MEDDLE

Similar to 'Atom Heart Mother' only far more accomplished this time around and Pink Floyd would continue this style for the next ten years; long, grandiose and moody compositions (see "Echoes") and strong songwriting in general. The first half of the album starts off with the haunting 'One of These Days' on a slightly tense note, a pulsating bass riff with some eerie texturing from the band on top. It explodes into a great jam before fading into the gentle 'Pillow of Winds', dominated by acoustic guitar and serene organs resulting in one of the bands most beautiful songs, it also maintains the mystique of the opening track. 'Fearless' is more upbeat with a good riff to it, though neither 'San Tropez' or the dog barking blues of 'Seamus' do much for me. One the other hand, at 23 minutes 'Echoes' is the bands first truly successful epic and the highlight of the album; a long cold underwater journey supported with great dynamics and effective studio trickery, especially in it's creepy middle section that transitions into one of the bands best climaxes at the end. A peak song that still sends shivers down my spine. Meddle is more confident on the songs and Floyd's most focused album so far and a very good taste of what's to come from them later, this album is worthy for any PF fan or newcomer.