Pink Floyd Thread - New Old Releases

[Rob McCow]

Ah... I'd come to suspect that Obscured By Clouds was an overlooked gem. There seem to be a couple of reasons it gets overlooked -
- It wasn't toured or promoted heavily. The band were in the studio, rather than out on the road playign this album.
- Pink Floyd forgot the album. I'm not sure about 'Delicate Sound of Thunder' but none of the tracks from this album appear on 'Pulse' and if there was one on 'Echoes' I missed it. Wot's... Uh The Deal? may have appeared on Live In Gdansk, but only on the 5 LP version.
- By all reports, La Vallee was utter rubbish.

Is it ok to draft your reviews over time on yahoo! and then copy and paste here?

Sounds like a bloody good idea, I always type mine up in Word first, having had heartache before with a long review post was lost after the computer locked up. :throw

[Dave Tudor]

Oh! Who's this lagging behind as usual....

MEDDLE

Harvest SHVL 795
Released 5 November 1971 (UK) 30 October 1971 (US, Harvest SMAS-832)
Highest UK Chart Position: 3 (82 weeks on chart)
Highest US Chart Position: 70

Recorded at AIR Studios, EMI Studios and at Morgan Studios London 1971
Engineers Peter Bown and John Leckie at AIR and EMI, Rob Black and Roger Quested at Morgan
Album Cover designed by Pink Floyd
Outer sleeve photos by Bob Dowling, Inner sleeve photo by Hipgnosis
Pink Floyd are Roger Waters Bass Guitar and Vocals, Nick Mason Percussion, Dave Gilmour Guitars and Vocals, Rick Wright Keyboards and Vocals
All material composed and produced by Pink Floyd

SIDE ONE

1. ONE OF THESE DAYS (Waters-Wright-Mason-Gilmour) 5.57

An epic soundscape opens the album, with desolate winds howling across some lonely, foreboding vista. The scene-setting effects give way to a stomping, driving, double-tracked bassline which seems at first to owe more to glam rock than prog. It’s another in a long line of instrumental jams, but this time, the sound is heavier, thanks to Gilmour’s rocky slide guitar, punctuated by Wright’s treated keyboard stabs, and Mason’s pounding drums. There’s a brief interlude, with guitar and keyboard effects, and even a touch of the post-modern, as the band stick in a cheeky stab at the Doctor Who theme, before Mason intones the track’s only lyric. One Of These Days sounds a little like an updated Careful With That Axe Eugene, and it’s something of a surprise to learn that it was apparently written with veteran DJ Jimmy Young in mind! The track bursts into a full-on whig-out, the band once more demonstrating their effectiveness as a tightly-knit instrumental unit. In truth, there is very little to the number, but it would prove to be a long-standing live favourite, and, as an album opener, it serves its purpose brilliantly.

2. A PILLOW OF WINDS (Waters-Gilmour) 5.11

A Pillow Of Winds see a distinct change in tone, and a return to the gentle pastoral sound, so perfected by Pink Floyd at this point, but now the sound is richer, fuller, despite the rather spartan instrumentation. Gilmour provides strong vocals as well as some typically slick playing, on acoustic and electric slide, while the production is very crisp and clear (this is the first album not to feature the guiding hand of Norman Smith). Mention must also go to Waters’ slide bass. Again, there is not a great deal of substance to the track, but Meddle seems to be about atmosphere, rather than simply melodic qualities, and this is certainly an evocative track.

3. FEARLESS (Waters-Gilmour) Including “You’ll Never Walk Alone” (Rodgers-Hammerstein II) 6.08

Another more laid back piece, with something of a country-rock feel about it. Fearless features a simple but effective main riff, and this, together with pleasant vocals from Gilmour add a bit more weight to this one. The track is notable for a pretty strong group performance, plus more evidence of the band’s use of tape effects, with the sounds of The Kop singing You’ll Never Walk Alone (it’s a surprise, then, to discover that Roger Waters is actually an Arsenal fan – should he not have taken the opportunity to celebrate his team’s recent league and cup double!?). A good number, if rather throwaway, and one I’m rather fond of, but three tracks in, and it would be nice to hear something with more substance.

4. SAN TROPEZ (Waters) 3.43

Alas, this is not it: San Tropez is a jazzy number, sung by Waters in a more reserved tone than usual. It has a suitably French feel to it and is another example of Floyd’s more tongue-in-cheek style, despite its rather melancholy, introspective lyrics. The easy-going instrumental sections see more slide guitar, and some delightful piano from Wright. All in all, it’s something of a departure for the band, and not one that they would attempt again (possibly a good thing) but, again, I’m quite fond of the track.

5. SEAMUS (Waters-Wright-Mason-Gilmour) 2.16

Widely regarded as the nadir of Pink Floyd’s back catalogue, Seamus is a throwaway blues number, with backing ‘vocals’ provided by Steve Marriott’s dog, the titular Seamus. Quite what the band had in mind when they came up with this idea (and what they’re actually doing to that poor dog!) is anybody’s guess, but it’s a shame that the gimmick overshadows some superb playing from Gilmour and Wright in particular. A curious ending to a surprisingly unsatisfying first side.

