Vol. Two

Soft Machine | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (November 23, 1993)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: One Way
• ASIN: B000002R2X
• Also Available in: Audio CD  |  Audio Cassette  |  Vinyl
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #480,268 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Pataphysical Introduction, Pt. 1

2. Hibou, Anemone and Bear

3. Hulloder

4. Dada Was Here

5. Thank You Pierrot Lunaire

6. Have You Ever Bean Green?

7. Pataphysical Introduction, Pt. 2

8. Out of Tunes

9. As Long as He Lies Perfectly Still

10. Dedicated to You But You Weren't Listening

11. Fire Engine Passing with Bells Clanging

12. Pig

13. Orange Skin Food

14. A Door Opens and Closes

15. 10: 30 Returns to the Bedroom

Editorial Reviews

The first Soft Machine LP usually got the attention, with its movable parts sleeve, as well as the presence of ultra-talented songwriter Kevin Ayers. But musically, Volume Two better conveys the Dada-ist whimsy and powerful avant-rock leanings of the band. Hugh Hopper took over for Ayers on bass, and his fuzz tones and experimental leanings supplanted Ayers' pop emphasis. The creative nucleus behind this most progressive of progressive rock albums, however, is Robert Wyatt. He provides the musical arrangements to Hopper's quirky ideas on the steam-of-consciousness collection of tunes ('Rivmic Melodies') on side one. Remastered for CD. 17 tracks.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars 6 srars out of 5, September 30, 2001

By 

Arye Mirovski (Haifa Israel) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Vol. Two (Audio CD)

How come, so many people don't know about Robert Wyatt, while the few who know his music are sure that the man is the best? A question with no answer. There's a time when every word is a word too far and every educated review seems to be empty and boring. So let me tell you this: the best album i have ever had; A perfect progresive rock creation that sounds so unique, so brilliant and so light even to those who don't like particulary the long-complicated items; If there is something like "perfect" in art, "Soft Machine 2" would probably get its recognition but in the far future. In the days of Hip-Hop, Shmip-Mop and Tip-top, such albums don't have any chance. ...

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Soft Machine's best., February 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Vol. Two (Audio CD)

Third was their most popular (and most promoted), but Volume Two was their best.

Not suitable for Rate a Record on American Bandstand.

I'll never get tired of it.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars You really need to own this album, a totally great album!, July 10, 2009

By 

BENJAMIN MILER (Veneta, Oregon) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Soft Machine - Volume Two (Audio CD)

Volume Two is Soft Machine's second album, released on the Probe label (distributed by ABC in America), and to me, the music is clearly an improvement on their debut! Kevin Ayers had left, with Hugh Hopper replacing him. This is perhaps one of the finest albums I have ever heard from 1969. Mike Ratledge provides us some great organ and piano work, and of course Robert Wyatt providing great drum work and some rather clever lyrics. This album really demonstrates the jazz background of these guys, and how they were able to show those influence in a psychedelic/early prog rock setting. This is a collection of mainly short pieces, some of them experimental, some of them proper "songs", plus Robert Wyatt reciting the British alphabet (that is, Z is "Zed"), and then doing it in reverse shortly after. There are the occasional experimental passage that gets me thinking of Krautrock groups, like early Tangerine Dream, Ash Ra Tempel, or Amon Duul II at their most experimental. Some of those jazzy pieces show you where the band would be headed for their Third album. Trying to pick out a highlight on this album is really difficult for me, for so many reasons, since the music changes rather fast. The great thing is the band never bores the listener for a moment here. To think that this came out a few months before King Crimson gave us In the Court of the Crimson King, this album really deserves mention as one of the albums that help start progressive rock in the first place. This is truly one of the highlights of the Canterbury scene, as far as I'm concerned. Certainly Third is thought of as their artistic high point, but you never want to miss Volume Two as you're really missing out on some great stuff, this album is totally essential!