Fourth (album)

1971 studio album by Soft Machine

Fourth

Studio album by

Soft Machine

Released| February 1971
Recorded| October–November 1970 at Olympic Studios, London
Genre|

* Jazz fusion[1]
* free jazz[2]

Length| 39:13
Label| CBS (UK), Columbia (USA)
Producer| Soft Machine
Soft Machine chronology
| Third
(1970)  | Fourth
(1971)  | Fifth
(1972)

|
|

Professional ratingsReview scores

Source| Rating
AllMusic| [1]
Christgau's Record Guide| B[3]

Fourth is the fourth studio album by the rock band Soft Machine, released in 1971. The album is also titled Four or 4 in the USA.

## Overview

[edit]

The numeral "4" is the title as shown on the cover in all countries, but a written-out title appears on the spine and label. This was the group's first all-instrumental album, although their previous album Third had almost completed the band's move in this direction toward instrumental jazz, and a complete abandonment of their original self-presentation as a psychedelic and progressive rock group.[4] It was also the last of their albums to include drummer and founding member Robert Wyatt who afterwards left. He had already recorded a solo album, The End of an Ear (in which he described himself on the cover as an "Out of work pop singer currently on drums with Soft Machine"), and now founded a new group, Matching Mole, whose name was a pun on "Soft Machine" as pronounced in French: "Machine Molle".

Like the previous Soft Machine album, some tracks have the band augmented by additional musicians. These include Mark Charig and Nick Evans, who had been in the short-lived septet lineup of late 1969, and Roy Babbington, who would join the band in 1973.

In 1999, Soft Machine albums Fourth and Fifth were re-released together on one CD.

In 2007, Fourth was re-released as part of the series Soft Machine Remastered – The CBS Years 1970–1973.

The booklets of these re-releases contain liner notes written by Mark Powell from Esoteric Recordings about the history of Soft Machine, their musical development and as one of the first relevant bands in the so-called  progressive rock scene.

## Track listing

[edit]

All compositions by Hugh Hopper except where indicated.

Side oneNo.| Title| Length

|
|

1.| "Teeth" (Mike Ratledge)| 9:15
2.| "Kings and Queens"| 5:02
3.| "Fletcher’s Blemish" (Elton Dean)| 4:35
Total length:| 18:52

Side twoNo.| Title| Length

|
|

4.| "Virtually Part 1"| 5:16
5.| "Virtually Part 2"| 7:09
6.| "Virtually Part 3"| 4:33
7.| "Virtually Part 4"| 3:23
Total length:| 20:21 39:13

## Personnel

[edit]

Soft Machine

* Elton Dean – alto saxophone, saxello
* Mike Ratledge – acoustic piano, Hohner Pianet electric piano, Lowrey organ
* Hugh Hopper – bass guitar, fuzz bass
* Robert Wyatt – drums

Additional personnel

* Roy Babbington – double bass (1, 3, 4, 6)
* Mark Charig – cornet (2, 3, 4)
* Nick Evans – trombone (1, 2, 4)
* Jimmy Hastings – alto flute (6), bass clarinet (1, 6)
* Alan Skidmore – tenor saxophone (1, 6)

## Charts

[edit]

Chart (1971)  | Peak

position

|

UK Albums (OCC)  | 32[5]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b Taylor, Ken. "Soft Machine - Fourth (1971) album review, credits & releases | AllMusic". AllMusic. Retrieved 25 July 2011.
2. ^ Neate, Wilson. "Soft Machine - Fifth (1972) album review, credits & releases". AllMusic. Retrieved 6 May 2019.
3. ^ Christgau, Robert (1981). "Consumer Guide '70s: S". Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies. Ticknor & Fields. ISBN 089919026X. Retrieved 12 March 2019 - via robertchristgau.com.
4. ^ "Reviews at Progreviews website". Archived from the original on 19 February 2006. Retrieved 10 February 2006.
5. ^ "SOFT MACHINE". Official Charts. 3 April 1971. Retrieved 16 September 2024.

## External links

[edit]

* Soft Machine - Fourth (1971) album review by Ken Taylor, credits & releases at AllMusic
* Soft Machine - Fourth (1971) album releases & credits at Discogs
* Soft Machine - Fourth (1971) album credits & user reviews at ProgArchives.com
* Soft Machine - Fourth (1971) album to be listened on Spotify
* Soft Machine - Fourth (1971) album to be listened on YouTube

* v
* t
* e

Soft Machine

* John Etheridge
* Theo Travis
* Fred Baker
* Asaf Sirkis

* Mike Ratledge
* Robert Wyatt
* Kevin Ayers
* Daevid Allen
* Andy Summers
* Hugh Hopper
* Brian Hopper
* Elton Dean
* Lyn Dobson
* Mark Charig
* Nick Evans
* Phil Howard
* John Marshall
* Karl Jenkins
* Roy Babbington
* Allan Holdsworth
* Alan Wakeman
* Ray Warleigh
* Ric Sanders
* Percy Jones
* Jack Bruce
* Stu Calver
* Dick Morrissey
* Alan Parker
* Tony Rivers
* John Taylor
* Paul Carmichael
* Dave MacRae

Studio albums|

* The Soft Machine (1968)
* Volume Two (1969)
* Third (1970)
* Fourth (1971)
* Fifth (1972)
* Six (1973)
* Seven (1973)
* Bundles (1975)
* Softs (1976)
* Land of Cockayne (1981)
* Hidden Details (2018)

Soft Machine Legacy albums|

* Steam (2007)
* Burden of Proof (2013)

Live albums|

* Alive & Well: Recorded in Paris (1978)
* Live at the Proms 1970 (1988)

Singles|

* "Love Makes Sweet Music" (1967)
* "Joy of a Toy" (1968)

Related articles|

* The Wilde Flowers
* Soft Heap

Authority control databases |

* MusicBrainz release group

|

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