[Dave Tudor]

Pink Floyd, 1971

SIDE TWO

1. ECHOES (Waters-Wright-Mason-Gilmour) 23.30

At last, this is what Meddle is really all about: an epic of such scope, such breadth and imagination, and a hugely important stepping stone in the band’s development. As much about atmosphere as any other track on the album, from its peculiar opening sonar ‘ping’ and gradual build-up, but also has the melody and musical power to match. Its length allows the piece to breathe and to grow. A step up from Atom Heart Mother, Echoes follows a similar, near-symphonic structure, but is, in turn, more simple, yet more ambitious. David Gilmour’s spine-tingling guitar, ever more sophisticated, marks the piece out as quintessential Pink Floyd, while throughout, it brims full of powerful musical themes – the main motif, following each verse, is just wonderful. Gilmour and Wright’s harmonies quite lovely, while the ethereal lyrics enthral and beguile. The playing is excellent, especially Mason’s busy, graceful drumming, and Waters’ solid bass. Led by Gilmour’s confident, soaring guitar, the first instrumental is exciting and breath-taking. This haunting, bluesy jam dovetails neatly into a funkier, spacier improvisation, with Waters, Mason and Wright providing solid backing to Gilmour’s wailing, six-string trickery. Just when you think that this section may outstay its welcome, Echoes transports us beneath the waves, to an eerie, ambient sonic ocean, our only companion, a mournful electronic whale, so graceful in these experimental waters. This section is really rather strange, but relaxing and evocative, and further proof of the band’s desire to push back the boundaries and explore sonic possibilities - that it is so difficult to tell what exactly is making these sounds is testament to their skills. This peaceful refrain is slowly broken by the sound of a single keyboard chord and the reappearance of that ‘ping’, the atmosphere gradually building again, with Gilmour and Mason rejoining the fray. What follows is another beautifully-timed, galloping instrumental: hypnotic, organic, natural, and utterly captivating, the band seems to cruelly toy with our emotions. The section builds to tumescent, spine-tingling crescendo – this is such incredible stuff, that when the main theme returns, it really makes the hairs stand on end. This final, moving verse eventually leads into another blistering instrumental, and one last all-powerful freak-out: this is truly the sound of a band hitting the peak of their powers, and finally fulfilling their potential. The mesmerising coda, reminiscent of some post-coital glow, is just the icing on the cake, and, even after twenty-three minutes of sheer aural bliss, one still wants more. This monuemntal track is perhaps the pinnacle of Pink Floyd’s achievement, and, without a doubt, their finest recording yet. As beautiful as progressive rock ever gets, Echoes is a masterpiece.

[SiHart]

Obscured by Clouds

Obscured by Clouds ***
Thanks to the Radiophonic Workshop, Pink Floyd got an EMS synth and here it's put to good use with the sinister bass chord playing throughout the track. The drum pattern echoes what we'll hear soon in Dark Side of the Moon too, doesn't it?
Anyway, this is a pretty good opener. Nice instrumental with some great guitar.

When You're In ***
More of the same only with the synth buried in the mix this time round. It's gone before you notice and doesn't really do a great deal, but is rather good all the same.

Burning Bridges ***
Singing- Hooray! I like the way they all sing on this, as it makes the song stand out from the norm a bit. The voice contrast nicely with each other and combine along with some lovely slide guitar from Gilmour to prduce a very satisfying song.

The Gold It's in the... ***1/2
Blimey! It's heavy! What impressed me about this album is that there's such a variety of styles employed, not all them what you'd expect from Floyd at this or any other point. I really like this one; it rocks!

Wot's... Uh the Deal? *****
But this one is just gorgeous and one of the finest Pink Floyd we've had up to this point. Lovely lyrics that are sung beautifully- it wraps you up in a warm freshly washed blanket and comforts you as it plays. Just adorably lovely.

Mudmen ***
This another mellow track- for a bit until we get some stinging electric guitar, big fat synth chords and more great silde guitar- all of which are more than acceptable.

Childhood's End ***
Ooh, more drum machine echoes of the forthcoming Dark Side album, before we get another slice of clasic 70s rock. Agian, nothing truly outstanding here, but very likeable.

Free Four ****
This one I love! Acoustic guitar, synth stabs and an almost singalong lyric. They sound like they're having fun and for the first time in ages, it's fun that doesn't seem self indulgent! We're all in on this one. I like the lyrics, and this is just another good song on a very consistent album.

Stay ****
Like a better San Tropez, this is alovely song that just conjures a sunset and spending the end of the day with someone you're falling for. Agian, there's decent lyrics and a lovely atmosphere. Tucked away at the end of the album, this is the perfect place for such an intimate song.

Absolutely Curtains ***
Great name for a track, and again I hear echoes of things to come- the start feels very Wish You Were Here for a bit- along with echoes of earlier times with the mellotron sounds. It's just a great shame we get the tribal singing which threatens to ruin all the hard work. Shame.

So Obscured by Clouds, knocked off ina couple of weeks becomes perhaps their most consistently likeable album so far. It's a great shame they didn't do more of this sort of thing- because they've shown here they can write some great music, very fast and produce a strong album without going down the influential-perfectionist route. Things could have been different if they'd used this as template. They didn't, but as it stands this album really is a neglected gem. Great stuff!

Si xx

[Carol Baynes]

Sorry about this, I'm WAY behind. I've not been posting much recently, so I've some catching up to do. I'llkeep these short and sweet, and add any more comments and opinions if and when I think of them...

“Atom Heart Mother” really takes some getting used to. It’s quite a leap to what went before in the band’s catalogue, and is bravely trying something new, with the use of orchestration, but I always have doubts about how well the whole album works. There is some really good stuff, like “Summer of ‘68” and the orchestra gives the album a BIG epic sound,almost a precursor to later albums. “AHM suite” has a great Gilmour solo, and is marvellously structured. “If” and “Fat old sun” are good tunes too, but the album as a whole always leaves me with a feeling of being slightly dull, as if the band were taking themselves more seriously than they should and losing something in the process.
Any feeling of tedium aside, the album has its atom heart in the right place. 2.5 out of 5

“Meddle” is the one- this is where I think the band finally found their true identity after losing the creative leadership of Syd Barrett. Here, Gilmour reaches new musical heights; infact the whole band seem to step up to the mark. The album does veer into slightly annoying cheese, with “Seamus” And “San Tropez” jarring with the impeccable moments elsewhere. “Echoes” is the pivotal track on the album, a wonderful piece, which although it isn’t infallible (tending to go on a bit too long) it does hint at the artistic heights the band would continue to reach for. Here, though, there is a sense of wonder and slight magic in the approach and “Meddle” remains one of their stonger albums, and refreshingly free of the era- defining pretention of their mid to late ‘70s albums.
4 out of 5

[Rob McCow]

Hurrah! Great to see people starting to catch up... I'm going to start Dark Side of The Moon this weekend, then we should probably let that run for a few weeks and get everyone to comment!

