"The lunatic is in my head"
- THE PIPER AT THE GATE OOF DAWN
- ANIMALS
- Roger Waters: bass guitar and occasional lead vocals. He's a very talented songwriter, or, better, a very talented lyricist (but it's out of doubt that he wrote fantastic songs) and the mind behind the band's most famous album. Average bassist but with a good sound.
- Syd Barret: lead guitar and vocals. He was the leader of the first line-up of Pink Floyd. He's an average guitarist but has some revolutionaty ideas about music (when he was the leader, PF put out their most inventive album, The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn). Good songwriter too, and as a lyricist he was able to write the most stoned lyrics I ever read. He became mad (truly mad) and so he was forced to quit and was replaced by:
- David Gilmour: a very good acquisition for PF; good voice and cool guitar playing. Well, if you appreciate the hot and passional style of Hendrix, it's better for you to stay away from Dave or you will be bored to death! In fact this guy's style is always slow, calculated, precise; he also builds very good solos (at least the only two I listen to without sleeping! No, no, I'm joking!).
- Richard Wright: organ, piano and keyboards. Skilled as an average session man, he's quite inventive (check out some of his famous "indian/arabian" solos).
- Nick Mason: drums and percussion. Funny face, that's all.
My favourite Pink Floyd album of all time! Let's introduce it as deserves.
The most influential bands of the 60's are, according to me,
Beatles, Bob Dylan, Pink Floyd and Mothers Of Invention; all those bands are
extremely important for the influences they had on popular music: Beatles revolutionized
the way rock was intended, making it more serious, complex and "artistic" (and
they also made music an international business, don't forget this! and when
I say "serious" I mean they managed to make the establishment accept rock),
Dylan showed to the world that those young musicians could be serious, socially
worthy and totally changed the way of writing the lyrics. On the other hand,
Mothers Of Invention and Pink Floyd, with their sound collages, contributed
to add tons of new sounds and sonorities. This doesn't mean that these bands
are worthy only for being influential, most of them have other merits (apart
from Mothers, that sometimes have very "low" moments).
Pink Floyd explored with their first three albums (not the soundtracks) how
to link noisy experiments with rock songs, creating an unique mix, one of the
most outstanding, of music/noise (the demarcation line is not so marked, I admit)
of all times. Here, the leader of PF is still Syd Barret, while Waters contributes
only a (bad) song. This album can safely be called psychedelic (this term is
overused, just think that Starostin also called psychedelic Blind Faith and
The Doors!): all songs start normally and then turn into uncontrolled and mind-blowing
jams with strange noises ("Interstellar Overdrive", "Bike") or start completely
in other dimensions ("Flaming" and "Pow R. Toc H."). At their time this genre
was called "astral-psychedelia", but it seems that PF didn't care so much about
this name, given probably for some lyrics and sounds that seem to come from
beyond the space directly into your mind (do you think that this phrase can
really mean something? Good for you!). I prefer this one among PF's experimental
period (that includes for me: this, "A Saucerful Of Secrets" and "Ummagumma")
because here there is not the self-indulgence (read: experimentation for the
sake of experimentation) of "Ummagumma" or the mannerism of "A Saucerful Of
Secrets", in which, after Barret quitted, Waters tries to compose music with
the clear purpose of being the most "astral" he can. Personally I find this
album extremely threatening and able to blow your mind, even if you aren't on
the effects of some drug (but the threatening effect will be increased by LSD,
because with this kind of drug the sounds come not only as sounds but also as
colours, maybe you can't hear a single note or all notes overwhelm you, all
in a moment [like the instrumental passage on "A Day In The Life", that simulates
the experience of listening to music when you are under the effect of LSD; but
while in The Beatles's song the sound is an imitation, made for people who aren't
under the drug's effect so they can feel a similar sensation, the sound of this
album is without doubt increased by drugs and maybe created with this particular
intention or while Barret had taken some LSD]).
"Astronomy Domine", one of the best songs here, begins with some stranges sounds
and voices growing in intensity, until the main riff begins to beat your mind;
the lyrics are fantastic: maybe meaningless, but mysterious and built with a
particular attention to their sound (look at how Barret was able to use the
onomathopeic allitteration in order to make the lyrics more hypnotic and threatening;
I'm talking about the first lines "LIMe and LIMpid Green [...] SOUND, reSOUND
arOUND the icy water undegrOUND"); one of the most remarkable features of this
song is that while Beatles and Mothers Of Invention can't reproduce on stage
their sound collages, PF are able to perform all this strange noises live, thanks
to the very innovative keyboards of Wright and Barret's guitar; here the music
is quite good but the main melody is carried by the voice, apart for the instrumental
part in which the master is Wright. "Lucifer Sam" is one of the bigger gems
in this album; it's remarkable mostly for the organ that runs all over the entire
song, making it more dark, and Wright is very good when he makes some "trembles"
with his keyboard; the riff is surely good and Barret has without doubt a particular
style, something like a strange mix between G. Harrison and J. Hendrix (at least
this is my opinion). The melody is intoxicating, also thanks to the fantastic
bass of Waters; one of the best songs here. Then we have the relaxing "Matilda
Mother": the lyrics alternates a story told by the mother to his son and the
request of the little child of having some more stories.The music is smooth
and tearful, mainly based on -as usual- Wright's organ; and the instrumental
part is something special: a sourt of mediaval/psychedelic ballad. Very very
cool. And then another gem... hey, this album is full of gems! "Flaming " is
another extremely good song; the lyric are deliciously mysterious; the music...
