Third

I HATE PROG ROCK I DONT WANT TO LISTEN TO 18 MINUITE TRACKS ONE AFTER THE OTHER I DON'T WANT TO SIT THROUGH SEVEN MINUITES OF A GUITAR SOLO Actually this isn't bad tbh

I'm so tired

- DO NOT LISTEN TO TRACK 1 FIRST - It was alright, but nearly lost the will to live after the opening minutes of track 1, and this is coming from someone who usually rates prog rock quite highly. Quite an enjoyable listen once I got past that.

The field recording of an alien swingers party that ends in communal astral projection.

Way way too much prog, disappeared up its own arse before the first two minutes of ambient nonsense had finished. Pointless, annoying, way too long. Its not big or clever to make music like this. The most jazzy parts reminded me of cheap tickets I got to the proms where we left after forty minutes. Wish I left this after forty minutes. Bad.

You do a track, and you do a track, and you do a track. Play whatever you want but don’t tell anybody else what you’re doing. We’ll just mash em all together in the end. Ugh.

Really phenomenal spacey electronic stuff, big fan of this sound and can see where it launched them in the future as well.

A sometimes bracing sometimes beautiful prog/jazz fusion album. It was honestly a little exhausting listening to the entire thing, but I can't deny that it was NOT BORING (my most important metric!). I can see why some people would give it a 5 for sure, but it's not quite there for me yet. 4 it is.

The musical rendition of Hitchhiker's Guide. Adventurous, mind-bending, indecisive, crazy. I got lost several times. The fact that this was recorded live is incredibly impressive. It sounds several years ahead of other bands that would themselves be considered wildly ahead of their time (e.g. Pink Floyd's Meddle and WYWH). Unfortunately, though, the music lacks riffs, hooks, and (for the most part) chord progressions and melodies, making it tough for your standard listener. One thing I will say is that it wasn't boring. It just overrepresented creativity and musicians' enjoyment, at the expense of building a connection with the audience. Because I'm part of said audience, I can't give this 5 stars. Great synths. In fact, great instrumentation all around. The musicianship is solid and the band sounds like they're genuinely enjoying themselves without sounding too indulgent. Fun and well-executed build-ups as well. It's mostly great, in theory. 4/5 Fave track: Out-Bloody-Rageous

A little noise, a little jazz, a little avant garde minimalism, all prog. Though I like their first two albums a bit more, this is bold stuff, and holds up well alongside other prog rock and jazz fusion of the era.

I would have run a bloody mile from this in years gone by. These days I'm the one making all the moves. You grow old, you listen to jazz, innit. Life 101. Even better if it's on the cusp of psychedelic shit fusing it with freestyle jazz and drugs are involved - participants, not the listener. I love how the songs build up throughout ten minutes or so. You aren't going to hear these on Heart FM anytime soon. There's also a soft approach to all the jazz shit. The horns won't blow your arse off. If you make it through all four sides then you have done very well. It takes you on a journey. Gawd knows where to. I became lost on side 3. That's half the fun, right?

2.5/5 I liked the part when they sang. Fav: Moon In June

I enjoyed this to begin with, as it was different to what I was expecting, but after a while - probably during the first tune, as it's nearly 20 minutes long - my interest started to wane. A lot of jazz leaves me cold, and prog makes me feel a bit queasy, so prog jazz is not really going to float my boat. Too much showing off, and for far too long.

I knew from the first track that I was going to hate this album. An 18 minute track where it takes more than half the duration to get going. Even after that it just sounds like noise. The rest of the album isn't much better and I gave up before the end.

So crazy good so cool instrumental stuff absolutely yes

One of my favorite album ever, by which I discovered the incredible Robert Wyatt. Uncompromised and so unique experimental jazz music with a canterbury scene feel. Listening to Robert Wyatt singing Moon In June while drumming is one of the best thing a human can experience.

Sometimes the best albums are the ones we can't figure out

now this is the kinda weird shit i am looking for drone, jazz, rock, electronic. only thing i'm not into is the vocals on track 3

Jazzy prog? Wow I have been sleeping on these guys. I know some of Robert Wyatt's solo stuff but somehow haven't ever explored Soft Machine. I clearly have work to do!

Wow, this album is a wild trip. I ignored first track - it is unbearable to listen to from first second. But rest of it is just crazy. During one 20 minute track it can go from perfect harmony to totally dreadful chaos and go back to great harmony. And this album is doing this many times this process is so smooth that I can't wrap my head around it. I have never heard other song with part that was monotonous and not interesting just to use it as a base to build more on it and turn it great and fascinating. Avoid first track.

I really liked this; a mix of pop, avant garde, psychedelic, jazz, progressive all wrapped in that late 60s lofi sound. Lovely.

A mix between electronica, prog rock, and free jazz. In other words, pretty awesome!

Somewhere between ethereal and jazz.

5. I really like this album. It is a new sound for me with jazz that I really like and wouldn't mind hearing more of

Totalement et absolument ma came, je connaissais pas Soft Machine mais je kiffe, la découverte de cet album vaut tout à fait l'ensemble du projet des 1001 albums tructrucs

Hell yeah. This is sick.

dahora, quero ouvir mais.

Long and jazzy

I was very surprised to find this one on this list, but hey! I'm not going to complain. A really great album from a really great band. Moon in June is just incredible and makes me crave for some more. I understand that this album might scare a lot of people, but I swear it's quite the journey!

What a pleasant surprise. This album was a jazz/prog adventure. There were moments thwt sounded like King Crimson and early Kansas. I had to look up this band because the sound King Crimson is very prominent within this record and I wanted to see if there was any cross over. This band has gone through a number of members... Their current line up has Theo Travis on it, formerly of King Crimson. Theo also has worked with Porcupine Tree and Steven Wilson's solo stuff. Remember the killer flute solo In The Raven that Refused to Sing? That was Theo Travis. Awsome listen. Would love to show this off to my fellow prog friends.

love it

On my current round of overnights, I've been revisiting random albums that pop into my head. One of those records is "The Apocalypse Inside of An Orange" by Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, guitarist for the Mars Volta. I bought that record at age, like, 13, because I had randomly stumbled into being a fan of TMV and wanted to consume everything they made. I bring it up because, I think that record was severely inspired by this one. This record is drenched in psychedelia, acid, and even that kind of electronic that sounds "space age". I groaned when I saw that it was only four songs initially, but ended up walking away really loving it? It aged well, despite definitely sounding confined to the era in which it was birthed. I hesitate to give it a five here, all because of the vocals on "Moon In June". They aren't the strongest, the lyrics aren't great, and overall just feels like a throw-away. Other than that, I really love how weird this record gets, and found the 80 minutes (or so) pass by relatively quickly. Will definitely revisit. Favorite tracks: "Facelift", "Slightly All the Time"

This album is a 78 minute opus with only four songs. The genre can loosely be said to be progressive rock, but that doesn't even begin to encompass what is here. Soft Machine have clearly done their homework and are influenced by Miles Davis, John Coltrane, and early jazz fusion. This modal jazz influence is the dominant one and the album can be characterized by long passages with a simmering quality before building to a crescendo and starting over again. At no point did this have a noodly quality to it, but rather feels improvisational within a careful framework that the whole band is locked into. In that way it distinguishes itself among other albums of this type.

It's one of my favorite albums from the early 1970s. Such a great mix of jazz, rock and electronic music. I got into their first two albums because I was a big fan of psychedelic rock and 'Soft Machine' and 'Volume Two' were two great records from that era. 'Third' made me got interested in jazz fusion and electronic and opened new doors in my world of music. It was unusual for me, a then 22-year-old girl to listen to such music but I'll always be grateful that I discovered this band. Apart from the first few minutes of 'Facelift', this album is such an inspiring listen to me every time I listen to it. The reason is that it never gets boring and I always find some nuances that I discover while I listen to it. I fully understand if it not everyone's cup of tea, but this gets a 5 from me no doubt.

9/10 kind of a mess of an album, but I absolutely adore this shit

Jazz. Experimental. Interesante, pero demasiado largo.

very interesting album, enjoyed it a lot.

I got a softspot for these guys. It's not really rock at all- more jazzy prog but it's really good for putting on late at night and chilling with a stick of incense...

4.5

For the era, I think this was super impressive

Maybe im a bit biased from other prog rock but i wish this was a bit more technical. The first track threw me off originally but as another reviewer recommended on second listening i put it off until last and i enjoyed this a bit better. Still pretty nice though.

Through two songs, both of them have some really great moments. I generally like this style of music - the experimental rock, so I'm a little biased. Lots of really good stuff. There weren't any parts, really, that felt like it didn't belong in the song.

Jazz with prog rock segments. Out-Bloody-Rageous and Slightly All the Time were the tracks I enjoyed most. Cool stuff.

Heavy does of Jazz with a touch of some prog/avant-garde rock. Probably the the 5th or 6th time listening and it keeps getting better.

Vibe I looooove die jaren 70 achtige nergeuze king crimson ass Horns

Hey cool, more Robert Wyatt! I liked this a lot, as far out as it got at times. Reminded me at times of an album's worth of Mr. Bungle interludes. Kind of crazy this is considered jazz rock, as it seemed like 95% jazz with only occasional rock elements.

There were a couple of times I could have turned this off but mostly I thought it was pretty amazing, the good kind of jazz fusion.

