PINK FLOYD

Without initially intending to and during the extensive promotional tour for "The Division Bell", David Gilmour and the other members of Pink Floyd decided that it was propitious to include the entirety of the iconic "The Dark Side of the Moon" in the setlist of the shows still to come. And that idea came to fruition with the recordings at London's Earls Court in November 1994 and their subsequent release as "PULSE" (1995), a live double album.

The two sections that make up "PULSE" show the enormous quality and neatness of the trio that survived the bitter quarrels with Roger Waters, with the utmost care for instrumental details (although it is true that Gilmour's voice is perceived as a little exhausted at times), and that counts, as on the "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" tour, with a group of support musicians that enhance and help to sustain even more the lavishness and melodic richness of each performance.

Timeless band tracks like "Shine on You Crazy Diamond", the cosmic "Astronomy Domine", the disturbing "One of These Days" and its astral additions in the middle section, or the mega hit "Another Brick in the Wall: Part Two", intermingle with novelty pieces from "The Division Bell" like the bluesy "What Do You Want from Me", the heartfelt "Coming Back to Life" or the majestic "High Hopes", shaping the first section of the album.

The second section reproduces very faithfully the complete "Dark Side of the Moon", with the addition of the very good guitar solos by Gilmour and guest Tim Renwick and the notorious bass of guest Guy Pratt on "Money", the deep sax of another guest Dick Parry on "Us & Them", and the awakened and boxed guitar solo again by Gilmour on "Any Colour You Like", before the lunatic closing with the impeccably executed "Brain Damage" and "Eclipse"'. The encore was crowned by the delicate "Wish You Were Here" chanted by the audience, the unsurpassed guitar solo on the timeless "Comfortably Numb", and the vocal interplay between Gilmour and Pratt on the escapist and thunderous "Run Like Hell", to the general ecstasy of the venue.

"PULSE" was a renewed communion between Pink Floyd and their audience who, judging by the remarkable success of the tour, did not seem to attach much importance to the absence of the former leader.

4 stars

Review Nº 831

"Discovery" is a very special compilation of Pink Floyd that was released in 2011. It's an excellent box set that contains all the studio albums released by the group in their extraordinary musical career. It's very similar to "Oh By The Way", the other compilation of the group that also contains all their fourteen studio albums. The disks are all re-mastered as on the other compilation. Apart what I said before, there's nothing else new in here like, bonus tracks, early singles, some rarities, an extra disc with documentary material, photos from the band or live images from their live concerts.

As I've already reviewed all these albums previously on Progarchives, in a more extensive way, I'm not going to do it again. So, if you are interested to know, in more detail, what I wrote about them before, I invite you to read those my reviews. However, in here I'm going to write something about them in a more short way. So, of course, I'm not going to analyze them track by track, as I made before, but I'm only going to make a global appreciation of all those albums. I reviewed "Oh By The Way" already on Progarchives, few days ago and I wrote something simple and short about them.

First, we have the two first Pink Floyd's studio albums "The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" and "A Saucerful Of Secrets". Despite all the differences between both albums, there are many similarities between both albums, because they're the two best representative works of the psychedelic musical phase of the group. However, "The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" is a unique album in the entire Pink Floyd's discography. It's the only studio album under the leadership of Syd Barrett and explores the psychedelic music in its more intimate and complexes senses. "A Saucerful Of Secrets", despite have many psychedelic musical parts, it has also, for the first time, the beginning of the fundamental elements of their future space rock sound. It proofs that there were two different bands, the band with and without Sid Barrett. Both are two excellent albums. "More" and "Obscured By Clouds" are two very special Pink Floyd's albums, because both were made as two film soundtrack albums. I must confess that I never was a big fan of film soundtracks made by progressive rock bands. However, I can say that they're two good albums and are two interesting works to listen to. "Ummagumma" is a very special album in Pink Floyd's discography. It's divided into two distinct parts, a live and a studio part. The live part is great with its live versions superior to their studio originals. The studio part isn't a musical collective effort of the band but individual performances of their members. Despite being a good album, I must confess that I never was a great fan of those types of albums. "Atom Heart Mother" is, for me, an excellent Pink Floyd's album. I think that it's a very important transitional album for the group, with many progressive features and that it would be the turning point of the band's music. "Meddle" is the starting point of the band's sound, from the psychedelic to the space sound. It launched the roots of what would be the trademark of their music and became as one of the most important albums to the band. It was also the first masterpiece of the group. "Dark Side Of The Moon", "Wish You Were Here" and "Animals" are simply the best and most influential albums from Pink Floyd". They made part of a very important trilogy of the group that immortalized the band and they became as some of the better albums ever made. "The Wall" is the most ambitious, difficult, challenging, complex and powerful conceptual album released by Pink Floyd. With it, it starts the increase of the dominion of Roger Waters in the band and it became as a very personal musical project of him. It became as one of most known albums ever, with many live performances throughout the time. "The Final Cut" and "A Momentary Lapse Of Reason", despite being two distinct albums, they have a common thing. Both were personal bets. "The Final Cut" was a personal bet of Roger Waters and "A Momentary Lapse Of Reason" was a personal bet of David Gilmour. So, in my opinion, they should never have been realised as Pink Floyd's albums. Despite being two good musical works, they remain as two of the weakest Pink Floyd's albums. "The Division Bell" is an excellent album. It's, undoubtedly, the best album released by Pink Floyd since 1979, the year of "The Wall". It's almost a perfect album but I sincerely think that it lacks something to it. It lacks the creativity and irreverence that Roger Waters gave to Pink Floyd.

Conclusion: "Discovery" is a great and a big compilation of Pink Floyd. It has the complete studio discography of the group, all remastered, plus a booklet. But, there's nothing else more than that. Thus, how to rate a compilation like this, especially for someone like me, who has already all those albums in its original version? So, sincerely, I think that the right thing to do is to rate this compilation with 4 stars, because all on it's good, great or even excellent. Of course that not all musical discography of Pink Floyd is really great. It has its lower points like "More", "Ummagumma", "Obscured By Clouds", "The Final Cut" and "A Momentary Lapse Of Reason", despite all are good albums. However, as a global appreciation, it has so many great albums that I sincerely think it deserves to be considered as an excellent box set.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Review Nº 827

"Oh By The Way" is a very special compilation of Pink Floyd and was released in 2007. This is an amazing box set that contains all the studio albums released by the group in their incredible and very extensive musical career. Despite "Oh By The Way" contains remastered versions of the original albums it hasn't anything new to offer on it like bonus tracks, early singles or even some rarities. It hasn't also an extra disc with documentary material, photos from the band or even lives images from their live concerts. What we have here is just their fourteen studio albums digitally remastered.

