SIX

A definite improvement over Four/Five....new blood revives some lost spark. The live half shifts thru two extended multi-track pieces of solid spacy fusion....it's not just noisy noodling as other reviewers have mentioned...it's much more spacious than the last two or three albums and the excellent beat set by newbie John Marshall really focuses the sound. The studio sides include one of the most exciting later Soft Machine tracks, The Softweed Factor, which alone makes the disc an excellent purchase....the studio stuff is top shelf Softs and shows an energy and creativity that I just didn't feel with the past two records. I've just purchased the remaster and, yes, the audio is improved....but, to me, Six and Seven were the most well recorded Soft Machine albums....so much so that I'll not replace my old One Way copy of Seven as I don't feel the remastering has upgraded the sound that much.

Overall, this is the sound of a band that has finally become comfortable as a jazzy rock band....leaning more to the Coltrane than Zappa side. All the prerequisites for an excellent listening experience are in order....if you're a fan of fusion, don't miss Soft Machine Six (and Seven, for that matter!).