goes without saying... is fantastic; at the beginning there are some strange
noises, something like the blowing wind or space ships, then the real song begins:
it seems a simple hippie song, but the echoes, the additional noises make it
very terrifying (expecially the lines "the starlit skies, skies, skieees, ssskieees...").
The following track "Pow R. Toc H.", tries to create the same atmosphere but
fails because, for me, the vocals are simply funny. The masterpiece here is
surely "Interstellar Overdrive": a long instrumental, never boring, with strange
noises... and I'm not able to explain what this song can create, try to listen
and you'll be carried to other dimensions! The main riff is very good, and the
great counterpoint between guitar and keyboard contributes to create a creepy
atmosphere. The strange noises Barret created have something... strange, primordial,
unheard... maybe because he's mad.. I don't know, but his compositions are extremely
solid and original. The worst song is the Waters one ("Take Up The Stethoscope
And Go"), because this guy hadn't found his style yet and tried to imitate Barret's
one, but he doesn't convince me; and the music is also bare. After "Interstellar
Overdrive" there is an example of the childish Barret; "Gnome" is about... gnomes
but can be seen also as a sort of introduction to drugs; however the music is
unmemorable but funny. "Chapter 24" presents to us the "intellectual side" of
Barret; in fact the lyrics are adapted from the beginning of the 24th chapter
of "I-Ching" and retain their beauty, due to the confessional and hypnotic mood
of the song (the music is quite repetitive, but it works well with this kind
of lyrics). "Scarecrow" provides beautiful, even if quiet trite, images; the
music, apart for the sutile and delicate keyboards parts, doesn't say so much
to me; well this is one of the first PF singles, so maybe they moderated their
psychedelic nuances. "Bike" with its funny lyrics and simple music is a shock
after the stellar landscapes described in the album; but the song for me is
threatening for the way in which Barret sings it (he seems so serious!). The
final lines may be a sourt of self-reflection about how they created their music
("I know a room of musical tune...") and the final noises are made more strange
by the sounds of steps and an opening door; it's a good song after all, very
similar to Barret's future solo album (The Madcap Laughs). Maybe this
album deserves a 9 but the weakness of songs like "Scarecrow" and "Take Up..."
convinced me to reduce the rating; plus, in the case you don't know, there is
a stream of tought that thinks that this album is quiet commercial in the sense
that PF put out what they were expected to put out, I don't think this people
are right, but first traces of self-indulgence begin to appear in songs like
"Pow R. Toc H." and "Take...".
Send your comments and reviews of "The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn"
Pink at their most prog side: this album represents the peak
of the experimentation the band reached... maybe not. After the departure of
Syd Barrett, the band was looking for a new sound and moving towards several
directions until with Atom Heart Mother and Meddle found its style.
However, on Ummagumma, apart for the live album which contains only old
material, all the songs are attempts of single members of the band: Wright contributes
with his saga about Sysyphus, based on a not well identified classical melody,
Waters tries some sonic experiments and delivers a good acoustic ballad, Gilmour
fills his quarter of the album with a pleasant "guitar-background" and Mason
gives us some dissonant experiences.
Speaking of this album, a reviewer can't skip a speech about experimentation
and self-indulgence. Of course this album has an historical importance for some
"experimental" tracks: very few people had been so radical before (maybe apart
for that mad Soft Machine Volume Two), so this album is at least unique.