As I've already reviewed all these albums previously on Progarchives, in a more extensive way, I'm not going to do it again. So, if you are interested to know, in more detail, what I wrote about them before, I invite you to read those my reviews. However, in here I'm going to write something about them in a more short way. So, of course, I'm not going to analyze them track by track, as I made before, but I'm only going to make a global appreciation of all those albums.

"The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" is a unique album in all Pink Floyd's discography. It's the only studio album under the leadership of Syd Barrett that explores the psychedelic music with some touches of blues. "A Saucerful Of Secrets", despite have many psychedelic parts, represents the beginning of their future space rock sound, which only would be firmly consolidated on their sixth studio album "Meddle". It represents also a more mature sound. "More" is the soundtrack of a film with the same name. It's an album with some interesting musical moments but it seems to me more a bunch of experimental and psychedelic songs than a real cohesive musical work. "Ummagumma" is an album divided into two parts, the live and the studio albums. On the live album all the live versions are superior to its studio versions. The studio album isn't a musical collective effort of the band. I never was a great fan of those types of albums. "Atom Heart Mother" is a very important transitional album for the group. It's an album with many progressive features and that would be the turning point of the band's music, and which will culminates in what is their first masterpiece "Meddle". "Meddle" was the album that started the turning point of the band's sound, from the psychedelic to the space sound. "Meddle" launched the roots of what would be the trademark of their music, which would influence so many bands in the future. "Obscured By Clouds" is the soundtrack of another film "La Vallée". It has a very interesting group of songs but its music is more close to the psychedelic period. I always have the feeling that I'm in the presence of an album chronological wrong in the band's musical discography. "Dark Side Of The Moon" is very well known and is simply one of the best albums ever made. With it, Pink Floyd reached the stardom and became in one of the most influential progressive bands and in one of the most famous bands ever. "Wish You Were Here" is also one of the best albums ever made and shows the sentimental side of the group. It was dedicated to their founding member Syd Barrett and represents a farewell tribute to him. It represents also a critic to the musical industry. "Animals" is another great album. It's absolutely brilliant despite the conflicts that were beginning between band's members, with Roger wanting a new direction for the band's music. It closes the trilogy started with "Dark Side Of The Moon". "The Wall" is the most ambitious, complex and powerful album released by Pink Floyd. It's a personal project of Roger Waters that became as the most famous album of the band and that was to culminate in several live presentations, of which the most famous was "The Wall ? Live in Berlin" in 1990. "The Final Cut" is their last album with Roger Waters where all the songs were credited to him. It's a very personal project of him and for me, it can't be considered a Pink Floyd's album and should never have been realized as a Pink Floyd's album. "A Momentary Lapse Of Reason" is also a very different album from Pink Floyd. It suffers from the same problems of "The Final Cut" because it's a Gilmour personal project. It also should never have been realized as a Pink Floyd's album. "The Division Bell" is a great album without a weak track. It's the best album released by Pink Floyd since "The Wall". It's undoubtedly one of the best albums of Pink Floyd and represents a great way to end the musical career of an exceptional band, one of the greatest progressive bands ever.

Conclusion: How to rate a compilation with the entire career of a band when we have individually all their original discography? By the other hand, the entire career of Pink Floyd never was totally uniform and balanced all over the years. It's almost consensual consider the band released five great masterpieces "Meddle", "Dark Side Of The Moon", "Wish You Were Here", "Animals" and "The Wall" and four very good studio albums "The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn", "A Saucerful Of Secrets", "Atom Heart Mother" and "The Division Bell". But, we know too that "More", "Ummagumma", "Obscured By Clouds", "The Final Cut" and "A Momentary Lapse Of Reason" are minor studio works from them. So, sincerely, I really think the right thing to do is rating "Oh By The Way" with 4 stars because it has many great things.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

I am sure that I will not find any revelations about Dark Side of the Moon as it is one of the biggest selling and most popular albums of all time. But there is a reason for that; it's incredible! I am very much at level 4 going into this, as I am sure most everyone who is seeing this is. Another point worth noting are the excerpts of various interviews that the band members led to various crew members and studio employees that are scattered over the various tracks of the album. Sometimes they are more prominent than others, but they contribute greatly to the atmosphere of the album. So even though it is probably completely unnecessary, here is my deep dive into the Dark Side of the Moon. FYI, I am listening to the 50th anniversary remastered version of the album from last year, just to see if I pick-up on anything I might have missed in the uncountable previous listenings to this album.

Track 1 - Speak to Me

Not so much a song as it is a collage of sound effects that fades in to start the album. Starting with a quiet heartbeat, it builds to an intense crescendo and leads into ?.

Track 2 - Breathe

The quintessential, mellow, Pink Floyd Groove. Nick Mason and Roger Waters set the groove for David Gilmour to play that slide guitar over. The vocals begin at around 1:20 in 2-part harmony from Gilmour & Waters. At 2 minutes in, Rick Wright gives us a nice organ glissando to start the second verse. A short, but unforgettable song. (We'll get another taste of it a bit later.) This leads directly to?.

Track 3 - On the Run

Fun synthesizer experimentation from Gilmour & Waters. For more technical information see the link to the song on the Wikipedia Page about the album.

It really tickles the brain, though. Lots of cool sound effects are used to give "Doppler Effects" and give the impression of a plane flying overhead.

Track 4 - Time

After the long fade out of On the Run merges into the beginning of Time. A sound collage of alarm clocks going off can be jarring. Then Waters creates the "Tick-Tock" sound by tapping the strings of his bass onto the pickups of the bass. Gilmour and Waters play low sustained notes while Wright adds texture on an electric piano. Over all of this is Nick Mason's famous roto-toms feature, which is bathed in reverb. The instrumental intro gives way to the song- proper at 2:28, being announced by tom-tom hits. Gilmour sings the lyrics that were penned by Waters in the verses, while Rick Wright sings on the bridges (he would not get another lead vocal feature until 21 years later on The Division Bell). This song can give one an existential crisis, if you're not careful! Starting at 3:30, Gilmour provides a signature, soaring guitar solo that is ever so tasty. The vocals return following the solo. I love the bluesy guitar fills between Gilmour's phrases, as well as the female backing vocals behind Wright in the bridges. As mentioned earlier, starting at 5:55 of the song, we have a reprise of Breathe, which functions as a coda for Time. The sustained notes at the end take us to?

