FOURTH / FIFTH

"4" was one of the first Soft Machine albums I owned (along with "6" and "7" - I never located the LP of "5"), and since this period represented my favorite of this band, when I found this CD of the two albums together, I bought it immediately.

These two albums, originally released in 1970 and 1971, demonstrate two points. First, they show that not all of the great fusion groups of the very early seventies were born from jazz groups. Secondly, not all of the great fusion groups were Americans. These guys came from the British art rock and Canterbury music scenes, and the albums are every bit as good as what was coming from all of those Miles Davis proteges at the time (The Mahavishnu Orchestra had not his the scene yet).

Both of these albums feature inventive fusion, both tonally and in timing, featuring primarily the saxes of Elton Dean and the keyboards of Mike Ratledge. The songs are both eerie and beautiful.

It's too bad that Robert Wyatt left the group after "4", but the band doesn't miss a beat (get it?).

4.5 stars.