But is it good? And at this point we should discuss self-indulgence: a song
like "Sysyphus part III" or "Several..." is hardly decipherable and understandable
for anyone apart from the composer; say what you want, you can' t escape from
this. Therefore, a reaction could be: "If it sounds good to me, it' s all right,
if not, it' s shit!". I don't like this kind of reaction but if it was mine
I'd say "Ummagumma" is a good album. The other possible reaction (I' ll pass
on that of who says: "This shit is unlistenable!") for me has to contain a more
general reflection about music: who is the listener of the music? I admit I
have no problem if a composer composes for himself, for the sake of composing,
to create a music very linked with his person. Some examples: "Yellow Shark"
by Zappa and "Please Please Me" by Beatles. The former is complex, self-indulgent,
involved, the latter is easier to assimilate, maybe it's more resonant and more
attractive for the body (rather than for the mind), but I can't dare to put
down the former only because it's self-indulgent : yes, it is but it also comes
from the mind of a great composer, a real musical genius! After all, my point
is simple: a self-indulgent song (or composition) is good if it' s a showcase
of the talents of the composer; for example "Knots" by Gentle Giant (the album
is Octopus) is a great example of a dissonant vocal-arrangement, a masterpiece
of the Schulman brothers, while the album of the wife of Eddie Vedder is only
noise. Returning to this album I say that while "Sysyphus part III" shows a
great theatrical sense, "Several..." is only a trick with studio gimmicks. However,
a speech about self-indulgence should be more complex and longer than this,
maybe one day I' ll post an essay. For now it' s better to return to this album.
The "Sysyphus" saga is my favourite track on the studio album, with its solemn
and majestic introduction, the scary beginning of "Part IV", the torn piano
on "Part Two", the cacophonic part; as I already said it shows a great theatrical
sense, typical of prog album like In The Court Of Crimson King or Tarkus:
in fact Sysyphus was a giant condemned to hell, where he has to pull a big rock
up to the peak of a mountain and when he reached the top the rock rolls down
and he has to begin to pull it up another time, and the song describes all this
stuff. Funny, ain't it?
I'll pass on Water's poor creatures to focus your attention on the relaxing
"Granchester Meadows", a slow acoustic ballad, with birds and water noises,
in which Roger, with his whiny voice, describes with a lullabish mood a beautiful
landscape of the countryside; and this song has also some weak but tasteful
blues-folk nuances that make it one of the best things on the studio album.
Gilmour' songs are really relaxing and technically perfect, but the guy really
seems fake and cold to me... however the guitar parts are cool if you are a
fan, and if you are not, there are also some incursions in which Dave explores
the sonic patterns (here there is a hard Hendrix influence, but in some sense,
as Starostin says, all guitarists are Hendrix-disciples) but without worrying
of linking them to emotions or feelings.
The studio album closes with the song composed by Nick Mason ; I often heard
that this song shows a lack of melody but I think that a person who speaks so
is a bit dull: "Ummagumma" is not the best place for melody, if you are looking
for melodies I really recommend Love (a 60's band with a really great melodical
sense).
But the album wouldn't receive a 12 if it wasn't for the live album, one of
the best Pink Floyd ever recorded. The only bad thing in the live album is "Astronomy
Domine", and sincerely I can't understand why: all the gimmicks are in their
place, they play very well, but the song is not so scary as in the studio version,
it's just sloppy. The masterpiece is surely "Careful With That Axe Eugene",
a song built with mathematical precision in order to achieve the peak of the
possible suspense: the slow intro with the "arabian" solos full of fancy by
Wright, the delicate guitar lines are both suddenly interrupted by a scream
(created by using a lighter on the guitar) and all the music increases its power
and its violence and "after the murder happened", it calms down as in the beginning.
Immortal. The other two song are taken for their second LP A Saucerful Of
Secrets: the title track is very good and well performed, while "Set The
Control For The Earth Of The Song", even if it's improved by the good playing
and some little but tasteful differences with the original, has really boring
and repetitive lines. Quite hypnotic tough.
Send your comments and reviews of "The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn"
There's not really anything to say about this album which you haven't heard before. And you've of course heard the album already as well, haven't you? If some Dark Side newbie WOULD accidently encounter this review, though, or if some Dark Side-trasher is on the lookout for something to flame, I suppose I should complete the review anyway, just to make eventual readers happy, right? And, if you're wondering why I sound so angry, it's because my Internet connection has broken down! Arrgh! And that's not for the first time! Of course, if this review eventually find its way to the Pink Floyd page, my connection should've been restored, but that doesn't prevent me from being angry right now. Anyway, did you know that this album was on Billboard's top 200 for fifteen years? Of course you did - how could I be so stupid? Everybody knows everything!
But hey, let's put my bad mood aside, and come to what's important! Stuff like the fact that the music on the disc was performed live with pre-recorded 4-channel sound and synths half a year before they recorded the LP should be important? And that it was originally meant to be an instrumental album? And that the recording process took three quarters of a year - from May 1972 to January '73? And, yes, the album itself. Which is quite introspective and, occasionally, dreaming. There's lots of tape effects and songs built up around those, but also some quite "regular" rock tunes. And, well, the whole thing opens with "Speak To Me", which in its turn opens with some heartbeats, some noises from a cash register, and then it moves over into "Breathe", which is a calm song with some synth line and a fabulous vocal melody. That vocal melody is, well, fabulous. Introspective. Anyway, it's generally a "before the din-din" tune, and it moves over into the much more aggressive-sounding instrumental named "On The Run". Which has a synth noise going around through the speakers, a monotonous drum line and some other noises using the stereo benefits. And, as a whole, it's moody, but it's really mostly a piece showing what the stereo technique may add to something otherwise dull.