Track 5 - The Great Gig in the Sky

Get the tissues ready! Wright plays a beautiful chord progression on the piano while Gilmour plays slide guitar. The bass & drums kick in, session vocalist Claire Torry gives one of the greatest wordless vocal performances of all time. (While initially paid a small session fee, she later sued, saying that her contribution warranted a writing credit, as she improvised the melody, and won an out of court settlement in 2005, giving her the writing credit and an undisclosed sum of money.) The sound that the band creates, with piano and organ, along with the rhythm section and guitar, along with Torry's exquisite vocals is simply sublime. The build to a wonderful crescendo. Then, at around 2:30, they bring the dynamic level down and give us a bit of a breather. The song continues to ease off until the ending. Simply beautiful. This concludes the original side 1 of the album and is really the only pause in sound on the album.

Track 6 - Money

To kick-off side two, we have a 7-4 sound collage of cash registers and coins. Waters comes in with the iconic 7-4 bass riff, which after a few repeats is doubled by Gilmour on guitar. Mason hits a drum accent, and we're off! Gilmour adds a vibrato-effected guitar and Wright plays accents on the electric piano while Gilmour sings. The sound effects return between verses. This is probably the most famous 7-4 song ever recorded. At 2:00 or so into the song, session saxophonist Dick Parry (who would return on Wish You Were Here, and later Pink Floyd tours and projects) plays a blistering solo. As I am listening, I am perfectly situated between left and right speakers and the panning of the various instruments gives added dimension (possibly thanks to the album's famous engineer Alan Parsons). At around 3 minutes in, we shift to 4-4 for Gilmour's guitar solo. Around 3:50 the dynamics drop down a bit and the solo continues. The level jumps back up at 4:20 and then Gilmour hits a stratospheric level high note. Pink Floyd are simply among the best at using dynamic levels to great effect. We return to 7-4 at 5:05 as the solo ends and the next verse begins. We shift back to 4-4 as we hit the coda and the song fades out, with some of the interview snippets previously mentioned. This song gives way to

Track 7 - Us and Them.

Wright's organ emerges from the fade-out of Money, then the band goes into another of their patented "mellow grooves". This one may be the most hypnotic one they ever did. Gilmour's arpeggio pattern and tone is simply mesmerizing. Dick Parry returns with a mellow sax tone this time, while Waters and Maso keep the pace under control. Gilmour begins singing at around 1:45 with lovely echoes on his words. Once again, Floyd's mastery of dynamic levels is put to good use as the chorus is much more powerful than the verses. Parry plays sax fills between vocal phrases on this verse. The choruses are so epic on this song, with a female vocal trio providing an extra dimension of sound as the music rises and falls. Starting around 4:45 Wright plays a simple luscious piano solo, followed by another sax solo from Parry. All-the while the lush rhythm bed continues. The sax-solo crescendos around the 6-minute mark, with the vocal trio in tow. My favorite lyrics of the song are sung starting at around 6:55: "With (echo), without (echo), and who'll deny, it's what the fighting's all about". The music builds for another chorus and then?.

Track 8 - Any Colour You Like

?begins. The band returns to a slightly faster version of the groove from Breathe (back at the beginning of our epic journey, remember?). This is essentially an instrumental bridge to connect us from Us & Them to Brain Damage. First, cascading synthesizer sounds are featured over the top of the groove. Then at 1:19, Gilmour enters with a biting guitar tone that is panned between the speakers on alternating notes. He seems to have recorded two solos, one for each ear. Waters has some nice bass fills as we go along. This song is closer to a loose jam than anything else on the album. However, at 3:12, they play a transitional bit that takes us to?

Track 9 - Brain Damage

?Which begins with a chimney, arpeggiated guitar part from Gilmour. Waters sings lead on the album, although Gilmour would sing it on later tours after Waters' departure from the band. Gilmour harmonizes with Water on parts of the verses. At 1:13, an organ swell initiates a crescendo, and the ladies return on backing vocals for the phrase containing the album's title. Mason plays a simple but effective set of tom-tom fills to bring us back to the verse. I like the laughing sound effect as Waters sings: "The lunatic is in my head" twice. The lyrics here reference a lobotomy, which was, sadly, common practice at the time to try to "cure" mentally ill people. The line "there's someone in my head, but it's not me" seems to be what happens following the lobotomy. At 2:32 the organ swells again and we are back to another chorus, with Mason playing the same type of drum fill, but this time we have a brief, forlorn synth solo that takes us to my favorite musical transition of all time, with 4 big tom-tom hits, into the song?

Track 10 - Eclipse

In fact, I think it should be illegal to play Brain Damage and Eclipse separately! ("It just ain't right! I tell you!") Those tom-toms lead to a moment of musical nirvana with glorious organ fills over a moderate 6-8 groove. Then Waters, with harmonies from Gilmour, Wright, and the female trio sings some of the greatest lyrics ever written over the next minute and fifteen seconds. There is a slow steady crescendo throughout the track. The overall effect is spine- tingling. As the song fades out the heartbeat from the start of the album returns and a barely audible voice says: "There is no dark side of the moon, really. In fact, it's all dark". At around 1:35.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

As I said in the introduction, there is a reason this album is one of the most popular albums of all time. It's simply, in a word, perfect. So, then you may ask, especially if you read my review of Wish You Were Here a few albums back at number 7 on the countdown [Prog Magazine's 100 Greatest Prog Albums of All Time], why is it not your favorite Pink Floyd album? It's really just a preference, as I like the expanded form of Shine on You Crazy Diamond even better. They are both perfect albums. As we are reaching the pinnacle of this countdown, there have been a few others I have bestowed that honor on along the way; and I know there will be at least one more, possibly two. These albums near the top aren't here by accident. (Although, there are some others lower on the list that I think deserve to be much higher than they are, and I have said so in my reviews.) So yeah, obviously, Dark Side gets 5 out of 5 stars!

I am a definite level 4 here! This is my favorite Pink Floyd album, but it's only just barely above DSOTM, which is still to come. As I am certain that anyone who'd be reading this knows, the album is inspired as a tribute to original bandleader/founder Syd Barrett, as well as the band's criticisms of the music industry. Let's begin!

