Name: Fourth
Brand: Soft Machine

Tax rate EU

Default:19

Supplier EU

Bertus Musikvertrieb

Total Cap

Format detail

Colour details

Discogs ID

Limited edition

Colour

Format Music EU

Extended format

Extended format: No

Rough Trade Exclusive

Rough Trade Exclusive: No

Signed copies

Signed copies: No

Download code

Download code: No

Bonus disc

Bonus disc: No

Release date

2017-01-26

Format multiplier

Catalogue number

TECD358

UPC / Barcode

5028479035823

2016-04-07

MOVLP1602

8719262000285

Artist

Soft Machine

Label EU

Talking Elephant

Genre EU

Blues / Gospel

Soft Machine is an English rock and jazz band from Canterbury, formed in mid-1966. The band was named after the novel "The Soft Machine" by William S. Burroughs. Led by Australian artist Daevid Allen, the group was influenced by the emerging Beat Generation and the music philosophies of Sun Ra. They started as a free-jazz outfit called the Daevid Allen Trio before evolving into Soft Machine with members Robert Wyatt, Mike Ratledge, and Kevin Ayers. Their eponymous album released in 1968 is considered a classic of the late 1960s psychedelic era.

The band gained popularity on London's psychedelic scene and performed at various iconic venues such as The Marquee and UFO club. They also took part in notable events like the '14 Hour Technicolor Dream' alongside Pink Floyd and Velvet Underground. Despite several lineup changes over the years, Soft Machine continued to push boundaries with their experimental sound.

Today, Soft Machine remains active with current members John Etheridge on guitar, Theo Travis on saxophone/flute/piano, Fred T. Baker on bass (since 2022), and Asaf Sirkis on drums (since 2023). Their music continues to captivate audiences with its unique blend of rock and jazz influences.

Newest Listed Items

Of all the bands that came to fusion from the rock side of the fence, soft machine (the early 1970s incarnation) probably had the most jazz credibility. with British free-sax phenom Elton Dean's status as a full-time member solidified after his participation on 'third', the 'fourth' and 'fifth' albums are the deepest into pure jazz that the band ever got. 'fourth from 1971 finds the band at an interesting junction. It was recorded in the fall of 1970, meaning that, unlike 'third', 'fourth' was made after Miles Davis' fusion innovations had gone public. yet the album does not sound particularly influenced by davis, or even by much else that was considered 'fusion' at the time. actually a lot of it sounds roughly like the band's own innovations on 'third', but with more pronounced john coltrane influences and a number of the rock elements filtered out. this album marked the end of an era for the band, as it was the last soft machine album on which drummer robert wyatt appeared. wyatt had become dissatisfied with the band's direction (he favoured a more rock-based approach and also wanted to sing) and left after recording 'fourth' to form the short-lived matching mole.

Fourth

Music EU