Exposé Online banner

Soft Machine

Soft Machine
Country
England
Profile
Soft Machine (originally The Soft Machine) is an English rock band from Canterbury, named after the book of the same title by William S. Burroughs. One of the two offshoots of Wilde Flowers, they were one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene, and after their psychedelic beginnings, helped pioneer the genres of progressive rock and jazz fusion. Some of the band's most notable alums are Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, Hugh Hopper, and Daevid Allen. Various of the band's alumni have regrouped in other configurations, often with the word "Soft" in the name: Soft Heap, Soft Bounds, Soft Machine Legacy, and so on. In 2016, the musicians who had been playing as Soft Machine Legacy (John Marshall, Roy Babbington, John Etheridge, and Theo Travis) started using the original Soft Machine name.
Website
Not on file
Related articles (40)
Releases on file (43)
Soft Machine — Live at the Baked Potato Soft Machine — Live at the Baked Potato
(Moonjune MJR102 / Tonefloat TF 195, 2020, CD / 2LP / DL)
Soft Machine — Hidden Details Soft Machine — Hidden Details
(Moonjune MJR093, 2018, CD / DL)
Various Artists — Romantic Warriors III: Canterbury Tales Various Artists — Romantic Warriors III: Canterbury Tales
(Zeitgeist Media 3, 2015, DVD)
Hugh Hopper — Volume 1 - Memories Hugh Hopper — Volume 1 - Memories
(Gonzo Multimedia HST240CD, 2014, CD)
Soft Machine Legacy — Burden of Proof Soft Machine Legacy — Burden of Proof
(Moonjune MJR052, 2013, CD)
Soft Machine Legacy — Live Adventures Soft Machine Legacy — Live Adventures
(Moonjune MJR036, 2011, CD)
Delta Saxophone Quartet — Dedicated to You... But You Weren't Listening Delta Saxophone Quartet — Dedicated to You... But You Weren't Listening
(Moonjune MJR017, 2007, CD)
Soft Machine Legacy — Steam Soft Machine Legacy — Steam
(Moonjune MJR016, 2007, CD)
Hugh Hopper — Volume 9 - Anatomy of a Facelift Hugh Hopper — Volume 9 - Anatomy of a Facelift
(Gonzo Multimedia HST260CD, 2007/2015, CD)
Soft Machine Legacy — Live at the New Morning Soft Machine Legacy — Live at the New Morning
(INAK 9076 2CD, 2006, 2CD)
Soft Machine Legacy — Soft Machine Legacy Soft Machine Legacy — Soft Machine Legacy
(Moonjune MJR008, 2006, CD)
Soft Machine Legacy — Live in Zaandaam Soft Machine Legacy — Live in Zaandaam
(Moonjune MJR006, 2005, CD)
Soft Works — Abracadabra Soft Works — Abracadabra
(Moonjune Universal UICE-1029, 2003, CD)
PolySoft — Tribute to Soft Machine - Live at Le Triton 2002 PolySoft — Tribute to Soft Machine - Live at Le Triton 2002
(Le Triton TRI-03506, 2003, CD)
Various Artists — To Canterbury and Beyond - A Tribute to the Canterbury Scene Various Artists — To Canterbury and Beyond - A Tribute to the Canterbury Scene
(Mellow MMP 361 A/B, 1999, 2CD)
Robert Wyatt — Little Red Robin Hood - A Documentary Robert Wyatt — Little Red Robin Hood - A Documentary
(boid v-boid 1, 1998, VHS)
Soft Machine — Land of Cockayne Soft Machine — Land of Cockayne
(Esoteric Recordings ECLEC 2208, 1981/2010, CD)
Soft Machine — Alive and Well Recorded in Paris Soft Machine — Alive and Well Recorded in Paris
(Esoteric Recordings ECLEC 22234, 1978/2010, 2CD)
Soft Machine — Softs Soft Machine — Softs
(Esoteric Recordings ECLEC 2202, 1976/2010, CD)
Soft Machine — Bundles Soft Machine — Bundles
(Esoteric Recordings ECLEC 2196, 1975/2010, CD)
Soft Machine — Floating World Live Soft Machine — Floating World Live
(Moonjune MJR007, 1975/2006, CD)
Soft Machine — Switzerland 1974 Soft Machine — Switzerland 1974
(Cuneiform Rune 395/396, 1974/2015, CD+DVD)
Soft Machine — Six + Seven Soft Machine — Six + Seven
(Edsel MEDCD 740, 1973/2004, 2CD)
Soft Machine — Fourth / Fifth Soft Machine — Fourth / Fifth
(Columbia 493341 2, 1972/1999, CD)
Soft Machine — Live in Paris May 2nd, 1972 (aka Live in France) Soft Machine — Live in Paris May 2nd, 1972 (aka Live in France)
(Cuneiform Rune 195/196, 1972/2004, 2CD)
Soft Machine — BBC Radio 1967-1971 Soft Machine — BBC Radio 1967-1971
(Hux Records 037, 1971/2003, 2CD)
Soft Machine — Drop Soft Machine — Drop
(Moonjune MJR023, 1971/2009, CD)
Soft Machine — Grides Soft Machine — Grides
(Cuneiform Rune 230/231, 1971/2006, CD+DVD)
Soft Machine — Live at Henie Onstad Art Centre 1971 Soft Machine — Live at Henie Onstad Art Centre 1971
(Reel Recordings RR014/015, 1971/2009, 2CD)
Soft Machine — Virtually Soft Machine — Virtually
(Cuneiform Rune 100, 1971/1998, CD)
Soft Machine — Backwards Soft Machine — Backwards
(Cuneiform Rune 170, 1970/2002, CD)
Soft Machine — Breda Reactor Soft Machine — Breda Reactor
(Voiceprint VP345CD, 1970/2004, 2CD)
Various Artists — Canterburied Sounds Volume 2 Various Artists — Canterburied Sounds Volume 2
(Voiceprint VP202CD, 1970/1998, CD)
Soft Machine — Facelift Soft Machine — Facelift
(Voiceprint VP233CD, 1970/2002, 2CD)
Soft Machine — Noisette Soft Machine — Noisette
(Cuneiform Rune 130, 1970/2000, CD)
Soft Machine — Third Soft Machine — Third
(BGO BGOCD 180, 1970/1993, CD)
Kevin Ayers — Joy of a Toy Kevin Ayers — Joy of a Toy
(EMI 07243-582776-2-3, 1969/2003, CD)
Soft Machine — Live at the Paradiso 1969 Soft Machine — Live at the Paradiso 1969
(Voiceprint VP139CD, 1969/1995, CD)
Soft Machine — Spaced Soft Machine — Spaced
(Cuneiform Rune 90, 1969/1996, CD)
The Soft Machine — Volume Two The Soft Machine — Volume Two
(Sundazed CD 5342, 1969/2010, CD)
The Soft Machine — The Soft Machine The Soft Machine — The Soft Machine
(Sundazed SC 6305, 1968/2012, CD)
Soft Machine — Soft Machine Turns On, Volume 2 Soft Machine — Soft Machine Turns On, Volume 2
(Voiceprint VP234CD, 1968/2001, CD)
Soft Machine — Soft Machine Turns On, Volume 1 Soft Machine — Soft Machine Turns On, Volume 1
(Voiceprint vp231cd, 1967/2001, CD)

