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    Uncut The Ultimate Music Guide - Pink Floyd PDF

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    THE ULTIMATE MUSIC GUIDE PINK FLOYD CLASSIC INTERVIEWS aS) at A ae OF EVERY ALBUM FLOYD’S30 GREATEST SONGS THE DARK SIDE |THE WALL| THE ENDLESS RIVER THE COMPLETE STORY FROM THE MAKERS OF UNCUT — PINK FLOYD: INTRODUCTION Speak to me... HERE DOES THE endless river begin, and where vill ever end? Time and again, the story of Pink Floydseemstohavereached somekindofinformal conclusion, only for a new chapter to magically ‘open up. As David Gilmour sings on “Louder Than Words’, the closing track of what was presented, in 2014, as theirvaledictoryalbum; “Let'sgowith theflow, whereveritgoes/Were more thanalive. ‘OnMay 12,2001, forinstance, Gilmourfinallyhonoured an auspicious promise. The8sthnightofRogerWaters’solotourof The Wallsaw Gilmour appear at the top of the wall, towering over Waterss he launched into “Comfortably Numb’: Gilmour, characteristically, had not arrived at London's O2 Arena alone. For the closing “Outside The Wall’, he and Waters were joined by Nick Mason, ontambourine. The three surviving _membersof PinkFloyd had onceagain reunited -not, perhaps, forthelast timeinacareer which has now survived thebestpartoffivedecades. ‘What happens next in the Pink Floyd saga is, as ever, hard to predict beyond thearrivalofGilmour’sfourth solo album intheautumn. Inthe wake of The Endless River, however, the time feels right to examine, depth, thestorysofar.tisthelegendofa great, ometimesoracular British bbandabandsopotent, infact, that even theirtributebandsplayarenas. There's a persuasive idea that those tribute bands have been so successful because PinkFloydthemselvesare,inaway,anonymous. Who cares about the identity of the musicians playing these awe-inspiring songs, oes theargument:just checkout thelight show! ‘Uncut’s Ultimate Music Guide o Pink Floyd proves, wethink, that thisis| nonsense. The tale of Pink Floyd is one as human, passionate and ‘compellingasany intherockcanon, tencompassesepicpowerstruggles, {ntimateconfessions, preposterousexperimentsand, ofcourse, madness. ‘These dramas were played out inthe pages of NME, Melody Makerand Uncut, and in this lavish special edition you'll find unexpurgated, revelatory interviews conducted with theband between 1967 and 2014. We begin with the brief psychedelic flowering of Syd Barrett, and chart theband!syearsof questing untilthey rriveat TheDark SideOJThe Moon. We dive into the intensely personal psychodramas of Roger Waters and the more becalmed stewardship of David Gilmour before, finally, reachingan evocativefinale with astyear’ssaluteto Richard Wright. We also analyse in detail the remarkable music ofthe band, with extensive reviews of every album, from The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn to The Endless River. “Looking through the Pink Floyd songbook surprises mesometimes,” avid Gilmour told Uncurin 2008, “There are hundreds of songs, we go through ots ofdifferent stylesof music, three diferentleadersandatleast three different singers, and dozens of guests. But everything'slinked by thiscollective psyche. “You have a sound in yourhead and you try to replicate it. 'm always, lookingfornewsounds” Pen novel PINK FLOYD CONTENTS THE PIPER AT THE WISH YOU GATES OF DAWN WERE HERE 1967:'ThePinkFloydblastoff, 1975:howdo you followan with Syd Barrettatthe controls earth-shattering success? WithastunningLPabout ASAUCERFUL OF — discomfortwithfame, SECRETS. obviously 1968; Gilmour joins, Barrett departs;thebandstruggleto ANIMALS moveon Pigs will ly:theb: maintain peak powerin’77 2Otmeticioton gotuewat (EMNSSTSINITENVIEWS takethehelm crumble, Waters constucts personal monument We're something “IfT'mhonest, UMMAGUMMA 1O cms pletely 96 cation was Onegroup-four THEFINALCUT differentiromwhat | thatweshould go our different musicalpaths 1983:Watersgoesout has gone before” separate ways... fightingwithanemotional __-Melody-Makermeets the 2oyearson, The FallOfThe ATOM HEART smtohisfatherand allof | darlingsoftheunderground Floyd Empire, by Roger Waters MOTHER fallen men inLondon, and Syd reviews ; Part jam, partsonic some singles few experimentandtheirmost AMOMENTARY O08 aieSaurs contentiousrecord, Nobull! LAPSE OF FO wQrethinksofit should betreasured! REASON jallasadream...” 1988: thebattlesrageon,as SYD BARRETT 1987:Gilmourtakescontrol, __Syd/slastpublished interview, | MasonandGilmourbreak SOLO LPS reshapingthe Floyd plusRogerWaters_ a13-yearsilenceto counter The Madeap Laughs, the inhismellower explainshowhe _therelentlessassaultsoftheir geniusdisintegrates, Barrett image PANTER works“tokeephis _formerleader failstochart DUNO rind ofa doomy THE FACTS, ia 1208 MEDDLE DIVISION filMieteleteinla buns forthe Echoes" ofanew BELL 5 iltsanew | tist Century” future,asthestars-andthe 1994:Gilmour, Gilmourand Mason reveal band~alignin harmony Mason and Wright Foydmones how they navigated the reunitefor their withanewpiece _trickycoursethatledto the QBSCUREDBY impressive lath tentativelytitled surprising TheEndless River CLOUDS, Lp. The Dark Side Of Conceived asasoundtrack, the The Moon’ and Floyd’sseventh proves pure Nick Mason admits, listening pleasure THE ‘Wewanted tobe j ENDLESS stars! THEDARKSIDE RIVER “EVERY- OFTHE MOON Atouchingtribute 5e7our THING’SLINKED 1973:Floydeclipsetheirrivals; | toRichard Wright music oyd eclipse theirrival hard Wrigh BY THIS COLLECTIVE Watersestablisheshimselfas~theverylast Pink isabout PSYCHE” musical director Floydalb ———— nourosis,but —_PinkFloyd's30Greatest Songs thatdoesn’t | aschosenby Gilmour, Mason meanwereneurotic” —_andtheiriamousfriendsand As Dark Sideloomslarge, fans, including Paul Weller, DaveGilmourtakesaimathis Robert Wyattand more band’s many detractors west MISCELLANY fealways Soloalbums, live OOargoeds: stuns complaonsand arguments eomeout —_collectabes ofpassion?” The money, the ightsand who STOP ME... played what:thefullstory of 1969:theFloyd DarkSide,astoldbythe Floyd screamlastingscreamsat ‘ie 265 themselves thetinyKeeClub, Bridgend PUBLISHING DIRECTO! Timelnc. —— PINK FLOYD: THEALBUMS From a Cambridge meadow, via London exotic underground, The Pink Floyd achieve lift-off, with Syd Barrett —fleetingly- atthe controls. By Neil Spencer an JPenestsretiostniet tas Simysoundrack Swit hetocedgutasand hone tneconmiecangottendy hid Stone Frome SuwethewhimseaThe Scarecrow etsy dongs The Bete “Pkngatio’ anda typist Purge immediately The Pink oytsmaerhiphad towed don Intute grup weeareaiyesablshedas detningagetsolpoysnew not ojchede 0 thihtheFodhaannnce tenses ‘pring Aranda andtieband pert “eeprom capture fovedintnrolershowsebandio tested Thon oh sent loyal cay athe urOChihretetandedasent ses kncwthat tesngserei chart end 1961 capsulesofthefarmore challenging experience that wasThePinkFloyd lve. Onstage, where the group performedin the Technicolor bizaardoftheirown lightshow, “Arnold Layne” regularlycameinat 5 ‘minutes, tscourseswollenby improvisation; swilingkeyboards octaveswoopingbassruns, tinklinghiatuses,feedback-laden guitarsolos Presiding overproceedin puckishandcharismatiefigure inkaftanand King’s Road velvet,theepitomeofhippy chic, alternately attackingthe fretsofhis Telecaster with Zippo lighterandraisinghis tobedhandslikeapagan priestleadinga psychedelicmass. The Floyds reputation asthe hippe didnotstop withtheheadsatthe UFO cluborthe 7,000 peoplewho attended the 14 Hour Technicolor Dream