“Echoes” is the pivotal track on the album, a wonderful piece, which although it isn’t infallible (tending to go on a bit too long)

I think the band have often said that Echoes tries the patience of an audience, though it is a marvellous song. It's a fine line between creating an atmosphere and being boring.

On the other hand:

As beautiful as progressive rock ever gets, Echoes is a masterpiece.

I can see that point of view as well! I think Echoes works provided you've got the stamina and concentration to see it through.

I do think Atom Heart Mother is a more interesting song though!

[Dave Tudor]

OBSCURED BY CLOUDS
Music from La Vallée

Harvest SHSP 4020
Released 3 June 1972 (UK) 15 June 1972 (US, Harvest ST-11078)
Highest UK Chart Position: 6 (14 weeks on chart)
Highest US Chart Position: 46

La Vallée directed by Barbet Schroeder with Bulle Ogier, Jean Pierre Kalfon and Michael Gothard. Produced by Les Film de Losange. Album Cover by Hipgnosis.

Music composed and produced by Pink Floyd

SIDE 1

1. OBSCURED BY CLOUDS (Waters, Gilmour) 3.05

A heavy electronic drone and persistent drumbeat underpin this instrumental mood piece. Atmospheric and slightly threatening, it sees the most extensive use of the synthesiser to date, in this case, the ubiquitous EMS VCS3, which would play such a vital part in the recording of the next album. A simple slide guitar part from David Gilmour is enough to embellish the track. An effective album opener, and quite impressive, despite its simplicity.

2. WHEN YOU’RE IN (Waters, Gilmour, Mason, Wright) 2.28

Picking up where the previous track left off, this is another brief instrumental jam, heavier than before, thanks largely to the unrestrained drumming from Nick Mason. The track boasts another simple-yet-effective riff, and it seems that the Floyd have adopted a less-is-more policy on this record (this was largely dictated by the much more basic equipment that the band were forced to use in the studio at Chateau d’Herouville in France, where the album was recorded), much to their credit.

3. BURNING BRIDGES (Wright, Waters) 3.29

Burning Bridges sees a return to more familiar territory, and almost a throwback to dreamy, late-60s’ whimsy. The wistful lyrics are sung beautifully by Gilmour and Wright, whose vocal presence is more prominent here than on Meddle. There’s more arresting guitar work from Gilmour, here providing a slightly extended solo, and further setting out his blueprint for the distinctive and successful Pink Floyd sound. Haunting and beautiful, this is another surprisingly good track.

4. THE GOLD IT’S IN THE… (Waters, Gilmour) 3.07

David Gilmour leads this hard-rocker (by Floyd standards anyway!) with what could almost be described as gay abandon. It’s more laid-back and perhaps more natural than previous, more contrived rockers on More (although not as good as The Nile Song, in my opinion) and it’s refreshing to hear such a raw, unrestrained-sounding Pink Floyd: perhaps because, in some ways, this is not really an ‘official’ album, the band feel free to try things like this, and it is this relaxed tone which adds to the album’s appeal.

5. WOT’S… UH THE DEAL (Waters, Gilmour) 5.09

Crisp, acoustic guitar lies at the heart of this deceptively-whimsical country ballad, with a few echoes of If in places. Once again, it’s incredible to hear the band in such easy-going mode – one could almost say they are enjoying themselves. A lovely little ballad, embellished with the light touch of Richard Wright’s piano, it’s nicely structured, with a pleasant chorus, and a strong set of lyrics: it’s interesting to note how important words would become to the band now, and that greater emphasis is notable throughout Obscured By Clouds. Wot’s… Uh The Deal could have made a good single, but as it is, it remains one of those neglected delights.

6. MUDMEN (Wright, Gilmour) 4.20

A slight instrumental reprise of Burning Bridges sees Wright leading the piece, backed ably by Mason who has been particularly prominent so far (this is one of his favourite albums, apparently). The chorus, as it were, is extremely powerful, Gilmour producing a classic, soulful Floyd lick, as well as some dreamy counterpoint. Once again the sound is raw, but in parts, hints at things to come, and brings to an end a very satisfying first side in impressive style.

[Dave Tudor]

Original 1972 film poster

SIDE 2

1. CHILDHOOD’S END (Gilmour) 4.35

The second side opens very much like the first, as an electronic drone fades in, a device which the band would continue to use to great effect in years to come. Tribal-like drums provide the bed for a soulful riff, and then Gilmour takes up the reins for his own composition. Maybe not as memorable as some of his previous efforts, but it’s a gutsy, atmospheric number, with Gilmour further stretching his abilities as a vocalist.

2. FREE FOUR (Waters) 4.16

In which Pink Floyd go glam! Well, sort of… A charming, easy-going number, released, unsurprisingly, as a single in some countries, it masks typically dark lyrics from Roger Waters, whose presence has not been felt too strongly on the album up to this point. It contains all the typical Waters concerns, such as madness, war, death (particularly his dead father), ageing, and the grind of being in a rock band, all of which would resurface later, notably on the next album. It may not be ‘classic’ Floyd, but, that Waters can wrap such deep concerns up in such a catchy pop-rock track is brilliant, and Free Four is another of those oft-forgotten gems.

