THIRD

Just hearing Soft Machine for the first time (I had never even heard of "Canterbury Scene" until joining ProgArchives in 2009!) and I'm loving the music--especially it's odd editing, the unexpected styles represented, as well as the diversity of their sources of inspiration.

What an awesome song is 1. "Slightly All the Time"! (18:13) I can see where their influences come from (Miles) and who was influenced by them (Magma, Brian Auger, Caravan, Traffic, Gong, Hatfield And The North, Brainbox, Focus, Supertramp, and so many others). One of the great epic-length songs of the Canterbury Scene. (35/35)

And so much of 2. "Moon in June" (19:08) sounds/feels like early RPI music--as well as Focus and early Supertramp. So melodic, emotional, and theatric--as well as bluesy. Though I actually love Robert Wyatt's voice, I'm not such a fan of extemporaneous stream-of-consciousness "lyrics"--much of which are delivered in a style and form that is more akin to scat vocalese. The organ-dominated music is okay--actually a little more annoying in the middle section when Robert is not singing. (34.25/40)

While I became used to 3. "Facelift" (18:47) after a few listenings, it doesn't have quite the same warmth and exploratory freshness as the others. It's an exercise in experimental sound-making (the first third) and avant-garde "free form" jazz (the middle third) and DOORS-like heavy, murky psychedelia of which about half could have/might have better served had it been left on demo/practice tapes (or cutting room floor). (34.5/40)

4. "Out-Bloody-Rageous" (19:13) has some awesome experimental keyboard work serving as intro, outro, and foundation to the up-tempo jam in the mid-section. Thanks to Terry C. Riley for the inspiration here! My favorite section is that which starts with the return to solo keyboards at the very middle of the song (synth & then piano). The song then builds on a more-traditional jazz motif--MILES DAVIS/JOHN COLTRANE-like--and then builds into an all-out jam with kind of a "Love Supreme" feel to it. Beautiful! The outro sounds so much like future CAMEL! I love all the tempo and melody changes in this music. Great performances on each of the instruments. Now this could qualify as Jazz-Rock Fusion: an example of the pioneering, experimental kind that contributed to its beginning. (37/40)

A-/five stars; an excellent addition to any prog rocker's music collection and a minor masterpiece of early, experimental Jazz-Rock Fusion. I can see why so many consider this an essential album--but I fear that the reason for this is as much for its historic influence as it is the legacy of its four songs, but, IMHO, this is perhaps not essential for its songs. I do agree, however, that it may be 'essential' for true music lovers for the understanding and appreciation of the history of this, our beloved 'progressive rock.'

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