TomServo69
Moderator Emeritus
Gone but not Forgotten
Nothing ever changes........
Posts: 5,467
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Post by TomServo69 on Jul 27, 2007 0:45:11 GMT -5
Since everyone else is doing their own favorite albums threads, I decided to go a different route. I'm going to throw together a couple of appreciation threads over the rest of the year where I pick my favorite bands and review my favorite albums by those bands, one at a time, and let everyone give their thoughts on said album, then move on to the next album. So, the first of these lists is my Floyd thread. God knows I love Pink Floyd. One of the most technically sound bands ever, Floyd changed the way people thought about rock and roll. Similar to another of my favorites, Steely Dan (who I'll get to later), Floyd's lyrics are rarely uplifting but serve to give us some outlooks into the darker side of the human psyche and examine some of the faults therein. The albums were generally made to show these faults in a linear way and none does that better than my favorite Floyd album: Animals (1977) 1."Pigs on the Wing 1" (Roger Waters) – 1:25 2."Dogs" (David Gilmour/Roger Waters) – 17:08 3."Pigs (Three Different Ones)" (Roger Waters) – 11:28 4."Sheep" (Roger Waters) – 10:20 5."Pigs on the Wing 2" (Roger Waters) – 1:25 To me, this is the ultimate of Pink Floyd. The album is bookended by what is an out of place love song written by Roger Waters for his wife, although they do seem to suggest that love can overcome the trials and tribulations presented in the three main tracks, but, that dark side crops up again when at the end, Waters seems to suggest that he himself is just one of the dogs. The track "Dogs" itself examines the plight of mainstream businessmen, most likely record executives with their "club ties" and "firm handshakes". To these people, everyone's expendable in their neverending quest for the mighty dollar. But, in the end, they're just all sad old men who were never really in as much control as they think they were, hence, they are "dragged down by the stone". The next track, "Pigs (Three Different Ones)" is perhaps the most biting, vicious Pink Floyd track ever penned. It condemns those who are really in control, those with the power and wealth. While it mentions two people in particular, Margaret Thatcher and Mary Whitehouse, it also, in particular the first verse, refers to all wealthy, controlling "pig men" and the fact that they "keep on digging" to a point that it's "nearly a laugh but it's really a cry". The idea that the pigs control the dogs is referenced in "Dogs" during the seeming confusion by the dog in the second part of that song with "Gotta admit, I'm a little bit confused/Sometimes it seems to me, as if I'm just being used" portion. The last core track, "Sheep", makes reference to the regular folk. The you's and me's of the world that are subjected to the whims of the powerful and manipulative facets all around. Quite biblical in it's lyrics and references as well. The first verse show how the sheep are "only dimly aware of a certain unease in the air", but, aware nonetheless, that the "dogs are about". The second verse shows that the sheep are aware and must do something about the dogs. And, in the penultimate final verse, the sheep rise up and defeat the dogs due to their sheer numbers against the dogs. While this is good for the sheep and those dogs are defeated, in pure Floyd fashion, the pigs are left at the end, still plotting and prodding, most likely grooming the next set of dogs to do their bidding. And that concludes my first appreciatory album review in what I hope will be a long line of conversation provoking threads and posts to come in this half of the year. I finish this, as I will with all of these, with my favorite lyrics from the album. "And when you lose control, you'll reap the harvest you have sown, and as the fear grows, the bad blood slows and turns to stone. And it's too late to lose the weight you used to need to throw around. So have a good drown, as you go down, all alone, dragged down by the stone." - "Dogs" Servo
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Post by Phantom Engineer on Jul 27, 2007 13:41:10 GMT -5
I just watched the Classic Albums DVD of Dark Side Of The Moon. It was quite good. I love The Classic Albums series. It's not just interviews and people rambling on about how great the album was. They sit at the mixing board with the multi track tape and raise and lower faders and really break down the tracks. I'm not a huge fan but I like me some Floyd and this DVD was very informative. The bonus features are good too with some acoustic performances from members of the band.
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Post by Captain Hygiene on Jul 27, 2007 13:46:27 GMT -5
I just watched the Classic Albums DVD of Dark Side Of The Moon. It was quite good. I love The Classic Albums series. It's not just interviews and people rambling on about how great the album was. They sit at the mixing board with the multi track tape and raise and lower faders and really break down the tracks. I'm not a huge fan but I like me some Floyd and this DVD was very informative. The bonus features are good too with some acoustic performances from members of the band. I got that dvd as a birthday present for myself and I loved it too. Alan Parsons owns the sound board. Well I will be back later with more love for Pink Floyd.