Latest news

2020-09-09
Simeon Coxe RIP – Simeon Coxe, best known for his experimental electronics in the band Silver Apples, has died at the age of 82. The band's 1968 debut album set the stage for both German electronic music and experimental punk music a decade later. Coxe died on September 8 from pulmonary fibrosis. » Read more

2020-09-05
Gary Peacock RIP – Legendary bassist Gary Peacock, veteran of many recordings and performances with Paul Bley, George Russell, Roland Kirk, Bill Evans, Tony Williams, and many more. » Read more

2020-07-22
Tim Smith RIP – Tim Smith, leader of the eccentric band Cardiacs, has died at the age of 59 after many years of health problems. Cardiacs was known for intense and complicated music that combined punk energy with the rhythmic and harmonic sophistication of progressive rock. » Read more

2020-07-12
Judy Dyble RIP – Singer-songwriter Judy Dyble, who was a founding member of Fairport Convention and one of the distinctive voices of the 60s folk revival in Britain, has died at the age of 71. Her passing came at the end of a long illness, though which she continued to work. » Read more

2020-07-06
Ennio Morricone RIP – Famed composer Ennio Morricone has died at the age of 91. The creator of scores for more than 500 movies, some of his works have become the most recognizable sounds in the history of cinema. His soundtracks for Sergio Leone's Westerns made from 1964 to 1971, are iconic landmarks in film music, but he also composed for dramas, comedies, and other genres. He won the Academy Award for Best Original Score in 2016 for The Hateful Eight. » Read more

More news

Previously in Exposé...

Il Balletto di Bronzo - Ys (Original & English) – Ys is certainly one of the more controversial progressive rock albums. Many people will tell you not only that it is a classic, but it's often quoted as being the very best of the 70s...  (1996) » Read more

Wilde Flowers - Tales of Canterbury: The Wilde Flowers Story - Brian's Tale – For those of you still uninitiated, Canterbury was a place in the UK where a music scene originated in the 60s (complementary to that of San Francisco Haight-Ashbury). Several known European groups...  (1995) » Read more

Fantasy - Vivariatum – Fantasy are probably best known for their 1973 debut, Paint a Picture, a song-orientated but strikingly beautiful and melodic classic of British progressive. More recently, Audio Archives released...  (1995) » Read more

El Reloj - Santos y Verdugos – Argentinian group El Reloj was one of progressive rock's best kept secrets, releasing two albums in the mid 70s, one in 1983, and now their first new album in quite some time. Their second self...  (1995) » Read more

Bi Kyo Ran - Live Vol. 2 - 3 (Who Ma & Ran) – After a three-year period (spent mostly making demos and being discovered by King Records), Suma appeared with a new band behind him. King coaxed him into the studio, and the albums Bi Kyo Ran and...  (1996) » Read more

Random review

Listen & discover

Brooklyn Raga Massive Takes on "In C"

More recommendations
Paul Sears - Angels & Demons That Play book

Print issues