Track 1 - Shine on You Crazy Diamond (Parts 1-5)

The band chose to split this epic track into 2 segments to bookend the album. The opening portion comprises parts 1-5, while the closing portion has parts 6-9. The song fades in with ominous synth drones with synth melodies over the top, courtesy of the late great Rick Wright. This song is the very definition of a "Slow Burn." At 2:10, David Gilmour joins the soundscape with tasty, bluesy guitar licks. The song's first chord change happens at 2:25, with Wright following Gilmour's lead lines. A few more chord changes occur as Gilmour keeps up the licks. The synths begin to fade until 3:54 when Gilmour plays the spine-tingling 4 note sequence that will become one of the major motifs of the song. Simply beautiful. At 4:25 Nick Mason begins a tom tom buildup to bring in Roger Waters' bass and start playing a signature Floyd slow groove along with the 4 note pattern and some "turnaround chords here and there. At 5:12, Gilmour begins playing another bluesy solo. Wright adds some tasty Hammond underneath. At 6:04, Gilmour switches to the bridge pickup on his trusty Strat, and gets a more biting tone. Following behind, Wright takes a keyboard solo, using a warm, brassy tone. Gilmour & the rhythm keep the smooth groove going on. At 7:33, Gilmour returns with more soloing. At 8:42, the first vocals of the entire song/album appear. With Gilmour singing "Remember when you were young?" Followed with the harmonized line "You shone like the sun," (Waters perhaps on the harmony?). Then the huge line "Shine on, you crazy diamond!" sung with the help of a group of female backup singers. Gilmour has lovely guitar fills throughout the verses. The vocals are expertly arranged between the lead, harmony, and backing vocal lines. At 9:45 Gilmour's guitar takes over once again with a melancholy tune. Another verse follows. I love the line at 10:47 "You wore out your welcome with random precision." At 11:09, saxophonist Dick Parry plays a solo on a baritone sax. At around 11:25, Gilmour begins playing a clean arpeggiated riff under the solo. At 12:00 on the dot, Parry switches to alto sax, and the tempo increases. I love watching him have 2 saxes on his neck in live videos and making the switch, it is one of the most badass sax moves ever! At 12:42, the rhythm section drops out white Parry ad-libs some wild lines on the sax, and Gilmour continues with the arpeggiated riff as the song fades out. This is my all time favorite PF track.

Track 2 - Welcome to the Machine

A door opens, then a low. pulsating tone and sound effects fade in. At the 45 second mark, Gilmour begins playing reverse-strummed chords on a 12-string acoustic, that sustain and change every few seconds, with each in sequence panned to one side or the other of the stereo image. Wright also plays synth swells to add to the atmosphere. There seems to be some confusion as to who the primary lead vocalist is on this when they come in shortly after the one minute mark. My ears tell me that Waters is on the higher part, and Gilmour sings the lower notes. If anyone has any insight on this, please feel free to clarify. There are all sorts of cool synth tones on this, especially between vocal parts. The 12 string acoustic re-appears as the verse comes to a close, adding brightness to the somber tones. Starting around 2:45, there is an ascending guitar & synth part that slides back down with synths between phrases. I love the cymbal swells and I believe I hear some occasional tympani notes. Another verse follows the instrumental segment. A synth solo takes over at 5:07. This song is all about the atmosphere. The music begins fading out gradually after 6 minutes, before the door shuts and sound effects take over at around 6:30. At 6:55 there is a crowd laughing and talking. This closes out side 1 of the original LP.

Track 3 - Have a Cigar

This song features guest vocalist Roy Harper, as Waters just couldn't get the right tone he wanted on the track, and Gilmour declined to sing it. Harper was recording his own album at the time in the studio down the hall and was visiting with the band when the invitation came to sing the part. Gilmour had apparently already played some guitar parts on Harper's album, so he was returning the favor, in essence. The bass and guitar start off playing a funky rhythm, to be joined by Mason & Wright. A synth-led melody goes over the top. The lyrics are a scathing satire of the recording industry. I love the famous line "Oh, by the way, which one's Pink?" I think it works well having a non-band member singing the part, as he can play the role of the record executive more effectively. Starting at about 3:15, Gilmour takes over with a funky, bluesy guitar solo. At 4:50, there is a "swoosh" sound and then the music drops way down. This leads to?

Track 4 - Wish You Were Here

This one begins with someone tuning a radio dial from the Have a Cigar riff, through spoken words and classical bits before landing on a strummed acoustic 12-string riff. The sound stays 'tinny" as though it is still on a small radio. At just before 1 minute into the track, a strong, clear sounding 6 string acoustic joins in playing lead lines. Gilmour has stated that the idea was to sound like a student guitarist was improvising lines along with the radio. At 1:30 the six string begins strumming and Gilmour begins singing the beautiful lyrics. At just after 2 minutes the rest of the band joins in with nice rhythms and country-style piano fills. Gilmour often describes this song as being a country song. At around 2:45 Gilmour plays an acoustic solo while matching the notes in his voice (a la George Benson on "On Broadway"). Mellow synth-tones join in to help accompany the solo, which is followed by the chorus:

"How I wish, how I wish you were here.

We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl, year after year.

Running over the same old ground, what have we found?

The same old fears?

Wish you were here."

I especially love the second phrase. Following the chorus, the guitar riff takes back over, and the song begins to slowly fade. As the song fades, Gilmour once again does the voice and guitar in unison again. Once it has faded out, wind-like sound effects take over, leading to?

Track 5 - Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 6-9)

As the wind continues a rhythm begins to emerge on guitar and bass. There are some syncopated guitar fills then synth takes over. Gradually guitar lines merge in with the synth. Then at 2:25, a bluesy shuffle rhythm takes over with Gilmour playing slide guitar over the top. At 3:55, Gilmour is playing stratospheric level high notes. Then at 4:35 Gilmour returns to standard electric guitar and plays a lick that brilliantly transitions us back into the groove from the opening sections of the song. This is perfectly done. It is one of my favorite PF "gear-shifts" along with the transition between "Brain Damage" and "Eclipse" on Dark Side of the Moon. This is how pro level arranging is done. The vocals return at just before 5 minutes into the track. This song has such a warm tone.We have false ending #1 here, then at 6 minutes in, the arpeggiated riff from earlier returns and brings us into a groovy, electric-piano-led, instrumental section. At around the 7 minute mark, what sounds to me like a Clavinet plays some cool low pitched riffs. (What a cool 70s instrument that is!) Floyd could get downright FUNKY when they chose to! Synth lines float over top of the funky groove the band is laying down and the music begins to fade as though it was ending but NO! Sustained synth sounds transition us into a melancholy synth solo with the mellow brass tone, while Mason & Waters keep a slow PF signature groove. (This song has more endings than Lord of the Rings, BTW). At around 11:25 there is a sustained synth chord and Wright ad-libs as the song actually DOES reach a conclusion. Absolutely brilliant.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

It's a perfect album. Nothing would benefit from changing any of it. To me, this (along with DSOTM) is PF at the peak of their powers. Good things would follow (except that we don't talk about The Final Cut), but never quite as good as this. My reviews of Animals & the Wall are out there (follow the hashtag). I like them both, but I LOVE this one & DSOTM. I actually think they got better again on the two "Dehydrated" Floyd albums. But this, IMHO, is the last time that the classic line up really worked as a team, and the results speak for themselves. 5 out of 5 stars easily.

