OBSCURED BY CLOUDS

Through valleys and clouds

Unlike the first soundtrack (More) they provided for filmmaker Barbet Shroeder, the music is much more "à propos" with the images but not that much with the storyline. The storyline is about a French bored housewife in vacation in Papua New-Guinea getting hooked up with a bunch of hippies, out for escape to the paradisiacal valley (hence the title La Vallée), yet unknown to white-man knowledge and unmarked on any map, because always obscured by clouds (hence the other title), and a quest for rare bird feathers. Some of the New Guinea landscapes are breathtakingly beautiful; the story line is relatively interesting and the finale a bit abrupt and certainly unexpected.

However, if the movie is more interesting than More, the music although quite fine, is rather less interesting (especially considering the previous Echoes and the up-coming Dark Side) and it is still not put to excellent use by Barbet Shroeder. The French cineaste is however closely linked to Eric Rohmer who is renowned around the world for making boring psychological movies without clear storylines and full improvisation. Rest assured, this is not the case in Shroeder's movies but they share a lot of characteristics among which a minimalist approach and unusual camera angles and rather overlong scenes. As for the music, we are a bit dismayed by the all-too average songwriting, but also the conventional song format of most tracks, thus making a great departure from Floyd's most unconventional and most-often creative writing & playing approach. Sonically-speaking I find that this OBC album sounds quite similar to Gilmour debut solo album.

As for the tracks included here, some are excellent and probably more modern-sounding than many of their later albums, but the typical song format is the rule here, rather than the exception. Just the two tracks holding Guinea indigenous chants gain so much more to be seen with the movie images. It is a safe bet that if this movie had been made by an American moviemaker and made one decade later, this would've been a major box-office success. Most likely with the fad of Original Movie Soundtrack, the same thing could be said of the album. Not one of their better works, but neither is it unworthy of a listen for the album nor the movie a screening, quite the contrary.

The most underrated album, in the vein of ALAN PARSONS, mixing the typical "FLOYDian sound" with some elements of a soundtrack, in a more progressive vein... a bit discontinuous in some circumstances. This album is worth checking out at least!!

This album has many boring songs! The worst of the FLOYD albums. The accoustic songs are better and more catchy than the more psychedelic instrumental ones. They sound a bit like the ones on "Meddle". Gilmour's guitar sound is not as flashy as we are used to hear. Hard to believe that "Dark Side Of The Moon" was made in the same year! It's like the GENESIS' progress from their first album to "Trespass"!

To me, I thought this album was a bit of a letdown after "Meddle". Here they do a soundtrack album, to a French film called "La Vallée" (sp?). Still in 1972, PINK FLOYD wasn't a household name, and the music on this album seems to have that anonymous sound that's perfect for an art film soundtrack. Most of the songs tend to be ballads, and sound pretty harmless. There are still good songs here, like Water's "Free Four" and WIGHT's wonderful ballad "Stay". There's "Absolutely Curtains" which is an instrumental cut, rather atmospheric, relying on organ and synthesizer. I would love this cut much better if it didn't end with what sounds like a bunch of drunks singing. Listening to this album, it's hard to believe that the following year, they'll release an album that would pull them out of obscurity and have them fill arenas and stadiums regularly. I, of course, am referring to "Dark Side of the Moon".

To me, I find most of "Obscured by Clouds" to be too much on the "play it safe" side, but at least it isn't bad, but of course, if you want to explore their early material, go for any non-soundtrack album first before coming here.

Music for a film never to be seen

As this was written as music for an obscure(!) film, it is unfair to judge "Obscured by clouds" against the other studio output of Pink Floyd. That said, the album is actually very good. I have not actually seen the film (has anyone?), but the music does stand up well in its own right.

For me, "Free Four" (as in one-two-free-four) is the best track. It is heavy in the "Nile song" mode, but more melodic. Not exactly a prog track, indeed not really a prog album, but well composed and infectious.

The tracks as a whole are good, but apart from "Free four", none of them are really particularly memorable. Many simply ramble along in an almost ambient way, with soft vocals, and pleasant, if unchallenging playing.

"Obscured by clouds" should be seen for what it is, music which was written to accompany a film. On that basis, it is competent, pretty commercial, and relaxing. Just don't buy it expecting another "Dark side of the moon" or even "Ummagumma".

One of the most underrated albums I know. Forget the fact that this was a film soundtrack: it stands completely on its own. This album was put together quickly; all I can say is: perhaps more albums should be put together quickly!

This is unmistakably PINK FLOYD, but with a slightly rougher edge to it than "Dark Side Of The Moon" (a slightly rougher edge that I happen to like very much). If you are a wine drinker, this album is a Shiraz whereas "Dark Side Of The Moon" is a Cabernet Sauvignon. To really enjoy this album, break open a bottle of the former, play the album loud on a good hi-fi and turn the lights down low. Great tunes, good lyrics, and fabulous instruments (including synth and PINK FLOYD's trademark guitar playing). It oozes class.

The instrumental title track starts like a tug boat coming out of the night and then the thump of drums, bass and synth gets into your bones as guitar kicks in. Great track.

'When You're In' is an even shorter instrumental with a simple melody, again with thumpy drum, bass and that twangy guitar over the top that is so effective.

'Burning Bridges' is a very laid-back song (think slowly rowing down a river). Some groovy, mellow guitar.

'The Gold It's In The...' rocks! It's a foot tapper with a good beat and some great guitar. The singing is a little bit strained but you'll probably be too busy playing air-guitar to notice.

'Wot's...Uh The Deal' is a soft, melodious ballad with a good tune to which I can't help humming: think lying by a log fire on a cold night.

The instrumental 'Mudmen' is sooo laid back, with a very slow tempo and some dreamy guitar. Dare I say it, this is music for making love.

The song 'Childhood's End' starts with organ, then a fast heart-pumping throb, and guitar then builds over it to create a foot tapper: good tune, good organ, good guitar. You'll probably be playing air-guitar to this one too.

The song 'Free Four' (say "one, two, three, four" in a London accent) is another foot tapper which vibrates into your bones. It has some good echoing guitar and the lyrics are interestingly black: "...life is a short warm moment, death is a long cold rest...".

'Stay' is another ballad that is very laid-back and is such a beautiful track. I would have said this is another track for making love, but the lyrics are about a one-night stand and might not go down too well with the lady! Very good lyrics though ("Stay, and help me to end the day, and if you don't mind we'll break a bottle of wine"; "Midnight blue, burning gold, a yellow moon is growing cold").

And so to the final track 'Absolutely Curtains', which is the only unusual track on the album: a laid-back instrumental with the film's New Guinea tribe singing towards the end of the track.

Do yourself a favour and buy this album.

Obscured By Clouds bridges the gap between Meddle and Dark Side of the Moon and is a patchwork album which may have been to raise funds for Dark Side or just to give some material for the film La Vallee. It is obvious that pink floyd we're concentrating on putting forward their most amazing materials for this soundtrack album and so you can expect it to be a little under par compared to the rest of their work. This album is probably the first "stinker" of their career but it's still better than anything after the wall.

The album uses the newly invented synthesiser and the first two short and similar instrumentals play with this. These are nothing special but ok intro's. Burning Bridges is an ok piece but still nothing flashy. The only decent tunes here are "The Gold, It's in the...", "Wot's... Uh The Deal" because they show off good vocals and pacey guitar, piano and drum work. "Mudmen" is also a treat as it is a good solo.

The rest of the tracks are ok but the ending instrumental track is pretty dismal to be fair. Not much here to keep you interested but for what pink floyd were trying to achieve here, it just about settles in the 3 star catagory. Ok. Nothing amazing yet nothing thats going to make you throw the album down the toilet in disgust. I would recommend that you have this cd in your pink floyd collection but please get the others first which you know are masterpieces.

Deservedly unappreciated, this obscure corner of the PINK FLOYD discography nevertheless displays some surprisingly different sonic directions and belongs more to the future than the past of the band. Starting with the synth on the opening track (a very minimalist "Dogs of War" sound) and a newfound spiky aggression in the second instrumental, almost every song on the album has something in common with future releases. "Mudmen", especially, is a pretty clear precursor to the sound of later works. Only briefly does the past tradition of the band's loose acoustic-based works appear, in the sleepy but pleasant "Burning Bridges" and the deceptively comfortable-sounding "Wot's... Uh the Deal" (sort of an early stab at the concept behind "Dogs"). The lyrics throughout the album are notably more pointed and protesting, although frequently still abstract or general in scope. "Free Four" is the one truly memorable song in this collection, with a bouncy drive and the most direct Waters vocals so far- he addresses warfare, fame, aging, time, death...all in four minutes. "Gold It's in the..." is a stylistic left-turn, a straight- ahead rocker that some other band could well be proud of, but it's just not very FLOYD- sounding- or all that impressive, except for its uniqueness among the band's work. "Childhood's End" features some of the same funky brittle guitars that "Pigs" will put to better use. "Stay" is quite mediocre, with Wright simply rehashing the lyric idea behind his previous "Summer '68" with a less adventurous arrangement- although the "Stir it Up"- type guitar solo is nice. Finally, the initally interesting "Absolutely Curtains" has a little "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" in it, and even a bit of "Fearless" in the sampled conclusion...possibly this bit makes more sense to those who have seen the film.

