Seven (Soft Machine album)

Last updated

Seven
Soft machine-seven.jpg
Studio album by
Soft Machine
ReleasedOctober 1973
RecordedCBS Studios, London, July 1973
Genre Jazz fusion [1]
Length43:15
Label CBS (UK), Columbia (USA)
Producer Soft Machine
Soft Machine chronology
Six
(1973)		Seven
(1973)		 Bundles
(1975)
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic Star full.svgStar full.svgStar full.svgStar empty.svgStar empty.svg [1]
Christgau's Record Guide C+ [2]

Seven is the seventh studio album by the jazz rock band Soft Machine, released in 1973. Bassist Roy Babbington, who had previously worked with the band as a session musician on the Fourth (1971) and Fifth (1972) albums, joined the band as a full-time member, replacing Hugh Hopper, who left to begin a solo career. This line-up change meant more than half of Soft Machine was now former members of the band Nucleus.

Contents

Overview

The album was issued on CBS Records with a colour gatefold cover in the UK, with black and white photos of the band members on the inside cover. In the USA, Columbia Records released a single sleeve cover that moved the band photos to the front. The title on the USA front cover is the numeral 7, but is spelled out as Seven on the spine and label. Although this is a 1973 release, USA copies show a copyright date of 1974 (and a phonographic rights date of 1973), suggesting the North American release may have been delayed. It was the last of their studio releases to carry a numbered title.

The titles of the final two tracks are clearly intended as a joke. The preceding track, "Down the Road", fades into a swirling abstract jumble of notes on keyboards which plays with little variation for three minutes before fading out, and there is nothing musically to indicate the transition from German to French lessons, and no explanation as to why these two tracks are credited to different composers.

Track listing

Side one

  1. "Nettle Bed" (Karl Jenkins) – 4:47
  2. "Carol Ann" (Jenkins) – 3:48
  3. "Day's Eye" (Mike Ratledge) – 5:05
  4. "Bone Fire" (Ratledge) – 0:32
  5. "Tarabos" (Ratledge) – 4:32
  6. "D.I.S." (John Marshall) – 3:02

Side two

  1. "Snodland" (Jenkins) – 1:50
  2. "Penny Hitch" (Jenkins) – 6:40
  3. "Block" (Jenkins) – 4:17
  4. "Down the Road" (Jenkins) – 5:48
  5. "The German Lesson" (Ratledge) – 1:53
  6. "The French Lesson" (Jenkins) – 1:01

Personnel

Soft Machine

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soft Machine</span> British rock band

Soft Machine are a British rock band from Canterbury formed in mid-1966 by Mike Ratledge, Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers and Daevid Allen. As a central band of the Canterbury scene, the group became one of the first British psychedelic acts and later moved into progressive rock and jazz fusion. Their varying line-ups have included former members such as Andy Summers, Hugh Hopper, Elton Dean, John Marshall, Karl Jenkins, Roy Babbington and Allan Holdsworth, and currently consists of John Etheridge, Theo Travis, Fred Thelonious Baker, and Asaf Sirkis.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Karl Jenkins</span> Welsh musician and composer (b. 1944)

Sir Karl William Pamp Jenkins,, HonFLSW is a Welsh multi-instrumentalist and composer. His best known works include the song "Adiemus", the Adiemus album series; Palladio; The Armed Man; his Requiem and his Stabat Mater (2008).

<i>Third</i> (Soft Machine album) 1970 studio album by Soft Machine

Third is a live and studio album by the English rock band Soft Machine, released as their third overall in June 1970 by CBS Records. It is a double album with a single composition on each of the four sides, and was the first of two albums recorded with a four-piece line-up of keyboardist Mike Ratledge, drummer and vocalist Robert Wyatt, saxophonist Elton Dean, and bass guitarist Hugh Hopper. Third marks a shift in the group's sound from their psychedelic origins towards jazz rock and electronic music.

<i>Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy</i> 1973 studio album by Return to Forever

Hymn of the Seventh Galaxy is the third studio album by American jazz fusion band Return to Forever. It was released in October 1973 by Polydor. Flora Purim, Joe Farrell, and Airto Moreira were replaced by drummer Lenny White and guitarist Bill Connors. It would be the only album with Bill Connors as guitarist; he left after its release and was replaced by Al Di Meola.

