Pink Floyd!!

[Menolly]

Do you guys watch reaction videos on YouTube? There's a 27 year old in Orlando, FL who did a first listen to Meddle track by track. He claims he grew up on a genre called Progressive Metal, such as a group called Dream Theater, but he's listening to a variety of music from the '60s - '80s on his channel, including Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd, and The Moody Blues (my favorites).

Watching his reactions has been priceless. I'm really enjoying it. Plus, he's actually introducing me to new-to-me music, as well.

If you're interested, he's on YouTube under the handle JustJP.

I have listened to "Lost in Vegas" doing some reactions, which are really entertaining. I just listened to JustJP reacting to Echoes. He makes some good points. Interesting that he likes the middle part so much. I get what he's saying but it doesn't really do much for me.

ah...

I decided to listen to JustJP's reaction to Meddle in the order he did it, as I felt as a first time listener, I wanted to really experience his initial exposure to Floyd's experimentation over time. I agree, he makes some good points. Still, I was also really surprised with how much he got in to and enjoyed the middle.

He usually does a Final Thoughts video after he reacts to every track on an album. He hasn't done one for Meddle yet, although he's moved on to Supertramp's Crime of the Century, as well as other works. I'm hoping he will eventually do one for Meddle, as his Final Thoughts videos seem to be done after listening to the album as a whole, rather than track-by-track.

[Cheval]

Need to introduce that person to The Alan Parsons Project and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer.

[Menolly]

Need to introduce that person to The Alan Parsons Project and Emerson, Lake, and Palmer.

Justin (JustJP) has done a few from both. I'm trying to convince him to give Aphrodite's Child 666 full album and Queen's The Prophet's Song a go. A lot of his other commentors are already suggesting more Alan Parsons Project and ELP.

[Lazy Luke]

Bird Of Paradise

A favourite (unofficial)
Pink Floyd song

[sgt.null]

I saw Pink Floyd live once. The Momentary Lapse of Reason tour.

We've seen Roger Waters live four times. The first time he did a mixture of his songs the first half. The second half he did all of Dark Side. We saw him do the Wall twice. And we saw him on the last tour for his newest album.

I'll post a set list for those five shows sometime this week.

We also saw a great Pink Floyd cover band. I'll see if I can find that set list.

In addition I've seen Guns N Roses cover Another Brick in the Wall pt 2. And I've seen Collective Soul cover Mother.

[sgt.null]

Meddle

One of These Days - this song is amazing. How they composed the song is fascinating so I will link it here...
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/One_of_ ... trumental)

The dual bass by Waters and Gilmour propel the song. Dave plays an impassioned steel guitar. Nick plays harder and more present than usual with Rick adding colour throughout. Rick would perform a more pronounced Dr. Who motif in the middle during live shows. One of three vocals by Nick that I can recall. [Corporal Clegg & Scream thy Last Scream.]
A great track to open with. A barn burner.

Null Rating - 9 out of 10.

A Pillow of Winds - terribly underrated song. The many guitars Dave is playing build up nicely. A very soothing song. The lyrics add to the overall feel. Poetic without being pretentious.

Null Rating - 7 out of 10.

Fearless - the tuning of the acoustic guitars was taught to Roger by Syd. And the English side of my family comes from Liverpool. I love this song. The acoustic guitars are played more uptempo. I really like the lyrics, which could be about Syd in spots. You'll Never Walk Alone at the end fits nicely and serves the song.

Null Rating - 9 out of 10.

San Tropez- a wonderful showcase of Rick's piano work. The song glides along. Roger's voice is smooth here. The lyrics propel the song along. But they are not the selling point here. I heard this on the muzak station at the local mall years ago.

Null Rating - 7 out of 10.

Seamus- I hate, hate, hate this song. It's a joke song that doesn't belong on this great album. Not the worst song they've done by far.
But in context it angers me more than others.

Null Rating - 0 out of 10.

Echoes - Rick found that ping by accident.

I - A beautiful build up, the entire band is in top form. Rick and Dave's vocals in perfect harmony with each other. The interplay between the guitars and keyboards is also beautiful. Nothing wasted. nothing extraneous. Nick seems to be playing slightly behind the beat.

II - I like this piece. Starts with a nice groove by Roger on the bass. Keys and drums lend support and Dave gets to wham on the guitar. This section is even better on the Pompeii soundtrack.

III - I'm skipping the damn birds. They add nothing. Why use them?

