SOFT MACHINE THIRD

The Soft Machineplunged deeper into jazz and contemporary electronic music on this pivotal release, which incited the Village Voice to call it a milestone achievement when it was released. It's a double album of stunning music, with each side devoted to one composition -- two byMike Ratledge, and one each byHopperandWyatt, with substantial help from a number of backup musicians, including Canterbury mainstaysElton DeanandJimmy Hastings. TheRatledgesongs come closest to fusion jazz, although this is fusion laced with tape loop effects and hypnotic, repetitive keyboard patterns.Hugh Hopper's "Facelift" recalls "21st Century Schizoid Man" byKing Crimson, although it's more complex, with several quite dissimilar sections. The pulsing rhythms, chaotic horn and keyboard sounds, and dark drones on "Facelift" predate some of whatHopperdid as a solo artist later (this song was actually culled from two live performances in 1970).Robert Wyattdraws on musical ideas from early 1967 demos done with producerGiorgio Gomelsky, on his capricious composition "Moon in June." Lyrically, it's a satirical alternative to the pretension displayed by a lot of rock writing of the era, and combined withthe Softs' exotic instrumentation, it makes for quite a listen (the collectionTriple Echoincludes a BBC broadcast recording of this song, with different albeit equally fanciful lyrics). Not exactly rock,Thirdnonetheless pushed the boundaries of rock into areas previously unexplored, and it managed to do so without sounding self-indulgent. A better introduction to the group is either of the first two records, but once introduced, this is the place to go.

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