The first Soft Machine LP usually got the attention, with its movable parts sleeve, as well as the presence of ultra-talented songwriter Kevin Ayers. But musically, Volume Two better conveys the Dada-ist whimsy and powerful avant rock leanings of the band. Hugh Hopper took over for Ayers on bass, and his fuzz tones and experimental leanings supplanted Ayers' pop emphasis. The creative nucleus behind this most progressive of progressive rock albums, however, is Robert Wyatt. He provides the musical arrangements to Hopper's quirky ideas on the stream-of-consciousness collection of tunes ("Rivmic Melodies") on side one. Unlike the first record, which sounded choppy and often somnolent, this one blends together better, and it has a livelier sound…

A wild, freewheeling, and ultimately successful attempt to merge psychedelia with jazz-rock, Soft Machine's debut ranges between lovingly performed oblique pop songs and deranged ensemble playing from drummer/vocalist Robert Wyatt, bassist Kevin Ayers and organist Mike Ratledge. With only one real break (at the end of side one), the songs merge into each other - not always smoothly, but always with a sense of flair that rescues any potential miscues. Wyatt takes most of the vocals, and proves himself a surprisingly evocative singer despite his lack of range. Like Pink Floyd's The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, Vol. 1 was one of the few over-ambitious records of the psychedelic era that actually delivered on all its incredible promise.

Released in 1994 by Voiceprint, Tales of Canterbury: The Wilde Flowers Story collects historical archival recordings from 1965 to 1969 by legendary British outfit The Wilde Flowers—the ultimate foundational group of the Canterbury Scene. Formed in Canterbury, Kent, the band never released an official album during their existence, yet their ranks produced the core architects of Soft Machine, Caravan, and Matching Mole. Featuring early demo recordings, studio outtakes, and rare sessions, the album highlights original versions of classic songs like Hugh Hopper's "Memories" and Soft Machine's "A Certain Kind." Featuring future icons Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, Hugh Hopper, Richard Sinclair, Pye Hastings, and Richard Coughlan, this archival compilation is an indispensable document tracing the roots of British psychedelic and progressive rock.

Recorded live in Bremen, Germany, in March 1971 and officially released in 1998 on Cuneiform Records, Virtually is a premier archival document capturing Soft Machine at the absolute apex of their classic "Third" and "Fourth" era quartet lineup. Featuring the formidable collective of Robert Wyatt, Mike Ratledge, Hugh Hopper, and Elton Dean, this pristine radio broadcast recording documents the band seamlessly blurring the lines between complex progressive rock, free-jazz improvisation, and hypnotic organ-and-fuzz-bass minimalism. Spanning classic Canterbury suites like "Facelift," "Slightly All The Time," "Out-Bloody-Rageous," and "Teeth," Virtually stands as one of the finest live documents of British avant-garde fusion ever recorded.

Released in 2008 on the acclaimed Moonjune Records, Dune is a hypnotic collaborative studio effort by legendary Soft Machine bassist Hugh Hopper and Japanese pianist, vocalist, and composer Yumi Hara Cawkwell (performing under the duo moniker Humi). The album presents an extraordinary convergence of British Canterbury-scene jazz-rock and Japanese avant-garde sensibilities. Anchored by Hopper's iconic fuzz-bass grooves, layered loop treatments, and ambient electronics, the soundscapes are elevated by Yumi Hara's expressive vocal improvisations, delicate piano chords, and intricate percussion. Across 10 evocative tracks—including the sprawling Long Dune, Seki No Gohonmatsu, and the ambient Awayuki movements—the duo creates an eerie, deeply atmospheric journey that bridges experimental minimalism, Canterbury art-rock, and avant-garde improvisation. Dune stands as a mesmerizing recording and a poignant testament to Hugh Hopper's late-career creative spirit.

