Pink Floyd

[furie]

I'll wait for Furie to come along, do this topic justice and generally be very smug about having seen them live,

I can do smug

The first ever single I bought (singles, remember those?) was "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)" in 1979. I loved the song (more than I loved Atomic by Blondie) and saved up and bought it instead of Greedo.

That was pretty much it with me and Pink Floyd until I got to uni in 1992. I bought my first ever CD player and wanted some CDs, but not stuff I already had on tape (remember those?). So I headed to Our Price (remember them?) and picked up three CDs - one of them was the limited edition, 20th anniversary Dark Side of the Moon. I remembered my love for ABITW and I recognised this as their seminal album.

It was love at first listen. The first half is a fantastic, mildly psychedelic rolling soundscape; the second half is a trio of emotiotive, insightful and brilliantly composed songs. It's all punctuated in the middle by the rather out of place "Money" (out of place on Dark Side of the Moon, it's good song on its own).

I then immersed myself in Pink Floyd and consumed as much as I possibly could. I developed a girlfriend at roughly the same time, who quickly realised that me exquisite taste in the light red prog rock band was perfect. So we used to spend a lot of time listening to newly bought CDs together.

She tended to like the earlier, quirkier Syd Barrett stuff, but I always found it a little too distracting and much preferred the melodic David Gilmore side of things. The Roger Waters heavy stuff was always a kind of "yeah, it's okay I guess". She adored The Wall though, and it's an album that calls to you if you're in a particular frame of mind. It's a heavy trip through madness and incline loneliness with some of the most fantastic lyrics and guitar pieces ever.

However, as I've grown up, I've found The Wall to be more and more pretentious, though Roger Waters constant hammering of the album has fuelled this a little. It's a case of "just get over it AND yourself!". I find Momentary Lapse and Division Bell a little bland and "Cliff Richard", but there's still some very complex music happening. However, The Final Cut is just 45 minutes of whinge and moan. I like the music (well, it's the left overs from The Wall let's face it), but not the subject. It's an album that is definitely a case of "can bad lyrics ruin a song? YES!" An entire song complaining about Maggie Thatcher? It's relevant how now?

The problem is that Roger Waters is a conceited **** .

However, I adore 'Dark Side of the Moon'. Love 'Wish You Here'. Have a lot of time for 'Meddle'. Thoroughly enjoy waking up to 'Atom Heart Mother'. Can't go more than a year without a drunken 'The Wall' session and really don't mind the rest at all.

The biggest issue is that they're albums you have to listen to. It's not, "I'll put on some Pink Floyd for ten minutes", you just can't do it (well you can, but don't blame me if you don't enjoy it ). The albums are a continuous flow and to get the most from the they have to be listened to from start to end in one go (which is another reason Money ruins DSOTM). So I tend not to listen to them too much any more as I just don't have those long periods of time to just listen to music.

The Division Bell tour (Pulse?) in 1994 was the best gig I've ever been to (and I can't see it ever being topped). I was probably sat next to Dave Morton... Nah, he was in the Royal box

They're one of the few bands that the entire family_furie agree on being superb (the other being Depeche Mode and that's about it) - though for Madame_Furie and Minor_furie they had parents pointing them in the direction - I at least found them on my own

 

[ATTACKHAMMER]

Interesting post, the lyrics on the Final Cut are interesting but like you said it is still a good album. I got into Pink Floyd through my dad I can remember hearing Dark Side Of The Moon at a very early age. I can listen to Floyd songs on their own but The Wall sounds so much better if you listen to it all the way through.

 

[T0M]

As much as I love Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety - and certain other songs very much so - there is too much indulgence in the band and I cannot listen to any of their albums all the way through. Much of their stuff is less about music and more about messages and sentiment. I'd like to blame all of that on Waters, but I found the Division Bell to be lumbering and that was made with only Gilmour at the helm.

On an Island is a great record though, so Gilmour is certainly capable without Waters.

 

[furie]

I've never really experienced that with Meddle, Atom Heart Mother or Wish You Were Here (except maybe 'Have a cigar').

I can't really pinpoint anything too cumbersome about Division Bell or Momentary Lapse either, other than it's a bit bland. Lyrically I've never really listened or delved though into them. To be fair though, out of all the bands who are indulgent and put in messages and sentiment, Pink Floyd are probably the best. They're at least intelligent and witty which I don't think is something you get from any other artist I can think of. I certainly can't think of better lyrics ever than those of Brain Damage.

 

[ATTACKHAMMER]

I think Brain Damage, Have a Cigar and Pigs (Three Different Ones) have clever lyrics. Haven't listened to all of A Momentary Lapse Of Reason but it has some great songs on it, Learning To Fly and One Slip.

 

[furie]

Have a Cigar and Pigs are exactly what Tom G is talking about and I agree. It's more moaning and whining and less "clever". I'm interested in the descent into madness though and not politics and complaining about "the biz", so I find the lyrics about going hatstand much more appealing.

 

[ATTACKHAMMER]

I fully understand the message of Have A Cigar but not So much Pigs and The Final Cut. I understand the The Final Cut is moaning about Marget Thatcher but since I was not around at the time I dont know about the politics :wink: I just like the music, the bass intro to Pigs is awesome :--D

 

[furie]

Pigs is all about the massive (mostly Christian) movement in the 1970's to censor what "God-fearing White women" found offensive in music, TV and films. Look up Mary Whitehouse (and then look up "The Mary Whitehouse Experience" ).

Again, it's lyrics lost in time because they're no longer relevant and the power of the words diminish due to lack of context. And then if you don't care, they also lack power. Hence why they're not as clever as most lyrics, because being clever usually means making them timeless. Though obviously it's not always the case, but 'Wish you were here' will always have lyrics that mean something to somebody. They're endlessly poignant.

