Review: Soft Machine – Fourth (1971)

Soft Machine takes a real step in the direction of jazz on their fourth album. On Fourth, the psychedelia of the previous albums and rock in general is a life left behind, as are the Dadaist lyrics of drummer/vocalist Robert Wyatt, since the album is entirely instrumental.

A certain rhythmic aggressiveness and, of course, the electrification of the bass and keyboards still lock Fourth into the rock world to some extent, but the album is still closer to avant-garde jazz than jazz-rock proper. All in all, Soft Machine is entirely credible as a jazz band and Fourth is an impressive combination of highly complex compositions and wildly free improvisation.

The album opens with ”Teeth” by keyboardist Mike Ratledge, a devilishly complex and fast-paced composition. Bassist Hugh Hopper has called it the most difficult song he has ever ”had to” play. The carefully composed ”Teeth” is perhaps the most complex music that rock musicians (because that’s what the guys from Soft Machine were) were playing at this stage. Interestingly, as convincing as Soft Machine sound when playing jazz on the Fourth, with all their rhythmic and harmonic sophistication, all the band’s musicians, even down to virtuoso saxophonist Elton Dean, were self-taught ”rockers”. However, the album features guest brass players from ”real” trained jazz musicians such as Jimmy Hastings, Mark Charig, Nick Evans and Alan Skidmore. Jimmy Hastings, known from his Caravan connections, is also heard on flute on one track.

Along with ”Teeth”, the other highlight of the very even Fourth is the Hugh Hopper-penned ”Virtually” suite, which dominates the second half of the album and lasts about twenty minutes in four different sections. ”Virtually” is a stunning composition and makes great use of the aforementioned wind instruments and the double bass of Roy Babbington (who later became an official member of the band after Hopper left). The combination of Babbington’s double bass and Hopper’s aggressive fuzz-infused electric bass makes for a very interesting listen at several points on the album.

The whole band is incredibly hard hitting on this album. The band unravels the most complex passages with a confident ease and the playing is truly furious in places. Especially Ratledge’s manic keyboard pummelling and sometimes extremely distorted organ sounds as well as Dean’s deafening saxophone honking are very thrilling for me.

I also think Fourth has the best drumming of Robert Wyatt’s career. He also plays the jazzier parts of the album with great confidence, and plays with a consistently jaunty franticness and innovation. At this point Wyatt could certainly have been put up against any British drummer without coming second. Tragically, Wyatt’s drumming career was to be cut short just a few years later when he was paralysed from the waist down in a tragic accident. What a drummer the world lost in him! Fortunately, however, despite his accident (and perhaps in some respects even because of it) Wyatt made a great deal of irreplaceable and original music right up to recent years.

Read also: Review: Soft Machine – Third (1970)

Fourth was Wyatt’s last Soft Machine album as he became frustrated with the other members’ desire to compose increasingly complex instrumental music that left Wyatt, who also enjoyed singing, to play only the drums. Robert Wyatt formed his own band, Matching Mole, and Soft Machine continued their exploration of instrumental jazz with their next album, Fifth (1972).

Fourth was a great new departure for the band and, overall, I think it was Soft Machine’s greatest album.

Best tracks: ”Teeth”, ”Virtually”

Author: JANNE YLIRUUSI

Tracks

Side A

”Teeth” 9:15
”Kings and Queens” 5:02
”Fletcher’s Blemish” 4:35

Side B

”Virtually Part 1” – 5:16
”Virtually Part 2” – 7:09
”Virtually Part 3” – 4:33
”Virtually Part 4” – 3:23

Duration: 39:13

Soft Machine:

Elton Dean: alto saxophone, saxophone Mike Ratledge: piano, Hohner Pianet electric piano, Lowrey organ Hugh Hopper: bass guitar Robert Wyatt: Drums

Guests:

Roy Babbington: double bass (a1, a3, b1, b3) Mark Charig: cornet (a2, a3, b1) Nick Evans: trombone (a1, a2, b1) Jimmy Hastings: alto flute (b3), bass clarinet (a1, b3) Alan Skidmore: tenor saxophone (a1, b3)