3. STAY (Wright, Waters) 4.07

This near-coda, largely written by Richard Wright, who also takes lead vocals, is quite beautiful, and once again sees the singer in melancholy, reflective mood. Wright is able to put very real emotions across in quite real terms, almost expressing the worries of anyone who may be listening, a talent for which he doesn’t always get due credit. This would be one of his last notable songwriting contributions for over many years – but there are still several delights to come from the keyboardist. A lovely number, with strong instrumental contributions from all concerned, and it winds down the album nicely.

4. ABSOLUTELY CURTAINS (Waters, Gilmour, Wright, Mason) 5.52

Finally, the album ends with this curious sound collage, which appears to resurrect some 60s’ sounds, while also looking to the future, in its sound structure and atmosphere, and even greater emphasis on tape effects. It’s a mood piece, the most distinctly ‘soundtrack’ part of the album, and ostensibly not very significant. But in retrospect, in its merging of sounds from several eras, it sees Pink Floyd closing the book on one chapter of their career and about to embark on another, altogether different – and much more successful.

Bulle Ogier in Barbet Schroeder's La Vallée

[Dave Tudor]

Before moving on, I feel we should take a brief look at a important entry in the Pink Floyd back catalogue...

PINK FLOYD
LIVE AT POMPEII

Released September 1972
Extended version released August 1974
Video originally released 1981 (UK, Spectrum 790182)
Director's Cut DVD released 21 October 2003 (Universal 8201310)

David Gilmour
Nick Mason
Roger Waters
Richard Wright

Directed by Adrian Maben
Produced by Michele Arnaud, Reiner Moritz
Production Directors Marc Laurore, Hans Thorner, Leonardo Pescarolo
Directors of Photography Willy Kurant, Gabor Pogany
Cameramen Claude Agostini Idermo, Gerard Hameline, Henri Czap, Jacques Boumendil
Sound Peter Watts, Charles Rauchet
Art Direction Jose Pinheiro
Assistant Marie Claire Perret
Dubbing Editor Paul Berthault
Special Effects Michel Francois
Continuity Marie-Noel Zurstrassen

1972 RM Productions

SONGS:
ECHOES Part I
On The Run*
CAREFUL WITH THAT AXE EUGENE
A SAUCERFUL OF SECRETS
Us And Them*
ONE OF THESE DAYS I'M GOING TO CUT YOU INTO LITTLE PIECES
SET THE CONTROLS FOR THE HEART OF THE SUN
Brain Damage*
MADEMOISELLE NOBBS
ECHOES Part II

* 80-minute version only

Pink Floyd's second cinema foray of 1972 was this film record of the band's now-legendary performance in the ruins of the ancient Roman city of Pompeii, shot in October 1971. A German/French/Belgian co-production, the film was directed by Adrian Maben, and its aim was to capture the atmosphere of the contemporary Pink Floyd live show, which it did admirably, despite the lack of audience and the rather unlikely setting.

Although the concert was bookended by the recent Echoes (here, split into two parts), the set largely consisted of the live favourites which had been concert staples since the late sixties: thus, we are treated to some brilliantly moody and evocative performances of Careful With That Axe Eugene and Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun, both featuring Roger Waters in fine form (and both actually filmed in a Paris studio some months later), plus a particularly fascinating (and almost hilariously self-consciously avant-garde!) take on A Saucerful Of Secrets which ably demonstrates how exactly the band produced those strange, wonderful sounds. Disappointingly, there is no Astronomy Domine nor Interstellar Overdrive, but the film does at least provide, at last, an adequate record of the band's set, at a time when the set was about to change considerably, and most of these songs would gradually be dropped. Other highlights include One Of These Days (here given the full, unwieldy title of One Of These Days I’m Going To Cut You Into Little Pieces) which is notable for witnessing Nick Mason lose one of his drumsticks in mid-flow, and casually picking up another without missing a beat, and also an instrumental version of Seamus under the curious title of Mademoiselle Nobbs, featuring Roger Waters on lead guitar, David Gilmour on harmonica, and Richard Wright on Afghan hound. But it’s the epic performance of Echoes which is most impressive: the track was just about to be released on Meddle at the time the Pompeii concert was filmed, but it had already been an important part of Pink Floyd’s live show since April 1971 (originally under the title Return Of The Son Of Nothing), and this accounts for the assured polish and power of this version.

The hour-long film, titled simply Pink Floyd on the opening credits, premiered at the Edinburgh Festival in September 1972, and was soon to debut on television in Europe. However, during this period, while Pink Floyd were busy working on their next album, it was decided to shoot footage of the band at work at Abbey Road, although this was actually filmed in January 1973, after the album had been recorded, and so the recording sessions were actually staged for the film. However, as well as capturing exclusive (and occasionally alternative) takes of the tracks On The Run, Brain Damage and Us And Them, the filmmakers managed to secure some candid footage of the band at rest in the Abbey Road canteen, and some rather insightful interviews, which included Gilmour’s frustration at the Floyd’s labelling as a drug-orientated band, Waters rather spookily predicting ‘the great economic collapse’, and Mason’s preference for apple pie without the crust. This footage was edited into the film alongside the Pompeii concert, and the film was eventually re-released in April 1974 – however, the results of those recording sessions would be heard far sooner…

This 80-minute version was released on home video under the title Pink Floyd – Live at Pompeii several times between 1981 and 1994, and continued to crop up occasionally on television, usually in the early hours of the morning. In October 2003, a ‘director’s cut’ was issued on DVD, in brand new packaging designed by Peter Curzon and Storm Thorgerson. This new version featured alternative takes of the band’s performance, alongside some rather impressive CGI space footage. Extras on the DVD included an interview with director Maben, plus the original hour-long concert film.