To be fair, there's something to be said about music using the contemporary political and social situations as a basis for their songs and for it then you get an "artistic snapshot" of the mood of the time. However, I've pretty much always thought Roger Waters wanted to make points more than he wanted to make music and he made better points than he DID music. Hence why albums like Animals and the Final Cut are very weak. I find both are fine and I can listen to them, but I quite often cringe. I never used to to be honest, I used to think that they were very clever and appropriate attacks on the establishment but then I grew up

 

[ATTACKHAMMER]

Pigs is all about the massive (mostly Christian) movement in the 1970's to censor what "God-fearing White women" found offensive in music, TV and films. Look up Mary Whitehouse (and then look up "The Mary Whitehouse Experience" ).

Again, it's lyrics lost in time because they're no longer relevant and the power of the words diminish due to lack of context. And then if you don't care, they also lack power. Hence why they're not as clever as most lyrics, because being clever usually means making them timeless. Though obviously it's not always the case, but 'Wish you were here' will always have lyrics that mean something to somebody. They're endlessly poignant.

To be fair, there's something to be said about music using the contemporary political and social situations as a basis for their songs and for it then you get an "artistic snapshot" of the mood of the time. However, I've pretty much always thought Roger Waters wanted to make points more than he wanted to make music and he made better points than he DID music. Hence why albums like Animals and the Final Cut are very weak. I find both are fine and I can listen to them, but I quite often cringe. I never used to to be honest, I used to think that they were very clever and appropriate attacks on the establishment but then I grew up

I see, I have now read about the songs on Animals and they are more attacking than I realised. I 100% agree about Wish You Were Here, that song is so powerful. I still like Animals and The Final Cut probably because I'm a grumpy teenager who hates everything (a part from rollercoasters of course) :--D

 

[furie]

No, absolutely. When I was angsty and anger filled, the Roger Waters stuff really spoke to me. I just find it all a bit embarrassing now though :lol:

 

[ATTACKHAMMER]

I like the Water's solo albums that I have heard more than the Gilmour ones.

 

[gavin]

I "appreciate" them for what they are, but I don't exactly like them.

I think a large part of it is down to being told, continuously, since I was about 12 years old, that I "should" like them. Oh look; it's happening again!

The Beatles can **** off for that reason as well.

 

[Will]

No, absolutely. When I was angsty and anger filled, the Roger Waters stuff really spoke to me. I just find it all a bit embarrassing now though :lol:

Exactly, that's why The Wall is brilliant... but I don't get on with The Final Cut at all, it's just TOO depressing, too whiny and there's very little else to it - The Wall's story and music are equally good, and besides: Comfortably Numb.

 

[davidm]

Final Cut is great, possibly my second fave* (after WYWH) - but then I was around during the Falklands and so it does have context for me.

(*They made a video-EP** for 4 songs off FC (probably find it on youtube easy*** these days) but blimey that was hard to get hold of on VHS back in the day)

(** - its rubbish, directed by Rog's then brother-in-law or something like that)

*** EDIT - yes, here it is http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XPPpJCZb-L8

 

[ATTACKHAMMER]

^ His brother in law is the actor playing the bloke

 

[davidm]

^ His brother in law is the actor playing the bloke

Not that its important, but you've misread that.

 

[ATTACKHAMMER]

^ His brother in law is the actor playing the bloke

Not that its important, but you've misread that.

Yep not important, back onto topic I bought A Momentary Lapse Of Reason today will listen to it later. :--D

 

[furie]

Final Cut is great, possibly my second fave* (after WYWH) - but then I was around during the Falklands and so it does have context for me.

I think that if a band can have such diversity that it splits fans so much, then it's a good thing to be honest. I know you love the Waters stuff Dave, I prefer the Gilmore, but I think that the best work is when they both work pretty much equally (so DSOTM and WYWH mainly, with a lot of highlights on The Wall). I don't think I'd like the Waters stuff much more if it was all about fluffy bunnies and walks in the park - it's just a taste thing on that front, but the moaning gives me a foothold for my "dislike"*

I understand where Gavin is coming from and I hope that I haven't come across like that. When you're passionate about a band it's hard not to be a little preachy.

Totally agree about the Beatles though. Coming from so close to Liverpool, it was traitorous to say a bad thing about them. I understand they were important musically and culturally and I enjoy them here and there, but they're just, well, alright :lol:


*Dislike in the relative terms of how much I enjoy the band, so my dislike of The Final Cut is like disliking vending machine beer because I prefer it on-tap.

 

[ATTACKHAMMER]

I think that if a band can have such diversity that it splits fans so much, then it's a good thing to be honest. I know you love the Waters stuff Dave, I prefer the Gilmore, but I think that the best work is when they both work pretty much equally (so DSOTM and WYWH mainly, with a lot of highlights on The Wall). I don't think I'd like the Waters stuff much more if it was all about fluffy bunnies and walks in the park - it's just a taste thing on that front, but the moaning gives me a foothold for my "dislike"*

That is one of the reasons I love Pink Floyd, they are so diverse, their early stuff is very different to the later stuff, I like most of the early stuff and haven't found any of the late stuff I don't like.

 

[BetaKitten]

They're one of the few bands that the entire family_furie agree on being superb (the other being Depeche Mode and that's about it) - though for Madame_Furie and Minor_furie they had parents pointing them in the direction - I at least found them on my own

Can i join your family?

Pink Floyd have got a positive vote from me! Although i actually can't remember how i stumbled across them.... it feels like they've always been there. I'm not going to force anyone else to like them though Gavin

Well....... maybe Rob....