Okay, this ranks pretty low on the must-hear PINK FLOYD album list. If you've absolutely got to have everything they did, there are a few worthwhile moments here. It's also quite interesting to see what the band did when there was less pressure to compose a cohesive work- this is rather like a B-sides compilation in that regard. I'd like to give this album three stars- it's PINK FLOYD, after all, and "Free Four" and "Wot's... Uh the Deal" are better songs than (for instance) "San Tropez" and "Seamus", but ultimately it is less a truly good album than a collection of curiosities.

I wish Pink Floyd did more soundtrack releases. More was an excellent album and so is OBC. It seems like they relax a little on them and the results are outstanding. OBC definitely a highly underrated gem from PF.The highlights include ' Burning Bridges' ' Wots...uh the deal'' Childhood's end' and ' Stay' but ' Absolutely Curtains' the final piece being virtually instrumental shows us snippets of WYWH and the bigger things to come. No PF collection would be right without Obscured by Clouds also known as La Valee from the filmscore.

Obscured by other Pink Floyd releases, I think that this one turned out better than the "More" soundtrack released in 1969. Both that one and this one was soundtracks for european cult movies, though they both turned out as "less successful" than all other PF releases (the movies even worse). A couple of really great tunes here, nicely performed and arranged despite a few sucky tracks at the end. Still, it mostly stands out as a fan product of sorts, but is a warm welcome to your collection if you enjoy albums like "Atom heart mother" and "Meddle".

Certainly an inconsistent album, but "Wot's...Uh The Deal" and "Free Four" are among my favorite Pink Floyd songs, musically and lyrically. Other highlights include "Stay" and "Childhood's End". One expects filler on a soundtrack album, so listeners should not judge this release too harshly. Incidentally, I saw the film in a theater back in the 70's, and I can assure you that it's not worth seeing. The songs on the album were whittled down to 10-second snippets heard, for example, on a car radio or as a transition between scenes. The "payoff" that audiences were expecting throughout the entire movie (What will they discover when they finally reach their destination, The Valley?) was a resounding thud that left audience members shouting "WHAT?!?". The Mudmen were pretty cool, though.

This is a CD that can hold its own with many of PINK FLOYD's greats--do not pass it up simply because it is a "non-concept" album. It is, in fact, the last non-concept album that PINK FLOYD would produce until A Momentary Lapse of Reason. Therefore, what the listener ought to focus upon is the power of the music. This disc really does a nice job of forecasting some of the beautiful music that will later appear on The Dark Side of the Moon. The entire CD is underrated--and that is why I have chosen to open this review with ObC's most underrated track.

That, in my opinion, is "Absolutely Curtains". To be honest, it is beyond my understanding why this song seems to bother so many people. It's quite heartwrenchingly played by RICK WRIGHT...there's something mournful and mysterious about it that his fans would recognize from his solo song "Interlude" (from Broken China)--that same feeling of standing frozen upon the edge of something that's about to happen, not quite knowing exactly what it is. I know the song is credited to the entire band--but its execution is largely down to WRIGHT: the song, aside from percussion and tape effects, consists entirely of a synth (VCS3?), Farfisa and Hammond organs, Rhodes and acoustic pianos. While PINK FLOYD obviously did not know what was to come, it's quite chilling to listen to this song bearing in mind that they did in fact stand upon the edge of an era that, while filled with great promise, would also result in great pain. This is the very side of the music that, over time, was forced out of the music and only regained in later years. As for the chanting, I personally find it mesmerising.

Another historical rarity on this album, for which it should be treasured, is the appearance of the powerful WRIGHT-WATERS songwriting team--something seen only on this album and Dark Side of the Moon. Had ROGER WATERS had more respect for his opposite, this could have gone even further, as these tracks prove how perfectly they complemented each other. Look at "Burning Bridges", the best of these songs: here you have a gorgeous, memorable, and innovative tune, along with enchanting (not overbearing...not yet!) lyrics. I should also point out that the mixing is the boldest for WRIGHT's vocals to ever appear in a PINK FLOYD album before the song "Wearing the Inside Out", making it quite a treat on the ears. "Mudmen", the instrumental companion track to "Burning Bridges", adds to WRIGHT's gorgeous chord sequence some guitar work that might remind the listener of "Time" although with a backing more like "Us and Them". There is no doubt that both DAVID GILMOUR and RICK WRIGHT were now ready for The Dark Side of the Moon. (A bit of trivia--someone pointed out that the time signature is changed between "Burning Bridges" and "Mudmen", a very interesting subtle sign of musical innovation.)

Perhaps the most chilling of all the predictors on this album is the lyrics to "Free Four", put on a backdrop of music that is entirely too happy for the subject matter (intentional sarcasm on WATERS' part, I believe, similar to "Corporal Clegg" on A Saucerful of Secrets). The lyrics, in a way, are a precursor to every theme that WATERS will dwell on in future works, particularly The Wall. His fans will probably see this as a welcome introduction to his more serious approach to music--others may see this song as hailing the future destruction of the band.

"When You're In"/"Obscured By Clouds" is a quick rock instrumental opening that shows WRIGHT's Hammond technique in fine form. "The Gold, It's In the..." is perhaps the album's weak point--a track that sounds less like PINK FLOYD and more like the Doobie Brothers: basically a simple rock tune, but still enjoyable enough. "Wot's uh the Deal" is a very pleasant "Pillow of Winds"-like tune with interesting lyrics, nice vocals by DAVID GILMOUR...not THE best of the album, but soothing and likeable. "Childhood's End" is written solely by GILMOUR, and while musically (except in the intro) doesn't really deviate from standard rock, it's lyrically one of his better outings, just under "Sorrow" and "High Hopes". "Stay" is the other WRIGHT-WATERS outing, and my suspicion based on the ordering of credits is that the lyrics, similar in theme to "Summer '68" (describing the emptiness of a one-night stand) were mostly written by WRIGHT himself. My personal guess based on intuition is that the chorus is written by WATERS--the rest is WRIGHT, and his vocals are very pleasant to listen to.

Overall, this is a disc that all PINK FLOYD fans should make sure to pick up, both for its own intrinsic qualities and for the almost prophetic way in which it indicates the future direction of the band.

Hmm . I've just bought a wonderful prog book "INSIDE OUT - A Personal History of Pink Floyd" written by Nick Mason, the band's drummer. I thought it's an expensive book - Poundsterling-wise, it is GBP 30! - but when I read through the book with massive photographs (mostly full color) and high-quality paper and hard cover plus insightful stories by the band's founding member then my investment is worthwile! Ahem, I'm just trying to find an excuse, actually, on why I had to spend that much of money for a book. But it's a prog book man; so it's worth the investment. Yeah.., it is .!! For those who love this band, you MUST purchase this book! The paper back edition will be released April 2005 - according to amazon.com. But I think, you MUST buy the hard cover version man; it's so great!!! I could not afford sleeping last night enjoying page-by-page stories and pictures in the book. Excellent reference. Don't call yourself a Floyder if you don't own this copy! Ooops . I have no financial interest with the publisher or amazon man; I'm just expressing my delighted feeling having the book that I always carry with me wherever I go; even though it's so heavy. Never mind! Progger don't mind about this, right?

OK OK OK . let's talk about this album. The reason I pick this album for review is basically inspired by the purchase of Inside Out book. With the book on my hands - even it's now beside my laptop while I'm writing this review - and it provides some sort of enlightenment for writing a review. (Oh man .. what a great cover! I'm proud having the book with me .). As far as I know, "Obscured by Clouds" (OBC) album has rarely been discussed by proggers; but I think it deserves excellent review as it is a psychedelic music at its best!

OBC was made during the band lavish efforts making The Dark Side of The Moon album in 1972. As Mason mentioned in the book that the recording for DSOTM piece spread through 1972 as it was constantly interrupted not only by the band's touring commitment but by a whole host of other projects: the OBC film track . (page 163 - 164). After the success of "More", the band agreed to do another sound track for Barbet Schroeder film called "La Velle". The band travelled over to France to record the music.

