"Third" by Soft Machine, released in 1970, is a landmark album that showcases the band's evolution from psychedelic rock towards jazz rock and electronic music. It's a double album featuring one composition per side, marking the first recording with their four-piece lineup: Mike Ratledge on keyboards, Robert Wyatt on drums and vocals, Elton Dean on saxophone, and Hugh Hopper on bass guitar.
The album is structured with live and studio recordings. "Facelift" captures the previous five-piece lineup with Lyn Dobson on saxophone and flute alongside Ratledge, Wyatt, Hopper, and Dean. The remaining tracks feature the four-piece lineup, augmented by session musicians. Jimmy Hastings contributes significantly on flute and clarinet in "Slightly All the Time," while free-jazz violinist Rab Spall appears on the coda of "Moon in June." Additionally, Nick Evans makes brief trombone appearances on "Slightly All the Time" and "Out-Bloody-Rageous," having been part of Soft Machine during their earlier seven-piece incarnation.
"Third" is noted for its ambitious compositions, intricate arrangements, and its pioneering blend of jazz and rock elements, setting a distinctive tone in the progressive music landscape of the time.