IV - the build up pays off with the double guitar by Dave. Again everything is working. And the lyrics are amazing, Roger. My favorite though is right at the end when Dave and Rick are echoing each on their instruments. It is made poignant now that Rick is gone.

Null Rating : I - 10 of 10. II - 9 of 10. III - 0 of 10. IV - 10 of 10.l
Song Rating : 7.25 out of 10.

Album Rating : 6.5 out of 10.

Rick's Last Performance of Echoes with David.
https://youtu.be/zrProK5R7ms

[StevieG]

Oh man, that last performance of Echoes is very special. I love the way Dave and Rick interplay in Part 2 - not my favourite part of the song, but it is improved in the live performance. And the final quiet section is another beautiful example of two people totally on the same wavelength. Dave's guitar work is just brilliant. That performance is a great send-off to Richard Wright.

I never saw Pink Floyd live. I have seen Roger Waters twice. The Wall tour was amazing.

[Cheval]

I never saw Pink Floyd live. I have seen Roger Waters twice. The Wall tour was amazing.

I'm at that age where I got to see them twice, David Gilmour solo once, and Roger Waters solo once.
As I tell folks: "One does not listen to Pink Floyd. One EXPERIENCES Pink Floyd!"

[Menolly]

I saw the same Pink Floyd tour as sarge. For me, it was in Miami's Orange Bowl. It was my first date with Hyperception...

I've seen Waters twice. The first was the first tour he did of The Wall. Hyperception and I decided after we bought our tickets to the show in Tampa in 2010 that we were going to bring Beorn with us, who was then 17. The 3rd ticket was way up in the nosebleed seats, about halfway down the arena. The two tickets were about midway up in the back of the arena, but dead center with the stage. I took the nosebleed seat, while Hyperception and Beorn sat together.

Prior to that, the only large concert experiences Beorn had attended was Blue Man Group on tour in Gator Town and Trans-Siberian Orchestra in Orlando. To say his mind was blown on our hour drive back to his grandfather's would be an understatement.

[StevieG]

Obscured by Clouds



Released: June 1972
StevieG rating: 6.5/10

Pink Floyd have well and truly hit their stride now. This soundtrack album to the film La Vallee by Barbet Schoeder (director of More), has 10 songs, none of which are particularly long. The album itself it quite short.

I haven't seen the film. I read somewhere that the Floyd considered doing just soundtrack albums after the success of More. I'm thinking that a few hiccups in between convinced them it wasn't the best idea.

I call this a solid album - there are no real disasters like some of their previous albums. And there are a few really good songs. This is pretty much known as the "overlooked" album, considering what followed, but to me it feels like the next step towards the next few albums - the songs have a sound to them that is familiar to the 70s Floyd fan.

It has a relatively weak start, and weak end, but some of the songs in between are great.


Obscured by Clouds

Written by: Gimour, Waters
StevieG rating: 5/10

Not a great opener. It has a good sound - are they electric drums? Signature Gilmour guitar, and it evokes a certain feel which runs through the album. Not bad, but not great. This album seems to have one of the highest instances of fade outs - this song does it before it goes anywhere.


When You're In

Written by: Gilmour, Wright, Waters, Mason
StevieG rating: 6/10

This one adds some interest, and it could have easily been part of the previous track. It has a long fade out but I still think it has enough interest to rate a 6.


Burning Bridges

Written by: Wright, Waters
StevieG rating: 6/10

This has an interesting drifting sound. It sounds like a Richard Wright song. Has a pleasant ambient guitar solo, and then fades out (there's definitely a theme here...).


The Gold it's in the...

Written by: Waters, Gilmour
StevieG rating: 7/10

This one is more upbeat. It's a good song with good lyrics. I reallly like the extended guitar solo, it smokes along nicely.


Wots... uh the Deal

Written by: Waters, Gilmour
StevieG rating: 9/10

I just love the feel of this song. I love the guitar intro. Back in the day, I used to own a 1966 VW Kombi with 3 other friends. One day, we decided to put our own "artwork" on it. We each had a side - mine was the right-side of it. I painted the guitar intro notes to "Wots...uh the Deal" on my side. I was very proud of it

I love the melody - I definitely sing along to this one. Great harmonies, love the lyrics. Love the piano solo and guitar solos. This is a great song.


Mudmen

Written by: Wright, Gilmour
StevieG rating: 6/10

It's pretty much Burning Bridges as an instrumental. Has some good guitar work, and is interesting enough to keep listening. I did detect some "The Wall" sounding guitar solo in there on this listen. The song cruises along and then abruptly ends (no fade out!) which was a bit of a surprise.