The soundtrack opens with title track "Obscured by Clouds" which basically an instrumental track in spacey mood exploring great keyboard and stunning guitar melody. It's an excellent track and it sets fantastic atmosphere for the whole album. It flows to second track "When You're In" that starts with a dynamic drumming by Mason in an instrumental music with guitar as the lead, augmented with guitar work. The first two tracks sound like an integrated music.

"Burning Bridges" is a mellow track with a blues influence and catchy melody. The vocal line is very nice, accompanied with a nice organ as rhythm section. The guitar solo demonstrates blues influence. "Gold It's in the... " is in similar vein but performed in a happier mood.

Oh man .. the track "Wot's... Uh the Deal" was truly my childhood's favorite as it BLEW me away with its killing acoustic guitar and great vocal melody! It's still my favorite until now. This is what I call an all-time favorite. Great guitar, great vocals, and great piano! The harmony of vocal and acoustic guitar is superb!! This track can create tears in my eyes . so touching .it's killing ...

"Mudmen (Instrumental)" is another wonderful instrumental track with nice melody, stunning piano, organ and guitar solo. "Childhood's End" is another happy mood track with excellent composition. I love the guitar solo work. "Free Four" is a ballad with acoustic guitar as main rhythm section. "Stay" has an atmospheric guitar work at intro, followed with a medium tempo music and acoustic guitar plus piano & drums."Absolutely Curtains" is another instrumental music with some soundscape of traditional singing by native people, in Papua New Guinea. Keep on progging!

Yours progressively,

GW - Indonesia

'Obscured By Clouds' is often seen as a 'take it or leave it' album from FLOYD. While definitely not of the same stature as 'Dark Side', 'WYWH', 'Animals' or 'The Wall', there is much on this original soundtrack offering to enjoy. Many of the hardcore FLOYD faithful swear by this album.

When I first heard this album, I had no idea it was actually a soundtrack album. To me, soundtacks were often synonomous with 'instrumentals'. 'OBC' has plenty of quality songs (half of the album's track have vocals) to complement the many instrumentals found on it. It does take a while to grow on you though, as none of the tracks are 'radio friendly' (maybe "Free Four" is) and all will be virtually unknown to non-FLOYD fans.

But don't discount excellent pieces like "Wot's...Uh the Deal" and "The Gold It's In The..." as well as the often-played-live instrumental combo of "Obscured By Clouds/When You're In".

Most importantly 'OBC' has one of the best tracks ever written by Dave Gilmour in "Childhood's End". With an intro slightly similar to "Time" (I believe I hear Nick's roto-tom), and dark lyrics and tone foreshadowing "Dogs", "Childhood's End" is FLOYD at its creative best. One of my Top 5 songs by FLOYD.

'Obscured By Clouds' gives us our last glimpse of the Floyd before they released 'Dark Side' and became the monster rock band that we now know. The band sound comfortable, and confident. 'OBC' belongs in any experienced prog rock collection, but is not recommended for 'newer' fans of the genre. As a prog rock album it deserves 3/5 stars; if you are a FLOYD fan, then boost this rating up to 4/5 stars.

PINK FLOYD's 2nd movie soundtrack built for the movie "The Valley" is a pure work of art. "Obscured By Clouds" is very reminiscent of Meddle-era FLOYD with their establishing winding blues prog rock and Gilmour's soaring guitars and soft gentle yet affirmative voice. "Wots... Un The Deal", "Mudmen" and "Childhood End" are 3 superb tracks that make this album simply killer. Over the years this album has remained a favourite in the Unger household and in 1995 I upgraded to the EMI re-mastered version which has enhanced this sound even more than my previous LP version.

Obscured by clouds is oftent ''obsured'' by all the great albums in the Floyd catalogue, but this is a great album. Of course it is a soudntrack, so it has to be more into moods, atomsphere and time. But isn't what makes great Floydian moments? The album starts with the mood-setting eponymous song, an instrumental one. We can hear some usual work on the guitar from Gilmour, wich is not that bad. The song then fades into ''When You're in'', including a good riff by gilmour backed by some good job from mr Rick Wright on Keyboards. Nick Mason stays true to himslef, with his great use of the cymbals. The mood stays mostly the same the whole album, but hey, that's normal! It's a movie soudntrack! Highlights include ''Wot's...Uh the deal'' and ''Childhood's end'', one of the best song David Gilmour ever wrote. We can compare it to the song ''time'' on Dark Side of the Moon, but with lyrics maybe as beautiful. This album is packed between two masterpieces, Meddle and DSOTM, and really, couldn't be bad. While the most underrated album in the floyd catalogue is definitely Atom Heart Mother, Obscured by Clouds finishes a close second.

Well, a soundtrack is a soundtrack, and a masterpiece this isn't. Floyd probably got well payed for this, and got their name further known around certain areas, but this is not the Floyd we know and love. Ok, it does sound like them, as they have a distinctive sound, but none of the tunes on here are impressive. Most of them sound half finished, which is a curse of soundtracks, but at least none of them have the unmusical ramblings of Ummagumma or Atom Heart. Nevertheless, the music here is even less melodic. This album isn't patchy, it is consistently poor. This was the first one I bought by Floyd, and I was so disappointed with it. One to avoid unless you are a big fan. Floyd haters will use this as ammunition against them. No better, no worse than their earlier soundtrack, 'More'. Collectors only.

Obscured by Clouds is by far the best of the soundtrack albums done by the Floyd, despite its musical simplicity. It is not as experimental as More neither tough to listen as Zabriskie Point, but it contains amazing songs that would be very accessible to the mainstream audience and - surprisingly - would also probably appeal people who are also interested in more complex music who may want a break from the more crafted works. In a nutshell, it is an album "for everyone" to appreciate.

This is the most rock oriented FLOYDIAN work, which is shown mostly on songs like the upbeat "The Gold It's in the..." and "Childhood's End", which contains David Gilmour's arguably best lyrics - showing that the guy CAN write. The first two instrumentals, the title track and "When You're In" work as one unique song introducing the album. Both are awesome and the first has a really dark feel, while the other is heavier and more drum based. "Burning Bridges" and "Mudmen" are the two sisters that make this album even greater, with the same keyboard rhythm through them being the absence of vocals in the latter the main difference. On "Burning Bridges" we have one of the best harmonies found in both Dave's and Rick's vocals, they surely fit well together singing the same song. A great vocal work at the best song from the album. "Free Four" is my least favorite song from here, a typical Waters' number containing a very annoying "clap clap" fuzzy feel through it that just doesn't work for me. "Stay" is another great contribution from Mr. Wright, a nice ballad that leads to the grossly underrated "Absolutely Curtains", which in my humble opinion is one of their best instrumental tracks. The only real flaw here are the voices at the end, which are quite ridiculous comparing to the level of this song. "Wots uh the deal?" is a beautiful and simple song and one of the band's most unique gems.

This album is sometimes forgotten because it is an OST, but its brilliance is unquestionable. The FLOYD soon is reaching their most successful album in terms of sales DARK SIDE OF THE MOON, which has a similar feel as this one. Actually, OBC seems like an embryo of Dark Side, because both albums share many similarities between them.

Unjustly overlooked "soundtrack" album.

"Obscured by Clouds" shared the destiny of the previous Barbet Schroeder soundtrack - "More", and generally was not considered a "real" PINK FLOYD album. This was further stressed by its release between the two masterpieces, "Meddle" and "Dark Side of the Moon". In fact, when looking in retrospect, this is a very good album, albeit not what a usual PF fan would expect. Unlikely the "classic" FLOYD albums, this is rather a collection of songs, some of which are surely their strongest work, like notable Wright's vocal and songwriting contribution in "Burning Bridges" and "Stay", along with some excellent instrumentals - "Obscured by Clouds" and "When You're In" with powerful Gilmour's guitar solos creating an electrified psychedelic atmosphere. The only weak moment is Gilmour's mediocre attempt at straight hard rock "The Gold It's In The..." leaving no impression at all. Another Gilmour's hard rocker, "Childhood's End" is much better, while the odd and jolly rhytm of Waters' "Free Four" is contrasted by his melancholic lyrics - "the memories of a man in his old age/are the deeds of a man in his prime". Usually considered to be for FLOYD fans only, "Obscured by Clouds" is more than that - not so popular as their classic albums, but in any case it is a work filled with many excellent songwriting and strong and effective performance. The joy of a listener thus only gets bigger.

