The Soft Machine (studio album)
by Soft Machine

The Soft Machine by Soft Machine
Year: 1968
Overall rank: 2,107th   
Average Rating: 
77/100 (from 203 votes)
     
Accolades:
Award Top albums of 1968 (36th)
Award Top albums of the 1960s (199th)
Award Best albums of all time (2,107th)

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Product Details
Availability

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The Soft Machine Self Titled 2010 WG Cut Uncensored Vinyl LP Probe Record S/T
Condition: Used


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THE SOFT MACHINE S/T ORIGINAL 1968 UNCENSORED COVER LP EXPERIMENTAL JAZZ PSYCH
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THE SOFT MACHINE 1968 PROBE RECORDS VG VINYL LP UNCENSORED WHEEL COVER RARE
Condition: Used


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Soft Machine bestography

The Soft Machine is ranked 2nd best out of 40 albums by Soft Machine on BestEverAlbums.com.

The best album by Soft Machine is Third which is ranked number 1066 in the list of all-time albums with a total rank score of 1,633.

Soft Machine album bestography « Higher ranked (1,066th)
Third
This album (2,107th)
The Soft Machine
Lower ranked (5,218th) »
Volume Two

(N.B. Bestographies include all albums by an artist (and their variations), but do not include albums ranked outside the top 100,000).

Upcoming concerts

Jan
31
Sat
20:00
Lettuce
The Capitol Theatre, Port Chester, United States. United States
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Feb
14
Sat
21:30
The Heavyweights
Garcia's Chicago, Chicago, United States. United States
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Feb
14
Sat
19:30
The 10th Valentine Featuring Alex Bugnon and Jeff Kashiwa
Ludlow Garage Cincinnati, Cincinnati, United States. United States
Tickets from Ticketmaster Get tickets
 
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The Soft Machine track list

   The tracks on this album have an average rating of 79 out of 100 (all tracks have been rated).

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Track
Rating/Comments
1.
Average Rating: 82 (38 votes)Comments: View 0
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2.
Average Rating: 82 (36 votes)Comments: View 0
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3.
Average Rating: 78 (33 votes)Comments: View 0
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4.
Average Rating: 80 (35 votes)Comments: View 0
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5.
Average Rating: 80 (34 votes)Comments: View 0
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6.
Average Rating: 83 (37 votes)Comments: View 0
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7.
Average Rating: 78 (33 votes)Comments: View 0
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8.
Average Rating: 76 (35 votes)Comments: View 0
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9.
Average Rating: 81 (35 votes)Comments: View 0
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10.
Average Rating: 78 (34 votes)Comments: View 0
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11.
Average Rating: 76 (32 votes)Comments: View 0
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12.
Average Rating: 83 (40 votes)Comments: View 0
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13.
Average Rating: 75 (30 votes)Comments: View 0
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The Soft Machine rankings

Rankings summary
Overall rank: 2,107th | 1960s rank: 199th | 1968 rank: 36th

The Soft Machine collection

The Soft Machine ratings

Average Rating: 
77/100 (from 203 votes)
   Help Average Rating = (n ÷ (n + m)) × av + (m ÷ (n + m)) × AV
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).
AV = the site mean average rating.

Showing latest 5 ratings for this album. | Show all 203 ratings for this album.

Sort by
RatingDate updatedMemberAlbum ratingsAvg. album rating
 
70/100
 !
12/21/2025 07:20 Exist-en-ciel   4,87270/100
 
100/100
 !
12/15/2025 21:56 Martini   73496/100
 
80/100
 !
11/05/2025 19:51 FrancK   49083/100
 
95/100
 !
10/26/2025 05:22 ObsoleteEntity   51788/100
 
100/100
 !
09/12/2025 18:31 davidleewrong   2,31881/100

Rating metrics: Help 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 3% of all albums on BestEverAlbums.com. This album has a Bayesian average rating of 77.3/100, a mean average of 76.7/100, and a trimmed mean (excluding outliers) of 77.5/100. The standard deviation for this album is 14.6.

