Soft Machine – Third
Out of stock
$24.00
“Soft Machine plunged deeper into jazz and contemporary electronic music on this pivotal release, which incited The Village Voice to call it a milestone achievement when it was released. It’s a double album of stunning music, with each side devoted to one composition — two by Mike Ratledge, and one each by Hopper and Wyatt, with substantial help from a number of backup musicians, including Canterbury mainstays Elton Dean and Jimmy Hastings. The Ratledge songs come closest to fusion jazz, although this is fusion laced with tape loop effects and hypnotic, repetitive keyboard patterns. Hugh Hopper’s “Facelift” recalls “21st Century Schizoid Man” by King Crimson, although it’s more complex, with several quite dissimilar sections. The pulsing rhythms, chaotic horn and keyboard sounds, and dark drones on “Facelift” predate some of what Hopper did as a solo artist later (this song was actually culled from two live performances in 1970). On his capricious composition “Moon in June,” Robert Wyatt draws on musical ideas from early 1967 demos done with producer Giorgio Gomelsky. Lyrically, it’s a satirical alternative to the pretension displayed by a lot of rock writing of the era, and combined with the Softs’ exotic instrumentation, it makes for quite a listen” – allmusic.com
Label: Columbia – G 30339
Format: 2xVinyl, LP, Album, Stereo
Country: US
Released: 1970
VG+/VG. WOS along with some edgewear/rubbing