atAlexandraPalace in April, wherethe group playedatdawnasclimaxtoahappeningthat alsoincluded Yoko Ono havingherelothessnipped away: AftertheFloydhad brought theirlightshow andspacerockto the augustclassical enue ofthe QueenElizabeth Hall, BarrettandRoger Waters were interviewed bya BBCartsshowwithan, cearnestnessusually reserved forplaywrightsand painters, Like The Beatles, Floyd weren'tjustpop, theywereart. Es PINK FLOYD: THE ALBUMS FORAGROUPTHAThadbeen knockingoutR'n Bstandardsa scant 2monthspreviously.the journey from "Louie Louie” to The PiperAtTheGatesOfDawnhad been quiteatrip,one uelledin sgreatpartby Roger'Sya Barrett It ‘was Barrettwho came upwith the bband’sunusualname,an THE CRITIC! the Floye'spotential producer. ‘Whenfennerand.o-manager ‘AndrewKingraisedthefundsto tenterSound Techniquesstudio~ theideawasto entice EMLinto signingthegroup-itwasBoydat theconsoleverseeing”Armold Layne’ Barrett'sdrollcameoofa closetcross-dresserand washing. amalgimationoftwoobscure __jaz(PowR. Tee linethiefThesongwasdravn biuesmen,PinkAndersonand ——H Elwiou eee NoMa Land 44+ 5 DarkGlsbe === 4 HaelGo 4 Oatopan Pesrerearrery 2 Langone == {ashe enka Long ‘Coldtsok 2 niedante Ta Wein You s+ TLteraghe ee RELEASED Jary 2, ibe Harvest Malem Joe Densch Syd Barrett (uta voesisk Dav ‘Simour as ting scout guitar dears ‘e"Octpes Roger hater ne ery ‘Shiro (aor John Wilson rum) Vie Sey hor Robert ‘yet ramz on No SerNoGoed eyes” SdLove You'F he Rasledge(heyocordson "No Goes Tying na Baby EXECUTE PRODUCER: | 2. Uma Sangh Harvest oo late to meetthealbumsoriginal pre-Christmasrelease date, which scheduled for January 1970, When The Madcap Laughs solonginthe making finallycame out, itbalfled, '$ Daminwes #48 Ehthobvou ss SRatseree Mae 7 Gig int bees organ (one hvu "Coe Aunt Wind Andis"), drums (on-Dominees. backing vocals fochard Wight heybarc, ano harmonium Hormona ‘rgu Vi Saye GebronEferescant Elephort) ery Shirley (hums andpercusson Sh Witon Gra) Wionesr evar Posimion: Uk US (guitar lead oral) Sond Gime (o-ring ‘muti gultar on “Baby Canad rumouredunravelling the conspicuousunspoolingofa spectacularsongvritingtalent, losttosomewherelonely disturbingand strange. There'dalwaysbeen something ‘otherworldly aboutSyd, that intersteliarstare, thesaturninelook, sexyandslightly sinister. vaguely dangerousstoned dandyismbeshared with jimi Flendrix, Keith RichardsandBrian Jones.On The Madcap Laughs, Sye’s cotherworldlinesshasbecomeinmany ways positivelyextra-terestrial,avoicereachingus fromoutthereinaspaceSydshareswiththings thatshinein thedarkbutarealready dead, theirlightreachingus fromwhoknowsihere. ‘Thiswasanideaof Barrettmuchenhancedby “MickRock’scoverimagesofhim, goblin crouched onthebarefloorboardsofthe ‘unadorned EatlsCour flathe'd recently painted blackandpurple,ascarynetherworld \where helooked like he might livewithonly shostsandspidersforfriends. eingagultaristandhavingdone the last thingabouttwoor threeyearsagoinagroup ‘roundEngland, Europeand theUS,and then ‘comingbackandhardlyhavingdone anything, so 'don'tknow what to say. feel, pethaps, could be claimedasbeing redundant almost. Idon'tfeelaetive,and that ypublicconscienceis fully satisfied. Don'tyouthinkpeoplestillremember you? Yes, shouldthinkso. ‘Thenwhydon'tyougetsomemusicians, go ‘on theroadanddo some gigs? fee, though, the record would stillbethethingtodo. And touringand playing mightmake that impossible todo. Don'tyoufancyplayingliveagainafter two years? Yes, very much, ‘What's the hang-up then? Isitgettingthe right musicians around you? Yeah. Whatwould beofprimary importance~ ‘whether they were brilliant musieiansor ‘whether you could et on with them? Tmafraid think fdhave o get onwith them. They'dhavetobegood musicians. They'd be difficultto find. They'd havetobe lively. ‘Would you say therefore, youwere a difficult person togetonwith? No. Probably my own Impatienceistheonly thing, becauseithasto Devery easy. You can play guitarin your canteen, you know, your hait might belonger, Dutthere’salot more to playing than travel around universities, ‘Why don't you goout onyourown playing acoustict Yournightbevery successful. Yeah... tha'snice. Well,'veonly gotan lectrie.I'vegotablack Fenderwhich needs replacing. thavent got any blue jeans... reallypreferelectrie music, ‘Whatrecordsdo you listen to? Well. haven't boughtalot. I've gotthingslike Ma Rainey recently Terrific, really fantastic Areyougoinginto the blues, then, in your vweriting? I supposeso, Different groups do differentthings... nefeels that Slade would bean interesting thing to hear, you know. Willtherebea third soloalbum® Yeah.I'vegot some songsinthestudio, stil. And vegota couple of tapes. Itshould be 12singles, and jolly goodsingles.! think Ishall beableto produce this one myself Ithinkit wasalways easier to do that. Michael Wats EE PINK FLOYD: ARCHIVE 1967 ‘ID LIKE TO HELP THE REVOLUTION, WHEN IT COMES’ From an Islington garden, ROGER WATERS plans for the future. WHITHER THEWAY ofthe ‘world? Asthe rock _generation get older, ifthey don't getwiser, they get ssacider, Roger Waters ofthe ‘ancientand venerable Pink Floyd occasionally emerges fromhis VC3 synthesise, stares about in disbeliefand returnshastily othe inbuman and therefore clean world ofsound. Likemany marching through the twentiesto thirty violence, Iintoleranceand sheerincompetence, instead of recedingin thetace of progress, seem tobe expanding, Thustheintelligentand sensitive grow more despairing, even in England, quiet backwater of world events. Says Roger: “Iworktokeep my mindotTa doomy situation, Alloverthe globe it gets crazier every day.Andthecrazinessseemsto beacceleratingatafantasticrate.Butit might juste thatasyou getolder your perception sets faster, until the whole thing seemsunreal, aslleaf through my Guardianevery moming. “Iesrunningaseries atthe momentonthe new taboos. [read the pieceon Lord Longford, which seemed quitealaugh. One getsthe Impression everythinghasgotout of control and nobody isin control ofanything” Rogerlives with hiswifeJudyinabeautifully cosy house in one of thebroad, seedy streetsof Islington. Inthe garden, inthe soundproofed studio that Rogerhasassembled, wasasynth, mixer, taperecorders, drumsete,allcrying outtobeswitchedon, fiddledand beaten. Butthe crumpets were ready andwe adjournedto the morning room, thereto discuss the future of Floyd and the world “Thereissomuchgoingon,it'shardto evaluateanythingspecific. That whole Festival OfLight business. I’shardto evaluate hhowimportantitis.Frommystandpointitis of erylttleimportance. But youcan'ttellits effect on other people. They retrying to ‘lean up the country’ But the wholethingis pathetic. So many importantthingsneed doing... But why get worried about the odd pubichairon TVandthe growth of dirty bookshopswhen they could put thelr energies osomethingthat clearly needsreforming? What abouthousing?Andajobhereand there would benice. Thewholetenoroftheir ‘movementis repression, on thebasisthat peoplearecortuptibleandneed protecting, Which Idon’tbelieve.Alotmoreharmisdone through repressing people's sexual attitudes, than by public displays of pornography “We actually went to aliveshowin Denmark hich wasextraordinary. rwentontoolong, and certainly before the end we were ready for hamburgers and chips. Le’sgo now.Itwas allvery schoolboyish and patently obviousit was for people who didn'thavetheright schooldays. The shows are ustatouristthing anyway. Ican'timaginethe Danesgoing.Its only forold geezers of about 0. I'sall