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Post by Chuck on Jul 27, 2007 21:26:34 GMT -5
A Piper At The Gates of Dawn and A Saucer Full of Secrets are my all-time favorite albums of Pink Floyd. I like them all, but there's something about these two that draw me back to them.
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Post by Krista on Aug 12, 2007 0:30:33 GMT -5
I've never really been able to get too into Pink Floyd. I've been told it has to grow on me, but I've been waiting for it to grow on me for a few years now. They do have a few good songs though. They seem very well at what they do, but maybe one day I'll see what the big deal is about 'em.
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TomServo69
Moderator Emeritus
Gone but not Forgotten
Nothing ever changes........
Posts: 5,467
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Post by TomServo69 on Aug 13, 2007 22:10:58 GMT -5
Meddle (1971) 1. "One of These Days"(David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Roger Waters, Rick Wright) – 5:57 2. "A Pillow of Winds" (David Gilmour, Roger Waters) – 5:10 3. "Fearless" (David Gilmour, Roger Waters) – 6:08 4. "San Tropez" (Roger Waters) – 3:43 5. "Seamus" (David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Roger Waters, Rick Wright) – 2:15 6. "Echoes" (David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Roger Waters, Rick Wright) – 23:29 My second favorite Floyd album. This album, through my own interpretation, is a general hitting of some moods that are prevalent in the human psyche at all times. The opening shot "One of These Days" is an instrumental bash to the head. With it's rampant use of slide guitar and wild bass licks that hold it together, it's a pure shot of musical adrenaline. The next track "A Pillow of Winds" is a basic acoustic love song. Nothing too special but, it is nice to see the guys actually break down to something extremely basic considering the insanity of the rest of the album. "Fearless" is a fun track, once again, mostly acoustic with no real meaning behind it. It is a neat note that the beginning and ending of the song have a crowd of fans from Liverpool's Kop (basically a large football field) choir singing the Rogers and Hammerstein tune "You'll Never Walk Alone" which at the time was a kind of anthem for the Liverpool Football Club and the title of said tune is found on their crest. The next track and possibly one of my favorite Floyd tunes "San Tropez" is a jazzy, dreamy, tropical tune that just conveys a good feeling and shows a more relaxed side of a band that had been previously "out there". "Seamus" is a novelty, twelve bar blues song that shows the rarely recorded blues influence that the guys had. The name comes from the name of the dog used for the barking heard on the track. Fun fact: this song is also found on the video performance "Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii" under the name "Mademoiselle Nobs". The name, like the name of "Seamus", came from the name of the dog used in the video that was named Nobs. The final track, the epic "Echoes" is a masterpiece of sound. The listener is taken to an underwater land that is "green and submarine". It is hard to even describe the sonic essence conveyed by this track. Many guitar solos, piano solos, the funky bass break at about 7 minutes in. Everything one could want in a rock masterpiece is found here. Well, that's it for this review. Not as in depth as the one for "Animals", but, "Meddle" really doesn't lend itself to a lot of analyzation. It's just a good listen. I would recommend anyone who is trying to get into Floyd or who is a Floyd fan who may have overlooked this album (which happens more than you'd think) pick this one up as soon as possible. Time for the preferred lyrics for this album. "Backward and homebound, the pigeon, the dove, gone with the wind and the rain, on an airplane. Owning a home with no silver spoon, I'm drinking champagne like a good tycoon. Sooner than wait for a break in the weather, I'll gather my far-flung thoughts together. Speeding away on the wind to a new day. And if you're alone I'll come home." - "San Tropez" Servo
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Post by Mr. Atari on Aug 15, 2007 18:01:57 GMT -5
What's weird is that I though Animals was the worst of their works (I don't count Umaguma or Atom Heart Mother, which are awful altogether). But it's slowly creeping to the top. I would list my favorite as: 1. Dark Side of the Moon 2. Animals 3. Meddle 4. The Wall 5. The Division Bell 6. Obscured by Clouds 7. Piper at the Gates of Dawn 8. A Saucerful of Secrets 9. The Final Cut 10. Atom Heart Mother 11. Ummagumma No love for "Wish You Were Here"? That would be at the top of my list.
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Post by mccloud on Aug 16, 2007 8:54:24 GMT -5
Wish You Were Here, Animals, Dark Side of the Moon, Meddle, and Umma Gumma. And if I never hear another song from The Wall as long as I live, I'll be just fine with that. It's not a bad record, just overplayed to the point of TORCHA! Have you seen the DVD from their live recording at Pompeii? Classic. Watch it if you haven't.
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Post by Captain Hygiene on Aug 18, 2007 1:02:05 GMT -5
And if I never hear another song from The Wall as long as I live, I'll be just fine with that. It's not a bad record, just overplayed to the point of TORCHA! Except for "The Show Must Go On" And yes, Animals has a way of creeping up the list.
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Post by mccloud on Aug 19, 2007 17:54:30 GMT -5
How could I have left Obscured By Clouds out? "Free Four" is a song I know I must have heard since childhood...damn hippie siblings.
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Post by Captain Hygiene on Aug 19, 2007 21:00:13 GMT -5
That seems to be a pretty little-known album, nestled in between Meddle and Dark Side. It has some great stuff on it, though.
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Post by Captain Hygiene on Aug 20, 2007 17:39:57 GMT -5
All in all, mostly good output overall, with a few bad albums mixed in. There are enough all-time classics to make them one of my top musical groups. They’re definitely tops in terms of extended instrumentals, which is how I usually think of the group in my mind. I’ve listed the albums I’ve heard in approximate order:
Top tier: Meddle: My favorite, only better than WYWH because it feels a bit looser, and has a slightly better musical sound. Not perfect, but the good far outweighs the bad.
Wish You Were Here: One of the albums I feel is closest to perfection, both in concept and in execution.
Animals: Rounding out my top three, took me a while to get into. Fantastic rock work, but I like it a bit less than Meddle and WYWH because the focus has shifted a bit from the more ethereal music.
Dark Side of the Moon: The extremely solid writing on the vocal songs outweighs the fact that they are shorter and more mainstream-feeling than my other favorite albums. The few instrumentals on here are sadly sub-par, and drag the album down a bit.
The Division Bell: Surprisingly awesome music, and the words are great for a Gilmour album. It feels so much more pleasant to listen to this pro-communication album, as opposed to the opposite, self-centered The Wall.
Middle of the road (good, or a mixed bag): Atom Heart Mother: The completely epic AHM suite is dragged down a bit by the three merely okay songs and the awful “Alan’s Psychedelic Breakfast”.
Obscured by Clouds: Some great songs, with a much more off-the-cuff feel than many of their other albums. Not quite consistent enough to be in my top favorites.
The Wall: I’m really tired of most of the whiny lyrics on here, and I am sick of the puerile, rebellious stoner image that the airplay of many of these songs gives. Still, has some solid music in spite of the bland production.
Bleah:
A Momentary Lapse of Reason: Only a couple of great songs save this from going to the bottom of the heap. Most of this album is painfully bland and unfocused.
Piper at the Gates of the Dawn: Sorry, I just don’t like it. The style is so different from the Floyd I like, and it’s just not something I enjoy.
More: Again, unfocused, with a great song or two mixed in. I never listen to this, so there’s not much to say.
Bad enough to deserve its own category:
The Final Cut: Thanks, Roger, but no thanks.
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Post by Chuck on Aug 20, 2007 21:07:35 GMT -5
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Post by Lounge Lizard on Sept 5, 2007 13:21:09 GMT -5
I'm on and off with Pink Floyd. Sometimes they're music can seem really awesome and emotionally powered to me, and then they're music seems to be annoying and too moody for me.
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Post by solgroupie on Sept 13, 2007 9:47:30 GMT -5
i love pink floyd, but it wasn't until i had a roommate who listened to them all of the time that i grew to appreciate them. up until then i thought they were depressing. once we watched the wizard of oz with dark side of the moon playing in the background, i was hooked. i agree about how overplayed the wall is, which is sad, because it is a great album. every year where i live a theater would do midnight showings of the wall for a weekend. every pothead in town came out for it. i went a few times and had a blast, but they don't do it anymore. i'm kind of surprised they ever did in the first place. i think wish you were here will always be my fave. does anyone listen to roger walters solo works? i have amused to death, but that's it.
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