Description

While the instrumental Fourth had forayed deep into jazz-rock territory, Fifth found Soft Machine working almost completely in the jazz idiom.

As Soft Machine moved further away from rock on Third [MOVLP183] and Fourth [MOVLP1602], drummer/vocalist Robert Wyatts dissatisfaction with the bands direction grew and, by the time sessions started for Fifth in late 1971, he had left permanently to form Matching Mole.

Wyatts replacement Phil Howards propulsive rhythms make a vital contribution to memorable Ratledge compositions like All White and Drop as they gather momentum and coalesce into driving grooves. All White is focused largely on Elton Deans sax performance while Drop ultimately showcases the intense busy fuzz of Ratledges organ.

This is essentially a jazz record, more concerned with texture and interplay than with song-based structures. Its a trip.