unreal.” Whatare Roger's own plansforabetter, sanerworld? “Well like to help the revolution, whenit comes. It would beniceif somebody could visualise the revolution, sowe couldhavea slightideaofwhatto do.” Hadnitallthe revolutionary theoriesbeen writen? “The troublels, theyallsmellabit. sooner liveherethanin Russia and !mnotreallyinto Soviet Marxism, Thedoublebindisthat people who tendo involvethemselvesin politicsdo itforstrongpersonal motives. Some haveasocial context, butlargeiyit’sanego thing nd the people who should be running the country rejustpottering about intheir gardensand reading The Guardian! Altruism and power polities just don't go together.” What was the natureofthepottering Floyd hhad been doinglately inthe garden of rock? “We've been rehearsinga ohn Peel showand. recording, Wego to Americathis week or our fifthtour. Wellbeplaying Carnegie Hall The firsttimewe wentin 1967 we played the Scene (Club, inNew York. We vegotthree new pieces andasmuch stuffasbefore. We've Juststarted torehearse again. can'trememberthelast ‘time we hadarehearsal.Ithinkthatoften the cause of groups splitting up is when people freakand can't come up with new stuff which hhasnearlyhappened tous. The Who flipped ‘once and did that New Vie thing, which fell through. But no-we're veryhealthynow. “Weidliketogetintoatheatre thing. We'ldo itsometime, but can'tseeithappening yet. Wsreallybacktothe oldmixed media rip. The logistics ofitareso complex. Youhave toget ‘quadraphoniesand projectorsand youneeda clear vision ratherthan vague idea thatitd benicetodosomethingdifferent. Creating something ike that wouldbe bloodyhard.” ‘Oneofthe problemsofFloydand heir special musicisthe space their equipment takes up. Itcostthem thousands toship thelr sixtonsofequipmentto Australia thisyear, “Werretryingtocutitdown,"says Roger, without much conviction. InJanuarywe'llbe doingawholetourof England, about 12 days, andwemay do the Festival Hall aga Butwhatof thefuture of Floyd music, that \weitd revolutionary sound that set the rock worldback onitsearsinthemid'60st “I dunno really, Ihave noidea whats going tohappennext. We'rejust goingtobemuch lighter and more efficient.” Crs Welch pine rove | 39 PINK FLOYD: THEAL BUMS Meddle Ping! The stars a ign, “Echoes” comes from “Nothing”, and the sonic architects finally reunite in unusual harmony. ByJohn Robinson ‘writingand recording material for what would become theirnewalbum, Meddle, EMI's budget releasearm, Starline released compilation album oftheirearliestwork called Relics itwasstrange _asamarketing strategy, Relicswasoddly successful asameasure ofPink Floyd’ssituation inthe rst partofthatyear. twas neither one thing, nor the ‘other itcontained music rom theSyd Barrett era that they were increasingly distancing themselves from, Butitalsofeatured "Careful With Thataxe Eugene” anumber the band werestillplayinglive. ‘Onthecover,drummerNickMasonhadneatly summarisedtheband'scharacter:hehad drawn iE 1971, while Pink Floyd were atwork ‘curiousmachinethat puffedsmoke,and-almost incidentally -playedmusic With hindsight, wehavecometoapplaud Floyd's searchingnature,theirlongform compositions, theirimaginativesoundworlds,and their break fromtraditionalsongforms. As 971 began, however,theonlythingtheband seemedtobe searchingfor in theabsence ofasongwriterofany stature, wasanidea ofhowtoproceed next. With ‘Ummagummathey had experimented with ‘democracy, and demonstrated the continued power oftheirliveshow.On Atom Heart Mother theyhad tried musiqueconcréte,andasidelongcomposition with brassorchestta,andhadhadtoberescuedby theirfriend, Ron Geesin. Whatcouldtheydonext? Abluesband, said Rick Wrightin 1972, couldsimply getbetteratplayingthe blues. AbandlikePink Floyd, however, was completelyin thedark. We're forever searchingfor what we'regoingtoda” Certainly atthestartof 1971, theband had noidea what hat mightbe. Whenwethinkof 970s recordingstudio excess, we probablyhaveinminda seenarionotunlike that inwhichPinkFloydbegan workat Abbey Road studios thatJanuary: Kt, the bandhad inabundance:DavidGilmour, acquainted with Jimi Hendrix, hadseen the worlds beyondthat mightbe accessed by guitar technology andcamearmed witha combinationoffuzzand wah-wah thathewould incorrectly assembleto noveleffect.ASyd-eracontraption,theBinson. Echotec, would addanominousreverb.Arotating Lesliespeaker would flange theirsoundls Onlyatthestartof the AbbeyRoad session Floydhadnosoundstodistort,noteven any snippetstoflange. Whetheryouchoosetocallita, spectacularfailure of pre-productionora democratic approach tacollectivecomposition at the tartofthe Medlesessions, PinkFloydhadfew ideas and noactual songs atall Instead, the band embracedstrategy. Theyattempteda eowmues overs Pink rieeriovel 4 Leese PINK FLOYD: THE ALBUMS Kindofblindfolded composition Sydontheconversationalstraight separatelytoseeiftheysparked notetodrawfromi,howeverit anythingwhenputtogether(they “hieretingeren would betosaythatbyvirtueot didn’). Whenthingsdidn'twork —_gesthetictheymay —— mpenalilinss Sydhadeorlssiy cu thebandaliscussedtheirnext buteupartcl —chicvedwhathisformer move-Thesessionsfromzpmio AME, bandmates werestruglinglong 4am,engineerJohn Leckie sfedosplayWhen _oursinthe studio toaccomplsh rememberedlatr found theresitierea!” _blockingoutthememory ofa fccommodatinforsistained __mbealubanseto Sy Baret-frntedPink yd crdsofunrelievedboredom, saan Assy distractedly told Watts his orasttea MontyPython skit cert? owntalentwasmoreamercurial recalled MikeButchet anengineer Pe paq- _artschoolkindofthing The atMorgan,anotherofthethree—exiertmeve?™ = —_currentPinkFloyd, meanwhile studiosusedfortheLP."Oneof — MGMELWATSMaOY—_weremakingworkthatwas themwouldhaveanidea,present MAMERNONIAH77-——_yerymuchmore inthe lineof what ittotheband,thensomeone would onemightexpecttrom say‘No,wecanitdothat’Andthat — ferdhawecreted — architecturestudents wast Theldeawasdead anaes] Asungraciousasitmighthave Hfanything thematerialwhich —Yoarewoftne been (David Gilmour Roger wasgatheredfromtheritstMeddle srergthoffibrass _WatersandRichard Wright had sessonsrlshedinhowberetitandactjan °_woedonBaretsaoalbunsas wasofinspiration. Theworking _ceptonay recently asfourmonthsbeton Inaterisfortheabumeanetron 4 AUBEWE, ——rrethadhitonsomething His ‘acollageof30orso songfragments and ketches,eachealled, inwhat \would seemtobetheband'scustomary ddeadpantone,*Nothing” Thismaterial, \workedandreworked, wouldthen heapitself {ntoaGolem-likeaggregatecomposition, with atitletobefita monstermovie:“ReturnOfSon OfNothing” Theeurckamoment, thatturned thisintothe side-long Meddlepiece “Echoes w apparentlyarrivedatafter many hours recordingand treatingasingle Rick Wright piano notethroughaLesliespeaker. Ifthe band \wereseekingasignatureforthealbum, they hhad found one.Somewere remindedofthe chillymensurationofasonarpulse. To the naked ear itsounded,inthedistance, ikea noise that went”ping” Whileitmayhavebeen absurdthatthisone noteshouldhavebeen thesumoftheband’s breakthroughs itwasaspringboard or Meddle’sunifyingconceptual heaviness. Wright’ pinging sound provideda focusfora lotatadjectivesthathadpreviouslyfloated rathercioudilyaround PinkFloyd. Evenifthe band werebeginningtoshyawayfrom “space asacatch-all rope ortheexploratoryjourney theirmusicwasmakinginto theunknown, it hhadacelestial powertoit-Itsounded antique and curiously nostalgicamessage fromastar thathadlongagocollapsed, but whoselight couldbe stillbeseen, Itwasghostly, remote, and unaecountably