Third (studio album) by Soft Machine
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Condition: Used
Soft Machine bestography
Third is ranked as the best album by Soft Machine.
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Third track list
The tracks on this album have an average rating of 83 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).
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Third rankings
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Third collection
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Third ratings
where:
av = trimmed mean average rating an item has currently received.
n = number of ratings an item has currently received.
m = minimum number of ratings required for an item to appear in a 'top-rated' chart (currently 10).
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Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 376 ratings for this album.
| Rating | Date updated | Member | Album ratings | Avg. album rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
20/100  | 41 hours ago |  doombringer | | 76/100 |
75/100 | 09/01/2025 18:24 | traistboar | | 80/100 |
70/100 | 08/27/2025 12:14 |  SomethingSpecial | | 81/100 |
95/100 | 08/18/2025 15:32 | MarkusKosmo | | 84/100 |
85/100 | 07/23/2025 05:46 | morphee | | 84/100 |
Rating metrics:
Outliers can be removed when calculating a mean average to dampen the effects of ratings outside the normal distribution. This figure is provided as the trimmed mean. A high standard deviation can be legitimate, but can sometimes indicate 'gaming' is occurring. Consider a simplified example* of an item receiving ratings of 100, 50, & 0. The mean average rating would be 50. However, ratings of 55, 50 & 45 could also result in the same average. The second average might be more trusted because there is more consensus around a particular rating (a lower deviation).
(*In practice, some albums can have several thousand ratings)
This album is rated in the top 2% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 79.7/100, a mean average of 78.3/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 79.9/100. The standard deviation for this album is 16.0.
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Third favourites
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Third comments
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If ever there was an album that divides opinion, this is it.
Which side do I come down on? I love weird shit. It’s challenging but I like it.
doombringer 41 hours ago
I had the idea of taking four or five random guys i meet at the bus-station every day and invite them to my house . Everybody brings an instrument and we all ``play `` (somewhat , somehow) what comes to our mind . We record it and release it , get lauded and ..... Then i realised somebody had this idea already ....
Seminal record
Definitely interesting experimental jazz album, but it is something I would not often listen to.
This album fuses jazz and rock incredibly. It feels transcendental and like it takes you to a completely different realm of existence at times with it sounding so unique compared to most things I have heard. The instrumentation is amazing as well and the variety they provide gives us so much to explore in all the songs. However, it can be slow in places and you do sometimes find yourself drifting out of the record. It would definitely benefit from some trimming around the edges as it is too long and would be held in a much higher esteem if they did this. Overall, an album that is great to stick on when you fancy something completely unique and relaxing.
rambling zerosihness. psychedlia
teague 06/17/2020 03:16
Some great musicianship. I love the weird half jazz/half prog rock thing they go for here.
P.S. The ranking on the individual songs is ass backwards, Facelift is definitely the best song on here, and Moon in June is definitely the weakest.
planetneutral 03/04/2018 15:49
This just feels so self-indulgent to me. And not in a good way.
mozzmozz 11/22/2017 21:38
Bought this in the early 70s at a street market in Exeter because I liked the "brown paper" packaging. Didn't like it at first. But over the years it grew on me big time. Hugh Hopper's base lines are amazing. Mike Ratledge's "Bees In A Bottle" keyboarding defines their unique form of Jazz. Robert Wyatt's vocals on Moon In June are genius. But this is Elton Dean's showcase - his Alto Sax soars on this album.
Personal favorite of mine, criminally underrated and influential.
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