I am a level 3.5 on this. The only reason I don't say level 4 is that I haven't listened to it straight through for quite a while. Probably like the majority of people in my age group who were teenagers in the 1980s, this was an almost mandatory album to have in your collection. So I had it on LP, probably by no later than 1982, I have also had it on CD. It was my introduction to Pink Floyd. It inspired me to go back and get DSOTM, WWYH & Meddle (I've never actually owned a physical copy of Animals, more on that in an upcoming review). While some of the tracks on the album are among my favorite PF songs, the album overall is probably only around my 5th or 6th favorite PF album now. But as I've said it's been a while since I've given it a good listen, so let's give it a fresh set of ears.

Incidentally, Wikipedia has a great synopsis of the storyline, if anyone wants to read it.

Disc 1:

Track 1 - In the Flesh?

We begin with the end? a bit of the final tune, "Outside the Wall" connects the beginning of the album with the ending, suggesting that the album is a cycle that never ends. The proper start of the song hits with a powerful rock introduction at 16 seconds. Gilmour's guitar and Wright's organ fit nicely against Waters' and Mason's downbeats. At around 1:30 Waters begins singing, "So ya?thought ya?might like to?go to the show." This is our main character "Pink" starting a concert where he is going to tell his life story. Pink, by the way, is both autobiographical of Waters' himself, but also incorporates some of Syd Barrett's traits. After a short verse, the riff rocks out again. We end with a big power chord and war planes.

Track 2 - The Thin Ice

This begins with the sounds of baby Pink crying. His mother is singing a lullaby to the baby. At around 1:00, the rhythm becomes a 50's style 6-8.At 1:45 the full band kicks in with a big menacing riff and glorious Gilmour guitar fills.

Track 3 - Another Brick In the Wall, Pt. 1

This first part of the trio of songs bearing this title begins with Gilmour using a delay effect with a syncopated repeated note (a D, if I remember correctly) embellished with occasional additional notes. The effect is very eerie. The song refers to the death of Pink's father in WWII. I love the harmonies on the word "memory" at the end of the first phrase. The vocals sing that "All in all, it was all just bricks in the wall." The lyrics end before the halfway point of the song, leaving Gilmour to continue the atmospheric guitar with some subtle bass & keys underneath. It leads us to?

Track 4 - The Happiest Days of Our Lives

This one deals with the abusive nature of "certain teachers" in England at the time of Pink's youth. However the teachers get back what they dished out by being "thrashed to within inches of their lives" by their "fat, psychopathic wives." It begins with the sounds of a helicopter and someone shouting for a laddie behind the grandstand to stand still. I love the connecting bit toward the end of the track as the song serves as a prelude to?

Track 5 - Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2

The big hit single with the disco beat (this was encouraged by producer Bob Ezrin). Gilmour plays a funky riff against the rhythm section and Roger Water's melodic bass line. The children's voices in the second verse were from a nearby school, and recorded somewhat sneakily, as the band & Ezrin didn't think the school administration would be favorable of the anti-educational lyrics. Controversy brewed when the press learned that they kids were not paid. Eventually, each or the children received a copy of the album and the school received a donation of 1,000 pounds. The highlight of the track, in my opinion, is Gilmour's guitar solo that begins at around the 2 minute mark. Wright has some nice organ swells behind the solo. Of course, at the end we learn that "If you don't eat your meat, you can't have any pudding! How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat!?!?" And they are still after the kid behind the grandstand, being told to stand still. Presumably, the kid in question is Pink.

Track 6 - Mother

This is a beautiful acoustic guitar based ballad about Pink's overbearing & overprotective mother. It begins with Pink asking his mother questions such as "Mother, do you think they'll drop the bomb?" and "....try to break my balls?" among others. "But the key part is "Mother should I build a wall?" Mama answers all of Pink's questions in the following verse with somewhat disturbing answers, concluding with "Of course mother's going to build the wall." just before Gilmour takes over with a beautiful, melodic guitar solo. Following that, Pink is asking for relationship advice. Of course, Mother has more answers, which again are rather disturbing. The song ends with Pink asking "Mother, did it need to be so high?" This concluded side one of the original LP release.

Track 7 - Goodbye Blue Sky

This song, a haunting acoustic-based track, is adult Pink's remembrances of being brought up during the London Blitz of WWII. It fades in with birds chirping and an adorable child's voice saying, "Look mummy, there's an aeroplane up in the sky." Beautiful vocal harmonies singing "ooh's" join at 50 seconds into the song. The first verse continues in harmony, "did, did, did you see the frightened ones?" and ends with by singing "Goodbye blue sky, goodbye." It leads to?

Track 8 - Empty Spaces

This dark & foreboding song asks "What shall we use?to fill?the empty?spaces" in his psychological wall. The upcoming songs answer those questions, beginning with?

Track 9 - Young Lust

A funky hard rocking tune about having lurid sex with a groupie after discovering his wife is cheating on him while on tour in America. "Oooh, I need a dirty woman!" There is a killer Gilmour guitar solo in the middle of the song with some nice keyboard work along with the rhythm section underneath. The song ends with the attempted phone call where he discovers his wife's infidelity.

Track 10 - One of my Turns

Another very disturbing song in which Pink brings the groupie back to his hotel room, only to have a mental breakdown and trash the place. This, obviously, terrifies the young woman into fleeing from him . The song ends with Pink asking "why are you running away?" Incidentally, this was the flipside of the Another Brick?, part 2 single, which was the first Pink Floyd record I owned. My 11 year old self truly did not comprehend the song. Is this perhaps a reference back to the early PF tune, "Be Careful With that Axe, Eugene?"

Track 11 - Don't Leave Me Now

Perhaps the darkest sounding song, in an album full of dark songs. The minor key synth sounds and anguished vocals about wanting to be violent with his unfaithful wife, make the song almost painful to listen to. Pink again asks "Why are you running away?" as the song transitions to the guitar solo. Sound effects and a scream lead to?

Track 12 - Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 3

This one is much harsher sounding than the first 2 parts as Pink swears off human contact and completes the wall. This takes us into?

Track 13 - Goodbye Cruel World

In which Pink is completely behind his wall and says goodbye to the outside world. This is a very short song at 1:15. This ends the first LP/CD.

Disc 2:

Track 14 - Hey You

As we begin the second half of the rock-opera, we find that Pink is regretting building his mental wall, but can't figure out how to tear it down. This song begins with shimmering 12-string acoustic guitar, courtesy of Mr. Gilmour, of course. This is one of my favorite tracks on the album. Wright provides electric piano during the first verse, sung by Gilmour. The rhythm section joins for the second verse. A guitar solo, built over a theme that will recur at various parts of the album. A bridge happens following the solo, ending with the lyric "and the Worms ate into his brain." The Worms are not wiggly little things, but a fascist Neo-Nazi group that Pink will imagine himself the leader of later in the story. The 12=string from the intro returns this time with fretless bass, chimes, and a buzzing sound. The final verse is sung by Waters. The song ends with the words "we fall" echoing repeatedly and leading up to?.

