Fourth / Fifth

Album by Soft Machine

Fourth and Fifth are the fourth and fifth studio albums by English rock band Soft Machine, released in 1969 and 1972 respectively. Fourth saw the band move away from their earlier psychedelic pop toward extended instrumental compositions rooted in jazz and experimental improvisation, and Fifth continued that trajectory into jazz-fusion and more abstract, improvisation-led instrumental work, marking a shift in the group's focus from song-based structures to longer, more exploratory pieces.