Play Soft Machine Radio
Soft Machine
1,077,876 plays (77,480 listeners)
Canterbury, United Kingdom (1968 – 1984)
Soft Machine was a pioneering psychedelic, progressive rock and jazz band from Canterbury, United Kingdom, named after the book The Soft Machine by William S. Burroughs. They were one of the central bands in the Canterbury Scene.
The band originally consisted of Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, Daevid Allen and Mike Ratledge, most of whom were former members of The Wilde Flowers in 1968. Later members have included Hugh Hopper, Elton Dean, John Etheridge, Karl Jenkins, John Marshall, and Allan Holdsworth.
Soft Machine continued on in name, even after all the original founder members moved on; Mike Ratledge was the last to depart in 1976. Numerous offshoots and side projects have included “Soft” in their names: Soft Heap, Soft Head, Soft Works, and the band Matching Mole, a play on words for the French of Soft Machine (‘machine molle’). As of 2005, Soft Machine Legacy is a working concern.
Other musicians in the band during the later period were bassists Percy Jones of Brand X and Steve Cook, saxophonists Alan Wakeman and Ray Warleigh, and violinist Ric Sanders. Their 1977 performances and record Alive and Well: Recorded in Paris were among the last for Soft Machine as a working band. The Soft Machine name was used for the 1981 record Land of Cockayne with Jack Bruce and Allan Holdsworth, plus Ray Warleigh and Dick Morrissey on saxes and John Taylor on electric piano, and for a final series of dates at London’s Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in the summer of 1984, featuring Jenkins and Marshall leading an ad-hoc line-up of Etheridge, Warleigh, pianist Dave MacRae and bassist Paul Carmichael.
The band originally consisted of Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, Daevid Allen and Mike Ratledge, most of whom were former members of The Wilde Flowers in 1968. Later members have included Hugh Hopper, Elton Dean, John Etheridge, Karl Jenkins, John Marshall, and Allan Holdsworth.
Soft Machine continued on in name, even after all the original founder members moved on; Mike Ratledge was the last to depart in 1976. Numerous offshoots and side projects have included “Soft” in their names: Soft Heap, Soft Head, Soft Works, and the band Matching Mole, a play on words for the French of Soft Machine (‘machine molle’). As of 2005, Soft Machine Legacy is a working concern.
Other musicians in the band during the later period were bassists Percy Jones of Brand X and Steve Cook, saxophonists Alan Wakeman and Ray Warleigh, and violinist Ric Sanders. Their 1977 performances and record Alive and Well: Recorded in Paris were among the last for Soft Machine as a working band. The Soft Machine name was used for the 1981 record Land of Cockayne with Jack Bruce and Allan Holdsworth, plus Ray Warleigh and Dick Morrissey on saxes and John Taylor on electric piano, and for a final series of dates at London’s Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club in the summer of 1984, featuring Jenkins and Marshall leading an ad-hoc line-up of Etheridge, Warleigh, pianist Dave MacRae and bassist Paul Carmichael.
Top Albums
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Third
Soft Machine
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Volume One
Soft Machine Buy- Download Album
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Fourth
Soft Machine Buy- Download Album
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Fifth
Soft Machine Buy- Download Album
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- Amazon $33.00
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Top Tracks
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Moon In June
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Facelift
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Slightly All the Time
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Penny Hitch
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Out-Bloody-Rageous
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Shoutbox
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bullfroggreen wrote:
♥ The Peel Sessions
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GilmoursAngst wrote:
Softs needs some type of revival, but without it attracting the wrong crowd.
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PaganoCristo wrote:
If you love suits, then this is your group: http://www.lastfm.it/group/We+Love+Suits!
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heliobalione wrote:
http://www.last.fm/music/Soft+Machine/+images/9750767
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Waes-GOD wrote:
http://www.last.fm/group/Fans+of+the+old+music
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Progwolf wrote:
genius
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Nochek wrote:
great band! lOve.
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Ton87 wrote:
sun heart burns, moon glow turns, star will trade, hope for happiness, hope for happiness, hope for happiness happiness happiness
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Aengu5 wrote:
Love These Guys, Why are we sleeping is my favourite tune from them! Its a Pity about their bassist dying there recently, he was a good man!
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DementedElitist wrote:
Only for the good listeners http://www.lastfm.es/user/DementedElitist/journal/2009/09/11/304zqv_la_mejor_lista_de_bandasthe_best_list_of_music_bands
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spacemanBOSE wrote:
Volume 1 and 2, Third and Fourth are good shit for your brain
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spacemanBOSE wrote:
avant garde
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shadow__myst wrote:
well, yet another new sound is added to my brain. Bands like these make me feel happy when i find unknown, untasted music to my ears. Peace.
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UnkleRhaukus wrote:
Facelift Live- insanity!! i love it
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haneater wrote:
Life Is Psychedelic Goup For Soft Machine Fans
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Scentlesss wrote:
Magical sound, love them.
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spacemanBOSE wrote:
Teeth
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epi_gee wrote:
R.I.P. Hugh Hopper - Jazz fusion bassist | 1945 - 2009 Bass player with Soft Machine, members of the Canterbury jazz fusion scene. Hugh Hopper, who died on 7 June, 2009, aged 64, was a bass guitarist best known for being part of the pioneering jazz fusion group Soft Machine. He was originally the band’s road manager, but after contributing writing to their first album, he joined as bass player for their second, Volume Two (1969). After four more albums, he left the group, from Canterbury in Kent, the spiritual home of jazz fusion, in 1972 and embarked on a prolific solo career, releasing more than 20 albums and working right up until a cancer diagnosis in 2008 halted his performing and recording work. During his career he had worked with the likes of Syd Barrett on his solo records (Soft Machine were regular stage-mates with Pink Floyd in their early days), Mark Kramer, members of fellow ‘Canterbury Scene’ band Caravan, and several ex- Soft Machine members.
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playground-love wrote:
hey! no shit this is shit good stuff
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playground-love wrote:
:)
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Recent Activity
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a-kurazhiy, doowopman, algaechug and 1 other person added Soft Machine to their libraries. 1 hour ago
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proFotoman tagged Soft Machine with british psychedelia, canterbury scene, jazz rock and 5 other tags. yesterday morning
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ashleyrobb added Soft Machine to ashleyrobb’s library. yesterday morning
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Mushishi_GinKo tagged Soft Machine with canterbury, jazz and progressive rock. yesterday morning
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humira09, PhONOPhOBiC, Alefroth and 1 other person added Soft Machine to their libraries. yesterday morning
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MetalProg tagged Soft Machine with ‘psychedelic rock’. Saturday evening
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pacholley, andvari_1, damagedgod and 6 other people added Soft Machine to their libraries. Saturday afternoon
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nooneastern tagged Soft Machine with ‘progressive rock’. Thursday evening
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gjezpgjezp, tomclowney, cptstrazza and 3 other people added Soft Machine to their libraries. Thursday evening
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nooneastern tagged Soft Machine with ‘canterbury’. Wednesday evening
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Groups (123)
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Canterbury Scene
93 members
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William S. Burroughs
35 members
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Robert Wyatt
85 members
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More Information
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