Track 15 - Is There Anybody Out There?

In this part of the story Pink has isolated himself in a hotel room and falls into depression. There are sound-effects and droning keyboards while the title of the song is repeated several times, as a plea. At 1:25, the track turns into a classical guitar solo from Gilmour with subtle backing.

Track 16 - Nobody Home

Pink is now trying to find solace in his possessions. Some of the references in this song refer more to Syd Barrett than to Waters; especially "the obligatory Hendrix-perm" and "wild staring eyes". Whenever he tries to call home he finds there is nobody home. The song ends with the unresolved line, "I've got fading roots."

Track 17 - Vera

Apparently the roots he was referring to are the roots to his past as he finds himself reminiscing about the WWII era. Vera Lynn was a WWII era singer who sang "We'll Meet Again," which is referenced in the song.

Track 18 - Bring the Boys Back Home

A brief song of people singing the title phrase, and urging for the return of the soldiers from WWII. Among a montage of sounds that we have heard throughout the store, we begin to hear knocking on a door and someone saying, "Come on! Time to go!" and then the return of the phrase "Is there anybody out there?" This takes us to?

Track 19 - Comfortably Numb

I am sure that I am not the only one "out there" who finds this song to be the masterpiece of the album. If you love the song I highly recommend finding Rick Beato's "What Makes this Song Great" video about the song on YouTube. You'll notice things that you may have missed before. As I am sure most know, the song is based on an incident that happened to Waters on the Animals tour where he had to be injected with medication in order to perform a concert that night. Additionally, it recalls a time when Waters had an illness as a child. This is the last great collaboration between Waters and Gilmour, as Waters wrote and sang the minor key verses, and Gilmour wrote and sang the choruses in a major key. As far as the story goes, the Waters situation from the Animals tour is happening to Pink as he is being roused to perform a show. There is a melodic guitar solo in the middle of the song, before the second verse enters. Gilmour has another chorus, this time extended, then he launches into what many consider the greatest guitar solo ever recorded. The nearly 2-minute solo is simply sublime. He extends it in live performances much to the audience's delight. And thus concludes side 3 of the original LP.

Track 20 - The Show Must Go On

At this point Pink has begun his performance but begins to hallucinate due to the drugs he's been injected with. This song has a cheerful doo-wop feel with harmonies and slow, easy-going beat. This song is very short at 1:35.

Track 21 - In the Flesh

A reprise of the album's opener with far more disturbing lyrics than the first one. Pink is hallucinating that he is the leader of a Neo-Nazi organization called the Worms, referenced in the song Hey You earlier. His demented visions have him turning his imagined brownshirt-type thugs on minorities and homosexuals. Some of the lyrics use racial epithets that can be offensive to some.

Track 22 - Run Like Hell

In this song the minorities are "Running Like Hell" to avoid being attacked by the Worms. Gilmour uses his delay to great effect. This is one of the bigger radio hits from the album. There is a big synth solo at 2:50.

Track 23 - Waiting for the Worms

The Worms are now holding a violence-inducing riot in suburban London. This song begins in the happy style of The Show Must Go On, but changes around 1:20 into a sinister beat with Pink shouting orders to the crowd over what sounds like a bullhorn. But by 2:15 the music turns pastoral again with the lyrics "Would you like to see Britannia rule again, my friend? All you have to do is follow the Worms." Following that the musical theme heard in parts of Hey You returns (interrupted once by the more peaceful tune). As the song reaches the end, the crowd breaks into a chant that I can't make out. Some say it is "Hammers!" but it sounds more like "Down" or "Stop" to me?.

Track 24 - Stop

There is a piano part, and Pink says "I want to go home?" as he breaks out of his hallucinations. The shortest track at 30 seconds long.

Track 25 - The Trial

Pink is confronted by his "inner judge" as the mock trial drama with full orchestrations and characters proceeds. The courtroom door creaks as the trial participants enter, then the prosecutor begins his opening argument and calls witnesses including the schoolmaster. Pink sings a refrain of "Crazy, toys in the attic, I am crazy." to be echoed by a choir of sorts. The guitar theme returns at about 3:25 as the Judge colorfully announces his verdict, resulting in a chant of: "Tear down the wall!" Then we hear the wall crumble as the song ends and transitions to?

Track 26 - The song is very quiet as Pink re-enters the outside world. As mentioned earlier the close of the album connects with the beginning.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

While I listened to it quite often in my teenage years, It is not a go to PF album for me anymore. There are some great tracks peppered throughout the album, mostly in the second half of the track list? Hey You, Comfortably Numb & Run Like Hell?Although Mother and some other songs are good from the first half. Getting through the album can be a bit of a chore to me, these days. The story is a bit dark for me, but it is well realized & performed. I also get a sense of the end of the classic PF era on this album as Waters seems to have exerted almost full control over the project, even firing Rick Wright for "not pulling his weight." (Maybe there wasn't enough for him to play?) So I'll give this a 4 out of 5 although some of the tracks are among my favorite Floyd tunes. The overall album just doesn't do it for me anymore. (Sacrilege for some, perhaps.)

So, I am calling myself a 1.5 on this one. Surprisingly enough, this album is the one I know least of the "Big 4" 70s Pink Floyd albums. I have become more familiar with it over the past year or so, but I am far from an expert. I do know that it's based on "Animal Farm" by George Orwell. Dogs in particular has become more familiar to me.

Track 1 - Pigs on the Wing, Pt. 1

This is one of two short bookend pieces that begin and end the album. This is an acoustic tune with Waters singing lead. It seems to foreshadow the style of "Mother" on the Wall.

Track 2 - Dogs

This is the big epic, nearly side-long piece on the album. Dogs represent the predatory element of modern society, led by the Pigs, who prey on the Sheep. The song fades in with a rhythmic acoustic strumming pattern and keyboards. The rhythm section starts playing accents just before 1 minute, then fully kicks in at 1:15. Gilmour plays a solo beginning at 1:50. Another verse follows. This time there are some delays on parts of the vocals. At 3:40 or so, the tempo drops to a half-time feel and Gilmour plays harmonized guitar parts. (A second guitarist?Snowy White? was recruited to be a second live guitarist.) Dog sound effects are heard around the 5-minute mark. The band kicks back at around 5:30 and Gilmour plays another solo. Harmony vocals follow the solo. At about the 8- minute mark, the word "stone" echoes for quite some time.

Wright plays synth chords underneath. Nick Mason plays a subtle bass-drum/snare pattern during the keyboard feature. The strumming pattern returns at around 11:45, emerging from the keyboards. Vocals return at 12:15. Gilmour takes another solo at around 13:25. Mason accents with a China type cymbal. The half-time harmonized guitar section returns afterward. A closing section begins around 15:17. The song concludes with a sustained chord.

