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Top 7 Soft Machine Albums |
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Psychedelic Paul 
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 Topic: Top 7 Soft Machine AlbumsPosted: December 26 2020 at 05:35 |
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There's no long intro this time, but a wacky video instead. This is my favourite Soft Machine song, from the album, Alive & Well in Paris (1978), which reminds me of the Georgio Moroder & Donna Summer classic, I Feel Love.
  Soft Machine - Soft Space - featuring scenes from the cult East German sci-fi movie, In the Dust of the Stars (1976) ..... And you thought Zardoz was weird!  Simply list your Top 7 Soft Machine albums in order of preference below and then I'll assign the usual system of points to your listings:-
1st album - 12 points 2nd album - 8 points 3rd album - 6 points 4th album - 4 points 5th album - 3 points 6th album - 2 points 7th album - 1 point Here's my Top 7 to get the poll underway:- 1. Land of Cockayne (12 points) 2. Softs (8 points) 3. Bundles (6 points) 4. Alive & Well in Paris (4 points) 5. Rubber Riff (3 points) 6. Seven (2 points) 7. Third (1 point) Soft Machine's Albums  1968: The Soft Machine - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1Lu2Lq_DV8ksSBDAsKQTWLQh 1969: Volume Two - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LtEaaflha32IyWIG4z83uAQ 1970: Alive in Paris - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LuOo1g0OGzZ-vXzKmEkZSZj 1976: Rubber Riff - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LuiJUCiuPd7XiZuYwdbmHsJ 1978: Alive & Well: Recorded in Paris - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LvBVfX6SzmtW0Px4YHawIVI 1981: Land of Cockayne - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1Ltd8PW6SVTN6uNdV_0sYJwQ 2018: Hidden Details - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoIDt_C5y1LvVBXo1Yno-zb1XrZX-aBbNEdited by Psychedelic Paul - January 08 2021 at 04:57 |
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Frenetic Zetetic
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Joined: December 09 2017 Location: Now Status: Offline Points: 9233 |
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Posted: December 26 2020 at 05:55 |
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I'm taking this thread as my cue to finally delve deep into this band.
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"I am so prog, I listen to concept albums on shuffle." -KMac2021 |
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Mirakaze
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Eclectic, JRF/Canterbury, Avant/Zeuhl Joined: December 17 2019 Location: (redacted) Status: Offline Points: 4061 |
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Posted: December 26 2020 at 06:09 |
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Surprised to see you make this thread; I figured you wouldn't like this band at all but I'm glad to be proven wrong  Anyway: 1. Third 2. Bundles 3. Volume Two 4. The Soft Machine 5. Softs 6. Fourth 7. Alive & Well
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Psychedelic Paul
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Posted: December 26 2020 at 06:13 |
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I'd never been a big fan of Soft Machine until I listened to all of their albums for the first time this week, and they're a surprisingly good band, (with such notable players as Karl Jenkins & Alan Holdsworth), especially from the "Seven" (1973) album onwards.
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Psychedelic Paul
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Posted: December 26 2020 at 06:17 |
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I was really surprised I liked Soft Machine too, having never listened to any of their albums in full before this past week. The only albums I disliked were Fourth, Fifth & Six, which is reflected in my PA ratings. I was totally blown away by the wonderful sci-fi "Soft Space" number at the top of the page. That wasn't the kind of synth-driven out-of-this-world music I was expecting from Soft Machine at all.
Edited by Psychedelic Paul - December 26 2020 at 06:23 |
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Sean Trane
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Posted: December 26 2020 at 06:28 |
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hatever you do, don't start with Cockayne.  |
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let's just stay above the moral melee
prefer the sink to the gutter keep our sand-castle virtues content to be a doer as well as a thinker, prefer lifting our pen rather than un-sheath our sword |
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A Crimson Mellotron
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Posted: December 26 2020 at 06:47 |
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Here's my top 3: 1. Third 2. Volume Two 3. The Soft Machine *Sorry Paul, it's really hard to rank these, so I'll go with top 3 for now*
Edited by A Crimson Mellotron - December 26 2020 at 10:13 |
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Psychedelic Paul
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Posted: December 26 2020 at 07:03 |
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Who's Pete?