This is a very cool ride, it spans jazz/psychedelic/prog/noise rock and conjures images of early King Crimson, Pink Floyd and maybe even some Zappa and Kraut rock/electronic music. I'm still not a fan of Robert Wyatt's voice but it's undeniable that he's a great musician and has teamed up with A-list musicians of the era with Kevin Ayers, Elton Dean and Hugh Hopper. The first track, Facelift gets a lot of grief from the reviewers on this site, but I didn't think it was too bad. Experimental yes, but never boring. The stand-out track for me was the closer, Out-Bloody-Rageous and I learned from Wiki that the tape loops on this song were inspired by Terry Riley hence its repetitive minimalist sound. Disc 2 (which is not available for listening on Spotify) was apparently part of a subsequent CD released in 2007 so technically not part of this album so its not graded here.

It seems they may have taken a page from Bitches Brew, with one song per side. Side 1 is too noisy for me and poorly recorded. Side 2 is great, very Weather Report-ish. I don’t know how a jazz critic would rate it, though. Side 3 is maybe the most interesting and the least jazzy, though Robert Wyatt’s lyrics are silly at times. Side 4 has a great intro. I think I read of a Terry Reilly influence and it sure sounds like it. I just wish the minimalist segments weren’t dragged out for so long.

Jazz rock / prog / Canterbury Scene of the highest order.

Favorite Songs: Slightly All the Time Out-Bloody Rageous You start with the impression of being at a concert in the 70s in a dusty location and some blokes experiment with their instruments. After 10 Minutes of intro in the first track it becomes quite catchy, the second song is amazingly jazzy.

Très cool, mais pas facile putain

December 1, 2023 HL: “Moon in June”, “Out-Bloody-Rageous” Kind of as a counterpoint to another reviewer, the song order works for me because the spacey loops in the last track are a cool bookend to the atonal electronics in the first. Aggression slowly gives way to serenity I appreciated the book’s insight of the members of Soft Machine wanting to make “serious” music, to Robert Wyatt’s displeasure Though people who don’t like jazz or prog will likely find this interminable… I probably should have a copy/paste of “Wow I liked this more than I expected” for every new prog band I come across on this list.

British jazz rock from 70, extremely distinct feel between the different tracks A hated the first one

pretty enjoyable mix of jazz and prog, like it quite a bit, would have liked it more if Robert Wyatt had kept his trap shut on Moon in June

Wyatt usually manages a telos with his music; Soft Machine doesn't. That's dangerous territory for prog, which Third navigates deftly. While no track is near lean, each occupies its position and no more. Noodling, the music's friendly at the same time it confuses.

Get the sextant out and plot a course to the edge of your mind. After a start where is seems there was some frantic twiddling of knobs before the correct settings were found it hit a stride. A discordant quartet on offer with many ebbs and flows plus a smattering of wit. Give it a go there is plenty to discover.

I put off listening to this all day because I kept thinking it was Soft *Cell*. This rules though, I can definitely fuck with this. It's like if Ornette Coleman jammed with Syd Barrett-era Pink Floyd.

Rating: 7/10 Best songs: Facelift

I enjoy this. It’s interesting and unusual. I like to listen to stuff without words when I work and this fits that bill nicely. 4/5

hard prog

mukaviin pätkiin jaettu pojat. edelläkävijät (varhaiset valkoihoiset) jatsi, rokki fuusio (kaksi kevyttä atomiydintä yhtyy yhdeksi raskaammaksi)... virtuoosoja selv'sti. kuitenkin muutama osio jotka eivät vaan hittaa.. helpoin genre onnistua mutta ei oikeen pystynyt... jotkut indiealbumit parempia kuin tämä, miten voi olla? orgaani sentään soi ja rommia pullo. eli silti erinomainen kokemus tämä, jota en koskaan olisi kuullut ilman rojektia. slightly all the time

Just heard it today! As a huge fan of other soft machine albums i was pretty excited and while i didn't care much for facelift every other track was fucking AWESOME. Totally deserves the hype it gets, even though i might still prefer their self titled album for how stupidly varied and innovative it is

Is it prog or is it jazz? Or maybe both. Either way, it's pretty great

It's weird to have never heard of this being a prog guy. It might be because I'm more of a prog metal than a prog rock fan but damn this is good. Lots of inspiration was taken from in the court of the crimson king but that only makes it better.

The bridge that connected rock and jazz was becoming increasingly crowded and the formerly progressive rock minded Soft Machine added their footsteps to the structure with their Third record. Four eighteen plus minute songs detailing their progression (hehe) from flight to fancy is definitely not for the kind that becomes irritated by the supposed monotony of the arrangements, yet those who are intrigued find plenty to comb through on the way to finding gems. Moon in June and Out-Bloody-Rageous in particular are showcases of what the Canterbury scene now had to offer to the increasingly complex rock world, as their indebtedness to their influences such as Terry Riley (the go-to guru of inspiration at the time) shone bright here. Overall, a take it or leave it collection and I'm inclined to do the former. Favorites: Slightly All the Time, Out-Bloody-Rageous.

