Seven is a 1973 album by the British progressive rock and jazz/fusion band Soft Machine who were one of the central bands in the Canterbury scene. Bassist Roy Babbington, who had previously contributed to Fourth and Fifth on double bass as a session musician, replaced Hugh Hopper on bass guitar, who left to begin a solo career.
The album was issued on CBS Records with a colour gatefold cover in the UK, and on Columbia Records with a completely different black and white cover in the USA. The title on the USA front cover is the numeral 7, but is spelled out as Seven on the spine and label. Although this is a 1973 release, USA copies show a copyright date of 1974 (and a phonographic rights date of 1973), suggesting the North American release may have been delayed.
The final two tracks are clearly intended as a joke. The preceding track, "Down the Road", fades into a swirling abstract jumble of notes on keyboards which plays with little variation for three minutes before fading out, and there is nothing musically to indicate the transition from German to French lessons, and no explanation as to why these two tracks are credited to different composers.
Track listing
Side one
- "Nettle Bed" (Karl Jenkins) – 4:47
- "Carol Ann" (Jenkins) – 3:48
- "Day's Eye" (Mike Ratledge) – 5:05
- "Bone Fire" (Ratledge) – 0:32
- "Tarabos" (Ratledge) – 4:32
- "D.I.S." (John Marshall) – 3:02
Side two
- "Snodland" (Jenkins) – 1:50
- "Penny Hitch" (Jenkins) – 6:40
- "Block" (Jenkins) – 4:17
- "Down the Road" (Jenkins) – 5:48
- "The German Lesson" (Ratledge) – 1:53
- "The French Lesson" (Jenkins) – 1:01
Personnel
References
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