Pink Floyd "Meddle"

In this edition of “Mike Maggot’s Classic Rock Album Reviews” I’m going to tell you about one of my favourite albums. Pink Floyd’s classic album, “Meddle”.

Now to the average classic rock radio listener, Pink Floyd is “The Wall” or “Dark Side of the Moon”. But to anyone who is a true hardcore Floyd fan, “Meddle” is Pink Floyd.

Don’t get me wrong. “The Wall” is a good album…if you like four sides of thoroughly depressing post war psychosis. Me personally, I never listen to it. When I was a teenager, all of the kids that smoked said that you just had to take acid and watch the movie. I guess that’s fun if you’re already suicidal.

“Dark Side of the Moon” is definitely a must when it comes to Pink Floyd. Although, if I have to sit through “Money” one more time on the radio, there could be a hostage situation.

Now then, back to the issue at hand. “Meddle”. Recorded in 1972, this album was an obvious point of cohesion for the band. Everything finally worked. The last few albums leading up to this point were searching for their place and looking for a direction. When you take four young lads from art and architecture school, add in vast quantities of LSD, and a very liberal musical landscape, you get a rather chaotic blend of audio painting. By 1972 the Floyd had finally achieved the perfect balance of floaty and experimental music with distinct structure.

The first track, “One of These Days”, is a frightening soundscape that starts out sounding like a rather sinister episode of Doctor Who. Then the terrifying voice that informs the listener that, “one of these days I’m going to chop you into little pieces”. That’s not very positive now is it? For the rest of the song, we are treated to some serious guitar shredding hard rock. Nick Mason is literally beating the shit out of his cymbals. Not very Pink Floydy at all.

Track two is the beautiful yet haunting, “A Pillow Of Winds”. An acoustic number that just seems to drift on by. Like a warm cup of tea on a crisp sunny day. This song is about as mellow as a song can be without stopping.

The next track is titled, “Fearless” Another lilting semi-acoustic number that seems to carry on where “A Pillow of Winds” leaves off. For some reason this song has always made me think of a gladiator about to fight to his death. The song ends with a strangely spliced in English soccer chant. How odd. But quite fitting.

“SanTropez” follows in a much more jovial vein. An almost “lying in a hammock drinking margaritas” sort of feel.

Side One ends with “Seamus.” A blues number where the lads decide to use a howling dog for the lead vocals. What more can I say?

The true beauty of “Meddle” comes in the form of “Echoes” which is a 23 minute epic that displays all of what Pink Floyd can be. An entire album side of dark, brooding melody that is somehow both eerie and calming at the same time.

The track starts with a reverb soaked “ping”. Over and over. Drawing you in. Slowly the other instruments quietly join in. So subtly that you don’t even notice until the vocals start that the “ping” that caught your attention stopped over two minutes ago. The vocals are so gentle. This whole section of lyrics seems so effortless and calm. Gradually the guitar brings in a more tense atmosphere culminating in a tension building climax to the middle break. This is where things really change. Out of nowhere the bands drops into one of the coolest vamps in rock. Four minutes of slow, thumping rock with whirling, screeching guitar over top. Miles Davis would be proud.

Just when you think you’re at a Zeppelin concert, Pink Floyd reminds you who you’re listening to. The next four minutes are possibly the scariest sounds ever to hit vinyl. A murder of crows and howling wind. Yikes. But never fear, Pink Floyd likes a happy ending. With a Herculean build up, the listener is carried back to the ever so soothing verses, eventually closing out perhaps, the, finest album side of their career.

If you like Pink Floyd, do yourself a favour and pick up this album. While you’re at it, buy a copy of “Dark Side of the Moon” and “Wish You Were Here” too. All three are brilliant albums from the most creative period of a band of artists. Mike Maggot.

I'm Here to Help You...Dammit!!!

In this inaugural edition of my classic rock album review I’d first like to explain to you what chaps my hide about classic rock radio. (I know, one sentence in and I’m already on a rant) Classic rock radio generally likes to beat us over the head with the same five songs or less from each of the twenty biggest bands of the sixties and seventies. For example: Pink Floyd. Money, Wish You Were Here, Another Brick In the Wall, Comfortably Numb and once a month, One of These Days. What about the other nine songs on the other ten or so albums? How many more times do I have to hear Satisfaction by the Stones? Why not play Citadel or Sway? How about Star Star? I’m convinced at this point that the band War only wrote one bloody song. Low Rider. Go on…try to name another. You can’t do it because classic rock radio only plays that one freakin’ song. Thus making the listener bored and the music that may once have been great, stale as that bag of chips on your dash.

Now I’m perhaps the biggest Sabbath fan in the Western Hemisphere but if I have to hear Paranoid on the way home from work again, I just might put a gun in my mouth, and not for dental hygiene reasons.

That being said, I’m obviously not going to review Back In Black or Zeppelin IV. What would be the point in that? I’m going to dig a little deeper in the hopes that one of you out there will discover something amazing in your dad’s record collection. Being an avid record collector, I have found some of the most amazing classic rock albums that haven’t ever made the classic rock radio play lists. So, come now, let’s have a beer and plunder the vaults.