Third

Personnel: Robert Wyatt (vocals, drums); Rab Spall (violin); Jimmy Hastings (flute, bass clarinet); Lyn Dobson (flute, soprano saxphone); Elton Dean (alto saxophone, saxello); Nick Evans (trombone); Mike Ratledge (piano, organ); Hugh Hopper (bass).
When Kevin Ayers left the band, Soft Machine moved into deep jazz/rock - so deep that they rarely rocked. The mercurial Robert Wyatt became occasional vocalist, although they were now effectively an instrumental unit of great originality. Third is generally regarded as their peak recording, a wandering foray using Elton Dean's soprano saxophone and Mike Ratledge's keyboards as the foundation to their sound. 'Moon In June' features Wyatt's frail, high-pitched voice, and is still talked about by cultists for the fact that he rarely sang the same words from one performance to another. Difficult music, but well worth the effort, especially after a vat of wine.

• Genre: Pop
• RSD Release Date: DDD
• Released: 3/21/2016
• Format: Vinyl