sad. Atthistime, no essremote, Syd Barrett was foundand interviewedforapicvein Melody Maker reprinted on pp36-39)-Itmakes for sad, ifcharming, reading, asMichael Watts attemptstokeep anincreasingly vaporous PECL eed LOneOFTheveDae | rtaber 2 Allow Of Winds SE Harvest ‘Fest Prk Foye Sen oper Preore Seaman ‘Abbey Resd tudo, cows Moran Stun cownrecordingshad beenakindot fortutous,ifhard-woneapturing ‘ofthoughtsand momentsastheycame ‘umblingout.Theactivity the Floydwerenow ‘engagedingenuinelywasmorelikebuilding: ‘ereatinganedificefromthesmallestunit parts. Ratherasthe Vicoriansmade pamping stations beautifulasatestamenttothe soundnessand modernity oftheir ‘engineering, so Floyd madestatuesquemusic- asahard.to-shiftrecordoftheirtimeoneatth Theband’sinterestintechnology: however, ‘washothablessingandacurse.InAdrian Maben'film, Pink Floyd Live At Pompei, we ‘observe theband doing several things: playing liveintheRomanAmpitheatrethreeweeks before the Octoberrelease of Meddle at work ‘0n TheDarkSideO/The Moon, butalso,forlong segmentsofstoned conversation, opposing theidea hat Pink Floyd wasaband thatneeded norealmembers, and hat could happily ‘operateonautopilot,theirmanymachines simplyrunningthemselves."We'vespentfive ‘yearsmasteringthem,” Waters contended, hotly. Sil, whenthemachines crashed, asthey ‘often didlive,thebandwouldfallbackon material ofseveral years vintage-likethe faithful CarefulWith That Axe, Bugene Thecomfortofthefamiliarversusthe desire toembracethefuture.. Man's questfor technological advances that ultimately only makehim smaller... These, andastrangeblues songaccompaniedby thebalefulmoansof Steve Marriot sdog, arethematerialswith i which Meddlewas built-Theirprogress wastentativemaking PERSONNEL: Deed | Wight Olammond organ, Ginear(guta maton pan, ech on Echo “One OF Ths Daynad NekMaconlrums secals harmonica on Seo peasion voclon”One ‘run Roper Waters Gs, OF These Bye) Kedvocdsandgaiaran Hic SoeToperhRhrd” | POSTION-UK US70 ‘Medalean epochalimportance:akind of velvetrevolution,achangingofthe guard, “Thherewasapointwhen wesataboutnot knowingwhattodo,'saidWrightto Discand MusicEchoin 1972," Then Meddlecamealong andsince then we vebeenquiteexcitedabout What we'vebeen doing” Wright didn'tmention Atom Fleart Mother (as time went on, fewerand fewerpeople did), but there werestillstronglinksbetween tand Medd, Both had compositionstakingupa \wholesideoftherecord, whiletheotherside \waslargely given overtomoretraditionalsong forms. Unlike rom, though, Meddlemade impressivestepstowards integratingthe bband!sexperimentalmusiewith itsmore Iyrical compositions, whereformerlytheyhad been solatedfromoneanother. On*Fearless themellowacousticreverieisaugmented by theinspireduse ofcrowdnoise,thelLiverpool FC"*Kop" singing" You'll Never Walk Alone ‘OneOf These ays" meanwhile sthoughtto haveitsoriginsinan ‘Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast”-stylecollagepiecemalevolently directed at Jimmy Young. Moresigificantly perhaps, Meddefound PinkFloydbringingdownsomeofthebarriers bberweenthe group’smembers. Aside from songsthatself-evidently had theiroriginsin improvisations (“Saucerful";“Eugene”)the band!'spostSydsongshadall been individually credited tether Wright, GlmourorWaters Meddlechanged allthat,withallofthesongs appearingasco-writes.Allco-writeswith Roger Waters, admittedly, butallco-writes nonetheless. "One Of These Days’ that begins thealbum withthe synthetically generated soundofaraging storm, andfeaturestherwin bass guitarsofWatersandGilmout, withthe ‘man pulated vocals of Nick Mason was, David Gilmourlaterstated,themost ‘genuinely collaborativeworkthe ‘grouphadever done. lkwasanimportant step. While aprogressivegrouplike Yes ‘could happily giveover part ofan allbum—asthey id with 1971's Fragile-to individual ‘compositions thatboosted the band's reputation forvittuosiy thei individual workon Ummagummaand Atomhad shown Floydcouldn' workinguite thesameway: Themiddle-class holiday song “StTropez",theslyly catchy “PillowOtWinds ‘and "Seamus" (thetitle of this widely disliked blues was, incidentally, canine-specifie: when Seamuswasuinavailable,asatPompeii it Decame"Mademoiselle Nobs"),allbore some stamp of Meddle'scollaborativespirt.I'snot until youflip therecord, though, that you cexperiencequitehowfarthiscollaboration ‘couldtakePinkFloyd. Echoes" had been alongtimein the making, butoverits23gracefulminutes, you wouldn't necessarilyknowithad been painstakingly assembled fromsmallsegments, Instead, the songereatesan unfoldinglandscapewhose iNet Cee prominent featuresonecannotein successful Floyd recordingsto follow. Anunhurtied buildingofatmospheres(11.24).An ‘unembarrassed funk (705), Anotherworldly releaseoftension viaDavid Gilmour's guitar (at 18.14). "Echoes" isaplace forsoundscapesboth Iyricalandscientiic tscoverttopicman and At the start of the Meddle sessions, Pink Floyd had few ideas and no actual songs at all. ‘machine, and itsripples would befeltallthe way to Dark Side, TheWallandbeyond Ironically, forthosewhohave kippedahead Inthe group’shistory,thepredominant tone of Echoes! isone ofreconciliation.Gilmourand Wrightsofuyintonelyriesofpacificcalm and goodomen, expressinganomniscient awarenessofthe past, butlookingforward toafutureofmeaningfulhumancontact. Thesongwasamonumentto theexperience thathad given risetoit:muchastheyhaddone Intheirearliestexperimental pieces, with "Echoes" Pink Floyd had foundaway forward \workingtogether.’Ourbestmusiccomes from thatmethod of working," Wrightsaidatthe time. Everyoneisthrowinginideasand rojectingideas;Saucerwas donethe sameway Nonetheless, Meddle, hough born from the collective musicalmind,wasaverylong way fromthe chacticimprovisationsin purple sunglasses ofThe Pink Floyd, Rather; it proposedanewtypeofeollectivernusic,3 paradigmshiftwhereinonestoppedthinking ofPink Floyd asagroup withasinger, who frontedthebandand wrote theirbitsongs,butinstead proposedPinkFioydasa ‘mysteriousand powerful entity somethingabitlike MI6. You couldseeithadaemployeesand acorporateheadquarters-but onlyaveryselectfewknowwhat was goingoninside After Meddle, photographsof Pink Floyd's membersvanished fromitsalbuam sleeves, asthey retreated ntotheanonymity of theumbrellaorganisation, kwasasiftheyhad simply come torealise that whatthey worked forwasfarmoreingluentialthanwho they were asindividuals. This wasthelrnewboss:the power oftheunifyingconcept. Inthisnewincarnationof PinkFloydlay the ‘means orcreatingtheband'smostsuccessful [LPs,butalsotheseedsof theislaterproblems. Thiswasastrange, evolving organisation: itbeganassomethinglikeahappening, bbutended up assomethingmorelike government. Thoseinvolvedshared agreat ‘many common ideasand began theenterprise asequals.Astimewenton, however, some ‘would provetobemoreequalthanothers. © —— PINK FLOYD: THEALBUMS Obscured By Clouds A Piece For Assorted Lunatics is in the works. But first, the Floyd take a detour to New Guinea, and Davi id Gilmour languidly leads the expedition. By David Cavanagh IVIANEISFRENCH.She’sanambassador's t ] Wife, oneof those aestheteswho come straighttothe point. Weseeherbuying wigenousartefactsfromatraderin New Guinea 30 dollarsisiny inaloffer...anddon'tforgetthis ‘one!").Shehearsofan expedition toaremote valley alostparadiseinthe bush, whereexoticbirds grow peach-coloured feathers. Oh! eathers!She must hhavethem. Butyouknowtheseambassadors' wives ‘search orfeathers can soeasilybecomeasearch forquelquechoseplussawage plus... primitf “Meanwhile, en Angleterre, Pink Floyd aresatistied, foronce,withtheirlatest album, Meddle, feeling they'veturnedacomerand banishedtheir recent boutsofconfusionandlethargy.