The original VHS release (left) and the 2003 Director's Cut DVD

[Rob McCow]

Hmm - fantastic stuff. I'll have to see if we can get us a copy of Pompeii

But for now... there is no dark side of the moon.

[Rob McCow]

the dark side of the moon

ESSENTIAL INFORMATION
Recorded at - Abbey Road Studios, London, between June 1972 and January 1973.
Released March, 1973.
Highest UK Chart Position – No.2 (!)
The black, black, so black it hurts cover is adorned with a prism triangle turning a beam of light into a rainbow… or maybe the other way round.

TRACK LIST
SIDE A
Speak to Me (Nick Mason) – 1:30
Breathe (David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Richard Wright) – 2:43
On the Run (Gilmour, Waters) – 3:30
Time (Gilmour, Waters, Wright, Mason) – 6:53
The Great Gig in the Sky (Wright, (and after a 2004 lawsuit) Clare Torry) – 4:15

SIDE B
Money (Waters) – 6:30
Us and Them (Waters, Wright) – 7:34
Any Colour You Like (Gilmour, Wright, Mason) – 3:24
Brain Damage (Waters) – 3:50
Eclipse (Waters) – 1:45

HOT LINKS
Lyrics - http://pinkfloydhyperbase.dk/albums/dark.htm
Wiki – http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Side_of_the_Moon
The far better Pink Floyd & Co Link - http://pinkfloyd-co.com/disco/moon/moon_album.html
Unconvincing Pink Floyd / Wizard of Oz conspiracy theory crossover. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KmCfvcfHwKA
Excessive re-release tie in site – http://www.pinkfloyd.co.uk/dsotm/content/setup.html
Tons to read at the most ‘complete’ Pink Floyd page – http://utopia.knoware.nl/users/ptr/p...iew/dark4.html
A moderately good Great Gig In The Sky – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=InOpOHfSt40


OTHER ALBUMS OF 1973
The Who - Quadrophenia
Genesis - Selling England by the Pound
Roxy Music - Stranded
The Stooges - Raw Power
Stevie Wonder - Innervisions
Tom Waits - Closing Time
Wings - Band on the Run
Lou Reed - Berlin
Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Emerson, Lake & Palmer - Brain Salad Surgery (Unexpectedly not even the second best Prog album of 1973!)
David Bowie - Aladdin Sane
Mike Oldfield - Tubular Bells
Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy (starting to name their albums… it was the beginning of the end for LZ.)
Marvin Gaye - Let's Get It On

[Rob McCow]

My next post is going to be a bit... gonzo.

[SiHart]

Si xx

[Rob McCow]

Speak To Me
Bah-dum. Bah-dum. Bah-dum. Something is coming out of the darkness, building up all around you.
Did you press start?
Yes, I can hear something now.
What’s that voice?
Is that a cash register? Who’s laughing? Who’s there?
What the hell – is that a helicopter?
Screams – NO!

Breathe
Breakthrough to… Slow, gentle guitar. Slide.
Drifting away now, into a new reality. A new perspective on existence.
Walking through a desert, buildings of glass. Surreal senses.
A faceless man greets you and takes you into a new world. Welcome.
Breathe. Breathe in the air.
The voice is anonymous, full of longing and pain. The only trace of humanity in the alien landscape.
A rabbit? Dig that hole. The futility of our lives.
Can you ride the tide? Death approaches quickly.

On the Run
Everything slides away. You are taken away from the desert and you head into a tunnel, a vortex, a nightmare. Facetiously, there’s a foreign announcement as though you were in a European train station.
Running.
Something swoops down dropping its cargo of – What?
The pace of the journey is breathtaking, modulating and shifting as it goes.
A machine is coming out of the air. Circling you, investigating.
Live for today, gone for tomorrow – is that a memory?
There’s little time left. Faces leer at you out of the dark.
The dark side.
The moon.
Boiling and bubbling, scurrying at infinite speed beyond reality, beyond life… strange objects all around, the unfamiliar, the bizarre, the memories of manic laughter, of hatred… getting closer. Too close!

BANG.

Time
The rumbling fades. Alone, running. Is this the dark side of the moon?
A desolate landscape, rocky, airless.
The ticking of a clock. Two clocks. Hundreds!
The chimes erupt, the very concept of time devours you.
A heartbeat / your watch.
And it arrives. The desolate landscape gives way to a majestic vision of time in its fullness, the excellence, the wonder of Time.
Terrifying.
Floating endlessly over a maze of Time, cut crystal made out of shards of space.
The equation is beautiful. This is the Universe and you are standing outside it.
Digging away… From this perspective you can see people wasting their times, their lives. What will show them the way?
Resting in the sunshine, Enjoying youth.
But instantly it’s snatched away, ten years pass in a moment and you fall behind.
The emotion, the longing of it is utterly sublime and yet desperate at the same Time.
It drives forward with shrieking passion and intensity, the guitars taking your Time, stealing time from you.
The cut crystal maze is not something you are looking at, it’s something you are trapped in.
The sun is sinking, racing the Earth. The world is tiny, the sun circles it impossibly quickly.
Your breath fails and old age arrives.
We are all here together. Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way.
The time has run out, your imagination, wit, thought is all used up.
All you want to do is go home, rest your bones by the fire. Memories of a tiny, damp room lit by a warm hearth.
A million, million miles, the Iron Bell, the faithful, religion sings another song.

The Great Gig in the Sky
All of this fades away. Piano.
Alone in a religious house, a Church? An empty room?
Now I am not frightened of dying. Death arrives, a ferry to take you to the next place… a place of religious ECSTASY.
Travelling again, slowly this time, higher and higher, buoyed up by the wailing, the scream of an angel, elevating you, transforming you as every kind of ecstatic joy wracks your body. This is beyond life, beyond sex, beyond pleasure… and now beyond pain.
The wailing calms as you see things in another new light. Floating serenely above the clouds. Your own funeral a hundred thousand miles below. You see everything clearly. The angel sadly moans. You are lost. The ecstasy is now under control.
What was that you said?
She is angry for what is lost, she is spent and devastated. Your only companion in death. Religion has taken you outside of your life.

