During the time between their first and second albums, Soft Machine toured with The Jimi Hendrix Experience and even briefly employed futur Police guitarist Andy Summers as a replacement for Daevid Allen. Bassist and songwriter Kevin Ayers left the band and was replaced by Hugh Hopper, a move that put to rest the psychedelic pop era of Soft Machine: from here on out, the band would be heavily influenced by jazz. Volume Two is as much a transitional release for Soft Machine as their debut album, as it represents the band at a period just before they developed their mature style.
