Softs
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Critic Reviews
80
Softs is adventurous listening, yet accessible and engaging enough to have broad appeal, and its stylistic links to the past maintain Soft Machine's distinctive identity -- even if this particular machine is constructed of replacement parts.
11y
Easily the most forgettable and messy Soft Machine record thus far. I feel like Bundles was miraculously good since every single one of their records after Wyatt left seems to lack substance and artistic vision, which is especially visible on Softs. It's probably their most blatant attempt at making more accessible progressive rock up to that point, and while it's definitely pretty enjoyable, it's emotionally empty. It gets a little more interesting in the second half as ... read more
Softs marks the final appearance of original member Mike Ratledge, who is only credited as a guest.
From what I’ve read, the rest of the band had started noticing that Mike was becoming increasingly disengaged. Eventually, he stopped showing up to studio sessions altogether, quietly stepping away to pursue a solo career, much like Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, and Hugh Hopper before him.
Musically, Softs continues in the jazz-rock vein established on Bundles, but introduces a more exotic ... read more
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Track List
| 1 | Aubade 1:51 | |
| 2 | The Tale of Taliesin 7:17 | |
| 3 | Ban-Ban Caliban 9:23 | |
| 4 | Song of Aeolus 4:26 | |
| 5 | Out of Season 5:31 | |
| 6 | Second Bundle 2:35 | |
| 7 | Kayoo 3:27 | |
| 8 | The Camden Tandem 2:01 | |
| 9 | Nexus 0:49 | |
| 10 | One Over the Eight 5:29 | |
| 11 | Etika 2:20 |
Total Length: 45 minutes