This is some really stellar psych-rock.

i will be real i really liked this

Stort album. Låter annorlunda varje gång jag hör det

Very jazzy prog second half better then the first

More interesting than enjoyable. I've got the hang of Robert Wyatt by now.

track 2 theres a wind instrument that plays like 6 mins in and it sounds like this SUPER deep bass from like a drum machine or something its so fire. i like this a lot actually wow

fook me that’s some weird shit

Interesting album. Reminds me at times of Miles Davis In A SIlent Way and Ornette Coleman The Shape of Jazz to Come. Not really finding the rock part of the equation. Seems to me like a collection of 4 jazz suites. All 4 have something to offer. 3.5 stars

Surprisingly, I was kind of in the mood for this.

Strangely melodic. Jazz rock is it? I guess, as there's definitely jazz. Not quite sure where the rock is other than side C, but then I don't know what else I'd call it because it's not just jazz. Not the worst thing I've ever heard though side A was a slog. Sides C and D were better.

I remember purchasing "Third" at a music festival. I listened to it once, maybe twice, and sold it back. Listening to it 20 years later, I know why. I also know why people mock "Tales From Topographic Oceans," which I like quite a lot. 4 songs, a double album is quite a lot. And if there isn't a lot of THERE there, it does tend to go on and on. There are some good bits in each of the songs, and some parts where I'm like "this could have been edited out." Easily trim these down to about 10 minutes each and it would have been much better. The songs just meander too much for me. Still, the good bits in each of the songs make me think there's something to them. So I feel like they have something better in them. This isn't it.

I was unable to listen to the live part. Otherwise I really only enjoyed the second track

Interesting

I like this a lot better than most prog, maybe because it's Jazz-adjacent. The instrument choices also helped, but still is a bit of a long play.

This was an interesting listen, somewhat challenging. I didn't fully enjoy it, it felt a bit like listening to someone's half baked manifesto. I liked the moments of prog / jazz.

un album qui commence vraiment mal mais qui s'écoute bien par la suite. du rpog un peu dejanté. 3.25

Impressive but too jammy for my taste

Don’t think be ever heard of them. Very Genesis-Traffic-esque. 3.5/5

What an album for the weekend.

In the end just a bit too unorthodox to be enjoyable

Ahh... Avis plus positif à la fin qu'au début (j'ai même failli abandonner au bout des cinq premières minutes de pur bruit) Pas mal dans l'absolu, j'ai bien aimé les côtés jazz, mais je trouve que ça manque un peu de mélodie par rapport à King Crimson ou autres trucs du même genre, que j'aime mieux.

First Listen. Never heard of Soft Machine. Genre: Jazz Rock, Prog Rock. 1970 Standouts: Out-Bloody-Rageous, Slightly All The Time, Moon in June Tracks: 2/5 1. Facelift 3/5 2. Slightly All The Time 3.5/5 3. Moon in June 3/5 4. Out-Bloody-Rageous Overall: 3/5 This one would take many listens to really get into..

Soft Machine, 1970, Double LP (4 songs) 2nd Listen (3) Genre: Jazz rock, Progressive rock, Electronic The bonus CD ups the song total to 7. The original double album contained one song per side and it is very much a prog rock album. That being said, it is not for everyone. The first song, Facelift, is the most difficult to get through. The rest of the album is better. The first two tracks seems great to put on in the background when you are studying or just want to relax or sleep... The third song, Moon in June, is more progressive rock than jazz. It's probably the best song on the album (to me). Solid 3/5

Weird, but the kind of weird that if you keep listening it pulls you in. Probably won't listen again

This gave me King Crimson vibes. Pretty crazy, music like this was getting created and stayed relatively obscure. I loved it though.

The production on the remastered version is fun. The stereo separation and sub-bass sounded great on my bookshelf speaker system. Overall there are some interesting parts but it is long and I found myself losing interest by the middle of the third track. Better editing could have made this a four-star record for me.

Again, kinda weird but I kinda like it

I felt pretty done with this not long into the opening live piece, but I came around for it somewhat as the album went along. Still a little too much Prog Jazz for me.

Did not enjoy

très instrumental, expérimental. not sure how i felt about it. devrait réécouter pour mieux comprendre le sens de l'album 6.5/10

Jazzy and proggy and would fun to play Risk to

5/10. Not bad as naptime albums go, but can't say it made much of an impression on me.

Cool, instrumental album

Not something I'd put on in my free time, but super interesting. Sort of like if Kraftwerk were into jazz.