"Time" is the first individual song, and it - predictably - opens with some bellringings and alarm clocks and other stuff. It soon moves over into a dark tune with a consciously enervating tick-tocking noise in the background, accompanying the dark guitar/bass/keyboard tones and some drum solo. When the verses begins, with Roger Waters' harsh singing, it sounds more like a rocked-up psyche tune, and the calmer choruses with the back-upping from a female choir doesn't really make things worse. The guitar solo sounds like what I've always thought a Cream solo would sound like, but I haven't heard any Cream when writing this, so...Almighty song nevertheless. It moves over into a reprise of "Breathe", and, when that one has passed, MAKE SPACE FOR "THE GREAT GIG IN THE SKY"! This song opens with a gentle piano and a slide guitar, and then there's these almight thingys called organs, and another, even more almight thingy within a singer named Clare Torry. Who has a great voice, and even if she doesn't really sing any words, the atmosphere and her voice takes us through an odyssey of various moods, and the gorgeous organs and pianos don't make things wors, really...It's just too damn gorgeous! It really lives up to its title!
"Money" might be the most well-known tune on the album, and even in the year of 2002 I've heard it in Swedish...TV, actually - our radio would be really hesitant to play anything old, maybe except of Beatles. And from what I've heard, it's been played a lot on US oldies radio. Well, anyway, it has those cash register noises, and a cool bass line going in 7/4. It is, as you can guess, about money, from various points of views. The average money lovesong in that way, but it's still in 7/4, has some dang cool passages, a great saxophone solo by Dick Parry, a change into 4/4 and within that, a powerful, bluesy passage with a might guitar solo, a reprise of the verses, and that's that. It's really cool! And, if you're actually and accidently a bass player, do try to get the bass line of this song - a great tune to warm up to!
"Us And Them" is an introspective tune with a dreaming atmosphere, and again, here's some awesome sax playing by mr. Parry. It sounds almost meditative, with a well-filled up background. The choruses are quite a bit more energetic, with powerful lines from all the band members, with Roger Waters and his voice in the middle of everything. And, there's some more of those female singers! Awesome! The middle section, with another fine saxophone solo and some instrumental chorus is awesome as well, and, by heck, this is just about as great as "The Great Gig In The Sky".
"Any Colour You Like" is an instrumental thingy dominated by Richard Wright's synths, at some point there's a guitar solo by David Gilmour as well, and it sounds quite awful compared the the rest of the songs. Enough about that. "Brain Damage" is yet another introspective song , and coupled up with the album closer "Eclipse", it joins the category of hard-defined Dark Side Of The Moon songs. It's just magic, with some mighty chord progressions, and there's always Waters' vocals. Some of the females as well.
This album is a classic. This album is in every collector's collection (even in my dad's! Which says a lot, since he's mostly a fan of classical music) and, by heck, not only the collectors' sollections - everybody SHOULD own this, and most music-addicted people do really have it.
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A must for all Pink fans, this album is pretty overrated for
me. First because the band didn't put enough effort in recording it: the best
song here, the opening track, is surely breathtaking and very awesome but after
all is a jam; DON' T GET ME WRONG, PLEASE! It' s a fantastic jam, with very
inspired moments, and Pink created a very involving main theme: the result is
a delicate and exquisite landscape created with subtle keyboards and smooth
guitar parts, with some really original moments, but what Pink do is go 'round
and 'round the main theme. Yes, they are wise enough to present it in diverse
ways, with subtle changes of tonality, but the melody is very simple, efficient
but simple, maybe too much so. DON' T GET ME WRONG AGAIN! I'm not an hardcore
prog fan who judges music counting the time changes, the conjunction of millions
of instruments, etc, etc... what I mean is: when the Rolling Stones come out
with a catchy riff what they do is "Satisfaction", when Pink do so, they do
"Shine On...". This is not a reproach against the song, but a necessary precisation:
the song is awesome but it's idolized by Pink fans, believe me, there is better
stuff out there! And they recycled this stuff for "Shine On... part two". No,
this album isn't a great showcase of all the PF potential. Gilmour, apart from
his string-bendings in the first song (he' s a master of this stuff!), is often
hidden, Waters doesn't come out with outstanding songs (the album has a great
sound but it's due to production; the same that for Led Zeppelin: songwriting
and arranging are very different things); Wright did the same usual good work.
And now about the songs...ops, I forgot N. Mason... uhm... he is the luckiest
man on Earth, not Ringo Starr! No, no, I' m joking, he provides some solid drums
but not as excellent as on DSTOM. I want to focus your attention on the lyrics;
some people think they are dedicated to Syd Barrett and this is an interesting
key for interpreting them. But the album is also about the alienation of men
in a society in which machines are taking over (I'm thinking about "Welcome
to The Machine") or simply about the power of friendship, with a melancholic
recall of the past (and now I' m talking 'bout the title track, which have also
other meanings).
