SEVEN
The Soft Machine
•Canterbury Scene
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Studio Album, released in 1973 Songs / Tracks Listing 1. Nettle Bed (4:47) - Mike Ratledge / electric piano, organ, synthesizer
ArtWork: Roslav Szaybo and to Quinino for the last updates Edit this entry |
Buy THE SOFT MACHINE Seven Music
![]() | 5cd Original Album Classics (Third/F Ourth/Fifth/Six/Seven) Sony Music Canada Inc. 2011 | $16.14 $50.10 (used) |
![]() | Seven Imports 2015 | $8.75 $7.00 (used) |
![]() | Seven Remastered Sony Music Canada Inc. 2011 | $24.99 $7.87 (used) |
![]() | Six & Seven Remastered Edsel Records UK 2004 | $14.02 (used) |
![]() | Seven Sbme Import 2003 | $8.43 (used) |
![]() | Man in a Deaf Corner: Anthology 1963-1970 by SOFT MACHINE (2001-03-27) City Hall (Generic) | $51.18 |
![]() | Volumes One & Two by Soft Machine (1995-11-27) Big Beat UK | $26.56 |
![]() | Live in 1970 by SOFT MACHINE (2014-05-27) Imports | $49.89 |
![]() | Virtually by SOFT MACHINE (1998-01-27) Cuneiform | $39.97 |

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THE SOFT MACHINE Seven ratings distribution
(240 ratings)
Essential: a masterpiece of progressive rock music(17%)
Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection(41%)
Good, but non-essential (36%)
Collectors/fans only (4%)
Poor. Only for completionists (2%)
THE SOFT MACHINE Seven reviews
Showing all collaborators reviews and last reviews preview | Show all reviews/ratings
Collaborators/Experts Reviews
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Prog Folk

Will then come a relatively long gap , a new record deal on Harvest and a new (and welcome) musical change.For a lot Soft Machine purist and many progheads the succession of numbered albums are less important than their psych debut or their fusion later career but I can onl;y tell you that everyone of these mid-life albums are very much worth a listen.
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator

On side 2, "Snodland" is a delicate combination of percussions and electric piano. On "Penny hitch", the "Chicklets gum carton package" sounds reappear with some repetitive electric piano notes and curious oboe sounds; the rhythmic patterns are again very repetitive. "Block" still has those "Chicklets gum carton package" notes, and this track is much more loaded with TONS of complex drums, electric piano and punchy bass: the last part containing saxes is VERY structured and synchronized. "Down the road" seems to have flutes; the rhythm, again, is too repetitive, and the saxes sound a bit strange.
PROG REVIEWER

"Seven" does not boast stunning solos or grandiose ideas; it's understated but effective as a collage of small, soft pieces placed together. Though hardly a jewel in the genre, and limited by a lack of fresh ideas, at least it's not standoffishly noisy.
PROG REVIEWER

SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator

SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator / In Memoriam

Have you noticed how the SOFT MACHINE releases can be grouped by pair; First you have the first album and VOLUME 2 exploring both the world of funny jazz/psychedelia, then FOURTH and FIFTH digging deep into free-form experimental jazz?. Now we have SIX and SEVEN entering the groovy fusion music scene. Even the next 2 albums BUNDLES and SOFTS can be associated as they are both guitar driven!
SOFT MACHINE wouldn't be SOFT MACHINE if a new album came out without a new change of personel. Now it's time for long time standing bassist HUGH HOPPER to leave the ship for a prolific solo carreer. His successor is logically ROY BABBINGTON who already has guested on several SOFT MACHINE releases in the past and, of course played with NUCLEUS as well like J. MARSHALL and KARL JENKINS.Contrary to them, BABBINGTON hasn't required on his contract to have a solo bass tune on each record with the band or the right to compose half of the music!!!
MIKE RATLEDGE is the lone survivor from the original band, but cannot even be considered the man in charge either anymore. The new direction taken on SIX can be attributed to KARL JENKINS, a classically trained musician who likes structured music better and is not fond of never-ending free form improvisations like SOFT MACHINE did in the past . He goes for shorter pieces with a very efficient rythm section. The bassist provides usually a groovy riff, definitely rock, helped by a solid drummer who doesn't spend his time having fun with his cymbals: a very solid foundation for the 2 soloists to show off their skills.
Not only KARL JENKINS changed the band sound, he is also now the main composer.He wrote seven out of the 12, RATLEDGE only 4, including 2 which don't reach the 2 mns mark. Of course, you have guessed the last tune DIS is the unavoidable drum solo from JENKINS which rather sounds like a very psychedelic experiment this time.
This is not a great album, not an album that is an essential addition to a prog selection, but still a pleasant one. The music follows the same pattern that we heard on SIX with those groovy bass lines, starting with the very speedy NEDDLE BED a very energetic rock sounding track with RATLEDGE synthetisizing all over the song .SOFT MACHINE with anphetamines indeed!. Could have been a good ELP or RETURN TO FOREVER track, i think.
The beautiful CAROL ANN follows as a wonderful intimate ballad with reflective keyboard playing, only helped by a few touches from BABBINGTON. Then the adrenaline goes up again with the 3 RATLEDGE compositions like DAY'S EYE reminding me the athmosphere of the great CHLOE AND THE PIRATES from SIX. TARABOS is once again built on a heavy bass riff letting RATLEDGE soloing with his organ.
Ex-Side 2 is almost exclusively penned by KARL JENKINS, except for the minimalist RILEY-esque 1mn 50'' THE GERMAN LESSON composed by the organist. All the tracks are pleasant but very, very reminiscent from SIX such as for example PENNY HITCH which has STRONG affinities to THE SOFT WEED FACTOR, but that's a good track anyway with this haunting sax sound. Talking about sax, it's worth noticing that the use of horns is dwindling as KARL JENKINS spends more time behind the keyboards, mostly the piano. A trend that will be confirmed firmly with the next 2 albums!
SEVEN is a good album but you know by listening to SIX and this one that this new formula already has reached the end of its course. It would not possible for SOFT MACHINE to come back with ''EIGHT'' and the same kind of music found on these 2 albums. A necessary change of direction was needed and indeed, there won't be a ''EIGHT''. Will be BUNDLES instead and -again- a new SOFT MACHINE with a new sound, but that's another story!
3 STARS.
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator

Nettle bed starts the album and itīs a great song. IMO itīs obviously the best song here and it points toward their early Canterbury sound. Untill D.I.S. all songs are good. There are some really good jazzy themes in songs like Carol Ann, Day's eye and Tarabos. D.I.S. is one of those songs where I have to ask why I should waste my time with something like this which seems to be random notes played just for the sake of it. A step back on an else good album. Unfortunately Snodland continues the bad trend as it is a short interlude which is really unneccessary. Penny Hitch and Block seque into another. Penny Hitch being the structured part with themes and Block being the solo part. Down the Road is a pretty good song too while The German and the French Lesson songs are short rather unnessassary songs.
The musicianship is good but the bass is a good deal more subdued after Hugh Hopper has left which is a real shame. Roy Babbington is also a great bassplayer though and delivers what he should. Mike Ratledge is as a pleasant surprise very dominant with lots of soloing as a contrast to the constant wailing sax soloing on Fourth and Fifth. John Marshall is a great drummer and he delivers some good tight playing on Seven.
The sound quality is becoming more modern but itīs still great seventies sounding.
Seven has ignited my almost dying interest in The Soft Machine again even though the jazzy part of The Soft Machineīs sound never really appealed to me. This album is much better than the previous three and deserves a 3 star rating for that.
PROG REVIEWER

For most SOFT MACHINE fans "Seven" was a bit of a disappointment. The band has changed a lot here with Ratledge being the only original member left. In fact the other three members were once part of NUCLEUS, so this record may have more in common with that band than with SOFT MACHINE. This is more of a structured Fusion album with a lot of repetitive melodies. It's also more traditional fusion than the free form, experimental Jazz we're used to hearing from this great band. And I love it ! As febus mentions, the horns are not being used as much, instead we get 2 keyboardists, bass and drums that dominate the sound.
"Nettle Bed" is the uptempo opener to the album. I'm not sure what I like the best, the catchy melody or the fuzz bass. Everyone sounds amazing though, including the electric piano, synths and drums. "Carol Ann" is a beautiful track that reminds me of the album "Two Rainbows Daily". Beautiful music. "Day's Eye" opens with piano and drums as sax joins in. It settles 4 1/2 minutes in but not for long. Big finish. "Bone Fire" is a short track with more bottom end than usual. "Tarabos" is such a fantstic song. Love the way the sax plays over top of the drums and fuzz bass. Sax comes in too. The drumming late is incredible. "D.I.S." opens with a gong before we get some unusual sounds with no real melody.
"Snodland" has some nice atmosphere as the electric piano plays in the background. "Penny Hitch" is another favourite of mine. Again the atmosphere is incredible as drums, keys and sax stand out. Just a gorgeous track. It gets fuller 3 minutes in. "Block" just blows me away. There is so much going on here. I just like to listen to all the different sounds playing together. Excellent track. "Down The Road" is more laid back with a good repetitive beat. It becomes more raw sounding after 2 1/2 minutes. It blends into "The German Lesson" where the melody stops 15 seconds in and it becomes very atmospheric, almost Krautrock-like and spacey.This blends into "The French Lesson" where the same atmosphere and sound continues.
I know i'm in the minority here but for me this is a 5 star album. It has no average tracks, they are all amazing in their own way.This simply fits my Jazz tastes perfectly. I'm hitting the repeat button now. Goodbye !
PROG REVIEWER

