THIRD

It's that time of the year again (June) when I usually reach for this CD. (The old vinyl is still here too, but .my turntable is long gone to Heaven.) So, why this album? Simple. For the track "Moon in June". On the side, it's also a gentle reminder of this excellent band that hasn't received much attention lately in the reviews.

I love pretty much all incarnations of Soft Machine. At this point they leave their early psychedelic approach and delve into Canterbury/ Jazz-Rock without compromises . Four long tracks on this double album (none much under 20 mins) are quite a mouthful to digest. Mainly because these tracks command due attention. This is not a criticism from my part, but one is to allow sufficient time to duly pay attention in place of listening to music on the run. It also helps if one is in the mood.

Having taken care of the bulk of this album (3 tracks!), I'd like to reflect on "Moon in June" which is perhaps one of Robert Wyatt's finest moments before forming Matching Mole. Here he sings softly and plays multiple instruments onto a dynamic beat. Truly charming and effective. Then the second half of the song turns into a full blown instrumental jazz run typical of that era of British approach. How these two widely different halves merge so well is a bit of a mystery, but they sure do. It's almost sexual and in a way I am reminded of Robert Fripp's skills of creating tension and release in some early KC tunes. But this piece is almost in the reverse of that. Like gentle foreplay followed by furious and sustained activity. This piece alone is worth your purchase. but the whole album is pretty good, nevertheless.