THIRD

After much deliberation Soft Machine decided on the highly imaginatively entitled "Third" as the name for this album. I guess they couldn't be arsed. God!, I find this one really annoying. I listened to it in bed the other night and had to turn it off. Even at low volume the production values of this one are terrible. It sounds like it was recorded directly onto a Woolworths 1979 blank cassette! What were they thinking on? I mean, Soft Machine had quite a name for themselves back then. Surely Columbia Records must have heard this and demanded a re-think.

The whole album sounds like it was recorded in one take with no overdubs - and is completely humourless. At no point are listeners in any danger of hearing any semblance of a tune. What makes it even more annoying is the fact that it could have been pretty good - given a decent producer and studio, because, beneath the mud and blurriness there's something original trying to punch it's way out of this thick bag of custard. Damn, damn, damn.