<i>The Soft Machine</i> (Soft Machine album) 1968 studio album by The Soft Machine

The Soft Machine is the debut album by the British psychedelic rock band Soft Machine, released in 1968. It is the group's only album to feature Kevin Ayers as a member.

<i>Bundles</i> (album) 1975 studio album by Soft Machine

Bundles is the eighth studio album by the jazz-rock band Soft Machine, released in 1975.

<i>Six</i> (Soft Machine album) 1973 studio album and Live album by Soft Machine

Six is the sixth studio album by the jazz rock band Soft Machine. Originally released in 1973 as a double LP, the first disc is a live album and the second disc is a studio album. This is the first album to feature Karl Jenkins as a member the group, replacing Elton Dean. Jenkins eventually became the de facto leader and main composer of the group following the departure of the last remaining original member, Mike Ratledge, in 1976.

<i>Fourth</i> (album) 1971 studio album by Soft Machine

Fourth is the fourth studio album by the rock band Soft Machine, released in 1971. The album is also titled Four or 4 in the USA.

<i>Fifth</i> (Soft Machine album) 1972 studio album by Soft Machine

Fifth, is the fifth studio album by the jazz rock band Soft Machine, released in 1972. In the US the album was identified on cover and label by number (5).

Michael Roland Ratledge is a British musician. A part of the Canterbury scene, he was a founding member of Soft Machine. He was the last founding member to leave the group, doing so in 1976.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy Babbington</span> English rock and jazz bassist

Roy Babbington is an English rock and jazz bassist. He became well known for being a member of the Canterbury scene progressive rock band Soft Machine.

<i>Softs</i> (album) 1976 studio album by Soft Machine

Softs is the ninth studio album by the jazz rock band Soft Machine, released in 1976. It is the final album to feature founding keyboardist Mike Ratledge, who appears on two tracks but left the group before the album was completed.

<i>Alive & Well: Recorded in Paris</i> 1978 live album by Soft Machine

Alive & Well: Recorded in Paris is a (mostly) live album by the jazz rock band Soft Machine, released in 1978.

<i>Land of Cockayne</i> (album) 1981 studio album by Soft Machine

Land of Cockayne is the tenth studio album by the jazz rock band Soft Machine, released in 1981. The title refers to the medieval land of plenty. It would be the last album released under the Soft Machine name until Hidden Details in 2018.

<i>Contradiction</i> (album) 1976 studio album by Ohio Players

Contradiction is the eighth studio album by The Ohio Players, and the fourth album recorded for Mercury.

<i>Wonderin</i> 1980 studio album by Rollercoaster

Wonderin' is a tribute album featuring jazz-funk cover versions of Stevie Wonder songs. It was recorded by the ad hoc band Rollercoaster made up of leading UK session and jazz musicians from British jazz-rock bands of the 1960s and 1970s such as Soft Machine, Blue Mink and Nucleus.

<i>Burden of Proof</i> (Soft Machine Legacy album) 2013 studio album by Soft Machine Legacy

Burden of Proof is the sixth album by the Canterbury associated band Soft Machine Legacy and their third studio album, released on CD in March 2013. This was the last album to use the "Legacy" suffix before it was dropped in 2015. Soft Machine returned with Hidden Details in 2018 featuring the same line-up that recorded this album.

<i>Hidden Details</i> 2018 studio album by Soft Machine

Hidden Details is the eleventh studio album by the jazz rock band Soft Machine, released in September 2018.

<i>Steam</i> (Soft Machine Legacy album) 2007 studio album by Soft Machine Legacy

Steam is the fourth album by the Canterbury associated band Soft Machine Legacy and their second studio album, released on CD in 2007. This is the final Soft Machine project to feature bassist Hugh Hopper prior to his death in June 2009. He was replaced by Roy Babbington, Soft Machine member from 1973 to 1976. Babbington has previously replaced Hopper in Soft Machine-proper. Steam also marks the first appearance of Theo Travis in the group replacing Elton Dean who died in February 2006 at age 60.

References

  1. 1 2 Lynch, Dave. "Soft Machine - Seven (1973) album review, credits & releases | AllMusic". allmusic.com. Retrieved 3 April 2014.
  2. ↑ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies . Ticknor & Fields. ISBN   089919026X . Retrieved 12 March 2019– via robertchristgau.com.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.