Soft Machine

[ItalProgRules]

My SM top 5 in order:

Volume 2
THIRD
SIX
Grides
The Soft Machine

[Dave (in MA)]

Also worth mentioning are the 2 BBC Radio double CD compilations. They provide a good overview of the band from 67 to 74.

[Trane]

There was a thread called 'What's an album (or group) that would surprise people to know you've never heard?'

For me it's Soft Machine. Today I heard them for the first time
It was 'Alive and Well in Paris'. It was really good. What's the album(s) to start with?

The least one can say is that you didn't start out with their most representative album

I suggest you try a release that has a DVD in it (Cuneiform label's Grides or NDR workshop)...
or even just a DVD: despite the fact that you should generally avoid Voiceprints products (reissues or posthumous releases), the DVD Alive In Paris - 1970 will give you an excellent overview of the group's spectrum... Still psych, then jazzy

[Dana5140]

FWIW, I think Third is one of the greatest records ever released.

[Musitron]

Thank to answered me guys especially Scrotum Scissor. I think I’ll start with vol 2 and 3.

[Scrotum Scissor]

Thank to answered me guys especially Scrotum Scissor. I think I’ll start with vol 2 and 3.

You're more than welcome, and all of the replies in this thread were good. Soft Machine aren't just "another" progressive band; they were and remain seminal in the development of rock's legitimacy as "artform". Both Volume Two and Third are works that just might leave a lasting mark on how you perceive the actual potency of rock music. Excellent choices!

[Harbottle]

I'd also recommend Live Adventures by Soft Machine Legacy, featuring John Marshall, John Etheridge, Theo Travis and Roy Babbington.

[polmico]

And there's a new Legacy album on its way.