For those unaware, Five years after the release of their last studio album, legendary UK musical institution Soft Machine return with a brand new CD/LP, Other Doors.

Boasting new material and two numbers drawn from their extensive historical repertoire, Other Doors finds the band on their usual fiery form.

Featuring John Etheridge (guitars), Theo Travis, (saxes, flutes, Fender Rhodes piano, electronics), Fred Thelonious Baker (Fretless bass), John Marshall (drums), Other Doors also features two guest appearances from long-serving bassist Roy Babbington, who retired from the band in 2021.

1. Careless Eyes (2:28)
2. Penny Hitch (6:49)
3. Other Doors (4:51)
4. Crocked Usage (8:29)
5. Joy Of A Toy (3:24)
6. A Flock Of Holes (2:18)
7. Whisper Back (1:40)
8. The Stars Apart (4:22)
9. Now! Is The Time (2:16)
10. Fell To Earth (5:51)
11. The Visitors At The Window (4:08)
12. Maybe Never (2:26)
13. Back In Season (7:17)

Opening on the ethereal, almost haunting Careless Eyes and the veritably glistening Penny Hitch, up next is the titular, free flowing Other Doors, the abstractly percussional, one minute, electronica-imbibed the next Crooked Usage, the Pink Panther-esque, psychedelia vibe of their own 1968 track Joy of a Toy, and both the theatrical A Flock of Holes and a dutiful solo guitar piece, written and played by Etheridge, Whisper Back.

Along next is the sweetly relaxed The Stars Apart and a delightful two-minute bass duet Now! Is The Time and they are in turn backed by the sax-led, slow-weaving machinations, and prowling inquisitiveness pursued during Fell To Earth (inspired by the Nic Roeg film), the atmospherically electronic bed that thread through The Visitors At The Window, the recording rounding out with the spacial ambiance within Maybe Never, coming to a dulcet, soothingly melodic close on the elegiac seven minute Back In Season.

On Other Doors they’ve revisited the very first album, originally released in 1968, to include Kevin Ayers’ Joy Of A Toy. Fred Baker, makes his studio debut with Soft Machine. A well-known figure on the Canterbury Scene not only is he the perfect choice for the group but he’s also is a long-term fan of the repertoire. “The way I look at it is that this is all great music which we’re continuing to preserve and keep alive as we play it but also we’re adding to it all the time,” he explains.

“The idea for revisiting the number was Theo Travis’”, he adds, “and has been part of the band’s live set list for a while. I’ve added some extra harmonies and other things to it, so it’s got my stamp as well as going back right down to Kevin Ayers’ original. It somehow fitted in with all of the new material as well as the older tracks we do. It’s amazing the amount of young people coming along to gigs who are liking the wide range of music we play.”

The album also contains Penny Hitch, a track originally heard on 1973’s Soft Machine Seven. This features the first of two appearances of Roy Babbington who provides the bass lines underpinning Karl Jenkins’ composition while Fred plays the sinuous lead melody on his fretless bass. The pair also worked together as a duo on Now! Is The Time, a number originally based on a theme Babbington brought into the sessions, with Fred and Roy both adding and expanding the scope of the piece.

If the album ushers in a new member in the shape of Fred Baker, it also acts as a fond farewell to drummer John Marshall, who joined Soft Machine midway through the recording of 1972’s Fifth. At the age of 81 Marshall has decided to retire making Other Doors his final studio album with the group. “I’ve known John since 1975 when I first joined Soft Machine and of course, we’ve worked through the years together intermittently ever since. His drumming always meant a lot to me,” says Etheridge. “We worked over three days in the studio and John played great. It sounds terrific.”

Indeed, Marshall is on whip-cracking form throughout the album bringing his trademark musicality and decisive presence. With Other Doors, he brings his distinguished career to a rousing conclusion.

Intense, celebratory, and consistently impressive. Other Doors is the sound of a group determined to press forwards with an integrity and sense of purpose that’s quintessentially and definitively Soft Machine.

Musicians:
JOHN ETHERIDGE - guitars
THEO TRAVIS - tenor and soprano saxophones, flutes, Fender Rhodes piano, electronics
FREDDY BAKER - fretless bass guitar
JOHN MARSHALL - drums
Special Guest; ROY BABBINGTON - bass guitar (tunes 2 and 9)

Official Purchase Link