Childhood's End

Written by: David Gilmour
StevieG rating: 7/10

It takes a little while to get going (electric drums again?) but once it does, it's a simple but very effective song. I prefer this Gilmour-written song to Fat Old Sun. The singing sounds like the Gilmour from this point forward.


Free Four

Written by: Roger Waters
StevieG rating: 9/10

I love the intro! Love the lyrics, simple and poignant. This is an example of an upbeat song with a less upbeat set of lyrics. It seems to be a reflection on life (sounds familiar) as well as a reference to Roger's father possibly:

The memories of a man in his old age are the deeds of a man in his prime...

...You are the angel of death, and I am the dead man's son...

... Life is a short, warm moment, and death is a long, cold rest.

Great song.


Stay

Written by: Wright, Waters
StevieG rating: 6/10

Rick Wright seems to continue his songs about groupies. Roger wrote the lyrics, but I suspect it was Richard's idea (not that I have any proof of that). It's another laid-back track with an interesting wah-wah style of guitar solo that fits the feel of the song.


Absolutely Curtains

Written by: Gilmour, Waters, Wright, Mason
StevieG rating: 4/10

Probably the weakest on this album. Possibly appropriate in the context of the film, as it ends with the Mapuga tribe chants, but as far as a song goes, there isn't much there. It opens with a Shine On sounding keyboard which is probably the most interesting part of the song.

[sgt.null]

Obscured By Clouds is my favorite Pink Floyd album. I have seen the movie, years ago. Today is my Friday so I will review it after work.

[StevieG]

Knowing this is your favourite album Sgt, I'm really looking forward to your review.

[sgt.null]

Obscured by Clouds

Obscured by Clouds - great opening track. Has a sense of otherness that runs through through the album. Dave's guitar sounds strong. The electric drums earn it a demerit.

Null Rating - 7 out of 10.

When You're In - it really is an extension of the first track. But with more Rick and better drumming. They played these live for a bit, but not long enough.

Null Rating - 7 out of 10.

Burning Bridges - beautiful harmonies by Dave and Rick. Also a beautiful and understated guitar solo. Roger contributed poetic lyrics. A very mellow song. I believe it is one of two songs written by the Waters / Wright combo. Stay on this album being the other.

Null Rating - 8 out of 10.

The Gold It's In The... - smoking indeed. The music moves, great guitar solo. The lyrics capture wanderlust perfectly. Should have been a radio hit.

Null Rating - 9 out of 10.

Wots ... Uh the Deal - I love this song. Some of Roger's best lyrics. Capturing what it's like to get old. The music is beautiful. One of Julie's favorites.

Null Rating - 10 out of 10.

Mudmen - great drumming from Nick. Dave killing it on guitar. This song is how you do an instrumental.

Null Rating - 8 out of 10.

Childhood's End - Dave should have written more lyrics. These are wonderful. As were the ones for the Narrow Way pt III. Love when the fade in leads to Dave on guitar. Love that chugging rhythm he plays. The guitar faintly echoing the solo Dave would reuse on Dogs. Rick is adding so much color with his organ and piano on this album.

Null Rating - 9 out of 10.

Free Four - even though this sounds out of place it is undeniably a great song. Great lyrics by Roger. David is fierce on the guitar. Love the count in. When I first heard it as a teenager, I misheard the line "who says the hunt has begun" as "who says the hunters get guns" kind of like my line better.

Null Rating - 9 out of 10.

Stay - I wish Rick and Roger had written more together. This is my favorite Rick song about groupies. Love the wah wah effect Dave uses. And the lyrical refrain is a nice change. Not sure if they've used it before? Nice mellow song.

Null Rating - 8 out of 10.

Absolutely Curtains - it does more sense if you've seen the movie. I find the chanting relaxing. But it is the weakest of a strong set.

Null Rating - 6 out of 10.


Album Rating - 8.1 out of 10.

While not their best album, it remains my favorite. The shorter songs blend well together. There is a cohesive thread that runs throughout.

I saw the movie at least two decades ago. But I remember enjoying it.

[StevieG]

Obscured by Clouds is arguably their most consistent album in the chronology to date. I think it introduces the "to the point" style that future albums have also.

[sgt.null]

It proves that focus is the key. They were under a deadline and it helped. More is the exact opposite of this album. Atom Heart Mother the song and album both were both unfinished products and suffered for it. When Waters took control it was born of necessity. He did go too far of course. But that is a few albums in the future.