“Afterthe doldrumswehadencounteredaround the timeot Atom Heart Mother wehadarevitalisedsense ot purpose," NickMason illlaterwrite-Ashi-fiand headphone buffsexcitedly evangelise about Echoes’, the Floydend 1971 insecond placeto Emerson, Lake & Palmerin Melody Makers Readers Poll whichisabiggercomplimentthanitsounds. Vis.2-vistheirfutureplans,however theband appearratherinthedark. "Ireallyhave noideawhat isgoingtohappennext Roger Waterstells MM, "but ‘weregoingtobemuchighterandmoreeficient Daysafterhis wordsare published, Floydbegin workonthe famously light The Dark Side OfThe Moon, which willefficiently akethem M4months. Iwasatthis point, in February 1972, thatthey acceptedacommissiontotraveltoFrancetowrite soundtrack musicfor Barbet Schroeder'sfilm La Vallée starringhis wife Bulle Ogierasthe feather fixated Viviane. Ifitseemsbizarrethatthe Floyd shouldtakeafurlough from ...Moonalmostassoon asthey'dstartedrecordingi the decision makes ‘moresense when seen incontext. Notyet catapulted osuperswealth,Floydregardedthemselvesas active, professionalmusicians" (Mason) who were open tooffersofwork. They werecuriousto Investigate waysin which their musiemight suitor complement) otherartforms, anditwasno coincidence hatthey were particularly receptiveto approachesfrom France. Adrian Maben, the young ditectorofPink Floyd: LiveAtPompel, was Frenchman. David Gilmourspokethelanguage.In November, theband would interruptworkon Moon onceagainto perform live concerts with Roland Petit’ sBalletsde Marseille (asequence of ‘musicknown asthe'Pink Floyd Ballet’). They'd already made the acquaintance fFranco-Swiss filmmakerSchroederin 1969, finding cowaves over» Leese PINK FLOYD: THE ALBUMS Nincrithadicesoe MERA tipi ‘emotional, more intellectual edge eee Afterall theefforts with the Sipinelinanimerionerias Sofeatviiod spars anobservationonecouldn't ' juatedpel sometimes midway througha anaes panties i BonhamorlanPaice, commercial Thetile generally briefand, worse, barely InthelastweekofFebruary.the Wackblatsthvough audible. Witharainforestfullot fourFrancophilescheckedinat __Yourhead th animalstolegislatefor thesound Chateau d'Herouvllean Eeetateebece, —_mixotLavlléewasprobablya Tath-centuryeastletothenorthot — Bespeciroan tvicky balancetogetrght.buti's Paris wherealb-trackresidential Syethessedforsome _wonobody credit that iwoofthe recordingstudiohadbeen Gaicnisercomerot _ songsarealmost drowned outby installed. Themoodwithinthe __thesolrayters”” grasshoppers Videoandaudioare bandwasupbeat.conduciveto —PRERERHN.B8,——operatingwth separateagendas, creativity. Thiswasjustaswell, here;historyhasbornethatout.La because. Rexweredueatthe “teontinsomeot Vallée, availableasaFrenchDVD ChiteauinMarchtomake The ghemostaggrasive __withGermansubtillessahippy Slider sotheFloysprojecthada _instrumertasthe _picnicinwhichthecentral two-weektimelimit. Havingleft ‘DarkSide OfTheMoon, Piece ForAssorted Lunatics’ (asitwas stilealled) onaslow-simmerback InStJohn’s Wood, they werethrownintoa ‘much more rigorous regimeon La Vallée Schroeder hadgiven themarougheutofthe film: they'd broughtalongastopwatchto calculatewherethemusiccuesshould go."We satinaroom, wrote, recorded, likea production line,"Gilmourlaterrecalled and hewasn't necessarilybeingcriticaloftheprocess. The tightdeadlinestimulatedratherthan paralysed them. Attheend ofthe fortnight, they presented chroederwithtenpieces-six songsand fourinstrumentals-which EMI planned oreleaseasasoundirackalbum,a semi-officialhyphenbetween Medileandthe Assorted Lunatics. This,then, wasthe lighter ‘and moreefficent” Floyd that Watershad foreseen. After the recording wasover,and prlortoaweek of post production theyeven foundtimetosqueezeinashorttourofapan, VIVIANE, OLIVIER, Gagtanand theother cexplorersaresittingin theirLandRover, deliberatingwhethertoabandonitand continuetheirjourney onhorseback Viviane hesitates, Sheisnolongerthe elf:composed ‘metropolitanice-maiden.She'sleeping with Olivier-whichwon'tpreventherfromsteeping with Gaétaninafewminutes-andshehas ceccentricallytaken owearingapoisonous snakeasanecklace. Weheat rackmusic.Isita radio? CanLand RoversintheNewGuinea bbush pickuplocal FMstations? Butifitisn'ta radio, why doesitsoundsofaint sotinny? Floyd fanswho cometo La Valléeexpecting nextended promo video,asortofliveAt a \ObscwredByClowds | 7.Chthoods End 2. WhanYoura la a FeeFour ‘3 Buing Bridges Stay "o Absolataly Curtains 4 The Golds inThe e392 SS Wot UhThe Deal oa Mima Sabra, Floydhaverecorded!” Mil ANDREW MEANS MELODY ane MET 1972 ma arewestern materialists missing the pointoflife)is ‘undelinedwithscenesofan "unspoiltEden populatedbyNew Guinea's Magupabushmen, wha dance aroundnakedand carefree. By contrast, the soundtrackalbum, Obscuredy Clouds lacking anymessageexcept music fallsbackon the western materilistiedevice of putting 10 tracks onadiscand chargingmoney orit,and ‘endsupbeingthemore profound proposition byfar: Whatdo the Floydliketosay?“Music that will move people.” Move, notpatronise. ‘Attimes, Obscured ByCloudssharesan English churchyard meditativenesswith the 1969 MoreLP, hardly surprisingsincestoned tranquilityand slow-shiftinglate-evening shadows were thebedrockaf the Floyd’ssound inthelate'60sandearly'70s.Atothertimesit’s ‘onanabstract plane, and novand thenit’sabit sentimental, deliciously laidbackand decidedly WestCoast. The dominant Floyd ‘memberisGilmour, whosings and solosas thoughhe feelshe'sthoroughly grasped the ‘exact measurements of melody, tension, sensualityanddramathatthebandrequire fromhim. Onanalbumwherethesubtlety of thekeyboards vital Rick Wrightisathis, modest, sensitivebest, but whenhedoesstep forward -andthecharmingpianosoloon ‘Wot’. UhTheDeal"isoneofthesweetest ‘thingsheeverplayed-wecanalmostseehim smnileas hishands design Michel Legrand butterfly tills, pushingthebeat, Crucially, whereas Morehas film soundtrack’ written alloverit, Obscured By Clouds goesfora tighter, moresong orientated structure hatmakesitlessofanatmospheric mélange, ore ofafullyoundedalbum. And, ‘Chiao Heol, Fee evi inoue, sede ech Roger ter (ne ter scale iho Wright Gear sthense, session (Grams peransin UKE US 46 xyes, addmitedly,that wasn’ tenough tosecureit areputationasa cutting-edge Floyd rmeisterwerk;andyes,itgotburied under severaltonnes ofconceptual ubbleby the our ‘mighty polemics thatfollowed, Butle’snotdo itaposthumous disservice: Obscured..wasno mere stopgap. Wonderfulpassagesabound, ThehandoverfromGilmourtoWrightaslead vocalist in Burning Bridges” Theelegant gear changein*Wot'...UhTheDeal” when Mason, movesfromrimshotstosticks, ustas Gilmour sighstheline "Lerme in rom thecold” Theway, ‘on*Stay’ that Gilmour's wahwah miaowslike ‘acatas Wright urges the grltostickaround for aglassofwine. Thesudden, startlingentrance ‘ofthe Magupabushmen'swoiceson AbsolutelyCurtains’,turningahalf-decent psychedelicinstrumentalinto something quiteawe-inspiing. ‘Obscured ByCloudshasaninteresting deceptionat itsheart.Thelion'sshareofthe ‘material iswritten, orco-written, by Roger Waters-yetitbearsall hehallmarksof'a Gilmouralbum. Gilmouristhe principal vocalist the centralidenttyinthemusi,the chiefsoloist Heplaysmoresoloson Clouds thanhedoesonsomeothissoloalbums. He rocks, heaches, hepaintsskiesandwomenand country roads, hepressesapedalwithhhisfoot andoffhegoesagain. Supported by Wright, the other