After the refreshment that Six brought to Soft Machine adding a groovier rhythm and approaching to the jazz rock sound that they would achieve with Bundles, Soft Machine chills out a bit. Also, Hugh Hopper is gone and Roy Babbington who had previously played some double-bass previously with Soft Machine now gets the full-job of playing some catchy bass lines.
Alike the live part of Six, Seven also presents a flawless flow meaning that from one track to the other there's a connection which makes a wonderful listening experience. Also this makes unrelated pieces (by name) be related, thus we've got two big pieces in each side: from 'Carol Ann' to 'D.I.S'. is one 17 minute piece that is mainly placid with spacey overtones, but there are some ocassional grooves and wilder keyboard and sax/oboe soloing. The other big piece is the entirety of Side 2, this "big piece" is akin to 'The Soft Weed Factor', an hypnotic long tune with repetitive notes but slowly builds up and gets better and better, simply sublime.
While Seven may be missing more upbeat and energized music, the album manages to be a great album for what it offers: mainly soft and floating keyboard-driven music with enough variety so as to not get bored.
4 stars: Seven is still worthy of the 4 stars for it being an excellent companion to Six, just like Softs is to Bundles. Highly recommended if you like spacey stuff in the likes of In a Silent Way by Miles Davis. If you're looking for either their more jazzy psych and elaborated stuff from the Wyatt-era or the more rockin' jazz stuff from Bundles, Seven won't satisfy you.
PROG REVIEWER

It is a point that this album was first announced for CBS at the end. It will have been a situation that flowed as preparations for connecting with the following "Bundles" as a flow of the situation of the certainty and the music character. Or, it is partial of progressive Jazz Rock that was able to be listened in a past work. Hugh Hopper related to the element has finally parted from the band. As for it, Soft Machine meant the initiation of Karl Jenkins and John Marshall at the same time.
Composition of tune with element and length scale of Jazz Rock that Soft Machine originally has. As for it, a more lucid composition has finished by this album. It would be an emphasis and be an intention of the score and ensemble as the result by Karl Jenkins. The construction of the intention at which Hugh Hopper aimed as a result and the music character might have been different.
And, formal participation of Roy Babbington that participates in "Fourth" will be able to be caught as construction of the sound in Jazz/Fusion and Canterbury that Soft Machine at that time thinks about at the same time as expanding the width of the music character of the band. Roy Babbington performs six bowstrings Bass in this album.
However, it will have been Mike Ratledge the possession of flexibility for the band that revolutionized it. Soft Machine at this time also has the opinion made to have united with Nucleus well as a result. However, the element of minimal that was one of the methods of expressing Karl Jenkins might have united well with Jazz Rock that original Soft Machine had done. It is one of the albums where the part where Soft Machine is the best appears if this work changes the angle and it sees.
PROG REVIEWER

At this time of their existence, the fully improvised jazz feel has turned into a more structured and symphonic one. But don't expect anything too prog on this album. In my sense, it is only more bearable than most of their prior "experiences".
I knew beforehand that I would have a very though moment with "Soft Machine" while reviewing their works. My major concern was to pay tribute or challenge to my prog friend Antoine/ Febus.
For many reasons which are totally alien to my objective taste, I will rate this album with three stars although there are few great moments to share here. Just about average.
If anybody can highlight some shadow of the Canterbury style in here, I would be delighted. This is a good jazz-rock album.
No more, no less. Three stars.
SPECIAL COLLABORATOR Honorary Collaborator

Sax player Karl Jenkins became more influential building musical strategy,and in fact he is a new band's leader for now. Mike Ratledge uses synthesizers for a first time in band's history on this album,all these changes influenced album's music a lot.
It's almost impossible to compare music of Seven with band's compositions from "classic" fusion period (Third or Fourth). They sound just as two different bands. It doesn't mean Seven is bad album - well composed,structured and played,this album contains some really good compositions, but you will hardly find free jazz flavor or great interplays. Music there is framed between compositional, arrangement and soloing rules without much space for freedom and fantasy.Musicians are still great and album sounds pleasant and easy accessible,just the spirit of real Soft Machine is gone without traces.
Far from Soft Machine's best release,still competent transitional work.
PROG REVIEWER