Time to turn the record over.

Money
You can’t take it with you.
Doesn’t stop the sound of cash registers bringing happiness to your ears.
The music grinds and repeats, bowling along in an endless economic cycle.
MONEY.
This is religion.
This is what it’s all about. Make as much as you can before you’re claimed by death.
It’s comical in a way. All this money! Caviar, Lear Jet, football team.
The best way to make money is to join a band, then screw over everyone and screw over everyone and screw them over until you reach the top.
The energy of the saxophone betrays your sleazy, disgusting world. Laugh as you pour goblets of wine down your revolting throat, you ****ing pig. Tread on the heads of the lower classes.
Money! Everything speeds up, there’s money to be made every hour every second of the day and you had better keep up, keep running, keep going to meetings and making more money, stepping from one money-grabbing situation to another.
Alone in the limousine it still doesn’t stop, you’re on the phone making deals, drinking champagne, having sex, this is what money brings.
The richest man in the world!
All this is open to you. It’s a crime. Don’t take a slice of my pie! It’s evil, it’s tainted, but do you really believe that? You can get through this unstained. It’ll be easy! Just keep your stinking hands off my MONEY.
I was absolutely in the right.
Cruising for a bruising.

Us and Them
Voices everywhere. An organ… the countryside. Everything is moving glacially slowly. Sensory deprivation?
The open sea. Or is it a crowd moving in slow motion, an army running into combat impossibly slowly?
A saxophone sounds the stationary charge. The enemies locked in mortal combat exchange blows without moving.
See the hoards of US….
And….
THEM…
We’re all the same. But we are BLACK and BLUE. The soldiers, the warriors, the pacifists.
Or is it a domestic struggle? A husband and wife, arguing, smashing plates, hitting each other.
FORWARD! The pawns are sacrificed! Futility.
BLACK. And BLUE. Different colours, different religions, different opinions, but we’ve forgotten which side is which. We might as well be UP and DOWN. Futility. All it does is take us round and round and round and …
Running forward, screaming ‘IT’S A BATTLE OF WORDS!’ Everyone can choose a side, everyone can fight, everyone can go nowhere. Empty struggle is the only choice.
So why not give them a short, sharp, shock? They won’t do it again.
You can sit and watch the sides run into battle, the fighting, the horror, all on TV, all on the internet, all on the radio. It’ll get you as far as fighting. The only way is DOWN… and OUT. A racist view, perhaps?
Keep busy, I’ve got things on my mind. Who cares if an old man falls on the field?

Any Colour You Like
Any colour. This landscape is stranger still. You are merged with the machine and everything you do echoes around, creating beautiful and unpredictable shapes. Even when you try to play a wrong note it is transformed to something amazing.
Try the guitar. Oh yeah! Call and response. Try your new body. You are at one with your environment, exploring your new powers and abilities.
It could be any colour. As long as it’s DARK.
Growing in confidence, you inject your thoughts into the very lines of music, your mechanical, electronic thoughts that transcend your past existence.
Thinking of your past brings you back… to…

Brain Damage
Sitting on the lawn, smiling. Picking a daisy.
They said I was a lunatic.
Why am I on the grass? Why do they want me to get off the grass? I don’t want to stick to their straight and narrow.
They’ve come closer. The lunatics are right outside in the hall. They’re piling up below the letterbox…
AND IF THE DAM BREAKS OPEN MANY YEARS TOO SOON
AND IF THERE IS NO ROOM UPON THE HILL
AND IF YOUR HEAD EXPLODES WITH DARK FORBODINGS TOO
I’LL SEE YOU ON THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON.
Where are you? I don’t know it doesn’t matter. There is a lunatic in my head. If I cut myself I can rearrange myself and make you sane.
There’s someone in my head but it’s not ME.
AND IF THE CLOUD BURSTS, THUNDER IN YOUR EAR
YOU SHOUT AND NOONE SEEMS TO HEAR
AND IF THE BAND YOU’RE IN (I’m in a band?) STARTS PLAYING DIFFERENT TUNES
I’LL SEE YOU ON THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON.
Don’t worry, give me a moment, I can get it together. It’s a lovely sunny day. Give me a second to get my head together. I’m…

Eclipse
Everything vanishes. Another curtain is pulled back. All that you touch… reality crumbles and the existence outside reality crumbles. The very essence of creation is visible, shown in perfect clarity. Food, friends, hatreds, foes, time, the future, the past, everything is ruled by ONE SUN. It all works perfectly. There’s nothing to worry about.
BUT THE SUN IS ECLIPSED BY THE MOON.

All you have left is your heartbeat.
It’s an illusion. There is no dark side of the moon. In fact, it’s all dark.

[SiHart]

blimey.

Si xx

[Dave Tudor]

Jesus!

[Dino]

So you liked it then Rob?

Here comes mine...

[Dino]

Here's where it all began. Doctor Who had finished. Sanity prevailed by writing to Dave Tudor. Still at school but in my final year.
It was a reference to this album in The Young Ones book that finally persuaded me to buy it in 1990, after seeing the cover replicated on too many art folders in my school. And upon listening to it, I realised my primary school teacher played it in full after using the intro to Time in a special school assembly presentation on dinosaurs. He played us the entire album in full as a treat for us
Bloody eighties primary comprehensive teachers..