Now a brief look at the songs. As I' ve already said, the opening track is also
the best here, with a long intro built on smooth synths and the so famous guitar
licks (among Gilmour's best, even for a not-fan as me) that put the song in
a relaxed atmosphere until the painful voice of Gilmour breaks the silence and
spits out some lyrics that, even if not very meaningful, are surely well written,
with a quotation about PF (the verse "...you reached the secret too soon, you
cried for the moon..."). About this fantastic song I have only one reproach:
I think the sax solo at the end is pointless... no, no, it's quite catchy, it
makes the song calm down, it has a meaning. The second song is very cool: "Welcome
To The Machine" is about alienation in a society ruled by robots or similar.
As the subject can suggest, the music is based on cold synths notes interlaced
with some acoustic guitars (a bit like what Fripp did on "Epitaph") while Dave
sings with a scary and depressed intonation. Sometimes the synths grow in intensity
and volume, sometimes they imitate the noises of a machine, while the main chords
are played sweetly on the acoustic guitar. Then we have the steady "Have A Cigar",
with its intelligent bass line, surely the most rocking song here; don't dismiss
it, it is a sort of anticipation of the style PF will use on "Animals" and it's
very involving, makes you relax after the apocalyptic "Welcome To The Machine";
and the music is very different from their typical soundtrack-ish style (you
have to admit that not always but at least often, especially in their early
period, this was surely a feature of the band). The lyrical gem here is without
doubt the semi-acoustic "Wish You Were Here", with some of the most inspired
lyrics by Waters, a sort of depressed and sad picture of a lost friendship,
feelings that pulls Waters to recall the happy and the sad moments of his life.
Maybe the most famous song of PF, "Wish You Were Here" is the closest they ever
got to a pop masterpiece: short, anthemic, with an accessible but involving
melody and great lyrics. The album ends with the diluted and pale "Shine On...part
two"; not a bad song but nothing in comparison with part one.
Why didn't the album get a higher rating? Mainly because I think PF aren't looking
for a new sound: I don' t think a band has to be diverse at all costs, but after
"Atom Heart Mother" and "Meddle" their style had been defined and reached its
peak on DSOTM; "Shine On..." is a nearly perfect song but especially the part
two is getting too Pink-ish; the positive sides of this album are surely "Welcome
to The Machine" and "Have A Cigar": in fact in these songs Pink are looking
for a new sound, with the return to simplicity (the acoustic part and the quest
for more traditional song structure) and the reduction of effects (few effects
but better used).This style archieved its peak on the successive Animals;
but here it's still a work in progress, with the best ideas in a embryonic form,
just think of "Welcome To The Machine", a mix of past and future styles. The
music is ok in these songs but until Waters won't fill this music with his intelligent
social criticism (Animals) or psychological analysis (The Wall)
it remains a beautiful box: beautiful but empty. But these songs, even if they
represent a worth moment, aren't enough to improve the album. Add the fact the
album isn't so meaningful and well projected as the previous one (it's built
on three good songs - two of them average, after all - and two jams, and one
of the jams is really pale) and you'll understand the rating.
Send your comments and reviews of "Wish You Were Here"
Animals is often thought of as Pink Floyd's best kept secret.
For some reason, this masterpiece never publicly caught on like Dark Side of
the Moon of The Wall did. This album is a concept album in every sense of the
word, including a heavy political idea, repeating themes, and a small number
of tracks. Although there are 5 tracks, the 3 main ones are over 10 minutes
long, with the leftover two are both 1:25, being used to sandwich the album.
Each of the long songs features an introduction to a main theme, followed by
a very long solo or digression, and finished with a triumphant return to the
theme. Perhaps it is because of this strange structure that the public didn't
grab onto it. Pink Floyd's other albums were better suited to meet day-to-day
use. Need a quick, cheesy party starter? Throw on "Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2".
Feel like making love? Throw on Dark side of the Moon. Tripping? Throw on Piper
at the Gates of Dawn. Since Animals has no common use, I consider it pure art.
Just schlep down on a fuzzy sofa and fall into the soft, lolling sounds of the
album, contemplating your place in society. Animals has a much purer and all-encompassing
message than Pink Floyd's other albums. While Wish You Were Here deals with
the band's problems with fame and personal tragedy, and Dark Side of the Moon
muddles around with insanity and mortality, Animals directly attacks Western
society's structure. This whole-hearted attack includes specific references
to people and classes, stating that the whole system is corrupt. Pink Floyd
says that society has been cut up into three types of animals (loosely based
of the ever-famous Animal Farm). Each creature will be discussed as I review
each song.