Track 3 - Pigs (Three Different Ones)

This begins with snorting pig sound effects, a keyboard pattern and a bass feature. Gilmour joins on guitar chords. Mason kicks in with a drumbeat then the vocals come in. The narrator refers to Pigs as a charade. The groove of this one is similar to "Have a Cigar" from the previous album, Wish You Were Here. We get a cowbell around 1:50. The feel changes around 4:15. The guitar rhythm here reminds me a bit of King Crimson's "Easy Money" Some of the instrumental bits on this album seem to be filling space and not very inspired. At around 7:30 there is a repeat of the intro. Gilmour kicks into a solo at around 9:40. This is the most energetic part of the song to me.

Track 4 - Sheep

Wright starts this off with a jazzy Fender-Rhodes electric piano solo. Waters lays a bass groove underneath. I like the triplet groove when the vocals come in. This one reminds me a bit of "One of These Days" if it were a bit faster and had vocals. Things drop out around 3:4 for a more mellow section. I like the crescendo that culminates at around 5 minutes. The bass at 5:40 is very much reminiscent of "One of These Days." The groove kicks back in around 7 minutes. A long fade out starts to happen at around the 9-minute mark, and we end with animal sound effects.

Track 5 - Pigs on the Wing, Pt. 2

This is the other half of the acoustic ditty that starts the album off.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

To me, this is the weakest of the "Big 4." I like it, but there seems to be a lot of unnecessarily long instrumental segments that don't go anywhere. I'd say Sheep was my favorite track. Gilmour's guitar was the highlight of the album for me. Waters begins his takeover of the band on this album, with only Gilmour getting a co-writing credit on "Dogs" I'll give this a 4 out of 5 stars, which is what I gave the Wall, but I am allowing for the fact that I am not as familiar with it, and it may grow on me.

It's been a little while since I've listened to the whole of Meddle, so I'll go with a level 3 going in. I have long been of the opinion that this album determined the direction that Pink Floyd took through the remainder of the 70s studio albums (Obscured by Clouds which follows this album chronologically, is a soundtrack so it plays by some different rules). I know 3 of the 6 quite well? One of these Days, Fearless & Echoes. Let's dive in!

Track 1 - One Of These Days

This is the only pre- Dark Side track that remained a staple of the live set throughout the rest of PFs touring days (if I'm not mistaken). In looking at the album credits, I see that Gilmour is not only shown on guitar for this one, but also the iconic bass line. (Upon further investigation, I see that he plays in unison with Waters.). We have a bit of a sinister blues shuffle happening here. Wright's organ accents are so cool. Mason's tom-tom fills when the slide guitar enters is a nice touch. The tremolo bass effect that begins at around 2:50 is very effective. Mason provides the line "One of these days I'm going to break you into little pieces" with lots of effects. The section following that disturbing statement is a pure release of adrenaline. Gilmour's slide guitar is sublime, and the rhythm section groove (including the keyboards) is absolutely cookin' Great, classic PF track.

Track 2 - A Pillow of Winds

I know a lot of fans love this track, but for some reason it has never stuck with me. It's got a nice folky feel, maybe a bit influenced by Dear Prudence by the Beatles. This is a mellow track indeed. Very meditative. Gilmour's vocals have a slightly different tone to my ears compared to how he usually sounds to my ears. Nice peaceful track.

Track 3 - Fearless

Another mellow tune, with a slightly country feel, I love the ascending guitar riff on this one. Additionally, Gilmour's vocals are wonderful, as are the harmonies. The guitar chords at 2:30 sound as though they might possibly have influenced Zebra's "Who's Behind the Door." This has always been one of my favorite PF, pre-DSOTM, tracks. As the band begins to fade out, a recording of Football (Soccer) fans singing "You'll Never Walk Alone" takes over. Excellent track.

Track 4 - San Tropez

Interestingly, the only lead vocal by Roger Waters on the album, this is a jazzy little ditty. It's kind of fun, and Gilmour gets to provide a nice Hawaiian guitar-type solo, and Wright plays a melodic piano solo. I, however, think it's one of the weaker tracks on the album.

Track 5 - Seamus

An acoustic blues tune with a dog howling. Again, it's fun, but not really essential PF.

Track 6 - Echoes

The Magnum Opus of the album. It's Floyd's second side-long track following the title track from the previous album, Atom Heart Mother. That "ping" that starts us off is instantly recognizable. Apparently, it was produced by Wright playing a single organ note through a Leslie (revolving) speaker. There is a slow fade in before the first verse begins just before the 3-minute mark. The vocals are shared by Gilmour & Wright. I love the riff that starts at around 3:45. Another verse and riff section leads us to a guitar solo that begins at around 5:30. The groove changes at around the 7:00 mark. Waters & Mason keep a steady groove happening while Gilmour and Wright trade some licks. Gilmour's solo is slightly-Hendrix-like. By around 11:20, we have reached the "whale song" section; very trippy indeed. By around 16 minutes the "ping" returns, and we come out of that section with sustained organ chords. Gilmour begins playing a rhythmic pattern not unlike the one he would use much later on The Wall as the track builds up. Mason plays some nice cymbal flourishes along the way. The vocals return just after the 19-minute mark. The sound of the instrumental parts is so wonderful as we begin to reach the conclusion of the album. Things chill out at around the 21-minute mark. We have some nice mellow playing to take us out of the song and into wind sound effects. An absolute classic.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

A very good album, with 3 great tracks, one pretty good track and 2 so-so tracks. Of course, one of the great ones constitutes half of the album. They were definitely close to where they were headed, but not quite there yet. I'll give it a 4.5 out of 5.

Clicking 4, but REALLY 4.5!!!

Going into this, I am a level 1. I've heard some tracks, but never the whole album. I've definitely heard Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast before. I am mainly (but not entirely) post- Meddle when it comes to PF knowledge. I am looking forward to this, though, I'm sure it's going to be quite a ride!

Track 1 - Atom Heart Mother

We jump right in with a side-long, should be good! A low drone starts things off, and gradually brass instruments join in. It eventually sounds like a fanfare, then the band joins in at around 1:30 with a moderate rhythm. The brass takes back over with battle sounds and explosions before the band re-joins. A cello comes in next with a keyboard ostinato underneath. Gilmour slide takes the reins next with a smooth Mason & Waters rhythm underneath. Now we have a choir. So far, I am enjoying this! Apparently, this album went #1 in the UK, I don't think it was as well known in its day in the US. The choir is not singing lyrics, just "Aahhs" and such, but I like it. At around 10:45 we get a proper Gilmour solo over a nice rhythm and organ from Wright. Too bad Waters has become such an egomaniacal jerk, as he is a hell of a bass player. More nonsensical vocals come in next. I'm calling this "weird, but in an interesting way." The brass section returns again followed by sound effects. It's very "experimental." This is essentially an instrumental piece, as the vocals that ARE there are effectively acting as instruments. I enjoyed it.

