BUNDLES

ALBUM REVIEW
By 1974 the legendary Soft Machine switched record labels from CBS / Columbia (after releasing five magnificent albums on that label) to EMI's progressive Harvest label, on which they would release the band's last four albums before their epic story would finally come to an end. But the label switch was in fact only an exterior manifestation of the deep changes that the group was experiencing at the time. In retrospect, the four Harvest albums mark a completely new phase in the band's musical direction, leaving behind the Free Jazz / Improvised Music extremes in favor of more structured and composed music, with strong melodic elements and almost mainstream Jazz-Rock sound. The most significant factor, which brought about the change, was Elton Dean's replacement by oboe, saxophone and piano player Karl Jenkins, who also became the most prolific composer of the band's new material. The second factor was the decision to include a permanent guitarist into the band's ranks, which was to change the sound significantly from Jazz to Jazz-Rock. This was the first of the Harvest albums, with the Soft Machine lineup comprising of Jenkins, keyboardist Mike Ratledge, guitarist Alan Holdsworth, bassist Roy Babbington and drummer John Marshall. Saxophonist Ray Warleigh helps out on one tune. The music is quite different from anything the band recorded previously, based upon shorter and beautifully composed melody lines. There is still plenty of improvisation by the players, but it's much more settled and well organized. Holdsworth delivers some of his best playing to date but the overall level of musicianship is astounding. In retrospect this is still one of the best British Jazz-Rock albums and a magnificent piece of music history. An absolute must! (Jazzis - Rate Your Music)