into the jazzy skronk wonderland of all things free form jazz surging with psychedelic overtones.

On the logically yet uncreatively titled 4 (pronounced FOURTH), the SOFTS had all but jettisoned their Canterbury influences and psychedelic vocal whimsy in favor of an all out instrumental jazz-fusion attack set on sizzling with Elton Dean casting his weight based off his recent solo album "Just Us" of the same year. The result is the beginning of the classic jazz-fusion era of SOFT MACHINE and on FOURTH they followed Dean's lead who developed his fierce alto sax and saxello playing skills in his days with Keith Tippett. While the avant-garde Ornette Coleman styled free-for-all sax solos whizzing around at light speed play a central part of the overall sound of FOURTH, the psychedelic 60s hadn't been totally erased from memory as Mike Ratledge finds the perfect way to engage his complementary Lowrey organ and Hohner piano riffs into the jazz-rock paradigm that hearken back to the swinging 60s so close yet so suddenly so very far away. Likewise Hugh Hopper's grounding and stabilizing bass lines rein in the loose-wire horn sections augmented by Dean's frenetic sax attacks along with guest musicians Mark Charig (cornet player also of Keith Tippett fame), Nick Evans (trombonist of Keith Tippett fame), Jimmy Hastings (alto flute / bass clarinet of Caravan) and Alan Skidmore (tenor sax also of Keith Tippett fame).

The result of the heft of this brass heavy congregation steered the SOFT MACHINE sound into extreme avant-garde jazz-rock fusion territory which even added yet one more guest musician: Roy Babbington of Delivery to contribute his double bass. The tracks run the gamut of chilled to frenetic. The moderately improvised nine minute opening track "Teeth" takes influences ranging from the bop fueled epics of John Coltrane to the fuzzed out surrealism of Miles Davis' "Bitches Brew" era. The track exhibits the perfect compromise between the structured hard bop chord patterns and sophisticated harmonic idioms with the unstructured improvisational soloing of Dean's hyperactive sax runs. "Kings And Queens" offers a completely chilled out contrast, a bass groove dominated Hopper contribution in between the more frenetic constructs created by Ratledge and Dean.

"Fletcher's Blemish" on the other hand is a Dean written piece that takes the free form avant-garde schizoid madness of crazed masters such as Sun Ra and Cecil Taylor and channels their unhinged tendencies through a flurry of tortured jagged sax attacks in a style that is directly lifted from Dean's solo debut. On the original album the second side of FOURTH was completely consumed by the four part suite "Virtually" which are treated as separate tracks but thematically connected and constructed out of a more collective approach of various extended themes that keep enough structure in the mix to allow individual members to go off on musical tangents all the while finding the perfect tension between composition and improvisation although like most of the running time of FOURTH, Dean does seem to get more than the lion's share of soloing time.

While utterly musically ostracized in the very band he helped create, Robert Wyatt may be silent and sitting in the back corner like a castigated child misbehaving on the playground but he is in fact on the album and it would be his last one with SOFT MACHINE before permanently solidifying his newly found Matching Mole (which as is commonly known a parody of SOFT MACHINE from the French translation "Machine molle.") However despite any demotion in creative input to the band's musical selections, Wyatt performs like a pro easily pounding out the heavy duty hardcore jazz drumming skills required of a seasoned veteran to handle when playing in a jazz-fusion ensemble of such magnitude and while he may have suffered a terrible accident which would rob him of his talents, on FOURTH his talents are eked out in a most satisfying way as he effortlessly and impeccably morphs his stylistic approach between the fuzzy psychedelic Gong inspired brume into the punishing freneticism of Dean's sax abuse segments in full hard bop mode.

SOFT MACHINE's FOURTH has been chastised and kicked around since it was released and to this very day remains substantially less revered than its predecessors as well as later releases with some even calling it the absolute nadir of the SOFT's vast and overarching career and i for one am quite disconcerted with how Wyatt's bandmates treated him and subjugated him to the role of a circus chimp who merely went through the motions of what he was told to perform, however at the same time i'm rating the music itself and as a lover of free form jazz and all things musically extreme, i have to fall on the side of loving this one with the caveat of agreeing with the almost universal consensus that it is indeed a step down from the SOFT's first three classics. One of the problems results of course from the obvious overreach of Elton Dean's influence which affects Ratledge's ability to stand out for much of the album despite his warm and inviting key runs filling every nook, cranny and cadence. Taken as a representative album of the Canterbury Scene, this one will surely disappoint but if accepted as a unique slice of early 70s jazz-fusion that happens to have a little of what came before in the mix with an emphasis on free form improv passages, then i have to say that this album easily achieves the "excellent" seal of approval.

If one had never heard the previous albums with their quirky beginnings in psychedelia one might enter into the world of Mike Ratledge, Hugh Hopper, Robert Wyatt, and Elton Dean thinking that these guys are 1) serious jazz musicians and 2) great masters of their instruments. The only problem is: There is very, very little here that feels or sounds like Canterbury style music--a little in "Kings and Queens" and Virtually part 3." That's it. While Dean's saxes will become more refined and creative in his more free-form future, the playing here of Robert Wyatt is the first and only time that I found myself thinking that "this is a really impressive musician." Ratledge and Hopper are really good and the addition of double bass from NUCLEUS founder Mike Babbington is awesome. Also, I still think it rather unique and brave of the band to go without a guitar player.