Track 2 - If

This would have been the beginning of side 2, with Waters, Wright, and Gilmour each composing and singing a track. "If" is Waters' contribution. It begins with nylon-string acoustic and simple vocals. The tune reminds me of what would become "Goodbye, Cruel World," from The Wall nearly a decade later. A soft organ and slide guitar have an interlude before the vocals resume. On the next verse, some subtle hi-hat joins the rhythm. It gives way to another instrumental break with a gentle drumbeat (Possibly played with brushed), piano and harmonized lead guitars. The final verse is sung in harmony. Not bad, not great.

Track 3 - Summer '68

This is Wright's contribution. It begins with piano and mellow bass & drums. Wright gets forgotten as a vocalist later in Floyd's discography, but he is a good singer as well, even if not as powerful as Gilmour and Waters. On the second verse, we have organ. Following that verse, things take off with louder instrumentation and more rhythm and stronger vocals. There is a trumpet-sounding solo, but I believe it is Wright's keyboards producing the sound. I really like this track. We get some Ba-Ba vocals. It does seem that the brass section returns later in the song though.

Track 4 - Fat Old Sun

Here is Gilmour's contribution. Acoustic guitar, vocals and slide guitar in the distance. Bass joins in along with subtle organ. Apparently, Gilmour is playing everything but the organ, which is Wright, even the drums! Not bad David! I also understand that this is one of the first songs he wrote. It's a good track but his vocals are too far in the background. It sounds a bit like a demo, maybe a little more polish was in order? Still, I like it!

Track 5 - Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast

This track is essentially PF Roadie Alan Styles, making breakfast and rambling about breakfasts he's had around the world while the band rehearses in the background. This seems like it belongs to the experimentation of the preceding album Ummagumma, rather than this more song-based album. It's more musical than that description sounds. There is some wonderful piano and organ playing from Wright. Following some talk of macrobiotic breakfasts in Los Angeles, there is excellent acoustic guitar playing, even though we hear Alan eating his food while it's playing. The guitar parts remind me a bit of the Beatles' Dear Prudence. Now we get bacon frying with Alan's mutterings. In the final segment, the full band plays. It is clearly a classic PF sound. I kind of wish they'd have developed the instrumental sections more and left out Alan's breakfast noises. But it was 1970, and it was still essentially the 60s spirit of experimentation. I still enjoy the track, despite the early ASMR sounds that accompany it.

OVERALL IMPRESSIONS:

Very enjoyable album. You can tell they are on the path that would be refined more on Meddle and perfected on DSOTM and WYWH. There are a few "what were they thinking" moments, but overall, I like it. 4 out of 5 Stars.

Under pressure, often the best performances are delivered. The gentlemen of Pink Floyd, David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Richard Wright, and Nick Mason can attest to this, as they had to follow up the enormous success of "Dark Side Of The Moon" (1973) with an album that was at least as good. Imagine the challenge. It must have weighed on them like a lead blanket, but with unwavering confidence in their abilities, they manage to release an album on September 15, 1975, that is unparalleled.

The material for "Wish You Were Here" was written by Roger Waters and David Gilmour, with Richard Wright also contributing some compositional elements. Wisely, they did not attempt to create a second "Dark Side Of The Moon." No, while the successful album engaged in a creative blend of progressive, psychedelic, and artistic rock, "Wish You Were Here" sounds more epic and symphonic.

However, the album is filled with typical Pink Floyd characteristics. The melodic guitar lines never betray the band's DNA, just like the atmospheric keyboard parts. We hear the VCS3 synth again, lap steel guitar, expressive vocals from Waters, Gilmour's warm voice, and the creative rhythms propelling the music forward with bass guitar and drums. For Pink Floyd, everything revolves around the desire to be original and innovative. "Wish You Were Here" sounds grand, majestic, and is captivating, mysterious, and enchanting.

The album's history is worth mentioning. Initially, "Wish You Were Here" was supposed to consist of only three tracks: a 9-part suite called Shine On and the tracks You Gotta Be Crazy and Raving And Drooling. They often experimented with these live, and then a change of plans occurred. Shine On became Shine On You Crazy Diamond, split into two parts, and the other tracks were later developed as Dogs and Sheep on the next album, "Animals." Three new tracks were added between the two parts of Shine On You Crazy Diamond to give more depth to the album's concept (which revolves around former Pink Floyd singer/guitarist Syd Barrett and the prevailing madness in the music industry).

Well, this design is remarkable. The album starts with the first five parts of Shine On You Crazy Diamond, a track that has become a jewel in both progressive rock and Pink Floyd's body of work. From the slowly building opening to Dick Parry's snarling saxophone solo on baritone and tenor saxophones, the band delivers a delightful array of tempo and mood changes. There are numerous remarkable moments, such as the desolate guitar arpeggio supported by cool Hammond organ play. This passage precedes the introduction of drums. Also notable is the magnificent Moog solo that brings a certain captivation. Don't overlook Gilmour's guitar speaking with its sensuous timing. Shine On You Crazy Diamond is incredibly beautiful.

While you are still reflecting on those emotional states, you are then gripped by the gears of Welcome To The Machine. It's clear that we are dealing with a typical Waters composition. The acoustically driven track sounds mechanical, dark, and ominous. The thick layer of keyboards makes the song resonate continuously, and combined with the desperation in Waters' voice, it creates an exhilarating piece of music.

The subsequent Have A Cigar, although having the same darkness, the funky approach, and bluesy guitar fillings, still makes it a unique song. The fact that the song is not sung by a Pink Floyd member but by a guest singer adds to its uniqueness. Folk singer Roy Harper handled the task, and he can be proud of it. Then the sound fades away, and we go on a minute-long channel search. And suddenly, there's the title track, Wish You Were Here. Much has already been said and written about it. The ballad is based on a simple chord progression on acoustic guitar that many beginner guitarists may have played.

It was a brilliant move to transfer the last four parts of Shine On You Crazy Diamond to the end of the B-side. This way, the album becomes a nicely rounded whole, and the music deserves that. Parts VI and VII are still lively with a smooth bass rhythm and a wailing lap steel guitar, while the last two parts are true final pieces with beautiful keyboard play.

"Wish You Were Here" provides the ultimate proof that under pressure, the best performances are delivered. My favorite Pink Floyd album leaves nothing to be desired.

Orginally posted on www.progenrock.com