Softs

For softs as commodities, see Commodities.

Softs
Studio album by Soft Machine
Released	June 1976
Recorded	January to March, 1976 at EMI Abbey Road Studios, London
Genre	Jazz fusion, Progressive rock
Length	44:55
Label	Harvest
Producer	Soft Machine
Soft Machine chronology
Bundles (1975) Softs (1976) Alive & Well: Recorded in Paris (1978)

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[1]
Piero Scaruffi	(5/10)[2]

Softs is a 1976 album by the British psychedelic, progressive rock and jazz/fusion band Soft Machine who were one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene.^{[citation needed]}

John Etheridge replaced Allan Holdsworth on guitar shortly after the release of the previous album, Bundles, and Alan Wakeman, cousin of keyboardist Rick Wakeman, took over saxophone duties from Karl Jenkins. Karl would play keyboards exclusively from this point onward. This change was necessitated by the departure of the group's last founding member, Mike Ratledge, who left in March 1976 before the sessions were completed, and can be heard on two tracks, but is not credited as a member of the group. Wakeman and bassist Roy Babbington left the group not long after the album was released, Wakeman having been a member for less than six months.^[3]

Track listing

All compositions by Karl Jenkins except where indicated.

Side one

1. "Aubade" – 1:49
2. "The Tale of Taliesin" – 7:15
3. "Ban-Ban Caliban" – 9:19
4. "Song of Aeolus" – 4:29

Side two

1. "Out of Season" – 5:30
2. "Second Bundle" – 2:35
3. "Kayoo" (John Marshall) – 3:25
4. "The Camden Tandem" (John Etheridge / Marshall) – 1:50
5. "Nexus" – 0:47
6. "One Over the Eight" (Jenkins / Marshall / Etheridge / Alan Wakeman / Roy Babbington) – 5:26
7. "Etika" – 2:21 (Etheridge)

Personnel

• Roy Babbington – bass guitar
• John Etheridge – acoustic and electric guitars
• John Marshall – drums, percussion
• Alan Wakeman – soprano and tenor saxophones
• Karl Jenkins – piano, electric piano, pianette, string and Mini-Moog synthesizers, orchestrations

Additional personnel

• Mike Ratledge – synthesizer on (3, 4)

References

External links

• Discography at calyx.club.fr