Released in 1993 on the Blueprint label, Alive documents a fiery and dynamic live performance by legendary Soft Machine bassist Hugh Hopper leading his European touring ensemble. Recorded on stage in Europe, the album captures Hopper's unmistakable fuzz-bass tone anchoring a tight, brass-infused jazz-rock lineup featuring dual saxophonists Frank Van Der Kooy and Kees Van Veldhuizen, keyboardist Dionys Breukers, guitarist Hans Van Der Zee, and a driving rhythm section anchored by drummers Pieter Bast and André Maes. The setlist blends classic Soft Machine and Hopper heritage with sharp new jazz-fusion arrangements, spanning extended, grooving jams like Glider, Turfschip Enterprise, and Double Booked alongside spirited covers like Hugh Masekela's Nomali. Combining Canterbury-style harmonic complexity, heavy bass riffs, and explosive sax solos, Alive is an indispensable live document for fans of Soft Machine, Canterbury scene jazz-rock, and progressive fusion.

Released in 1996 on the Voiceprint label, Somewhere in France is a delightful collaborative studio effort uniting two towering icons of the legendary Canterbury scene: Soft Machine bassist Hugh Hopper and Caravan/Hatfield and the North singer-bassist Richard Sinclair. Recorded during relaxed sessions in the French countryside, the album showcases a warm, intimate synthesis of Hopper's signature fuzz-bass grooves and avant-jazz harmonic sense with Sinclair's smooth, unmistakable vocal delivery and pastoral acoustic guitar fingerpicking. The 8 tracks feature gentle songwriting, lyrical wit, and subtle jazz-rock grooves, exemplified by standout cuts like Long Lingers Autumn Time, Keep On Caring, and Cruising The Eastern Sky. Supported by drummer Serge Bringolf and guest vocalists, the duo strikes a perfect balance between English whimsical progressive folk, Canterbury-style jazz improvisation, and melodic art-rock. Somewhere in France is an essential and charming gem for dedicated fans of Soft Machine, Caravan, and the broader Canterbury music universe.

Released in 1997 on the UK imprint Blueprint, Huge is an remarkable studio collaboration between two eccentric icons of avant-garde and experimental music: legendary Soft Machine bassist Hugh Hopper and American cult producer, multi-instrumentalist, and Shimmy-Disc founder Mark Kramer. Combining Canterbury scene jazz-fusion sensibilities with Kramer's distinct psychedelic tape loops, layered organ drones, and inventive studio production, the album constructs a unique soundscape that is both melodic and atmospheric. Hopper's iconic fuzz-toned bass lines and signature chordal playing mesh effortlessly with Kramer's subtle guitar textures, vintage keyboard tones, and rhythmic treatments. Supported by Galaxie 500 and Damon & Naomi drummer Damon Krukowski, along with guest appearances by vocalists and trombonists, the 11 tracks range from catchy instrumental grooves like Ten Mile Mean Streak and Tall As The Empire State Building to brooding, surreal soundscapes such as Einstein And Hawking and Terry Southern Blues. Essential listening for aficionados of the Canterbury scene, avant-jazz fusion, and 1990s experimental rock art.

As the Soft Machine's first bassist and original principal songwriter, Kevin Ayers was an overlooked force behind the group's groundbreaking recordings in 1967 and 1968. This, his solo debut, is so tossed-off and nonchalant that one gets the impression he wanted to take it easy after helping pilot the manic innovations of the Softs. Laissez-faire sloth has always been part of Ayers' persona, and this record's intermittent lazy charm helped establish it. That doesn't get around the fact, however, that this set of early progressive rock does not feature extremely strong material. Ayers' command of an assortment of instruments is impressive, and his deep bass vocals and playful, almost goofy song-sketches are affecting, but they don't really stick with the listener…

On Backwards, the legendary British avant-progressive icons and foundational pioneers of the Canterbury Scene, Soft Machine, present a towering, historically volcanic, and masterfully panoramic archival studio and live document. Released by the specialized avant-progressive vanguard imprint Cuneiform Records, this monumental milestone unearths crucial, legendary tracking sessions and broadcast captures spanning 1969 to 1970. Spanning nearly 73 minutes of historic spatial design, this document preserves the band at its absolute creative zenith, highlighting the monumental evolutionary leap from psychedelic whimsey to complex, horn-driven jazz-rock fusion geometry. The landscape operates with an intense, beautifully volatile, and heavily syncopated kinetic energy, firing off massive landmarks like the legendary, raw 1969 studio demo of Robert Wyatt’s masterpiece Moon in June, and blistering, sprawling live-in-the-studio iterations of Facelift and Esther's Nose Job. Driven by Wyatt's iconic vocal poetry and polyrhythmic drum patterns, Mike Ratledge's fiercely distorted Lowrey organ architectures, Hugh Hopper's legendary fuzz-bass foundations, and the stinging brass extensions of Elton Dean and Lyn Dobson, this pristine historical archive remains an indispensable masterpiece for serious Canterbury purists and progressive rock collectors worldwide.

On Middle Earth Masters, the legendary British avant-progressive icons and foundational pioneers of the Canterbury Scene, Soft Machine, unveil a towering, historically volcanic, and masterfully panoramic archival live document. Released in 2006 by the specialized avant-progressive vanguard imprint Cuneiform Records, this monumental milestone unearths rare, legendary performance tapes captured primarily at London’s iconic underground Middle Earth Club in 1967 and 1968. Spanning over 64 minutes of historic spatial design, this crucial power-trio document operates with an intense, beautifully volatile, and heavily syncopated kinetic energy. The trio shatters traditional pop and rock boundaries with absolute uninhibited improvisational velocity, showcasing the band's transition from raw, whimsical psychedelia to long-form, fuzz-drenched jazz-rock geometry. Firing off massive highlights like Kevin Ayers's hypnotic, sprawling classic Why Are We Sleeping?, the proto-minimalist loop intensity of We Did It Again, and the winding, intricate organ-led movements of I Should've Known, this pristine historical archive remains an indispensable masterpiece for serious Canterbury purists and progressive rock collectors worldwide.

Released in 1994 on the legendary underground label Shimmy Disc, A Remark Hugh Made is a brilliantly eccentric, deeply avant-garde collaboration that bridges the historic UK Canterbury Scene with New York's alternative art-rock underground. The album unites Soft Machine's legendary bass pioneer Hugh Hopper—showcasing his iconic, heavily overdriven fuzz-bass, electric, and piccolo bass textures—with alternative mastermind Mark Kramer on piano, organ, Mellotron, tape loops, and guitars. Together with a stellar avant-garde cast including drumming master Bill Bacon, guitarist Randolph A. Hudson III, and the wild sax work of Gary Windo, they construct a fascinating, experimental architecture of sound. A major highlight includes the opening track "Free Will & Testament," featuring unforgettable, hauntingly beautiful guest vocals and lyrics by Canterbury icon Robert Wyatt. Moving from psych-tinted jazz-rock grooves to surreal soundscapes and reimagined covers, this definitive recording stands as a highly unique, deeply compelling, and essential masterpiece of outsider contemporary music history.

Originally released in 1973 by the Soft Machine bassist shortly after the band had lost eccentric drummer/vocalist Robert Wyatt and had begun their evolution into a respectable (and somewhat predictable) jazz-rock ensemble, this was Hopper's attempt at something more experimental. As he reports in his amusing CD notes, the record label CBS was all in favor of his solo excursion until he let them know what he had in mind, at which point they declined to pay even for studio time, so Hopper had to take out a bank loan to make the recording - which says a lot for Hopper's belief in his artistic vision, and not much at all for the musical (as opposed to financial) vision of CBS. Hopper's 1984 is inspired by George Orwell's totalitarian fantasy of the same name, and the two longest tracks…

Comprising thirteen brand new tracks (plus 2 Bonus tracks), the album marks a new chapter in the group's 60 year history. Whilst the line-up of Soft Machine may have changed many times since the heady days of the late 1960's, the band's spirit of musical adventure, and the ease with which it freely avoids being pigeonholed has stayed a constant - as it moves from powerful progressive jazz rock to atmospheric psychedelia to free improvised jazz to ambient loop music.
Thirteen features legendary guitarist John Etheridge who has been with the band over 50 years in superb form. Whilst all four members of the band contribute compositions, the album’s main composer is saxophonist, flautist and keyboard player Theo Travis who wrote six of the album’s thirteen tracks, including the longest most progressive track of the set The Longest Night (clocking in at just over 13 minutes)…