There is so much change and restless creativity in the Soft Machine catalogue it can take quite a while to get one’s head around it. Took me years. The first two albums explode with Sixties eccentricity, mischief, and brain-pinging energy. But then there is an apparent u-turn into the sprawling, magnificent Third; an album demanding time and attention to unpack its explorations of progressive rock and jazz. It is a richly rewarding adventure.
Albums Four to Seven were—and remain—the hardest work for me. This is more abstract, jazz based music, asking the listener to unfetter from their expectations of what this band used to be. There is a changing of the compositional/keyboard hub from Mike Ratledge to Karl Jenkins, which bursts into new life with the jazz-rock records of the period 1975-1978. These are the albums collected in a neat little box from Esoteric Recordings: Bundles (1975), Softs (1976), and Alive And Well Recorded In Paris (1978).
Bundles has the wonderful Alan Holdsworth on guitar, Roy Babbington on bass, John Marshall on drums. The creative heart is pumped by Ratledge and Jenkins, the latter writing eight of the twelve compositions. It’s complex and exciting stuff, quite often sounding like five outstanding musicians soloing at once. But there are also moments of reflection and beauty that enable one to catch one’s breath. There is no doubt that Holdsworth’s electric guitar adds spark. Great stuff.
By the following year, Mike Ratledge was basically gone. His ghost appears on just two tracks where he adds synthesiser. John Etheridge has replaced Holdsworth on guitar with no reduction in dexterity or invention, while saxophonist Alan Wakeman is added. Musically, Softs is perhaps a slightly more sanded and polished album than the edgy Bundles, but no less satisfying.
More line-up changes for the live album, with violinist Ric Saunders colouring the sonic pallet. Some terrific soloing and playing around with the rhythmic base (including, on “Soft Space” a nod to disco and Jean-Luc Ponty’s sequencer experiments).
The absence of any bonus tracks on these facsimile CDs is disappointing, especially as Esoteric have previously released a version of Alive And Well that almost doubles its length. Still, it’s a pleasing, inexpensive package for those drawn to progressive jazz-rock with a Canterbury influence.
Soft Machine: The Harvest Albums 1975 - 1978 Esoteric Recordings / Cherry Red 2019
vinylconnection.com.au 
Listening to ‘Bundles’ as I one finger type. I think Holdsworth’s fringes were a little more talented than mine. Off on a Soft Machine marathon. Thanks Bruce
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Way to go, CB!
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Early on in the development of rock music and musically influential, but they never grew into the supergroup they could have been. I also like the soloworks of Kevin Ayers and Robert Wyatt.
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Too rarified, perhaps, HF. Wyatt is an absolute gem.
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A band with whom I need to spend more time, thanks for the reminder!
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I know you love jazz, Aaron. Not sure where you are with jazz-rock, but if Jeff Beck’s Blow By Blow or Bitches Brew float your boat, either of the two studio albums here would be worth checking out.
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OMG I need to get to them post-haste, apparently.
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So glad I recently dipped into Robert Wyatt’s solo stuff but it’s kind of like Beefheart in that I need to be in a really singular kind of mood for it. Cherry Red hosted one of my very favorite bands on their label, the band Felt. Also “singular.” Be well Bruce! Looking forward to reconnecting soon. Got my video audio thing sorted finally, ha ha.
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There seems to be some real synchronicity between my record
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… experiencing and VC posts of late. I just picked up Bundles and some solo Holdsworth recently and have them downloaded for first listens while sitting here on a plane to Denver.
Some overlap with the comments also as I also picked up my first Robert Wyatt solo album in the same spree.
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Big fan of AH. I’m sure you’ll find much to enjoy. The 80s albums make use of a synth-axe that does become a little wearing, but all the Holdsworth entries in the VC spreadsheet are top notch. And simply HOORAY for Robert Wyatt.
It’s not synchronicity, by the way. You know that idea that some governments infiltrate other countries to surreptitiously sow seeds of change and ferment? That’s what Vinyl Connection does with progressive music.
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Here’s irrefutable proof of your influence: Soft Machine displayed as a predictive option on YouTube as I typed So
I’d just finished Hank Mobley’s Thinking of Home and wanted something with more bite. Softs does that quite nicely. Thanks Bruce.
DD
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You can call me Al(gorithm) 🤣
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