First: I am a huge Pink Floyd fan, got all their albums and think it's the greatest band that this world ever spit out. But I never was really excited about their soundtracks "More" (worst Pink Floyd release ever, with exception of the fantastic "Nile Song" on it) and "Obscured By Clouds". The record sounds very symplistic and also a bit uninspired, even the guitar work of David Gilmour is as always great, but the whole think lacks in originality and memorable essence, which was always an quintessential trademark of Pink Floyd. Ok, the record has it's moments but boreness is the feeling that overcomes me when I listen it full length. The cover art is the ugliest ever on a Floyd release, so the overall album thumbs down IMO, even it's not bad. For die-hard Floyd fans only, even I am not impressed! Maybe I should watch the movie to make up my mind for this.

Pink Floyd - "Obscured By Clouds" rating: 5/10 points = 52 % on MPV scale = 2/5 stars

point-system: 0 - 3 points = 1 star / 3.5 - 5.5 points = 2 stars / 6 - 7 points = 3 stars / 7.5 - 8.5 points = 4 stars / 9 - 10 points = 5 stars

Collectors/fans only

This album composes the soundtrack for the film "La Valée" which I did not see (in fact the movie was never released commercially in Brazil), consequently my evaluation refers only to the songs individually not knowing how they fit to the moving actions.

Well, this work is crushed among some of the most important and remarkable PF's works and so it is sometimes forgotten and also it sounds strange due to a certain poppish bias quite different from previous current album like "Atom Heart Mother" or "Meddle" or even the yet to come "Dark Side of the Moon".

There are really some interesting songs like the soft 'Wot's uh the deal' (a hit here in Brazil, with its vocals Beatles-mode), the instrumental tracks and also the folky 'Free four'. Vocals and guitar in 'Stay' are the most Floydesque points of the album. I should recommend "Obscured by Clouds" for a prog newbie needing a low-impact work.

Rating: good, but non-essential. Total: 3 stars.

This is a soundtrack album for a film called "The Valley", which I have not seen yet (the same is with the "More" film), but I prefer this album in comparison to "More". The songs are better, and some of them have some "mystery" ("Mudmen"), but the best songs are "Free Four", a somewhat humorous song, and "Stay", a ballad composed by Wright and Waters. After this album, it seems that Pink Floyd stopped composing soundtrack music for films for a long time, but they also performed some of their songs for a Ballet in France before the release of their most praised (and maybe their best) album called "Dark Side of the Moon" in 1973.

This is a hard one to pin down. It was made as a soundtrack, but is very close to a studio concept. It always leaves me a bit baffled. There are no truly bad songs here, but a few make me wonder if Floyd actually wrote them. Namely "The Gold It's in the...," "Wot's... Uh the Deal," and "Stay." It seems to be going along quite well until track number four. My head always pops up, with a look of confusion. I actually like "Free Four." I am a fan of a fun palette cleanser thrown into the mix (that means I also enjoy "San Tropez" and "Seamus"). "Absolutely Curtains" doesn't really consist of much, and gets downright annoying in the end.

The rest of the tracks are quality Pink. Perhaps not at the same level of the albums creating its bookends, but still good. It is an album worth listening to, and even owning. However, I would not call it necessary.

H.T. Riekels

Recorded in just a couple of week-long sessions at Chateau d'Herouville (France) in February and March 1972 - shortly after already debuting their new masterpiece Dark Side Of The Moon in January! But this was one the band's sidelines - film scores. They could knock these off in their sleep, drawing on vast reserves of studio experimentation, left-overs and ideas. And there is no comparison to Dark Side, as the sound here bears greatest resemblance to Meddle, its studio predecessor. It is a charming album, many ideas remained as unfulfilled instrumental passages and the production is much more rugged than the polished Dark Side that followed. Musically, it is a mish-mash of styles, from heavy rock to pastoral, but it is never short of entertaining. Personal favourite is the warped Free Four with its jaunty beat and bitter lyrics. Highly recommended.

The Floyd full second soundtrack after "More". Like for the first one, I have not see the movie, so that I cannot make any link between music and pictures.

The opener and title track has some psyche flavour (early Floyd period). Monotonous, emotionless. Nothing fancy and rather boring. The following "When You're In" is quite repetitive and useless. "Burning Bridges" and "Wot's ... Uh the Deal" are ballads with little to no interest, really. "The Gold it's in the .." is another weak track. Nothing to be remembered. So far, it is really a very boring experience.

The first song which sounds alright is "Mudmen" : finally a beautiful Floyd instrumental ! Very good guitar from Dave and great keyboards from Richard. "Childhood's End" has some "Time" flavour (to say the least). Another good song. Hey man. That's two in a row !

I guess the worse (difficult to describe) is reached with "Free Four" but we remain at the same level with "Stay".

"Absolutely Curtains" is more interesting during the first four minutes. Reminds me of "Echoes". After that, we'll get some tribe chant which will not bring this track to a higher level.

I will rate this album two stars, because I am reluctant to give the one star rating. FYI, I discovered the Floyd in 1971, have all their official releases and about forty boots; so yes : you can call me a fan.

I could not (and I NEVER will) enter in their "experimental" pieces. Again, if this one has to be considered as a five star masterpiece, I wonder how many stars I would grant to DSOTM and WYWH (but that's another story).

PINK FLOYD had just started working on "Dark Side Of The Moon" the follow-up to "Meddle" when they got the call from Barbet Schroeder to do another soundtrack recording for him. They had already done "More" for an earlier film he did. You have to remember that FLOYD hadn't hit the big-time yet and since they were active, professional musicians they said yes. Off to France they went for a 2 week recording session.The time constraints actually stimulated them rather than paralysing them. While Roger Waters would be the main writer during these sessions it really comes across as a Gilmour record because he's the main singer and his guitar is all over it. This was a soundtrack for a French movie about a woman who along with a group of people travel into the remote interior of New Guineau in search of a valley that is marked on the map simply as "Obscured By Clouds".The locals believe it is the home of their gods. She is in search of rare artifacts for her Paris boutique.

The first two tracks are instrumentals, the first having a heavy sound and some good guitar while the second is more aggressive with some organ and a native feel to it. "Burning Bridges" is a good song with some great organ and relaxed vocals creating a dreamy,spacey soundscape. The dual vocals (Gilmour / Wright) are a nice touch. "The Gold It's In The..." features some beautiful guitar from Gilmour. "Wot's...Uh The Deal" is an acoustic tune with some nice piano melodies.

"Mudmen" is by far my favourite song on this record. I'm surprised this isn't on any of their compilation albums, it's that good ! With slow paced drums and organ creating a great sound the guitar comes soaring in and out, it's gorgeous ! "Childhood End" is good with some floating organ early on as the sound builds with percussion, guitar then vocals being added. "Free Four" reminds me too much of T.REX. "Stay" is a great ballad. Very uplifting. The final song is an instrumental called "Absolutely Curtains" with lots of organ and some natives singing to end the song.

I like this record a lot, and even the movie related pictures inside are kind of cool. For "Mudmen" alone I would buy this album.

In the middle of '72 as Pink Floyd was constructing what can justifiably be considered one of the very best rock albums ever they received an invitation to spend a short two weeks at a chateau in France recording a movie soundtrack. Keep in mind the fact that, by all reliable accounts, the purposeful path they had taken on their current project was inherently slow, deliberately precise and knee-deep in minutiae. Therefore it's no stretch to imagine that a break from the confines of Abbey Road studios to do a project that had a prescribed beginning and end was an alluring offer. The result is no more and no less than what it claims to be. Independent film music.

The director probably asked for a couple of trippy soundscapes to start things off so you get "Obscured by Clouds" where the innovative VCS 3 Synthesizer establishes a cool droning foundation beneath a throbbing pulse that brings to one's imagination some kind of gigantic, humming machine. "When You're In" is a basic rock and roll riff that the group jams on for just over two minutes. "Burning Bridges" features peaceful, casual harmony vocals over a very typical Floyd-ish chord progression. "The Gold It's In The." is a hip rocker that's reminiscent of early Who or even Nazz, Todd Rundgren's Philly band before he went solo. The guitar lead shows that David Gilmour was continuing to cultivate his own individual style. "Wots. Uh the Deal" is an acoustic guitar-driven song that sounds like it may have been favorably influenced by the southern California country/rock movement that was really picking up steam about that time. There's some very nice piano and slide guitar work here. "Mudmen" is an instrumental where Richard Wright gets to shine a bit. It's a cosmic ditty with a lot of excellent synthesizer and organ. Unfortunately Nick Mason's listless drums drag a little here and there, tending to retard the momentum. "Childhood's End" is another good tune that further reveals Gilmour to be an artist that was growing both as a vocalist and as a composer. "Free Four" has always been a favorite of mine. Roger Waters' song creates an easy, loping pace that belies the darker, satirical lyric content about aging and death. The recurring ominous synthesizer gives the song a depth and character not found on all that many recordings from the early 70s. It's the best tune on the album. "Stay" reminds me of the spirit of Elton John's early stuff but the fact that the singer is describing a one-night stand keeps it from becoming overly romantic or mushy. "Absolute Curtains," another instrumental piece, utilizes atmospheric and dense keyboard sounds to create a mysterious, spacious mood before a tribal chorus sung by Papua New Guinea natives takes over to bring things to a curious end.