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A Crimson Mellotron
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Posted: December 26 2020 at 10:13 |
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HAHAHA. Good question. Fixed it.
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Psychedelic Paul
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Posted: December 26 2020 at 13:13 |
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I'd advise listening to the Third album first of all, as that appears to be the popular PA favourite, unlike my cock-eyed favourite, Land of Cockayne.
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The Doctor
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Posted: December 26 2020 at 14:04 |
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1. Third 2. Bundles 3. Softs 4. The Soft Machine 5. Volume 2 6. Fourth 7. Seven
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I can understand your anger at me, but what did the horse I rode in on ever do to you?
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HolyMoly
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Posted: December 27 2020 at 07:12 |
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I’m a fan of all their albums (yes, even Cockayne),, so this list reflects just small degrees of difference in preference.
Third Volume 2 Fourth Seven Five Softs Debut |
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My other avatar is a Porsche
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle if it is lightly greased. -Kehlog Albran |
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Guldbamsen
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Posted: December 27 2020 at 07:34 |
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Merry Christmas Steve
I am a big fan of The Softs as well. I’d be hard pressed to make a list but if I did, it’d probably look fairly close to yours. I would however switch around the two top dogs and move up the debut some as I really dig the early albums. Vol 2 has always been my personal fave though. It’s like a psychedelic kindergarten trip with these whimsical and highly memorable melodies popping up in the most delightful places. |
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“The Guide says there is an art to flying or rather a knack. The knack lies in learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss.”
- Douglas Adams |
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Nogbad_The_Bad
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Posted: December 27 2020 at 08:09 |
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Third
Fourth Bundles Backwards Grides Virtuality One Two Five Switzerland 74
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Ian
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Psychedelic Paul
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Posted: December 27 2020 at 09:35 |
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This is how the Top 7 looks so far after the first half dozen rounds of voting:-
1. Third (61 points) 2. Bundles (28 points) 3. Volume Two (25 points) 4. Softs (19 points) 5. Fourth (18 points) 6. The Soft Machine (16 points) 7. Land of Cockayne (12 points) I wonder why I'm the only one so far who voted for Land of Cockayne.
 Edited by Psychedelic Paul - December 27 2020 at 09:37 |
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Nogbad_The_Bad
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Posted: December 27 2020 at 09:47 |
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Because as it's objectively not as good as the rest of their discography? It's their lowest rated album on PA & RYM.
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Ian
Host of the Post-Avant Jazzcore Happy Hour on Progrock.com https://podcasts.progrock.com/post-avant-jazzcore-happy-hour/ |
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Psychedelic Paul
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Posted: December 27 2020 at 09:54 |
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I seem to have a curious habit of liking the albums which no one else likes, and vice versa.
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Lewian
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Posted: December 27 2020 at 10:12 |
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I like Soft Machine but I have difficulties to rank their albums. They are very different, all have something good on offer, on the other hand none of them is among my top favourites. So this may change from day to day, and today I may be slightly biased by the fact that their excellent most recent album Hidden Details hasn't picked up any votes yet. You may challenge me putting it at number one, but not in the top 7? I ask you... 1 Hidden Details 2 Seven 3 Third 4 Two 5 One 6 Alive & Well 7 Bundles |
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Psychedelic Paul
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Posted: December 27 2020 at 10:22 |
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^ The devil is in the Hidden Details and your #1 placing for the album is just as valid as my #1 placing for Land of Cockayne.
Top 7 update with your votes added:- 1. Third (67 points) 2. Bundles (29 points) 2. Volume Two (29 points) 4. Softs (19 points) 4. The Soft Machine (19 points) 6. Fourth (18 points) 7. Seven (15 points) 8. Land of Cockayne (12 points) 8. Hidden Details (12 points) |
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Grubert
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Posted: December 29 2020 at 06:54 |
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1. Third 2. Five 3. Six 4. Fourth 5. Volume 2 6. The Soft Machine 7. Seven
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1971: Fourth - 
Frenetic Zetetic wrote: