Author: Peter Podbrežnik
Artist: Soft Machine
Label: CBS
Release: 1973
Running time: 43:15
Rating: 4/5
By the time »Seven« came around, the seventh studio outing from English prog rock and jazz fusion heavyweights Soft Machine, the band had brought in new bassist Roy Babbington (ex-Ian Carr’s Nucleus) to replace Hugh Hopper, and taken another step toward a jazz fusion built on subtle, melodic arrangements, a long way from their knottier jazz beginnings. Of the original members, only keyboardist Mike Ratledge was still on board for »Seven«, while Babbington, multi-instrumentalist Karl Jenkins and drummer John Marshall were all Nucleus alumni, and Soft Machine had started to sound more and more like that band, even though they never had a trumpeter in their ranks, let alone a master like the late Ian Carr.
The ‘problematic’, super-complex improvisational elements that still played a major role on the award-winning predecessor »Six« (1973) were mostly a thing of the past under the ruling compositional baton of Ratledge and Jenkins, and compared to most earlier Soft Machine albums, »Seven« was a relatively easy bite for the average jazz fusion gourmand who prized legends of the genre like the aforementioned Nucleus, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Return to Forever and Weather Report. The big peculiarity of Soft Machine’s approach to jazz fusion was Jenkins’ use of the oboe, which is a pretty uncommon instrument in jazz.
Here and there the band members still ‘throw in’ a more tangled improvisation, but they’ve also seriously picked up the tempo on most of the tracks, as you can tell right from the opening energy catalyst »Nettle Bed«, which, over juicy organ and sax passages, is marked by an exceptionally witty riff and an overall sense of looseness and good vibes. »Carol Ann« is a tender lullaby with still-life synth sounds, while »Day’s Eye« is full of lively organ improvisations, the organ always having been Ratledge’s favorite keyboard. The pretty punchy-sounding »Tarabos« has scorching bass lines and plenty of high synth notes. »D.IS.« is Marshall’s not particularly inspired drum and percussion showcase, where he improvises with repetitive percussion sounds. »Snodland« also ranks among the less inspired moments on »Seven«.
»Penny Hitch« turns out far more interesting, going from a slow start to an energetic piece with plenty of mighty drum fills. »Block«, steeped in a mischievous mood, sounds even more colorful, with loads of organ tricks and hard graft from the rhythm section. »Down the Road« has a witty bass riff and playful oboe improvisations that reflect Jenkins’ love of classical music, while extra improvisations creep in over time. »The German Lesson« and »The French Lesson« are short keyboard improv sessions that amount to little more than a slightly stretched-out tail end of the previous track, »Down the Road«.
»Seven«, the last Soft Machine album with a number in its title, was a noticeably more accessible effort than its predecessors, one with which the jazz fusion champions, emboldened by the success of »Six«, set out to reach a somewhat wider audience. As a whole it was a very successful record, which in terms of quality lands in the golden middle of the Soft Machine discography. Ratledge and Jenkins then began thinking about how to broaden and ‘refine’ the Soft Machine sound even further and bring it closer to the definition of jazz rock fusion perfection. After a prematurely failed attempt to add guitar to the Soft Machine sound in 1968 with Andy Summers, on the next studio project, »Bundles« (1975), with Allan Holdsworth in the lineup, they finally found what they had long been looking for and at times missed in their sound.
Lineup
Mike Ratledge – electric piano, organ, synthesizer
Karl Jenkins – oboe, baritone and soprano saxophone, electric piano
Roy Babbington – bass guitar, acoustic bass
John Marshall – drums, percussion
Production
Soft Machine
Track list
1. Nettle Bed (4:47)
2. Carol Ann (3:48)
3. Day’s Eye (5:05)
4. Bone Fire (0:32)
5. Tarabos (4:32)
6. D.I.S. (3:02)
7. Snodland (1:50)
8. Penny Hitch (6:40)
9. Block (4:17)
10. Down The Road (5:48)
11. The German Lesson (1:53)
12. The French Lesson (1:01)