When you think about how incredibly good "Dark Side of the Moon" turned out to be you have to come to the conclusion that this little continental working vacation was a great idea. Since they were spending so much time painstakingly piecing and splicing parts together back home it was most likely a therapeutic relief to just go be a band again. There wasn't any pressure to create a chart-topping monster with this collection of tunes so there's a feeling of simplicity and ease running throughout this album that I find quite refreshing.

The soundtrack for an abscure movie, Obscured By Clouds is an easily overlooked piece of Floyd history. There's not a whole lot to say about this mediocre album. Despite the psychedelic artwork and song titles, the music is some of Floyd's most straight- forward. "Burning Bridges" and "Childhod's end" are quite god, but the rest of the album is uninspiring. The band does a Ummagumma like "each member gets to write something rather than the group working as a whole" and, once again, it shows. I believe the obscuring clouds were actually marijuana smoke, because this was a real misstep, even if it is just a soundtrack.

Grade: D-

Although OBSCURED BY CLOUDS is a totally unspectacular album, I've always found it more lovable than the over-familiar million-sellers that were to follow it. It doesn't feature songs as dramatic as "Time" or "Dogs", or guitar solos as pristine as the ones on "Shine On You Crazy Diamond pt.1", but it also lacks the cynicism of the Floyd's later albums. To this day, I haven't got a clue what kind of film it's supposed to be the soundtrack of (if you look at the pictures in the CD booklet, LA VALLEE may have been a hippy precursor to THE EMERALD FOREST) but most of the tunes sound like gentle love songs. "Burning Bridges" and "Stay" are particularly lovely. If you enjoy the vocal bits of "Echoes", I don't see why you wouldn't like these tracks as well. "Wot's... uh the deal" is similar, and in addition it's blessed with one of Rick Wright's typically subtle and unforgettable piano solos.

The rockers on OBSCURED BY CLOUDS are fascinating, because they sound like a general rehearsal for DARK SIDE OF THE MOON. If you're a Floyd fan and you long to know from what seeds that more famous album sprung, then this soundtrack will be an essential buy.

The instrumentals which open and close the album are less mysterious than the ones on MORE, but they've never irritated me. "Mudmen", which closed the first side of the original LP, is a short piece of symphonic (sonata-like, in fact) prog, similar in spirit to Focus's slower pieces.

All in all, I find OBSCURED BY CLOUDS impossible to dislike, and I'd recommend it to anyone.

Technically, Obscured by Clouds should be viewed as a film soundtrack rather than a full-fledged studio album. It was written for Barbet Schroeder's La Vallée. So the immediate reaction for me is comparing it with the other soundtrack the band did for Schroeder's More. Although I have never seen this movie, what I find striking is that the material on this album seems to follow no storyline and in fact would probably hold up on its own as a studio release of unrelated songs. The songs are about as good as the material on More, sometimes much better.

Although I find Obscured by Clouds an enjoyable listen, I must admit that it pales in comparison to other albums in Pink Floyd's catalogue. The reason for this is that it's just a bunch of songs thrown together, some well done, some quite forgettable, whereas in preceding albums the group had created more interesting material, sometimes in "epic format," and in future albums the songs are tied together in some amazing conceptualization. What you finally end up with on Obscured by Clouds are unrelated short pieces reminiscent of the shorter material from Meddle and Atom Heart Mother, but not as interesting. Even though this sounds negative, I still enjoyed the album, but play it much less than other Pink Floyd albums.

Three starts for a good but unessential release. Start with their other masterpieces before obtaining this.

A sountrack for the ages. (The album cover? Yeah; it's a guy in a tree, of course.)

Although the Floyd would have many better moments, this one is a moment far too often overlooked. Another deteriorating factor for the album is that is very overshadowed by previous release "Meddle" and next release, the masterpiece "Dark Side of the Moon". This album may not have any 20-minute masterpieces, hit singles, accompanying movies [Edit: any Pink Floyd written movies, this is a movie soundtrack after all] or the like, but this is still a great album. Home to 4 instumentals, and a nice ongoing theme this album still maintains the very prog-Floyd feeling. Some songs are better than others, but in the end this is an album that deserves a place with the other Pink Floyd masterpieces.

Songs on this album begin to take total structures, and this album starts to feel that total Dark Side theme. Songs such as the jaunty sounding FREE FOUR, for example, take on the themes of death as does the later Dark Side of the Moon, while inrumentals such as the title track or MUDMEN can be used as intro-outros as do many of the tracks on Dark Side. At some points of the album you really can tell the Floyd were moving in a new direction, and it's a good thing that they had a soundtrack to experiment with this on before the full blown album.

Dark Side comparisons aside, this album aslo has it's own sound that is unique to the Pink Floyd collection, with 10 tracks floyd gets to experiment on the song based side of things. Songs such as the increadible BURNING BRIDGES proove that the Floyd can hold their own in a song based world, as does the forgotten masterpiece STAY. and though some tracks are a bit slower, WOT'S UH... THE DEAL for example, the album never loses the audience, and include some more hard hitting Floyd such as THE GOLD IT'S IN THE... or the previously meantioned FREE FOUR. Holding it's own sound, this album definately sounds great from any angle.

For being experimental and finding thier sound with this overlooked masterpiece I award the Floyd 4.5 stars. Recommended for all.

When I bought Shine On, the Floyd box set, many years back, I thought I had just about all the Floyd I would ever need. After a while a couple friends turned me onto Obscured by Clouds, and I'm very glad they did. This is Floyd at a different angle than I'm used to: raw, relatively unpolished, and working under tight deadlines. Of course, they still managed to come up with many quality tunes, though nothing cohesive, and little that is originally progressive.

Obscured by Clouds, When You're In. This two are spacey rockers that are a great way to kick off the album. Simplistic, yes, but powerful nonetheless, and I think they have aged well.

Burning Brides, Wot's...Uh the Deal. Two mellow tunes with some raw harmonies. The former is quite forgettable, but the latter is a keeper, with nice vocals and guitar from Gilmour.

The Gold It's in the... Raw Floyd as you will rarely find them. Fairly generic rock, but I do enjoy hearing Gilmour cutting loose on the guitar here.

Mudmen. A slow, yet powerful instrumental. Wright and Gilmour really play off each other here to great effect. This is one that I never get tired of.

Childhood's End. The highlight of the album. A spacey drone builds to the entrance of the song proper. Here Floyd lay down the sound that would suit them well for the next few albums. Nice lyrics, vocals, guitar, and tune. The only true collaborative effort on the album.

Free Four. The bouncy tune is a wonderful contrast to Waters' snarky, sarcastic lyrics. This is back when Waters really had some impressive vocal tone and range. A far cry from his eighties output, but still reminiscent.

Stay. This mellow Wright piece shows that he could make valuable contributions, especially with Gilmour's expert additions.

Absolutely Curtains. Absolutely boring. Maybe a blast from Floyd's psychadelic past, but the chanting has never done it for me.

Looking back, it's really astonishing how close in time this album was to Dark Side, because the sound is so different. If nothing else, some good tunes, enough rocking bits, and an interesting glimpse into a different period of Floyd to make this worth buying.

Music for a hazy day.

This is the tragically under-appreciated PF stoner classic. I realize the Floyd bristle at being labeled a drug band and I don't mean to imply that they are. But the bands feelings aside I grew up with people in a time where Floyd were the band of choice for people lighting up and this album was a definite favorite. It's extremely pleasant music that is easy to digest and features many wonderful moments. Reacquainting with it for this review I am reminded how special it is. Obscured is the last album of the pre-Dark Side era before they would explode into the upper stratosphere of rock stardom and release their most acclaimed Waters classics. It's an album thrown together rather fast and sounds much more like a group effort than they would down the road a bit. But regardless of how little they toiled over this baby it turned out to be a very special one in the hearts of many of the Floyd fans in my life.