dreamerin theban, Gilmourbuildls Obscure By Cloudsinhisownimage-an ‘emotional Floydrather thanadidacticone-or atleastthisiswhatappearstobehappening. Butwhat of Waters, thewriterwho putthe ‘wordsin Gilmour's mouth? Waters, asthe Floyds lyricistandideasman,isstilnot quite thereyet.There'ssomecynicism, ‘butnotmuch,andnomentionof brutalschoolsorcoldsteelrails inhisvocabulary. Wemust rememberhewaswritinglyries toatwo-weekdeadline,so unless he hadthem prepared, hissentimentson Obscured By Cloudsarestraight fombis head. What makesthealbumso likeable~and historically signifieantin Floyd terms-isthat Waters forthelasttime is vritinglyriesthatare tailored Gilmour's voiceand Gilmour'spersonality,insteadof usingGilmour'svoiceastheconduitfor ‘Waters’ own personality. Their personaeclash only once, when theexcellent funkybut Iyrically woolly "Childhood's End” (which Gilmour wrote himself isollowed by Waters! “Free Four", amordantswipeatlife'sfutlity that ramplesGilmour'sSeven Ages OfMan platitudesintothedint. Free Four" isthe albumn’swoebegone aberration ("Youshufflein thegloom ofthesickroomandtalktoyoursefill you die") partly because of the Eeyoretane of ‘Waters voice, butalso because the songisso stunninglyatoddswith the album's hharmoniousmood. I'sasifWaterscoukdn't helphimself He'd met Gilmourhalfwayon the romantiestulfinowhesimplyhad to getsome bleaknessand vitrioloffhischest Imaginatively arrangedto include synthesiser, handclapsandaglam-rock :middleseetion, “Free Four” proved apresclent songfor threereasons. Firstly, Mickie Most \wouldusethe glam-rockpartsasthvebasisfor hisproductionofSuziQuatro'sNo 1hit*Can The Can’ in 1973 Secondly Watersinser verseabout the FloydjoylesslytouringAmerica ‘and maybeyou'll make ttothetop’), which tookonadifferentslantwhen....Moon topped theUSalbumeharts 1 monthslater. And thirdly, the “dene man”inthenextverse, who Clouds goes for a tighter, song- orientated structure that makes it less of an atmospheric mélange was “buriedlikea moleina axhole"canonlybe ‘onepprson, Eric Fletcher Waters, Roger'late father, who was toreappeatasaninfluenceon hisson'swritingmany timesafterwards Obscured By Coudstakesitttlefromamap consulted bytheexplorersin LaValle, which denotestheiedestination-thelost valley being’obscured by cloud fand therefore impossibleto chart from theair),Oneofthe explorersishalf-glimpsedon thealbumiscover,climbinga tree, obscurednotby cloudsbut byheavyblurringcaused bythe {ilmslidegettingjammedin the Hipgnosisprojector. Thecover hasbeencriticisedoverthe years forbeingone of Hipgnosis laziest butthe OriginalLP sleeve didhaveoneadvantage: is fabrickytexturemadeittheone Floydalbum thatcouldbelocatedin thedark Ofthealbumitself,Gilmour,orone,isafan— aandsurely notjust ecausehisguitarsareall overitlikearash.Itsapure,naturalpleasure toputon ObscuredBy Clouds totiltthehead bbackinthe general direction ofastrategically placed cushion, and torealise that sometimes Aagracefultune canemotionally overridea career-definingconceptorapigabove apowerstation. pine rove | 47 PINK FLOYD: THEAL BUMS The Dark Side Of The Moon “I think Ineed aLearjet”. HowPinkFloyd eclipsed their competitors, and Roger Waters left his bandmates in the shadows. By Stephen Dalton Ow osu cts Hewasnolongerehearsingoe dalton roped aed depo ithsPinytemoedom alee and especial rm Bees nunctaacertcaly (Obs yCloudswouldovetobea util iresinsutey dpiligeegs, during GsteAbunsocunentryon heat Side0/The oon "Tereothingpanicabat Conceptalbum,anexpressinof pai Picea humantarianempathy awas Oni PikFloydhadworkedutavayto becomeakindofanonymoussupergroup,abandin \whichindividaal membersseemed tohavebeen absorbed ntoa shadowy conceptual hivemind, With The Dark SideOfThe Moon, the essential paracoxof 70sPinkFloydcametothefore:how couldaband-oneofthe biggestbandson he pl \whileat the same timebeingdriven bythe anguished confessions ofone member? For Roger Watershiad quietly begunto assert himselfasthegroup'salpha-male musical director. Thetirstsignsofhisascendancyhadcomeasfar backasthesountrackto Mor but now Waterswas dictatingtheoverallthemesandvwritingallthe Iyries himself. The Dark SideOf The Moon'ssessions were generally psitiveand creatively fertile Butin theirwake, the Floyd, oratleasttheFloyd featuringRoger Waters, wouldnevercollaborateso closely again. Inasmartearlyecampleoffocus-group marketing thebandroadtested.aprototypelive version of The Dark Side OfThe Moonduringashort Uk tourinearly 1972. Initiallytitled Leese PINK FLOYD: THE ALBUMS ‘Dark Side Of The Moon: A PieceForAssorted Lunaties;thenamewasbriefly switched to'Eclipse' thanks toa clashwitha Medicine Headalbum,butthen restoredintime forthe tour Although several trackswere stillin gestation, early pressreviewswere ‘mostly positive By thetimerecordingsessionsbegan at Abbey Road studiosin May 1972, The ark'Side OfTheMoonwasalreadyhalfwaytobecoming living breathing, full-bodied piece of work. Pushing the limits ofstudio technologyinthe I6-track analogue era theFloydaugmented theirusualguitar heavysoundwithtwo primitivebutgroundbreakingEMSkeyboard. sequencers, theSynthiA and VCS3. Abbey Road!sin-house engineer lan Parsons, a Beatles veteranywho would laterformhisown prog-rock vehicle The lan Parsons Project, hejpedassemblethealbum'sbedrockofsound effects, musique conerétecollages, quarter inch tape oopsand pre-digital samples ‘Waters also enlisted Parsonsforoneothis ‘more inspired ltfieldideas:flash-card interviewsofstudio staff,bandemployeesand ppassingstrangerson the themes of thealbum. Hisquestionsincluded:"Whenwasthelast {me youwere violent?",“Doyoueverthinkyou aregoingmad?’,‘Areyouafraidofdying? Amongtheinterviewees were Abbey Road doorman Gerry0 Driscoll, Floydroadie Roger The Hat’ Manifoldand ourmanagerPeter Wats fatherofactressNaomi PaulandLindaMeCartney alsoconsentedto be interviewed, astheywere recordingthe Wingsalbum Red Rose Speediwayinthe studio next door, Waterslater rejected theirrepliesas too guardedand”tryingtoohard tobefunny’.ButMcCartney's bandmate Henry McCullough did popupintheghostlyseatteringof vocalsoundbitesthatpepperthe album, lendingextracredenceto theunderlyinglyricalthemes ‘ofeollective empathyand “universal humanity Theseinterviewsarewoveninto thebriefopeningtrack"SpeakToMe" which Introduces someoftherecurringsonic motifs ahead. Asagentlebassdrum mimaicsa human heartbeat, fragmentaryvoices float througha fogoftreated noise. This slender prefacesoon expandsinto thelanguorous "Breathe" which .grewoutofapre-existingsoundtrackpiece that Watershad composed for Roy Battersby's 197Dsscience documentary, The Body. David Gilmouradds ast teacle-slicksfsto-mo guitar whileRichard Wright insertsa suspended jazzchord borrowed fromMles Davis Thevocal,drenchedin drowsy ennui Lage bMewe | tndhDamge ene promignes epee SOnTheran + atmeresse eveaseo Marca ors mie proouceney: PUntedTem nee | BEd AOS Gs eee eer Pree hepa ape es ene eerie birar iebeoeeiereet ol ee peteiiet rer) ecnoer aera besetestsrtennternrte Roger Waters had quietly begun to assert himself as the group’s alpha-male musical director ‘condenses thealbum’skey messageinto five ‘compactwords: ‘Don theafraid tocare. sharp gear-change thenfollowswith*On The Run’,aninstrumentalkeyboardthrob inspired by Wright'sfearofflyingthatcould stilljustaboutpassasacontemporarypieceof Krautrock-influenced echno-likeRadiohead remixed by Underworld, perhaps. Parsonsrecordedtheclashingeacophonyof chimingclockswhichopens "Time", another ‘cautionary eflectionon missed