Pigs on the Wing (I + II)
These two songs are basically one song and a reprise. They both put forth the
same message. It’s a big bad world out there, and it takes personal contact
in order to survive the cruelness of the pigs and revolutions of the sheep.
They are written almost as a love song, of which Pink Floyd wrote very few.
The song is made up of simply Roger Water's voice and an acoustic guitar. It
is said that he wrote it with his wife in mind, as he was often quoted saying
that she was the one thing keeping him sane. Surely enough, when she later ran
out on him, he went even more crazy than before.
Dogs
This is the longest song on the album, pushing over 17 minutes. The "Dogs" of
society are pretty much the white collar workers. The song talks of predator
instincts and backstabbing to get ahead. It makes the realization that while
one spends their whole life crushing those around them to move ahead, in the
end, they die lonely and unfulfilled. The key line of this song is "You have
to be trusted by the people that you lie to, so that when they turn their backs
on you, you'll get the chance to put the knife in." After the first set of singing,
a slow, searing little guitar solo takes place. This is followed by a looooong
stretch the word "stone" being repeated over and over, with lots of synthy organs
and dog barks. It eventually wraps itself back into the singing and the main
theme, with a stronger guitar part. It closes with Roger recapping the end of
a Dog's life.
Pigs (Three Different Ones)
Pink Floyd is famous for splitting songs up into different part. "Shine On"
is a perfect example, with 11 parts. This song is in three easily distinguished
part, but then again, so is Dogs and Sheep. Oh well. Anyway, in society, Pigs
are the business owners. They are above the Dogs, because they don't really
work anymore. They just accumulate money and dust. Think Bank Owners. In the
first part, Roger calls the parts and people of the Pig culture a charade ("Ha
Ha, Charade you are"). He specifically refers to Mrs. Whitehouse (English Conservative
Censor) as being a hypocrite. After that catchy stretch, the band plays with
guitar noises to recreate Pig's snuffling with two slurred chords provided as
background. When this ends, it hops back into the main theme and vocal section.
The middle section can get dull at parts, but shows how Pink Floyd was able
to sterilize their usually bizarre jams into just a few, repeated yet powerful
notes.
Sheep
Ah, my favourite song on the album. The final creature in society, Sheep, represents
everyone else, with focus on blue collar workers. A slow opening keyboard part
explodes into semi-frenzied lyrics and guitar work. Amazing licks and sound
waves all over the place. At around 3 minutes into the song, it all dies away
into yet another drawn out solo-y deal. Here we find the word stone being repeated
softly, just like in Dogs. During all of this, the Twenty-Third Psalm is read
into a voice distorter, but with some key words switched around as a satire
of religion being used to oppress the masses. It was considered blasphemy by
Mrs. Whitehouse, which was to be expected. After this bit, the song literally
explodes back into the main theme, much more powerful than before. In this last
bit, the Sheep have risen up against the Dogs, and have begun their own oppression
of the masses, continuing the viscous cycle. To finish off the song, an amazing
chord progression is brought out. Personally, I find it to be the most amazing
and memorable piece of guitar work ever. Then, after Pig on the Wing's reprise,
the album is over. Just press the play button, and you can listen to it again.
Send your comments and reviews of "Wish You Were Here"
You know, it's darn hard to write even something about your
favourite album of all time, of all musical epochs. Especially if your favourite
album of all time is kinda mine. Yeah, you might guess that my favourite album
of all time is this one - The Final Cut. Underrated by critics, listeners, fans,
musical reviewers and other people of different sorts... It's really stupid,
you know - underrate some album just because of the image of "travel in the
one's ego" and do not pay even some attention to music, which is (in the most
of moments) perfect. When you've got such album as this, people usually consider
you to be "weird" and etc. I can't really judge here - am I weird or not. Everybody
soon or later finds the album which perfectly fits in themselves.
For example, Mr. Joel Larsson in one great day had found Klaatu's Hope. He had
listened it once, twice, three times, got addicted and had finally understood
this is the album Mr. Joel Larsson needs. So there. You can call him strange
and weird, just because he likes the album nobody ever heard about and seems
to call it the best album ever. So there - everybody soon or later finds "their"
album, kinda Limp Bzkit's Chocolate Starfish And Hot Dog Flavoured Water or,
say, Bob Dylan's Self-Portrait. It just perfectly fits with someone's identity
and tastes and becomes one's fave album. That person who loves Limp Bizkit's
album to death, just because it's belong to the soul of the person may listen
to a lot of albums and may consider, for example, Master Of Puppets by Metallica
or Sgt. Pepper's Lonel Hearts Club Band to be one of his/her favourite album,
but that Limp Bizkit one will always be the best one.
The same goes for me and The Final Cut.