Some live versions of songs from Obscured by Clouds

Floyd - Obscured by Clouds / When You're In : 05/19/1974
https://youtu.be/sYbcsMbU4rM

Nick Mason - Obscured by Clouds/When You're In : 07/05/2019
https://youtu.be/tBZiuHBRkcc

Australian Pink Floyd - Obscured/ When : 03/24/2018
https://youtu.be/gpVOWWiBs_E

Australian Pink Floyd opened with this when we saw them. They were awesome! I'll find a set list

David Gilmour - Wots... Uh the Deal
https://youtu.be/Jt3WTpc37Fg

Sky Cries Mary - Wots... Uh the Deal [not live]
https://youtu.be/jlSXcPuPCV8

I wish Dave would bring back Childhood's End and Burning Bridges at the least. Doing the entire album is likely too much to ask.

La Vallée (film)
-----------------------------------

La Vallée, also known as Obscured by Clouds, is a 1972 French film written and directed by Barbet Schroeder. The film stars Bulle Ogier as Viviane, a woman who goes on a strange and accidental voyage of self-discovery through the New Guinea bush.

Viviane (Ogier), the wife of the French consul in Melbourne,
Joins a group of explorers in search of a mysterious hidden valley in the bush of New Guinea, where she hopes to find the feathers of an extremely rare exotic bird. Along the way through the dense jungles of Papua, New Guinea and on the peak of Mount Giluwe, she and the small group makes contact with the Mapuga tribe, one of the most isolated groups of human beings on earth, who inspire them to explore their own humanity, unfettered by their own subjective ideas of "civilization". The search becomes a search for a paradise said to exist within a valley marked as "obscured by clouds" on the only map of the area available dated as surveyed in 1969.

Pink Floyd recorded an album, Obscured by Clouds,as the soundtrack to the film. After recording had finished, the band fell out with the film company, prompting them to release the soundtrack album as Obscured by Clouds, rather than La Vallée. In response, the film was retitled La Vallée (Obscured by Clouds) on its release.

The actress credit "Monique Giraudy" is actually an alias of Miquette Giraudy, at the time a film editor and later on, vocalist and synthesizer player with the progressive rock/space rock band Gong with her partner Steve Hillage, and she later formed the electronic group System 7 with Hillage.

- from Wikipedia

[sgt.null]

The Australian Pink Floyd Show
At the Houston Revention Center
September 7th, 2019.

Set One

1] Obscured by Clouds
2] When You're In
3] In the Flesh?
4] The Thin Ice
5] Another Brick in the Wall pt 1
6] The Happiest Days of Our Lives
7] Another Brick in the Wall pt 2
8] Welcome to the Machine
9] Wish You Were Here
10] The Great Gig in the Sky
11] Money
12] Brain Damage
13] Eclipse

Set Two

14] Shine On You Crazy Diamond [pt I-V]
15] Learning to Fly
16] Cymbaline
17] Careful with That Axe, Eugene
18] Pigs [Three Different Ones]
19] Time
20] One of These Days
21] Run Like Hell

Encore

22] Comfortably Numb

[Cagliostro]

Camper Van Beethoven did Interstellar Overdrive the first time I saw them. I think they pretty much ended the show with it, or at least ended with it before the encores. I saw them twice; the first time was pretty early before many had heard of them, and the second was a tour to support their last album, or at least last album before the split and Cracker was born.

[sgt.null]

Cags - we saw Camper Van Beethoven / Cracker when they played the entire albums Key Lime Pie / Kerosene Hat. Their encore was Take the Skinheads Bowling.

We also saw CVB do a free record store appearance promoting New Roman Times.

Camper Van Beethoven - Interstellar Overdrive
https://youtu.be/ZVnqHkm65XQ

Camper Van Beethoven - Key Lime Pie
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... DDE8A32CE7

Cracker - Kerosene Hat
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=P ... Ea1IyvJAR4

Camper Van Beethoven
https://youtu.be/gKfMlQ7KWFE

Camper Van Beethoven - New Roman Times
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=O ... h6Wx_UGWBw

[StevieG]

Obscured by Clouds / When You're In definitely need to be played together. It's a bit like most of their future work. Separating the songs is unnecessary.

I like David Gilmour's version of "Wots the Deal" as he sings it! Not as much of a fan of the Sky Cries Mary version, the harmonies are too separated for my liking.

The Australian Pink Floyd lineup looks pretty impressive. Quite a variety in there. It also isn't a bad version of Interstellar Overdrive - a bit more focused, if that's possible for that song!

[StevieG]

Next up: Dark Side of the Moon

I am part-way through this, so should be up soon.