THIRD

Just hearing Soft Machine for the first time (never even heard of "Canterbury Scene" until joining PA!) What an awesome song is "Slightly All the Time"! (9/10) I can see where their influences come from (Miles) and who was influenced by them (Magma, Brian Auger, Caravan, Traffic, Gong, Rotter's Club, Brainbox, Focus, Supertramp, and so many others). And so much of "Moon in June" (8/10) sounds/feels like early RPI music--as well as Focus and early Supertramp. So melodic, emotional, and theatric--as well as bluesy. While I became used to "Facelift" (7/10) after a few listenings, it doesn't have quite the same warmth and exploratory freshness as the others. "Out-Bloody-Rageous" (9/10) has some awesome experimental keyboard work serving as intro, outro, and foundation to the up-tempo jam in the mid-section. My favorite section is that which starts with the return to solo keyboards at the very middle of the song (Synth & then piano). The song then builds on a more-traditional jazz motif--MILES DAVIS/JOHN COLTRANE- like--and then builds into an all-out jam--with kind of a "Love Supreme" feel to it. Beautiful! The outro sounds so much like future CAMEL! I love all the tempo and melody changes in this music. Great performances on each of the instruments. I can see why so many consider this an essential album--but I fear it is as much for its historic influence as it is the legacy of its four songs.

I'm inclined to give this only 4 stars as it is definitely, IMHO, an excellent addition to any prog lover's music collection and perhaps not essential for its songs, but I do believe it is 'essential' for true music lovers for the understanding and appreciation of the history of this, our beloved 'progressive rock.'