The title track is an ominous sounding instrumental. Gilmour grabs the reigns very quickly and never looks back-this album is much more David than it is Roger and it's very melodic. Dave kicks out some very nice slide work here. "when you're in" is a fairly conventional rocker with good drum work but otherwise not too noteworthy. "burning bridges" is a Floyd classic that is SO perfect. It's all about the vibe with this one, Dave's sublime vocals and the harmonies along with beautiful guitar work. "the gold it's in the.." is another real rocker that Dave just belts out, one of the rare times you'll hear this band play like a garage band. "wot's uh the deal" is the second stunner after "burning bridges." Dave plays acoustic and sings so beautifully and Richard embellishes with gorgeous piano. It's difficult to describe but the vibe here is of lost youth and melancholic nostalgia. "mudmen" is the third total classic on OBC. Slow, dreamy, with lush keys and spine tingling acid guitar. Captivating stuff. I agree that "childhood's end" does sound like a demo from DSOTM, it has a bit of the future Floyd feel to it. More great guitar and organ. "free four" is Roger's only vocal if I'm not mistaken and ironically it's the lamest track on the album. It's a catchy little pop number but completely out of feel with the THC mood of this material. "stay" is the fourth magical track in my eyes with Richard's delightfully underused vocal talent, lovely keyboard chords, and more of Dave's rich guitar. "absolutely curtains" is the fifth great song on OBC, a spacey instrumental that will remind you of 70s Oldfield or something similar and represents a last nod to their psychedelic past. It closes with the rhythmic chanting of the tribespeople from the film and it fits the album perfectly.

If you love dreamy, trippy, melodic Floyd don't miss this easy to love gem. The booklet for the remastered CD contains lyrics and gorgeous stills from the film La Vallee.

PINK FLOYD spent about a week making this soundtrack, and most of a year - the same year - making 'Dark Side of the Moon'. The difference? Attention to detail. Certainly not the quality of the songs.

The songs on 'Obscured by Clouds' are classic PINK FLOYD without any of the studio trappings. A definite step up from the first side of 'Meddle', all this album lacks is time and cohesiveness. A month or more in studio, where samples and segues could have gussified the music, would have made this an excellent if not essential album. It is important to remember that this album was written and recorded in the midst of the 'Dark Side' sessions, and in my opinion is almost 'Dark Side' unplugged - a freer, more exuberant FLOYD showing that, at heart, they are a rock band. It is a very important document in the band's history.

The first two tracks are all about NICK MASON. His languid, understated style is showcased here. His ability to play at the 'back' of the beat, is obvious on the title track, and then he ramps it up for the second half of the twinset, 'When You're In'. GILMOUR offers some rather unsubtle guitar, but his best licks had already been reserved for DSOTM. Or had they? The solo in 'The Gold It's in The ...' sears the speakers, and is a level above anything he'd put on record to this point. It lacks the full majestic intensity of his later work, but flows along nicely. This solo alone makes the album worth the money, as does the excellent swapping of lead vocals on 'Burning Bridges'. The gains in confidence of all three vocalists are clear to see here, and are of course reflected on DSOTM. 'Wots ... Uh The Deal' is similar to 'Pillow of Winds' from 'Meddle', but is a better composition, involving guitar and piano and a far superior vocal. 'Mudmen' is a stirring instrumental, and I could well imagine it taking the place of 'The Great Gig' on DSOTM. If you listen to this in the context of DSOTM it is obvious that this excellent track is a creature of those sessions.

Side two fires a one-two GILMOUR-WATERS punch: Both 'Childhood's End' and 'Free Four' rock hard, and with embellishment could have been singles - actually, 'Free Four' was. Certainly some production work on the guitars would have been welcome. Listen to GILMOUR's vocal, in particular, and compare it with his rather tepid work on 'Meddle': here is a man growing in confidence. 'Stay' is a wonderful track, the inverse of WRIGHT's 'Summer 68' from 'Atom Heart Mother'. The final track is the most disliked among fans, and the most like a movie soundtrack: myself, I think it's genius, if a little psychedelic - the only touch of it on the album. WRIGHT's keyboards are melancholy, spacey and filled with depth.

My final thought. To me 'Obscured by Clouds' represents PINK FLOYD at their most balanced. No one person dominates the songwriting or ideas process, and GILMOUR and WATERS balance each other perfectly. Three vocalists feature, WATERS relegated to one song as is proper; he has a terrible, adenoid-laden voice. Multiple songwriters are called on, alone and together. When the BEATLES were at their most potent they had three composers and three vocalists, and the balance between LENNON and MCCARTNEY kept the former's bitterness in abeyance and the latter's sugary excesses in check (mostly). Exactly the same process was taking place in the PINK FLOYD camp - WATERS akin to LENNON, and GILMOUR to MCCARTNEY - and the resultant balance gave them wide creativity and a varied sound. The fruits of this balance would be heard around the world within months of the release of this album.

Far from the late 60s, when the band didn't have a musical idea to rub together, by 1972 they were so productive they could come up with this excellent album in a week. This album is worth your time.

This album is one that 'clicks' with some listeners, and doesn't 'click' with others....Floyd fans can't go wrong here, although prog-heads do have much better to choose from - I dearly love most of the songs here, but there is a certain 'spark' that is missing. There is nothing particularly wrong with the songs here, it's just they come across as fairly average, as opposed to their more experimental moments.. That said, a finer point worthy of mention ; Waters and Wright utilise the VCS3 synthesizer on some tracks, of which they will go on and perfect for their next, ground-breaking achievement (not that they're the only band to do so, though). Opening tracks, 'Obscured by Clouds' and 'When You're In' are 2 instrumental pieces which hold incidental promise, great synth/keyboard work, and also fine guitaring from David Gilmour, but never actually go beyond the norm. 'Burning Bridges' is a mellow, dreamy tune that is well arranged and features some lush vocal harmonies between Gilmour and Wright. 'The Gold, It's In The...' is more in tune with 'Hard Rock', not a foot astray here, but fairly straight-ahead 'rock', it doesn't support their usual, 'ground-breaking pioneers' reputation. 'Wot's...uh The Deal' is soft, acoustic pop number, pleasant, but one can't help but feel the band members are capable of so much more. 'Mudmen' is a superb instrumental piece which is more true-to-form. Tasteful keyboards from Wright, and some searing guitars from Gilmour.

Side 2 of the LP licks off with 'Childhood's End' - it is a very strong composition, with an almost ambient, organ-driven opening leading into a funky groove for the rest of the song - a very good track for sure. 'Free Four' is a popular Waters composition, nothing wrong with it, but fairly ordinary within prog territory. 'Stay' is a pretty ballad, beautiful melody and vocals, but again nothing spectacular. Album finale, 'Absolutely Curtains', is fully superb - Rick Wright puts his Farfisa and Hammond organs to good use, and also a Fender Rhodes, to create a wonderfully mysterious listening experience - at least for the first instrumental half, the last section being dominated by chanting from a local 'New Guinea' tribe, still, pre-dating 'World' music by incorporating such an indigenous recording within a 'Rock' context, which not many musicians were doing so... Not as exciting as the psychedelic escapades displayed on the 'More Soundtrack', but still worthy of investigation. 3.5 points for this 'very good' album.

A lot of definitions could be right if we talk about Obscured by Clouds by Pink Floyd! Firstly I would say it's twin album to the previous release - Meddle - it terms of style of the music! The album is another very good soundtrack after the dramatic More. I think the album contains some songs of the volumetric space rock, especially the first and the last songs. The album can be described as mixture of progressive rock, space rock, psychedelic rock. Moreover, the album is the biggest example of blues rock and the first one of electronic music by Pink Floyd. The stylistic variety of the album contribute to the presence of very different songs like Burning Bridges, Wot's... Uh the Deal, Childhood's End, Free Four and Stay! These songs are completely different in comparison between each other and this is the charming moment of the album.4 stars!

Listening to this album it is hard to believe it was made in 1972. This album would have been more appropriate in 1968. While the previous album, Meddle, had constituted a step away from psychadelia, here Pink Floyd fully reverted to their old psychedelic style. In my opinion this music has nothing to do with progressive rock.

Also, I think that the songs on this album are not memorable at all, and some are even outright boring. The sonic quality of the recording is also not up to par with Meddle and Atom Heart Mother and certainly not with Dark Side Of The Moon and Wish You Were Here.

This album sounds more like it was made by a decent amateur band in the late 60's than by a big professional band in the early 70's.

This one is only for completionists.

Pink Floyd could have entitled this album, A Collection of Great Dance Songs; that's what one gets here. It's excellent rock music, but that's the extent of it. It was recorded for La Vallée, a French film directed by Barbet Schroeder. David Gilmour stands out more so than the other members, taking on most of the lead vocals and having his guitar take a prominent place both as a rhythm and lead instrument. For fans of classic rock or Pink Floyd in general, this is sweet album to have in a collection.

"Obscured by Clouds" A drone and a simple rhythm back up Gilmour's slide guitar.

