MEDDLE

Let me begin by saying that Meddle marks the dusk of the remarkable transition from post-Barrett Pink Floyd to Dark Side of the Moon era Pink Floyd. The mood of this album is cemented right from the start, as howling winds are set behind a driving bassline in 'One of These Days.' It is clear from the beginning that the group was determined to refine their space rock sound and give their music a powerful poignancy. Best known for the aforementioned and the sidelong epic 'Echoes', Meddle proves to be an excellent indication of the direction the group would take in the future- combining the experimental edge of their earlier albums with a more focused songwriting that had suffered somewhat since Barrett's departure.

When looking at the sound of the band on this record, it is notable that the music is very pastoral and has a countryside feeling throughout with lovely slide guitar work from David Gilmour and dreamlike keyboard work from Rick Wright. This sound is no more prominent on 'A Pillow of Winds', where Gilmour's placid guitar work shines. 'Fearless' features a wonderful riff; acoustic guitars again keep the music modest- very tight rhythm work from Waters and Mason (I particularly enjoy the sound of Mason's kit on this track: tight snare and beautiful tone on the high hat). Meanwhile, Wright provides great piano work throughout the piece and the piece crescendos into a crowd chant, which surprisingly fits the piece quite well.

The next two feature styles for which Pink Floyd is not known. 'San Tropez' is a jazzy number featuring more slide work from David Gilmour and then an excellent piano solo from Rick Wright; this piece creates so many images and scenes that one rarely would associate with a Pink Floyd song. Likewise 'Seamus' is a bluesy number, with more lovely piano playing from Rick Wright and acoustic guitar work from David Gilmour.

Send a grand piano through a Leslie speaker.you get the tone in the introduction to 'Echoes.' No more sedate pastoral music, no more jazz and blues numbers; this is progressive rock at its finest: boundaries, limits and parameters out the window. The combination of keyboards, bass, guitars and drums creates a sublime atmosphere, only bettered by the entrance of Gilmour and Wright's vocals. The lyrics have underwater and sea connotations; the imagery they evoke is only accentuated by the grace and elegance of the music itself. If there ever was a piece that called out and said, "We are out of the shadow of Syd Barrett; we are and this is what we will be-Pink Floyd," this is it. A 23 minute epic that is worth every second.

The diversity on this studio album is really bar none in the Floyd catalogue; other albums may have a more cohesive style to them, but none of them display the mastery of different styles in a sound and manner that is truly Pink Floyd. Highly recommended for 'One of These Days', 'A Pillow of Winds', 'Fearless' and 'Echoes.' Enjoy!