Soft Machine are an English rock band from Canterbury formed in mid-1966. 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. Having known numerous line-ups, the band currently consists of John Etheridge (guitar), Theo Travis (saxophone, flutes, keyboards), Fred Baker (bass) and Asaf Sirkis (drums).
Discography Studio albums Year Album Line-up Additional musicians 1968 The Soft Machine Mike Ratledge, Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers Hugh Hopper, The Cake 1969 Volume Two Ratledge, Wyatt, Hugh Hopper Brian Hopper 1970 Third Ratledge, Wyatt, H. Hopper, Elton Dean Lyn Dobson, Nick Evans, Jimmy Hastings, Rab Spall 1971 Fourth Evans, Hastings, Mark Charig, Roy Babbington, Alan Skidmore 1972 Fifth Side 1: Ratledge, H. Hopper, Dean, Phil HowardSide 2: Ratledge, H. Hopper, Dean, John Marshall Babbington 1973 Six (Disc 2) Ratledge, H. Hopper, Marshall, Karl Jenkins 1973 Seven Ratledge, Marshall, Jenkins, Babbington 1975 Bundles Ratledge, Marshall, Jenkins, Babbington, Allan Holdsworth Ray Warleigh 1976 Softs Marshall, Jenkins, Babbington, John Etheridge, Alan Wakeman Ratledge 1981 Land of Cockayne Marshall, Jenkins, Holdsworth, Warleigh, Jack Bruce, Stu Calver, Dick Morrissey, Alan Parker, John Perry, Tony Rivers, John Taylor 2018 Hidden Details Marshall, Etheridge, Babbington, Theo Travis Nick Utteridge 2023 Other Doors Marshall, Etheridge, Travis, Fred Baker Babbington2026Thirteen Etheridge, Travis, Baker, Asaf Sirkis
Contemporary live albums Recorded Released Album Line-up Additional musicians 20 October – 1 November 1972 1973 Six (Disc 1) Mike Ratledge, Hugh Hopper, John Marshall, Karl Jenkins 6 – 9 July 1977 (includes one studio track recorded later in July 1977) 1978 Alive & Well: Recorded in Paris Marshall, Jenkins, John Etheridge, Ric Sanders, Steve Cook Ratledge (on studio track "Soft Space") 1 February 2019 2020 Live at The Baked Potato Marshall, Etheridge, Roy Babbington, Theo Travis
Archival live albums Recorded (exact dates given unless unconfirmed) Released Album Line-up April – 10 December 1967 (includes some studio recordings)2001 Soft Machine Turns On Volume 1April – June 1967 recordings: Mike Ratledge, Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, Daevid Allen22 September – 10 December 1967 recordings: Ratledge, Wyatt, Ayers September 1967 – May 1968 2006 Middle Earth MastersRatledge, Wyatt, Ayers 10 November 1967 – 11 August 19682001 Soft Machine Turns On Volume 2 29 March 1969 1996 Live at the Paradiso 1969 Ratledge, Wyatt, Hugh Hopper 4 January 1970 2000 NoisetteRatledge, Wyatt, H. Hopper, Elton Dean, Lynn Dobson 17 January 1970 2022 Facelift France & Holland (Disc 2) 31 January 1970 2005 Breda Reactor 2 March 1970 2022 Facelift France & Holland (Disc 1 + DVD) 20 – 25 April 1970 2004 Somewhere in SohoRatledge, Wyatt, H. Hopper, Dean 26 April 1970 2002 Facelift November 1969 – May 1970 2002 Backwards November 1969 recordings: Ratledge, Wyatt, H. Hopper, Dean, Dobson, Mark Charig, Nick EvansMay 1970 recordings: Ratledge, Wyatt, H. Hopper, Dean 13 August 1970 1988 Live at the Proms 1970 (re-released as disc 2 on 2007 remaster of Third)Ratledge, Wyatt, H. Hopper, Dean 25 October 1970 2006 Grides (also includes a DVD of 23 March 1971 Beat Club appearance) 27 – 28 February 1971 2024 Høvikodden 1971 28 February 1971 2009 Live at Henie Onstad Art Centre 1971 (this concert later included on Høvikodden 1971 with another concert at the same venue the previous day) 11 March 1971 1993 Soft Machine & Heavy Friends: BBC in Concert 1971 23 March 1971 1998 Virtually (DVD with footage of this recording included on Grides) 5 December 1967 – 1 June 1971 2003 BBC Radio 1967 – 1971 Various line-ups including Ratledge, Wyatt, Ayers, H. Hopper, Brian Hopper, Dean, Dobson, Charig and Evans 10 June 1969 – 15 November 1971 1990 The Peel Sessions (all tracks here later included with others on BBC Radio 1967 – 1971 and BBC Radio 1971 – 1974) Various line-ups including Ratledge, Wyatt, H. Hopper, B. Hopper, Dean, Dobson, Charig, Evans and Phil Howard November 1971 2008 Drop Ratledge, H. Hopper, Dean, Howard 2 May 1972 1994 Live in France (re-released with same content as Live in Paris in 2004) Ratledge, H. Hopper, Dean, John Marshall 20 July 1972 1994 Soft Stage: BBC in Concert 1972 Ratledge, H. Hopper, Marshall, Karl Jenkins 17 May 1973 2010 NDR Jazz Workshop Hamburg, Germany (also includes a DVD of the concert)Ratledge, Marshall, Jenkins, Roy Babbington 26 October 1973 2023 The Dutch Lesson 15 November 1971 – 10 June 1974 2003 BBC Radio 1971 – 1974 Various line-ups including Ratledge, H. Hopper, Dean, Howard, Marshall, Jenkins, Babbington and Allan Holdsworth 4 July 1974 2015 Switzerland 1974 (also includes a DVD of the concert)Ratledge, Marshall, Jenkins, Babbington, Holdsworth 29 January 1975 2006 Floating World Live 11 October 1975 2005 British Tour '75 Ratledge, Marshall, Jenkins, Babbington, John Etheridge
Archival studio recordings Recorded Released Album Line-up April 1967 1972 Jet Propelled Photographs (gained this title in 1988, previously released under various other titles including Faces and Places Vol. 7 and At the Beginning) Mike Ratledge, Robert Wyatt, Kevin Ayers, Daevid Allen Circa Spring/Summer 1969 1996 Spaced Ratledge, Wyatt, Hugh Hopper, Brian Hopper
Compilation albums Year Album Notes 1977 Triple Echo Triple album covering the band's whole history to that point, featuring select tracks from all the albums up to Softs, the most recent at the time, plus the band's first single "Love Makes Sweet Music" and its B-side "Feelin' Reelin' Squeelin'" (both later included on the 2009 remaster of The Soft Machine), and several unreleased recordings, all later included among the archival albums listed above except the version of "She's Gone" which was put on the various artists CD White Bicycle: Making Music In The 1960 - The Joe Boyd Story, released to coincide with Boyd's book of the same name, by Fledg'ling Records in 2006.
Other minor releases These albums were either released by small labels with most of their content available on the main albums listed above or are reissues/"Best of" collections released by major labels with all previously released material.