SPEAK TO ME

A heartbeat slowly fading up... then various sounds from the album swirl around in loops. Was this an influence on Peter Davison's regeneration? All those years of Ummagumma type experiments pay off in this brief opener. Roger Waters later claimed he gave Nick Mason full credit on this one when really he did most of the work on this track. Oh Roger...
Probably the most original way they've ever opened an album and before you can wonder if the rest of the album is like this...

BREATHE IN THE AIR

First chord kicks in. A slow paced tune with amazing slide guitars and flanged rhythm guitar. Such a haunting tune and I was happy to see it played on some children's show in the 90's in a feature about scuba diving. Start 'em young!
Classic Gilmour/Wright duet. What I love about this song is how dark it gets as it nears the end. It starts off all peaceful but by the end there are signs things aren't all happy and light in Pink Floyd land. No howling dogs here as we "race towards an early grave"

ON THE RUN

The best sound picture they ever made. Although diminished slightly when you remember the experiments that preceded it, if this was your first contact with Pink Floyd you would think them the spawn of Gods. I remember the initial excitement of possibility that "songs" could be like this. No lyrics, no riff unless you count "Diddleulldiddleerdiddleulldiddleer", no chorus but fully accomplished piece of music.
Don't blame Pink Floyd many techno bands took on the sounds but forgot the storytelling?.

TIME

This is the second oldest Pink Floyd song I know behind Another Brick in The Wall (Part 2). (3rd if you count b-side One of My Turns). Actually, Time might be the fourth song I'd heard by Pink Floyd as I must have heard Nigel Planers cover of the Gnome earlier. (Does that count?) It was used in a school assembly. I think I pretended to interview a chicken wire and newspaper paste triceratops painted green with yellow cardboard tube horns?
The intro, clocks and all, was played at assembly with some poor sod having to below out the Big Bang Theory and how the planets formed at the top of their voice during Nick Mason's opening drum fills!
That memory and this song are super league standard.
Gilmour guitar of the Weeeeek!

BREATHE IN THE AIR (REPRISE)

This wasn't credited on the cassette tape I bought from a town shopping centre that isn't there any more, it's all wine bars and banks and beauty stores...
A really effective hook, plot device, technical Italian word unless that is reprise?
It's as if they couldn't bear the harshness of the last lyric in the original song and produced this to soften the blow after tempers had cooled?
It didn't do the trick... our view of the world has been corrupted but Pink Floyd are now our guardians away from the system. What wise words have you now to guide us, oh Lords?

THE GREAT GIG IN THE SKY

And how shall we "Oh woe woe woe woe WAAARRRGGHHHH!!!" oh Lord?
I also remember the Neurofen advert which used a re-recording by the band. That was one of the things that first aroused my interest in hearing this album. Although my brother would silently say their name whenever I asked him who it was by!
This is the technical ability of San Tropez piano solo fused and paced by Wright's saddened sense songwriting. If you think about the backing tracks of Richard Wright songs on previous albums, you can see how all those ideas were condensed into this carefully crafted tune. Bringing the first side of the album to a close, and was it not the greatest first side any Pink Floyd album could have?
Even more than Piper At The Gates of Dawn!

MONEY

Or the one everybody knows. I have a tolerate/despise relationship with this one. Even on the first listen I thought it went on too long. The so called ranting CND supporting Waters looks at success and wealth and says "Er....actually, it's all right! Try forming a band yourself and making this money!" before walking off laughing. The band are tight during the solo, but could have done with the voices coming into the mix a lot sooner. The only song worth editing. But I can play it on bass. Well I know where the notes are and can only do the first part and even then I play it slower than the version so it sounds like The Passenger? All these years later I realise Waters lied...

US AND THEM

As if to seek forgiveness for daring to mock God and the western way of life on side one, only to find themselves drinking the same poisoned gold, we get one of the top 5 Pink Floyd songs. Time may rock but this has so many factors, better Waters lyric, sheer perfect melody and band backing. The voices that float around as the band reveal they were ordinary men not the spawn of Gods and the whole stack is weighted against you?

ANY COLOUR YOU LIKE

A bit of light music to ponder your current situation regarding your exposure of false idols?
The synth replicates fantastic your train of thoughts long since conditioned, now warping away and melting with each sway. And just before you fall beneath the molten haze...David Gilmour guitar solo rises up catching you and after a struggle gets you to the banks of the shore of your nearest hometown.. Yes, it's safe to say this song grew on me the most but it is such an amazing jam it deserves it's place on the album.
This track is not as dated as people would believe...

BRAIN DAMAGE

Except of course you can't go home now. As everyone and everything has been exposed as insane!
Remember hearing a bootleg performance of this song from a Roger Waters 1987 show. Me and another friend were pissed off he sang it "The Lunatic is on the grass" and not "The Lun.A.Tic Is on the grass".
Such was the attachment I placed for this song. My all time favourite and I'm glad this thread has got me back into listening to them properly.
Makes me wish "If" from Atom Heart Mother was recorded like this. The soulful backing vocals (The Black Berries I believe?) add a dimension not heard since Atom Heart Mother anyway. Roger Waters best lyric and what an expense it's been for him over the last seven albums?
Even if the album faded out here it would still be a masterpiece.

ECLIPSE

The closest a progressive rock band can get to recording the cannon section to 1812 Overture, A small but soulful summary of the spirit.
Still doesn't explain why it's called The Dark Side Of The Moon. Would the album have sold if called something other like "Brain Damage", as was it's title during the live shows?
And what about the times when bands could play new stuff live for months without worrying of downloads and relaxed over bootlegging?
I can play the second guitar solo that starts second "verse" onwards.
"The Sun Is In Tune/But The Sun Is Eclipsed By The Moooon..."
OK, I'll try that for an excuse as to why my homework was never done....