Once I've heard the album I momentary understood that there will be no albums
that can challange The Final Cut in my very own top 10 thingo. It is perfect
from a very first note to the very lasts - atmospheric, wise, musically strong
and powerful... I can go on forever... The album is perfect, perfect, perfect
- may not for you, but not for me. And, as not a Rolling Stone or Village Voice
writter, who pretends to be that only one who says holy and objective truth
- I just tell to you MY opinion, because web musical reviewing is the thing
that works for people who wants to tell their own, very subjuctive opinion about
music (IMHO, if it works better for you). If you want authority and "objectiveness"
- go and read some paid musical critic - OK now? But before I actually get to
tell you what I think about the album, won't you mind me to tell you some historycal
important factors what actually made Roger Waters to release this album.
After release of The Wall, Pink Floyd actually became a Roger Waters own solo
project (for a quite short time before turning into David Gilmour solo project).
I can't see what's so bad in it, like everyone says - after all, Floyd was a
Syd Barrett solo project for some time in the very beginning. Consider the fact
that Roger is by far better guy than Syd (although, he's not the idol of some
generation, or something like that) and, actually, could turn his ego into right
place, I still can't see what's so bad about it. Roger rules! Ah, but that's
the words you hear from Roger Waters dedicated fan.
So what? Well, after Roger became the only one who controled Pink Floyd, Rich
Wright just went ahead and quite the band - he even didn't come to The Wall
movie presentation, where even David and Nick (both of them hate Roger even
bigger than Rich). And Roger started to record the album, which seems to be
conncted (lyrically) with The Wall - as you might guess, The Final Cut. He wrote
all songs, sung on almost all tracks (Dave sung on only one - "Not Now John",
but I will tell you about it later, OK?). A lot of session musicians were included
and, finally, Nick Mason quit the album in the moment when he needed to record
drum lines to the only one track - "Two Suns In The Sunset", so former Roxy
Music drummer Andy Newmark changed him on drums.
But, during the recording sessions, the album had found its own face and became
a full conceptual album about the broken post war dream (war on the Folklands
began). It all somehow connected with the death of Roger's father - Eric Fletcher
Waters, who was killed on the battlefields of World War II. Of course, the album's
concept is by far more difficult to get, so I will try to say some words about
it while discussing the songs itself.
Speaking of music nd lyrics... Well, it's perfect. Roger has been in some kind
of neverending inspiration, what made him to make the perfect music and the
perfect lyrics - no-one else ever reached it and won't probably reach it at
all - it's perfect. Now I'm going to describe all of the perfect parts of this
masterpiece - and, kinda, rip-offing George Starostin in his review of Blonde
On Blonde by Bob Dylan, tell you my favourite lyrical moment - the album deserves
it.
It all begins with "The Post War Dream" - the song that invites the listener
to become the passanger in someone's car in the middle of the night riding somewhere
to some town. The driver turns on the radio and you can listen to the news -
the Japanese started to build the ships for England to send them on Folklands!
The war has began! And so Roger sings a song, in which he asks Maggie (Margaret
Thatcher) why did she break the post war dream of peace and union? The song
itself is very quiet (although lyrics are very angry) and only at the end it
turns into some heavy song. My favourite lyrical moment is probably this one:
"Tell me true/ Tell me why was Jesuscrucified?/ Was it for this that daddy died/
Was it for you?/ Was it for me?/ Did I watch too much TV?/ Is that a hint of
accusation in your eyes?"
"Your Possible Pasts" is the song that driver sings. It is typical anti-war
song, but so emotianaly great and powerful, that it always makes me fear every
time I listen to it. Especially that 'hard' chours with Roger shouting in your
headphones: "Do you remember me?! How we used to be?! Do you think we should
be closer?!". The best lyrical moment for me is this one: "Stepping up boldly
one put up his head/ He sayd: "I was just a child then/ Now I'm only a man".
"One of The Few" is the story of one soldier returning from the World War II.
Seems that it is that teacher from The Wall movie. War made him a little bit
of mad. Amazing little two notes melody which is going right into my soul every
time with Roger whispering great lyrics. I can't make anything but quote them
all now: "When you one of the few to land on your feet/ What do you do to make
ends meet?/ Teach./ Make them mad?/ Make them sad?/ Make them add two and two?/
Make them me?/ Make them you?/ Make them do what you want them to?/ Make them
laugh?/ Make them cry?/ Make them lie down and die?" So simple, but oh so great.
