SOFT MACHINE Vinyl & CDs

Review: This is a brand new album by the legendary Cambridge scene art rockers Soft Machine and a fresh original for 2023, out via Tonefloat Records. Coming to turquoise vinyl, and limited to just 200 copies, fans will want to be quick off the mark with this one. The band's first studio album since 2018's 'Hidden Details' it marks a new chapter in the history of the band - both an ending and a beginning for this unique band that has now been in existence for 55 years. The album introduces Fred Baker on bass and marks the final appearance on record of the band's legendary drummer John Marshall, who has now announced his retirment. As ever, all members join forces to provide a veritable dizziment of improvisational skills and experimental spirit.

Review: Pulled from the earliest days of The Soft Machine when they were closer to a psychedelic rock band than a tripped-out jazz concern, Universal Japan have reproduced a very limited single version of 'Why Are We Sleeping?'. The song itself is still a nebulous, twisting and turning freak ride riding on a satisfyingly heavy rhythm section, embellished with organs and following droll poetry to the pure 60s burst of the chorus, as masterful now as it was mind-blowing back in 1968. On the B-side, 'Joy Of A Toy' is a subtly funky affair laced with languid wah wah guitar and artful dynamic shifts from the mellow beginnings to a rollicking beatdown by the crescendo, and all in under three minutes. Collectors will especially enjoy the Japanese artwork on this unique single, but just having these two gems on a handy 7" is worth the price of entry alone.

Review: In 1969 Soft Machine were truly growing into the otherworldly entity they're best known as now, moving on from the more psychedelia-rooted sound of the debut album into the broader expanse presented on Volume Two. This live recording captures them in full flight at the legendary Bataclan in Paris, and the wild creative vision of Robert Wyatt's merry pranksters splays out from the ominous drum intro onwards, through towering crescendos of musicality that touch on noticeable album moments such as the 'Esther's Nose Job' suite from Volume Two to 'Moon In June', which would be released one year later on Third.