"When You're In" If one did not know otherwise, one could be fooled into believing one was hearing Led Zeppelin; Robert Plant's voice would not have been out of place on this brief instrumental.

"Burning Bridges" Gilmour shares lead vocals with the late Richard Wright, who I always thought was sorely underused. The two sing so well together. The instrumentation is good. It is by far my favorite track on the album, one that, in my opinion, stands shoulder to shoulder with cuts off their most beloved albums, including their subsequent one.

"The Gold It's in The." This is a simple, Gilmour-driven rock song. Given its basic chord progression and appeal, it's a wonder this one wasn't a classic rock hit; it's comparable to The Who and, again, Led Zeppelin. Gilmour delivers a good guitar solo at the end.

"Wot's.Uh the Deal" This acoustic-rock number has a pleasant melody and a lovely piano solo followed by Gilmour's slide once more.

"Mudmen" This instrumental is the epitome of "chill music." It relaxes me every time I hear it, and I think compositionally ranks close to "Any Colour You Like" (even if it is inferior to it overall). Waters has some particularly inspired bass parts, but Wright's keys working with Gilmour's guitar places this well within the realms of progressive rock.

"Childhood's End" The atmospheric opening gives way to a moderate-paced rock song chocked full of crispy electric guitar and Wright's organ. Gilmour performs an uncomplicated guitar solo.

"Free Four" Waters takes the lead vocals on this acoustic romp than reminds me a bit of "San Tropez." Contrasting with the easygoing acoustic music is Gilmour's ripping guitar leads.

"Stay" Once more, the listener is treated to Wright's subdued vocals and pleasant piano. Like many of the songs on the album, it's very simple, but the guitar is fun.

"Absolutely Curtains" The final track is an expansive and wonderful instrumental. The instrumentation is sparse, but makes great use of Wright's keyboard work, and includes a chant by the Magupa tribe.

"Obscured By Clouds" is the 7th full-length studio album by UK progressive rock act Pink Floyd. The album was released through Harvest Records in June 1972. "Obscured By Clouds" is a soundtrack to the French film "La Vallée" ( "The Valley") by Barbet Schroeder. The album was recorded over two periods of one week each (23.-29. ofFebruary and 23.-27. of March 1972) at the Château d'Hérouville, Hérouville, Île-de-France in France. The band was already in the process of writing material for "The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)" but accepted the offer to go to France and record the soundtrack. They were shown scenes from the film and then made music to fit the atmosphere of the scenes.

"Obscured By Clouds" features 10 tracks. 4 instrumentals and 6 tracks with vocals. Stylistically the music is semi-progressive rock with a few nods towards psychadelic rock. I would label "Obscured By Clouds" one of the least progressive album releases by Pink Floyd. The lack of any long tracks and the fact that most tracks are easily accessible vers/chorus structured, except for some of the instrumentals, which are a bit more adventurous. While the experimentation might not be in the high seat on this particular album the energy and the excellent playing/singing certainly are. There are some pretty energetic and quite catchy tracks on the album like "Gold It's in the..." (check out that ripping guitar solo) and "Free Four" but also some beautiful mellow tracks like "Burning Bridges" and "Wot's... Uh the Deal". The instrumental "Mudmen" deserves a mention too. Great track with a beautiful theme. The only track on the album that´s not that interesting is the ambient closing track "Absolutely Curtains", which is the only track on the album that reminds me of what I would characterize as conventional soundtrack music.

The band members are all well playing and there´s an infectious enthusiastic atmosphere about the project, like the band really needed and enjoyed the break from their more regular work schedule. The production is surprisingly good when you think about the short time the band had to record and finish the album.

Compared to the "More (1969)" soundtrack album "Obscured By Clouds" is a more entertaining and more well written album. Maybe because it´s actually not that obvious that the album is in fact a soundtrack. This could just as well have been a regular studio album as there really aren´t that many repetitive and ambient moments on the album, which is something you´ll typically find on soundtracks. "Obscured By Clouds" is the album by Pink Floyd you should chose to listen to if you would like to hear them a bit more relaxed and spontanious than what is the case on most of their more structured, well planned and detailed studio albums. A 3.5 - 4 star (75%) rating is deserved.

Pink Floyd's 'Obscured by Clouds' is an slightly lo-fi soundtrack album that has the band performing unfinished instrumentals and leftover of hastily written songs. Because of the lack of pretentiousness it is actually a fine listen, it shows the band in a different gear. Most of these songs and compositions sound like the laid-back first side of 'Meddle' (minus 'Careful With That Axe'). The two opening tracks have some nice guitar leads by Gilmour, simple and highly effective prog rock. Though slightly better than 'More', I found I could easily live without this Pink Floyd album - though I hold no grudge against it. Might even prefer it to the overly polished 'Animals' and 'Wish You Were hear'. Fans release.

This album sits really awkward amidst all the excellence that surrounds it. Floyd never reaches their normal standard here. Actually, only the first two instrumentals are accomplished pieces that equal the level of their previous soundtrack More.

A songs The Gold is only amazing for the fact that it actually appears on a Floyd album. It would have been less surprising if it had been on a ZZ Top album. Also a track like Stay would have fitted better on any random rock band's album from 1972. For Floyd it is quite awkward to say the least.

Burning Bridges sounds so dull in fact that I will consider it for treating my next occurrence of insomnia. The instrumental version of it, Mudmen, is a lot more attractive. Nice keyboards and slide guitar here. Childhood's End is the only real song on this album that I can more or less enjoy. Absolutely Curtains isn't bad but probably a leftover from More. The plaintive ending section of it is one of the most charming parts of the entire album, finally some real emotion I'd say.

A mishmash of half-baked ideas and sloppy song writing. 2.5 stars.

The second and last soundtrack made by Pink Floyd for Barbet Schroeder arrives between two of their fundamental albums: Meddle and The Dark Side of the Moon. If we add to this fact that the album doesn't have a concept because the songs, with the exception of Absolutely Curtains, don't have much to do with the movie, we can have an idea of why this finished to be the most obscure Pink Floyd album. Not only for its title.

Short songs, then. Probably the most "pop oriented" of their whole career and strangely one of their less selling album. The sound is midway between the A side of meddle and the B side of Atom Heart Mother but what really matters in this album is regarding the lyrics. Waters is the author of most of them, and Burning Bridges is one of the few collaborations between he and Wright, "Stay" is a sort of follow-up to "Summer 68" and "Free Four" anticipates the concept of Dark Side of the Moon: life, growing old, death and time.

It's amazing how arguments of this kind can stay in a four minutes rock song based on major chords and a quite happy melodic line. There's room for a Gilmour's solo, too.

"Wot's Oh The Deal" and "Stay" are good ballads and "Absoutely Curtains" has still some of that "Space Rock" that the Pink Floyd were about to discontinue by going to more terrestrial ambients. Regardless the title, the Dark Side of the Moon is totally about the human condition, There's very few space, unless we think that the lunatics are aliens (and of course they are not).

This album represents the way that Pink Floyd could have taken if they hadn't made Dark Side. A broken branch in their evolution tree. A must for all the Pink Floyd fans. A 3-stars album for everybody else.

Another decent but soundtrack release from Pink Floyd, this first post-Meddle album was recorded at around the same time as the group were putting together The Dark Side of the Moon, and I did get the feeling listening to it that the boys were holding back their best ideas for the "proper" album. Gilmour lays down a few decent solos, the rhythms are atmospheric, the keyboards are decently performed, but few songs really stand out. Still, it's a perfectly pleasant album and I think I prefer it to More - and the idea of a gentler, more folky and acoustic side to Pink Floyd in their imperial era is a nice one which I am glad they explored to this extent (and kind of wish they'd taken further). Four stars.

"Obscured By Clouds" is the last studio Pink Floyd on my list to review and for good reason. I was never taken with the approach to become a soundtrack artist to a film that nobody has ever heard of. Though Pink Floyd has made the film famous by default the music is not really anything special. The 1972 film is a French snorefest called "La Vallée", directed by Barbet Schroeder.

The music comes down to a psychedelic slice of short pieces with some moments but all rather forgettable. The opening title track is like 'Careful with that Axe Eugene', with some psych guitar and a moderate pace over droning synth. Effective but sounds like Zabriskie Point for good reason.

'When You're In' has a wonderful guitar riff but is too short for comfort. 'Burning Bridges' has tons of organ phrases and a steady pace. Some vocals by Gilmour help to add flavour. 'The Gold It's In The...' has a catchy hook and some interesting singing, though very poppy for the 70s.

