VOLUME TWO

'Volume Two' is the second album released by Canterbury-native Soft Machine (or The Soft Machine, as they were billed at the time of the album's release). This record was released almost a year after their debut one, more specifically in September of '69. Stylistically very similar to their first album, 'Volume Two' is very psychedelic, very humorous, very extravagant and unusual, quirky, frantic, and compelling. This time, however, to the trio of Mike Ratledge, Hugh Hopper and Robert Wyatt, and additional musician is added and this is, of course, the brother of Hugh Hopper - Brian Hopper on soprano and tenor saxophone, adding for the first time to their psychedelic sound a flavor of jazz.

This happens to be the band's shortest album, with a total length of 33 minutes, but also their most fragmented one with its seventeen tracks. As on the previous album, the songs on each of the two sides seem to form larger, longer pieces, beautifully named 'Rivmic Melodies' and 'Esther's Nose Job', respectively for sides one and two.

For me, there has always been almost nothing separating 'Volume Two' from 'Volume One'; these two records really sound like the two halves of a big psychedelic, jazzy, mad album (Almost like the one that will come next - 'Third' but this is another story). Very 60s and very English, I consider 'Volume Two' one of the essential Soft Machine releases. The witty song titles, the multiple references sprinkled across the album, the memorable melodies, and the moments of insane experimentation with instrumental passages are all prerogatives for a very strong Canterbury Scene album!