THE VERDICT

There are people with different tastes around the planet, but at least those who recognise this as the best Pink Floyd album know an elemental truth. I've come to learn that now.
We all have our "I prefer...", "I think this albums better..." attitudes, but really...it's Dark Side of The Moon isn't it?
Current top three Dark Side Of the Moon, Piper At The Gates Of Dawn and Obscured By Clouds.

5 out of 5.

[Dave Tudor]

What fantastic reviews so far - and I agree wholeheartedly with them!

[Rob McCow]

All those years of Ummagumma type experiments pay off in this brief opener.

True - it really is hard to believe it's the same band sometimes!

I also remember the Neurofen advert which used a re-recording by the band.

I didn't know about that. It seems a very cheap way to re-sell The Great Gig In The Sky, but people have made those kind of noises when they've got a really bad headache.

Waters looks at success and wealth and says "Er....actually, it's all right! Try forming a band yourself and making this money!"

Does sarcasm belong in music? It's difficult to be passionate about a song where the lead singer is sneering so much. Still, Money is really funky and I love the time signature changes.

It's a huge, important album I agree... but... well, they did Wish You Were Here next.

[Philipnet]

DSOTM: Someone call the Police; because it's got to be illegal to be this relaxed

[Philipnet]

DSOTM: I hope somebody uses the start of "Time" as their morning alarm clock!

[SiHart]

Speak to Me ****
A heartbeat, ticking clock, oimnous sounds of cash registers and spoken word, mad laughter, insistent synth chords and screaming. Bloody hell- what are in for? What a great scary and atmospoheric opening!

Breathe ****1/2
Amd then some simply sublime guitar playing that seems rather mellow after that opening. It works though and the simple lyrics which Walters later dismissed as sub-sixth form poetry are great and work really well with the music. Very well sung too. There's some very good hammond organ too going on in the background as well, making this a quite sublime song.


On the Run****
This is urgent travelling music. I hated it when I was little, beacuse the sounds were so ominous and frightening late at night when my Dad was playing it really loud! It's quite an achievement- a total soundscape, but one that's more listenable than any they've done up to this point- love the stereo panning of the synth chords and the way the laughter fades in and out before the crash at the end and the footsteps running away.

Time *****
Clocks! Bloody loads of clocks. It's a very striking (ha!) effect and for years I had this and the Time section of Pipkins confused in my head! The drum machine metronome is somewhat more common place than it would have been back in 1973, but works well, especailly combined with Nick Mason's awesome drumming and the strange chrods they're playing over the top of it.
I think this is very probably my favourite Pink Floyd of all you know. I love it! The lyrics are superb and really evocative for me- Time is a great theme for a song and they do it great justice. Great guitar and vocals from Dave on this one... and that's even before the marvellous reprise of Breathe towards the end! The tolling of the iron bell- more great images and the song is over I thought I'd something more to say.

The Great Gig in the Sky *****
Beautiful piano takes us gently into this. Rick Wright's finest moment? Possibly- but Gilmour's awesome slide guitar cannot be underestimated with some very well picked spoken word moments bfore we slide into the Claire Torry vocal which must have been such a shock when first heard. As it's sort of been with me for as long as I remember, I don't know what I'd made iof t when i heard it first, but it's certainly pretty damn cool.
I remember my Dad telling me it was a woman orgasmining, when he was going through a phase of trying to embarrass me when i was about 12/13! Oh my!
I love the quiet end of what has been an epic side 1. Its another masterpiece.

Money ***1/2
It's funny to think that at around the same time as this, Ronnie Hazlehurst BBC Theme Tune writer extraordinare was doing the same kind of thing for the Are You Being Served? theme. The two were rather confused in my young brain for a while!
I never liked this one as much as everyone else. Perhaps it just seems too straightforward for this album? It's certainly very good and I love the change of pace halfway through, but it just doesn't quite hot the highs of the rest of the album for me personally.

Us and Them *****
But fortunately we're quickly back on top territory here. Another beautiful, melancholic track from Rick. It's so gentle and touching to begin with and I love the echoed vocals and the muffled sax playing. Who doesn't love the crescendo it reaches in the choruses? It really builds up to them wonderfully. It's only round and round and round, but what a wonderful way to spend 7.50 going round?

Any Colour You Like ***1/2
A nice little groove on this one- great synth work on show here as they push it in against the great guitar and the steady rythmn work of Nick and Roger. They're working as a unit and it works very well. We're a long way from Ummagumma's self-self-self structure here, thank goodness.

Brain Damage *****
I love the way this one bounces along. Its got a brilliant lyric that seems to pull the whole album together somehow- maybe it just feels like it does because he mentions the dark side of the moon? Who knows. It's pretty bloody good anyone- there's someone in my head/ but it's not me is a scary image isn't it?
The laughter is definitely in the right place here. Superb!

Eclipse *****
But then we move up for the barnstroming closer that chants it's way to the dark side of the moon. This is just the perfect closer for the album- it's so life affirming, but with a slightly darker twist at the end.
Heartbeat to fade out and we're where we're started, but what trip it's been.


Some albums are classics for a reason. You can fully understand why this is so well loved. It's what they've been working towards from Atom Heart Mother onwards really- a band in tune with one another playing at their very best. And you know what, even though I've heard it loads of times down the years, there always seems to be something new to hear in it. It might be the album I'm most familiar with, but that's only because it's so damn good!

Si xx

[Dino]

Two different reviews Phil and Mr Hunt, but both reach the same conclusion!
Has this thread died because even we have reached consensus?
Is everyone "All right, Jack" to find time for more reviews?
Or have your copies of Wish You Were Here been delayed in the post?
This thread has been amazing for the various opinions and independant assesments of Pink Floyds career, and I'd like to thank everyone for posting so far.

[Philipnet]

I haven't even begun!
Expect something this weekend (I'm far to shattered to post it tonight) otherwise I'll catch up.