Soft Machine
Bundles

When talking about Canterbury formations, it is common to encounter constant lineup changes not just within bands still searching for their sound but also in ensembles with a long history and numerous discographic releases. Soft Machine is one of those groups that have seen an impressive number of high-level musicians come and go, each time altering the substance of their music, far from any form of rigid categorization.

In 1974, after releasing seven albums, the only founding member remaining in the "soft machine" was keyboardist Mike Ratledge (actually the sole survivor since July 1971, when Robert Wyatt left a few months after the release of "4"). Concerned about the lack of sound renewal between "Six Album" and "Seven", he decided, along with the other members, to add a guitarist to the basic lineup (a position vacant since their debut with Daevid Allen) and turned to Allan Holdsworth, fresh from his experience with Nucleus. Thanks to the newcomer, the genre shifted towards a powerful and elegant jazz-rock, foreshadowing certain characteristics of fusion, featuring contributions from the aforementioned musicians, alongside bassist Roy Babbington, drummer John Marshall, and saxophonist and second keyboardist, as well as the new artistic mind of the band, Karl Jenkins.

The resulting album is called Bundles (released in 1975 despite being recorded the previous year), showcasing compositions centered around Allan's boundless creativity and John's imaginative execution, laid on the sound tapestries woven by Mike and Karl and the rhythm underscored by Roy. The initial suite "Hazard Profile" (a remake of the piece "Song for the Bearded Lady" written by Karl during his time with Nucleus and included in "We'll Talk About it Later" of 1970), divided into five movements, alternates between more intense parts led by Allan and more relaxed sections where the keyboards play a more central role, while never overshadowing the guitar, the true protagonist of the album. Tracks like the acoustic and unusual "Gone Sailing", the marvelous title track "Bundles", connected to the energetic and driving "Land of the Bag Snake", only confirm this thesis, with only John capable of countering the guitar dominance of the pieces, with his drum solos (Four Gongs Two Drums) and his tempos now delicate following Karl's romantic saxophone (The Man Who Waved at Trains), now eruptive supporting the oboe (Peff).

A special note is for the concluding "The Floating World", where Karl's usual keyboards languidly embrace the ethereal harmonies emanating from guest flautist Ray Warleigh, transporting us in flight to the bluest part of the sky, towards peaceful lands cradled by the winds and suspended beyond the clouds, obscuring these enchanted places from our view.