1. "Teeth" (9:15) Jazz! Free jazz! At least, from the saxophone. From the opening notes this song presents the band as a jazz band with little or no ties to its previous incarnations. It's too bad as this is not one of the album's better songs--even the recording mix is "off." (15/20)

2. "Kings and queens" (5:02) slow and melodic with the gentle waves of keys, toms, and cymbals to support. Ratledge is brilliant in his support and Wyatt and Hopper and Dean are impressive as well. (8.75/10)

3. "Fletcher's blemish" (4:35) pure free-form jazz in which the musicians exhibit some great control and, surprisingly, cohesiveness. (8.5/10)

4. "Virtually part 1" (5:16) jazz, pure and simple, with some nice structural experimentation. The barebones-ness of this piece gives each instrumentalists plenty of space in which to shine. (8.5/10)

5. "Virtually part 2" (7:09) enter the Lowrey organ--the last vestige of the Canterbury sound--and multiple tracks given to Elton Dean for his two instruments. Great instrumental performances--especially true of Robert Wyatt--but nothing very special melodically or emotionally. (12.5/15)

6. "Virtually part 3" (4:33) sees a step back from pacing and walls of sound as the drums check out and everybody else goes into "tuning mode." The electric bass of Hugh Hopper takes the lead while everybody else offers a kind of gentle support. It's actually kind of pretty music despite the fuzzed bass up front. (8.75/10)

7. "Virtually part 4" (3:23) smoother and more cohesive, even melodic. My favorite section of the album and the one that allows me to keep this album in the list of Canterbury favorites. (9.5/10)

Total Time: 39:13

3.5 to a Low four stars; a nice jazz album for its time but not a very glowing representative of the Canterbury Scene.

'Fourth' by Soft Machine was released in February of 1971 and came after a triplet of ground-breaking and compelling but very different from one another albums that are still considered some of progressive rock and especially the Canterbury scene's finest. Whether it is the whimsical and lighthearted psych-pop adventures of the well-known Volumes 1 & 2, or the menacing avant-garde masterpiece that is the monumental album 'Third', one cannot neglect these first three albums, as they showcased that the band could easily morph into different creatures, every time to great results. So, what could one expect from the next release except another tremendous and jaw-dropping masterwork?

Well, the reality is a bit different. Fully embracing the role of avant-garde and fusion explorers, Soft Machine's new agenda was not matching each band member's musical desires. This is, of course, a reference to Robert Wyatt, with whom creative differences were quite dramatic. The in-band pressure resulted in him leaving after this album and making 'Fourth' the last studio recording to feature the legendary drummer and former vocalist of The Soft Machine.

Alongside Wyatt, on 'Fourth' also play keyboardist (and in my opinion one of the unsung masters in progressive rock) Mike Ratledge, bassist Hugh Hopper, who was responsible for writing most of the album, and saxophonist Elton Dean. However, as it always happens in this band, several other musicians get to work on the studio albums and re-work or add something to some of the songs' sections: Roy Babbington on double bass, Nick Evans on trombone, Alan Skidmore on tenor sax, Jimmy Hastings on flute & clarinet, and Mark Charig on cornet are the names of the people that are also featured on 'Fourth'.

Probably the most severe sign of the inner-band conflict is the fact that Robert Wyatt did not write anything for this album, and he really feels just like the drummer who added his parts on top of everyone else's works. He, however, did not approve of the band's new direction of a fully-blown instrumental jazz and fusion collective, so all these events are certainly interconnected. Nevertheless, the rest of the band members who wrote music for 'Fourth' did a very impressive job.

'Teeth' is Mike Ratledge's free jazz mini-epic, and certainly the only song that gets as close to the quality of the compositions of the preceding behemoth of an album; a true indication that this man was the Softies' secret weapon with hands like spiders, as he goes ballistic later on in the song; 'Teeth' also feels like the most complete of all the songs here. Then the band dive into 'Kings and Queens', a slower sax-centered composition that is reminiscent of some 60s modal jazz, a Hugh Hopper composition. Following this one is Elton Dean's original contribution to the album, 'Fletcher's Blemish'. It is funny, because they went so 'free' on that song, that everyone seems to be playing a song of their own, making this utterly unlistenable and startling at the same time. Finally, we go into the land of Hugh Hopper again, with the four-parted side-long suite 'Virtually', a very interesting addition to Soft Machine's catalogue on which Robert Wyatt feels quite isolated from all the action. Part 1 is fantastic, Hopper and Ratledge play the necessary number of notes with grace and intelligence that can only be heard on 'Third', as strange as it sounds. Part 2 is no worse, while the final two episodes of 'Virtually' blur out the suite that was feeling just so good up to that point. However, 'Virtually' could not match up to any of the epics on 'Third' in my book which does not make it less enjoyable.

I would say that this has to be one of the lower points in Soft Machine's career, given the success of the three preceding albums. The ambitious ideas are there, but the pressure of the discrepancies in the band members' visions about the band is reflected upon the album in an abstract way. For a band that has always been trying to figure out its identity, this is both a very important album, maybe even a watershed kind of album, and a slightly disappointing one, as it failed to live up to the expectations created by the mighty 'Third'.