"The Hero's Return" is a song about memories of the driver, who really is one
of the old heroes of World War II. Somewhat fast song with Nick Mason doing
back vocals in the chours. Each verse has a little bit different arrangment
and it works! Favourite lyrics are those: "And even now part of me flies/ Over
Dresden with Angels 1-5"
"The Gunner's Dream" (yeah, I know it is typed like "The Gunners Dream" on the
back cover, but,in fact, the real title is "The Gunner's Dream") is another
song in a long row of driver-sung songs. It is relaxing and calm ballad with
Roger as the driver sings about his dream of peace and ideal world. I love that
moment when Roger screams: "And hold on to that dreeeeeeeeeeaaaaaaaaaaaaam",
and his scream momentary turns into the beautiful sax solo. The song has a lot
of wounderful lyrical moments, and it's hard to chose any to be my favourite,
but I probably like the second verse more than anything on here, so I'll quote
it. "A place to stay/ Enough to eat/ Somewhere old heroes shuffle safely down
the street/ Where you can speak out loud/ About your doubts and fears/ You never
hear their standart issue knockin' at your door/ You can relax on both sides
of the tracks/ And maniacs don't blow holes in bandsmen by remote control/ And
everyone has recourse their law/ And no-one kills the children anymore". Excellent.
"Paranoid Eyes" is a song about people who are hiding their own memories and
fears of war behind their paranoid eyes. The most relaxing part of the record.
The best lyrics, in my opinion, are: "Laughing too loud at the rest of the world
with the boys in the crowd/ You hide hide hide behind petrified eyes". Cool,
isn't it, eh?
Well, after the first half of the album I could leave it all and said: "This
album is perfect. Nobody will ever reached it", but I have listened to the second
half... And... You know, the secong haf is somekind of suite... So that, nobody
will evr reach the second half of The Final Cut. It is perfect... Oh Lord, how
much times I need to use the word "perfect"?! But I can't say anything... Or,
in fact, the album just doesn't let me to say anything else - it is... it's
just damn perfect!
"Get Your Filthy Hands Off My Desert" is some kind of prelude to "The Fletcher
Memorial Home" - short, relaxing as almost anything on the album and lyrically
excellent. It is about the politic's games for in which ordinary people and
soldiers die. You can decide what's the song title is all about. Get your filthy
hands of my usually desert after meal or off some sandy piece of earth? Lyrics
are extremely great. "Brezhnev took Afghanistan/ Begin took Beirut/ Galtieri
took the Union Jack/ And Maggie over lunch one day/ Took a cruiser with all
hands/ Apparently to make him give it back".
"The Fletcher Memorial Home" has relaxing melody (again!), good sing-along vocal
melody and ideal lyrics, which express Roger's idea of building some memorial
home for "incureable tyrans and kings" like Nixon or Begin and kill them all
some day... Ah, and, of course, call the house to the memory of Roger's died
father Eric Fletcher Waters. The song is full of great lyrical moments, but
my fave is "And they can appear to theirselves every day/ On closed circuit
TV/ To make sure they're still real".
"Southampton Dock" is another prelude - this time to the title track. It's describe
the feelings of the girl who waits for her lover coming from Folklands war.
It's just amazing how it can capture the mood and the feelings of that girl.
My favourite lyrical moment is "A mute reminder for the poppy fields and graves".
Finally, we all come to the title track.. .Oh, I have no words -it's perfect.
From the first second to the last. Lyrics are the greatest ever written by anyone.
Period. Not, someone can write the lyrics better, but I don't know any person
like that. Usual calm melody, some hard part and beautiful David Gilmour's solo
with a piece from Tchaikovskiy's Nutcracker. The lyrics describes the feelings
and the past of some guy whose fate is all broken by the war. I just love the
ending - my favourite 50 or so seconds of music. Roger's great bass, voice and
the greatest lines ever. Ever! "I held the blade in trembling hands/ Prepared
to make it, but/ Just then the phone rang/ I never had the nerve to do the final
cut". It may not seem so great on the monitor of your computer, but the way
how Roger sings it is amazing.
"Not Now John" is the only piece of hard-rock on the very soft album. It is
sung by David Gilmour with some women back-vocals, and chourses are sung by
Roger. The lyrics are about people who do not care about the war, or even about
the politic world. If we don't care about anything, this will lead us to Apocalypse,
which is describing in the ending. Wild screams, horrible and very pleasent
cacophonia, and, and, and, and...
...We finally return right to the same car with the same driver and the passanger.
In the window you can see the second sun in the sunset - it is a huge atom bomb
just smashed the ground and the fire comes to your car... The song is called
"Two Suns In The Sunset" and has one of the most simple and wise lines ever:
"And finally I understand the feelings of the few/ Ashes and diamonds/ Foe and
friend/ We all are equal in the end". After it the song turns into some little
non-offensife jamming and ends.
What can I say else after fourty three minutes and twelve seconds of pure musical
ecstase?
Nothing.
Nothing but feelings I can't describe.
In fact, I can't say anything else - I said everything (well, excpet that Roger
made a mini-movie called The Final Cut I've never seen) above and I have absolutely
no need to repeat. Hope that you wasn't bored reading all of those lines. That's
all.
Any comments or reviews to grant us with?