'Wot's...Uh The Deal' is a gentle ballad with soft harmonies and Gilmour lulling us off to sleep acoustically driven and sacharinne sugar sweet. 'Mudmen' is an instrumental designed to fall asleep to. A cure for insomnia but well played of course by the band. Wright's piano and vibes are superb and it exists as a fitting tribute to his virtuosity. 'Childhood's End' is heralded by organ and then throbbing bass and guitar. The lyrics are well executed by Gilmour and his guitar soars beautifully. One of my favourites on this album.

'Free Four' features reverberated guitar, droning synths and darkened lyrics, "life is a short warm moment, death is a long cold rest, get your chance to try, in a twinkiling of an eye". The song is another highlight with whimsical melodies and one heck of a brilliant guitar break.

'Stay' is a ballad with gorgeous atmospherics, and a romantic theme about finding a girl for a one night stand. Multi tracked vocals are noteable and a wah-wah guitar over emotional piano.

'Absolutely Curtains' is lifted from the film as an instrumental with a profound New Guinea tribal chant at the end to finish the album on a hyper strange note.

Overall, "Obscured By Clouds" is better than the other soundtrack, the poor "More", but only marginally of interest to non Floyd fans. It has enough going for it to make it worth seeking out but it is not up at the top of the must get album lists for 1972, a very strong year for Prog.

Trapped in the Meddle and Obscured by the Dark Side of the Moon.

Stoner Rock. If that helps to prepare yourself for an un-prog soundtrack by a top Prog band. I kind of think that "Obscured by Clouds", 1972, must have disappointed all the emerging Floyd followers. It should have been like suddenly realizing that such a daring and unorthodox Prog band started to play this kind of 60'S Stoner/Folk Rock (better dead than greatful!!).

Funny considering that nowadays Gilmour's well rated solo releases, never fell that far from this tree. But anyway this is one of Pink Floyd's less prog efforts, nevertheless composition wise, there are some nice things going for it. The keyword is "simplicity" by not sounding simple.

Anyway, this release got it tough from the start by appearinging in 1972, one of the best years in Prog history in all its branches and after their highly psychedelic and appreciated "Meddle" 1971 and before the super famous TDSOM, 1973.

Stoner Rock if that helps.

***3 PA stars.

Review Nº 353

'Obscured By Clouds' is the seventh studio album of Pink Floyd and was released in 1972. The album was based on the soundtrack of the French film 'La Vallee' or 'The Valley', because some copies of the album refer the film in its English title. 'Obscured By Clouds' might appear to tread an old ground, as Pink Floyd returns to a songwriting template that went as far back as their previous work 'More'. That fact is enough to cement this album's status as a black sheep in the Pink Floyd's catalog. It's also understandably overshadowed by the masterpieces that precede and follow it. Nevertheless, as a collection of songs, 'Obscured by Clouds' is bit a better then their earlier soundtrack work.

'La Vallee' is a French film of 1972 written and released by the Franco-Swiss film director and producer Barbet Schroeder. The star of the film is the French actress Bulle Ogier who plays the role of Viviane. Viviane is the wife of the French consul in Melbourne, who joins to a group of explorers on a strange and accidental voyage in search of a mysterious hidden valley in the jungle of Papua New Guinea, where she hopes to find the feathers of a very rare exotic bird. Along the journey they make contact with Mapuga tribe, one of the most isolated groups of human beings on earth. This encounter inspired them to explore their own humanity, free from their own ideas about the civilization. The end of the film is when they arrive into the valley. This is one of the many typical lyrical and idealistic films of the 70's in the search of happiness and their own humanity. In this case, their search becomes the search of the paradise itself.

'Obscured By Clouds' has ten tracks. The first track 'Obscured By Clouds', written by David Gilmour and Roger Waters, and the second track 'When You're In' written by David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Richard Wright and Nick Mason, are two instrumental songs that are, somehow, linked as only one song. They sound like an integrated music and both have the honour to open the album. They're both two fantastic songs and represent a great opener for this album. They essentially explore great keyboard and guitar works, very well supported by a dynamic drumming work. These two songs were performed together live in 1972 and usually opened the shows on the 1973 'Dark Side Of The Moon' live tour. The third track 'Burning Bridges' written by Richard Wright and Roger Waters is a very mellow and beautiful track. It consists of an organ melody with beautiful space guitar solos and with a vocal line very calm nice and harmonic. The fourth track 'The Gold It's In The '' written by David Gilmour and Roger Waters is a rock song and it's very different from the other songs. It's an interesting song, very well played, but I can't see anything special on it. The fifth track 'Wot's'Uh The Deal?' written by David Gilmour and Roger Waters is a very beautiful, soft and melodious ballad, which as the power to calm ourselves when we are lying down on a comfortable sofa listening to it. The sixth track 'Mud Men' written by David Gilmour and Richard Wright is an extremely beautiful instrumental song with a tune very similar to 'Burning Bridges'. It has a very catchy melody with beautiful piano, organ and guitar works. The seventh track 'Childhood's End' written by David Gilmour is an interesting and happy song with a very good composition. The eighth track 'Free Four' written by Roger Waters is a good ballad with pleasant acoustic guitar sound and a main rhythm section. This song reminds me the music of The Beatles. The ninth track 'Stay' written by Roger Waters and Richard Wright is an atmospheric and soft ballad. The instrumentation is mostly piano, bass guitar and some guitar solos with a wah-wah pedal. The tenth track 'Absolutely Curtains' written by David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Richard Wright and Nick Mason is another instrumental and space song that closes the album. The last part of the track is a chant by the Mapuga tribe, recorded from 'La Valle', that remind us that 'Obscured By Clouds' is a soundtrack.

Conclusion: In the first place, I must confess that I never was a big fan of film soundtracks made by progressive rock bands. In the second place, on the contrary of many of you who haven't seen 'La Vallee', I saw it in those times and despite have been passed more than forty years, I still have in my memory some of the film scenes. Anyway, I must confess that I can no longer associate the soundtrack to the film. However, I must say this isn't an obstacle, for me, to review this album, because we can't forget that we are reviewing a Pink Floyd's album and not the soundtrack of the film 'La Vallee'. So, 'Obscured By Clouds' has a very interesting set of songs, but when I'm hearing the album, I have the feeling that I'm in presence of an album out of time. I have the feeling that it was moved in time of the chronological order of the Pink Floyd's official discography. It seems to me this album should have been released following 'More' or 'Ummagumma', but never after 'Meddle'. Its music is much closer to the psychedelic period of the band than the more progressive music of 'Meddle'. But don't get me wrong. I don't consider 'Obscured By Clouds' a bad album. In my humble opinion, we are in the presence of a good and pleasant Pink Floyd's album. Still, I think 'Obscured By Clouds' isn't one of the best albums of the band and isn't an essential album in a collection of progressive rock music, indeed.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

'Obscured by Clouds' is studio album #7 for Pink Floyd, inarguably the most successful progressive band, that fiercely rejected this label. This eerie and melancholic soundtrack album was released in 1972, having been recorded for around a month and a half that same year. It features a gloomy and unclear cover artwork by Hipgnosis, probably the least interesting and uninspiring of all Pink Floyd sleeves; the picture is supposed to depict a man sitting on a tree but it is so distorted that you could hardly recognize anything man-like in this photograph. Of course, on this album we see the classic lineup of Roger Waters, Rick Wright, Nick Mason and David Gilmour.

Where I agree: Being released the year after 'Meddle' and the year before 'Dark Side', 'Obscured by Clouds' can be safely termed a stopgap release for the band. Being a soundtrack album to a French movie that is certainly unpopular, it lacks the coherence and the continuity of the Pink Floyd album, as it is comprised of ten tracks that are seemingly unrelated, except for the common theme of love. As with the band's other soundtrack album, it is not necessarily and essential and exceptional release; Pink Floyd have achieved much greater things in the albums before and after this one. Still, 'Obscured by Clouds' is a very elegant and tranquil album, with lots of acoustic guitars and dreamy synths by Wright; the vocal performance of Gilmour is also quite lovely and the drumming of Mason is as excellent as ever.

Some highlights of this half-instrumental record are 'Mudmen', a very dark and impressive instrumental that is mainly recognizable for the menacing guitars, 'Childhood's End', one of the more memorable and better-written vocal pieces on the album, 'Free Four', the only single from 'Obscured by Clouds' which is a more laid-back, even sing-along tune, and 'Stay', a nice and peaceful song with Rick Wright on lead vocals. The rest of the songs are not band, they are just more standard, and maybe occasionally dull and sleep-inducing.

All in all, this is a mandatory listen for every Pink Floyd fan for sure but it is not a universally astonishing album, it is more of a transitory one, lacking the dynamics and avant-garde sensation of the previous releases by them.