OBSCURED BY CLOUDS

In 1972, Pink Floyd recorded the soundtrack for the French film La Vallée, a project of director Barbet Schroeder, who had been the driving force behind More. After scoring More, Pink Floyd had agreed to score his next film, as well. Recording had already begun for The Dark Side of the Moon, but the band temporarily paused that work in order to conduct some hurried sessions for the film. Some underlying DNA of Dark Side can be detected here, especially in Rick Wright's VCS 3 synthesizer, shorter song structures, and jazzy inclusions. The rushed nature of the recording is obvious, though, as this record feels scattershot and inconsistent to a degree which cannot be easily explained away by dint of it being a soundtrack. Obscured by Clouds contains no bad songs, but it feels notably incoherent when digested as a single work.

"Obscured by Clouds" is a moody, droning instrumental track which segues seamlessly into the bombastic "When You're In". The latter song is enjoyable, but it feels awfully long considering it two-and-a-half minute runtime. This isn't helped by the song's minute-long fade-out.

"Burning Bridges" is, funnily enough, a bridge between Pink Floyd's past and future sounds. Dreamy, late '60s psychedelic flavors blend with smart, jazzy influences, and this song is yet another example of how Wright's and Gilmour's voices worked so well together. Many of the instrumental motifs present here are also utilized in the instrumental "Mudmen".

"The Gold It's in The..." is atypical of Pink Floyd's sound. It's almost as if "The Nile Song" had been written more like a pop song. It's hard-rocking, groovy, and guitar-centric. While enjoyable, it doesn't feel much like a Pink Floyd song. In contrast to this high energy piece, the next cut is "Wot's...Uh the Deal?". It's a slow-moving folky piece and one of the strongest on the record.

Side 2 opens with "Childhood's End", which sounds like a rough draft of "Time". Had I heard this back when it was initially released in 1972, I'm positive I would have adored it. But having heard "Time" first, this track feels like a demo. This reverse-self-rip-off is followed by the most unique track on the album. "Free Four" is downright jaunty and features significant folk and country influences. The lyrics are strongly reminiscent of what would be addressed on Dark Side, but the lighter feel is distinct. Rick Wright's evil-sounding VSC 3 is a sharp contrast to the bouncy acoustic guitar.

"Stay" is Side 2's answer to "Burning Bridges". This Wright composition leans heavily on jazz and soul and slinks along smoothly. And much as Side 1 ended on an instrumental, Side 2 closes on "Absolutely Curtains". This six-minute piece allows organ and synthesizer to build an oppressive atmosphere, complemented by Nick Mason's spare drumming. It closes with a field recording of the Mapuga people of New Guinea, which was taken from the film.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2021/03/01/deep-dive-pink-floyd/