opportunities andwastedlives.AsCilmourlaysreverb-heavy bluestitfsovera white-reggne rhythm, Pensone.: Dad Gimonr gata ol, Nesshnek ssn (Gercenon ape eects} ick Pay saphene on RagerWitesfuen | UrAndThemand Maney scala VESS tape sly Danco Bary St ‘Sectbichrd Wight doe ze Sra Dor Geybeate vai VESGp Toy aching orl Clare foryvocalon The HocesT Cuan GrestGgleTheSiyh POSITION: UK.US1 warm-blooded surge of gospel voices wellsup behindhim. Thealbumsfourfemalebacking singers-LesleyDuncan, BarryStlohn, Liza Strike and Doris Troy-wereall London session regulars whose credits included ohn Lennon, Eton JohnandRodStewart.Theirsoulful, hhoney-blendedvoiceshelp oostthe album's ‘overallsense ofhumane uplift, evenonthe ‘mostlyvicallybleaktrack. Imploringustoshakeoffoursoul-deadening ratrace blinkers, Waterscoins another eminently quotableline(albeitdrawing heavily onapassage from enry David Thoreau's Walden), “Hangingon inquiet desperation isthe English way confirming “Time” asaloosesisterpieceto "Breathe", This may explain theearliersong’sslightreturn hereas "Breathe Reprise" apastoralsketch of village green England withitscomforting religious superstitions. Butfarfrombeing critical ofstuffyoldways, heachinglytender tone faintly echoespoet Philip Larkin’selegy ‘Church Going’, yearningforlostcertaintiesin nage ofallenation, ‘Wright’ clatteryjazzoid instrumentalon thethemeof mortality,"The GreatGiginThe ‘Sky’ closes the irstsongcyele ontheoriginal vinylalbum. After multipleunsatisfactory incarnations, thefinal version onlycoalesced injanuary1973when the22-year-oldsession singer Clare Torrywascalledintoslatherthe ‘ackinemotionaly charged vocal obbledegook. Torryleft witha princely £30 andasneakingfearthathercontributionhad ‘been ‘sereechysereechy" andunusable. In fac, herorgasmicexertions would lateremerge asoneofthealbum's experimental peaks. Threedecades ater, shesuedforaco-writing creditonthetrack, settlingforan undisclosed sumin2008. Another milestone Floyd track," Money", opensthe albumissecond halfwith slap-in-the-facedirectness. Beddedinapercussive tape-loopofclatteringeash registers and janglingcoins,themostlyricaly barbed tune ‘on The Dark Side Of The Moonisalsothemost instantlyinfectious, despitemostly adhering toanunorthodox, lopsided, shuddering 7/8 time signature, Withitsraunchy saxophone ‘and vaguely R'n'Bfeel, DavidGilmouronce described thetrackas“nicewhiteEnglish architecturestudentsgettingfunky”.The Roger Waterslyri, an acerbicattackon greedy rocksuperstars, wouldlatercomebackto hhaunttheentireband, Pickingup where "Breathe" and"Time"left off,theexpansive"UsAnd Them" returnsto thealbum’sbroader themes of alienation, socialdivision andmadness.Itwasbased ‘on The Violent Sequence’, arejected instrumentaloriginally eomposedin 1970for ‘Michelangelo Antonionis Zabriskie Point Betweencrashinggospel-stylepeaks, the ‘dreamy vocal managestolink the horrors ‘of war injusticeand homelessness. Inits closingstages the trackmoephsinto“Any Colour YoutLike’,an instrumental two-chord psyehedelicjamandthe closestthingto rmakeweight filleron The DarkSideOf TheMoon Thesethemesreachanemotionalerescendo ‘ontheclimactic confessional “BrainDamage’ thelyrictowhich givesthealbumitstitle, and pays poignanthomage o Syd ‘obviously abittodowithsyd” Wi inthe 2008 Classic Albumsclocument defendingthenotion ofbeing diferent Tine “‘thedunati Barrettonaspecific Cambridge green, while anotherponders whathappens "the hand and The grass"evenlocates isonthe signingoffwith thecautionary yin-and-yangridale:“Andeverything tunderthesun isin tune But thesun is eclipsed by hemoon."Theclosing fade-outfeatutesanother flurry of theatsandinterviewfragments, cudiodoorman Gerry O'Donnell pricelesssnippetof folk wisdom: "There smo darkside inthemoon really. Asa matteroffact itsall dark Towardstheend ofrecordi he former Beatlesand Roxy Music co-producerChrisThomaswas broughtintofinessethe albums ‘mix, sequencingitintotwo seamless symphonicmovements to fitthe vinylformat, Somebiographers claimthis“freshpairofeats”also served asacool-headedreferee betweenthe Waters-favouredoption ofadry:upfront mixand Gilmour's preferenceforasofter,moreliquid soundscape. Thomastater denied therewasany friction, buttheband stillememberitasaminorpower struggle-thefirstofmany Inafinalstroke ofmarketing genius, Floyd'sregulardesign {eam ipgnosis clothed The Dark Side OfThe Mooninoneofthemost iconiesleevedesignsofalltime,a triangularprismrefractingabeam oflightintoarainbow. Thisstriking sraphicradiated vaguely mystical hippy overtones, butalsofeltlike acool corporatelogo:band omingbrand. The Dark Side OfThe Moon was released almost universally postivereviewsin March 19 including weeksofravecoveragein Foxlomod theNME ApessmistieGllmour Decade MeN) tetthebenctsmanagerSteve ewenotyae ORaskethattheatbun woulda hstatements rack the USTop1buttbecame pied ut ach qeedeeteit topper andclimbedtoNo2in BERD R ERED trvatc.Tulsvespertydomntoan Sadat tinprecedentedprmatinal push TORSTEN —_romnheirecordlabel whoeven vascrars persuaded oydtordeasetheir Fist Single inyearsaceaned toskninemorths i Tekrbegets upradieditof*Money Rdoedaweth —_Thebandcementedthis feyeondc — breakthroughhiby touring ‘Satine Aipacey Ameri hein foendostbytten —titierbecamestiyd Heather" hallmark. The Dark Side OfThe youteinsaruplayingdivens Sara Moon eventual spent weeks— ‘unes."The Floyd would paymore ditectteibuteoBarretttwo years laterwith*ShineOn YouCrazy Diamond! bbuthisshattered mental stateisarguably betterreflectedby many trackson The Dark Side OfThe Moon. Momentum then buildsforthe shortfinal plece “Eclipse” once considered asthe ttle for heentirealbum. This thunderous gallopto he inishlineisstyled ike anaccusatory chargesheet aimedatatopsy-turvyuniverse ayears-onthe US Billboard charts. Boosted by various remastersand reissues salesnow standat 45million,makingitthebest-sellingBrtish albumofailtime. Theirony of Money"sasnide attackon wealthy celebrities, catapultingthem into themega-richrock-starsuperleaguewas notlostonthese politically conflicted hippy capitalists, As Waterslateradmitted,"Westill hadacommon goal, whichwastobecomerich ‘and famous." ‘QUR MUSIC Is ABOUT NEUROSES, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE'RE NEUROTIC’ —— PINK FLOYD: ARCHIVE 1973 Teepe ott t0v-wutererone [iss] atthou What ies yonder f| onthe darksideotthe 4} and presentdeath. their seventh year together paranoiaandfearseem«o haunttheirmusic, despite, orpethaps because of, success, Much ofthe Pink Floyd'slatestalbum (actually overayearoldin termsofstudio eflectsthe pressuresand obsessions that afflict theitinerantrock ‘musician. Withoutthelifestyle, there would nothemusic; and Without the music, thelifestyle could notbe supported. Mad laughterand sane voices intermingleinthe Floyd's measured, timeless compositions, anditwouldbe easy oread into the characters, ‘ofthemenwhomake up oneof themostoriginaland fulfllingofgroups.a kindfomniscience. Fans~and journalists canand havebeen disappointed, or surprised {find that the Pink Floyd arebuthuman, Theiroutputisnot prolific, theyhavebeen knowntorepeat material atconcerts, they haveyettoannounce detalsofany planto save the world, andwhatismore, they operat andenjoy taking partinamoderately successful footballteam, Timewasted, the curse ofmoney,ambitions unfulfilled, theseareall mattersthat concern the Floyd, and form thebasisof many oftheir ‘musical ideas. They arenotesotericsubjects and shouldbe easilyassimilated without recourseto mystica