So, the band having essentially become Mike Ratledge and three veterans of Nucleus, it's no surprise that it's jazz fusion all the way on this album, in much the same vein as the studio disc of Six (minus Hugh Hopper's contribution to that album, the foreboding 1983). The sound is somewhat more mellow and spacey, possibly because Mike Ratledge had finally got his hands on a synthesiser. In fact, the band seem so keen on their new toy they base a few songs (such as The German Lesson/The French Lesson) and DIS heavily around twinkling, futuristic synthesiser lines. To be honest,. this feels more than a little like filler, as though the band only had a few strong fusion compositions coming into the studio and so knocked out some New Age synth pieces to pad out the running time.
The fully-fledged fusion pieces here are, however, of a good standard, with a sound at points reminiscent of the Mahavishnu Orchestra's spacier and more mellow moments. On balance, this is a three-star album from the late-phase Softs: a bit of a step down from the wonderful Six, but with tantalising evidence that there's life in the old Machine yet.
Latest members reviews
This album to me seems to put a full stop to all that had gone before within Soft Machine's development from the Dada
practicing psychedelic funsters they started out as to the cerebral (some might say downright cold, clinical and
mathematical) fusion practitioners that they had become by 1973.
... (read more)
Report this review (#1533402) | Posted by MusicHead196809 | Saturday, February 27, 2016 | Review Permanlink
Once you reach the bottom, the only direction to go is up. Unfortunately, this was the once
great Soft Machine's case after hitting sub rock bottom with their all night jazz hangover
wank- a-thons featuring Elton Dean's *insert random dying animal sound here* bebop sax
soloing splattered all o
... (read more)
Report this review (#291521) | Posted by LionRocker | Thursday, July 22, 2010 | Review Permanlink
Soft Machine finally made a pretty straight jazz album on their seventh album. Gone is the
magic weirdness from the Third and the Fourth album. The avant-garde elements from
Fifth is also missing here. Seven is a continuation from disc 2 of the Six album. The Soft
Machine is threading water on
... (read more)
Report this review (#247768) | Posted by toroddfuglesteg | Monday, November 2, 2009 | Review Permanlink
Compositionally, this is in my opinion one of the best Soft Machine albums. The whole album
is very constistent, but the music also leaves lots of space for beautiful melodies and solos.
Everything sounds in it's place here. There is still lots of diversity here on this album and the
music shi
... (read more)
Report this review (#218302) | Posted by Foolsdrummer | Tuesday, May 26, 2009 | Review Permanlink
When I first reviewed this album as part of a larger overview of the Soft Machine canon
about nine years ago. I dismissed Seven as a "Windham Hill album on speed". Over the
years, it has steadily become my second favorite of SM's work, tailing only "Volume Two" in
terms of accesibility and in
... (read more)
Report this review (#127077) | Posted by Soul Vigilante | Friday, June 29, 2007 | Review Permanlink
I've only listened "Third", "Sixth" and "Seven" Soft Machine's albums, and I can say
absolutely Soft Machine's music is not my style of "great music". Well, I think
"Seven" is boring, dull, repetitive, without any excellent theme. I don't say its
music is bad, but I prefer more detailed things. L
... (read more)
Report this review (#96139) | Posted by komun | Sunday, October 29, 2006 | Review Permanlink
It was released in October, 1973 "7(Seven)". Hugh Hopper secedes by the former work.
This work is not a free jazz. It is a work that emphasized the Electric jazz of "6" further.
The lucidity of the theme, solo, and the riff came at the case. However, original music of
SOFT MACHINE was not lost
... (read more)
Report this review (#44206) | Posted by braindamage | Thursday, August 25, 2005 | Review Permanlink
This album is one of the best things ever. This was my first Soft Machine album ever, and
hey I would have given it a three the first time i reviewed it but i listen to it and it sound
cutting edge. The titles of the songs are neat sounding and the album is mesmerising as
well. The best songs
... (read more)
Report this review (#22077) | Posted by downtheroad25 | Sunday, February 20, 2005 | Review Permanlink
A more consistent (than Sixth), but otherwise equally forgettable, addition to the post-Wyatt SM collection. The first two tracks are the only ones that are memorable. After this album, the Softs continued to go downhill. That they continued to use the name Soft Machine is a testament, I think, to h
... (read more)
Report this review (#22071) | Posted by | Wednesday, February 4, 2004 | Review Permanlink
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