Schoenberg in Alabama? Great googly wooglies! Soft Machine 2 alludes only to the title of one of his pieces. Musically, the album quotes the old standard "These Foolish Things" (which Roxy Music / Bryan Ferry later covered almost unrecognizably). Two is
Soft Machine doesn't get difficult until 4-5 (except or Facelift on Third). Then on 6, they become more melodic, with some of the compositions prefiguring new age. After 7, they veer toward polished but soulless tunes, with the last original member (organist Mike Ratledge) leaving after the 8th album (titled "Bundles"), and a newer member Karl Jenkins leading the band toward commercially acceptable pablum.
Do you remember this DeBeers Diamond commercial?
The music was written by Jenkins. He is now Sir Karl.
At their most challenging, Soft Machine is still (in my view) accessible, e.g. "Teeth" from Four. It may take a handful of plays before it becomes clear what they're doing, but the rewards are commensurate with the effort. https://youtu.be/WpOLIQNuekc
Trivia: Whitney Houston's first single was written by Soft Machine bassist Hugh Hopper.
