Originally released in 1969 following the departure of Kevin Ayers, Soft Machine second album is a more experimental and ambitious work that its predecessor. With Robert Wyatt as the driving creative force and the addition of Hugh Hopper on bass, Volume Two (blending pysch, jazz, and pop with enough whimsy and humor) is progressive rock at its finest. A classic of the Canterbury Scene. Featuring new liner notes.

A wild, freewheeling, and ultimately successful attempt to merge psychedelia with jazz-rock, Soft Machine's debut ranges between lovingly performed oblique pop songs and deranged ensemble playing from drummer/vocalist Robert Wyatt and organist Mike Ratledge. With only one real break (at the end of side one), the songs merge into each other -- not always smoothly, but always with a sense of flair that rescues any potential miscues. Wyatt takes most of the vocals, and proves himself a surprisingly evocative singer despite his lack of range. Like Pink Floyd's The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, Volume One was one of the few over-ambitious records of the psychedelic era that actually delivered on all its incredible promise. ~ John Bush, All Music Guide