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The Soft Machine comments

Showing latest 10 comments | Show all 11 comments |
Most Helpful First | Newest First | Positive Sentiment First | Longest Comments First
(Only showing comments with -2 votes or higher. You can alter this threshold from your profile page. Manage Profile)

Rating:  
75/100
From 01/14/2024 11:49 | #301165
Great psychedelic album, the solo drum part goes on a bit too long but apart from that I like it. One of those albums where you hear more with each listen.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
75/100
From 03/10/2023 21:38 | #294898
Amongst the weirder albums that I own, not that that is a bad thing. Great musicianship and imaginative song structure. Free your mind and your ass will follow.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
95/100
From 03/08/2022 06:54 | #282502
Terrific album to learn to trip to-- or teach someone else.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 06/29/2021 11:00 | #271144
A hypnotic listen that just flows smoothly from the opening track right to the closing track. A much more accessible album compared to their later work but is still definitely among their best. It also perfectly encapsulates the psychedelic rock era of the 60's and is a great gateway album for people who are unaware of Soft Machine.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 11/20/2018 18:34 | #225306
At first this album sounded kind of weird and unsettling to me, but in a way that I couldn't stop thinking about. After I quit worrying about what is normal and just accepted it for how fun and expressive it is, I now consider it one of the most enjoyable listens ever.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 11/07/2018 19:39 | #224065
Oh my gosh this stuff is so hypnotic and engaging. Sort of unsettling but irresistible. Probably the epitome of psychedelic music in my opinion.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | 0 votes (0 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
Rating:  
90/100
From 11/03/2017 20:47 | #200539
Best Tracks: A Certain Kind, Why Am I So Short?
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | -1 votes (0 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
80/100
From 07/05/2016 20:13 | #170615
A much more straightforward(if that's the right word)from Soft Machine, considering their later material. It really is all over the place, in a good way, with some excellent musicianship. Great freak out sounds.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +1 votes (2 helpful | 1 unhelpful)
Rating:  
85/100
From 03/22/2014 14:23 | #107159
I listened to this after a tiring test, and believe me there is just a few things better to relax than this. Maybe for relaxing, maybe for making you enjoy the time, this album destroy your life expectations, building everything in a beautiful psychedelic orchestra. I like the vibes that it transmitted, but you the sensation that the time is stopped is the biggest highlight of this album, and the Instrumentation is amazing, with a huge quality. Very good
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +8 votes (8 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
From 02/22/2014 01:27 | #103952
"A Certain Kind" might be the most purely beautiful song I've ever heard, a perfect mix of 17th century organ and Robert Wyatt's sincerely emotive singing style. Oh and the rest is pretty great too.
Helpful?  (Log in to vote) | +2 votes (2 helpful | 0 unhelpful)
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Best Albums of 1968
1. The Beatles (The White Album) by The Beatles
2. Electric Ladyland by The Jimi Hendrix Experience
3. Astral Weeks by Van Morrison
4. Odessey And Oracle by The Zombies
5. The Kinks Are The Village Green Preservation Society by The Kinks
6. Beggars Banquet by The Rolling Stones
7. White Light/White Heat by The Velvet Underground
8. Bookends by Simon & Garfunkel
9. Music From Big Pink by The Band
10. At Folsom Prison by Johnny Cash
11. A Saucerful Of Secrets by Pink Floyd
12. Waiting For The Sun by The Doors
13. Lady Soul by Aretha Franklin
14. We're Only In It For The Money by The Mothers Of Invention
15. The Notorious Byrd Brothers by The Byrds
16. Cheap Thrills by Big Brother And The Holding Company
17. Wheels Of Fire by Cream
18. Os Mutantes by Os Mutantes
19. Sweetheart Of The Rodeo by The Byrds
20. S.F. Sorrow by The Pretty Things
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