interpretation, Yeteven today, the Floyd ‘occasionallyfeel misunderstood. Butthey canalso eelatremendous satisfaction inthe knowledge thebandsaidto be"finished" wl ‘Syd Barrettletthemall those years agohasreached a peak thatis Impressive even inthisage of supergroups. Acceptanceof the Floyd'spoised and delicate musi hasneverbeen greater. ntheirlast American tour theyeasually sold ‘outmassive venues from coastto coast; The DarkSide OfThe Moon hastaken world chartsinitsstride, \while their forthcoming London cconcertsat Earls Court~forcharity— sold outasquicklyas tickets could bepassed over the counter, TheFloyd have doubiless earned anattractive penny intheir time, bbutunlike many other successful artists, they do not wallow inriches. Roger Waterslives ina modest house inislington, where his wife bakes potsin thegarden shed. And while David Gilmourlives on afarm in the country, itis through his ownefforts that theestablishmenthasbeen ‘madehabitable, Hemightboastan ‘ornamental poolin the garden, ‘moon? Madness they do say, stocked with gaily coloured fish, but he dug ithimselt, was othisruralretreat that droveone sunny day last week, wendingthrough the fieldsof Hertfordshire, madefearful by juggernauts wallowingon -bendsand locals ‘drivingdentedgrey Cortinasatspeed. Arrivingat the villageattheappointed hour ‘afurther60minutes were spent followingthe ‘conflicting directions ofrustics pushing bicycles Stillost, consulted amap that seemed tohave been drawn upin 1982 Murling this aside, my gaze perceived fissure “I’M SURE OUR PUBLIC IMAGE IS OF 100 PER CENT SPACED-OUT DRUG ADDICTS, OUT OF OUR MINDS ON ACID. Inthehedge opposite. ts possible was parked outside the Gilmour ‘estate and had passed itinnumerabletimesin thelasthour, Such wasthe case. Ina secluded courtyard analsatianstood guard and avenerable old horseclomped about. Ayouth infaded blue jeansandstraggly black hairappeared like Heatheliffeat the cottagedoor, “Mr Gilmour's abode?” ‘Yes indeed, Comeinand havea cup oftea.It willealmyou, ‘Mymotoris’sfury began toabate,as [drank Intheornatebuttasteful décor. Low beams, jukeboxhere, wood-carvings there: taking overthe abandoned Vietorian farmhousea couple of years ago. the guitarist hhadworked hard atimprovements. When he ‘movedintherewasno electricity ot heating, aandhelived roughashe created an open-plan livingarea, constructed amusic room, dugthe ‘aforementioned poolandcleaned out stables for Vim, hisretired brewers’ drayhorse. He hhad even permitted himself theluxury ofa swimming poo, fllowingthe satisfactory saleofmany ofthe Pink Floydalbu ‘ThencameNemesis,notinthe shapeota \writerto Mailbag, butaman from the council, only minutes before my arrival Head presented acopy ofthe councils planstobuildahousingestate on hesurroundinggreenbelt land, and o compulsorily purchase great chunksofthe Floydian paradise, “Wellhavetopackour ‘bags and move," hesaid with hopelessresignation, ‘Oureyes turned tomegalopoliscreeping ‘overthe horizon, thethreateningblocks oF Harlow, poisedready o march. We oyedwith ideas to build awalloffirearoundthe premises, tobe touched offatan instant the bulldozersarrived, and suggested sowing landminesin Vim's meadow. Eventually we decided it would be more cheeringto speakto the Pink Floyd FOR THEBENEFIT ofnew reader George Loaf (12), itshouldbe explainedthat the group was bbornin 1967 duringthe heady daysofflower ‘powerand URO, MrGilmour replaced the legendary Syd Barrett ‘on guitar, who hadwritensuch ‘charthitsas*See Emily Play”-The Floyd went through ableak period ‘when they were writtenoffbut ‘quietly drewaboutthem anarmy of fans,andwent about their creative ‘work, wholly unmoved by the shiftingfortunesand fashions that affect their contemporaries. They area proud, pioneetingand ‘somewhat detached group who sometimesiook upon the cavortings ‘ofsome oftheir fellow groups ‘with faint dismay, notoutof sour grapes, but from purely aesthetic considerations, Butfirst, what had the Floydbeen doingtheselastfew months, and howlonghadittakenthem to conceive The Dark SideOf The Moon, which Ibelieved was theirbest yet? ‘WedidtheAmerican tour said Dave."Weonly everdo three-week toursnov, but thatonewas 1Bdates in2l days, which isquite hard, We started recordingthe LP in Maylast year, and finisheditaround January. ‘Wedidn'tworkatitall thetime,of ‘course. Wehadn'thadaholiday in three yearsandweweredetermined totakeone. Onthe whole, thealbum hasagood concept Isn’tittheirbestyet? I guessso. lotofthe material had already been performed when we recorded it, and usually wegointothestudioandwriteand record atthe same time, Westartedwriting thebasicideaagesago, andit changed quitea lot. twas prettyrough to begin with. The songsareabout beinginrock'nrol, and apply tobeingwhatwe areonthe road, Roger wrote ‘Money’ fromtheheart. Money seemed tobea touchy subject formusiciansandfansalike. Were the Floydeynies?| ‘Ohno -notrealy.1justthinkthat money's the biggest single pressure on people. Evenif you've gotit, you have the pressureof not knowingwhether youshould haveit, and you don'tknow the rights and wrongs ofyour situation, Itcan bea moral problem, but remember the Pink Floyd were broke fora pretty longtime, Wewereindebt when joined and nine monthsafterwardsl remember when we gave ourselves £30a week, and for the firsttime wewere earning more than the roadies, Fora band that relies oncre ing moods, good sound was essential forthe ‘embryonic Floyd. ‘Wehardly had any equipmentof our own. Wehadalightshow, butwe had toserap itfor ‘wo years, We'vehadlightsagain forthelast couple of years, but in themeantimewe developed the bbasicidea ofthe Azimuth co-ordinator, Wedidaconcert at the Festival Hallwith thenew soundsystem, andnone of ushad anyidea what wewere doing, remembersitting on the stage for ‘wohhoursfeeling totaly embarrassed, Butwe developed theideas, and itwas purely down tosettingmoodsandcreating anatmosphere Todigress, what did Dave thinkof Hawkwind, thenewestprophetsof the UFO tradition? “Idon'teverlistento them, but they seemtobehavingjolly good fun,’ said Davewithout the trace ofasmile Whatabout The Moody Blues “Tm not wokeenon The Moody Blues. Idon't know why-Ithinkitsallthattalking that gets my goat. I's abitlike poets’ corner: Dave didnot wantto bedrawn on the subjectofrivalry,buthedidadmitohearing with pleasure thatan expensive piece of equipmentbelonging to another group hhad collapsed. The groupin question had recently tried poach the Floyel’s road crew. Looking back overhissixyears ‘orso withthe group, what ‘milestonesdid hesee intheit development? Therehaven'tbeenany particularmilestones.tr’sallgone rathersmoothly. We've always felt likewe haveledsome sortofcult here, butin Americaits been slow butsure, Tisyearin theStatesit’s been tremendous, but ean'tsay \why-specifically Wehave been able sell out 10-t0 15,000 seaters every night onthe tour: quitesuddenly ‘Wehave alwaysdonewellin LosAngeles orNew Yorkbutthis wasinplaces we had neverbeen tobefore. Suddenly the LPwasNo I there and they have always beenin the SOsbefore. 'No-success doesn't makemuch difference tous. Itdoesn'tmake any difference toour output, orgeneralattitudes. Thereare four attitudesinthe band that arequitedifferent ‘Butwe allwant push forward andthere are all sortsofthings weld iketodo, ForRoger Waters itis more important to dothingsthansay something Richard Wright smoreinto putting out good ‘muisicandi'm inthe middle With Nick. Iwanttodo ital bbutsometimes! thinkRoger canfeelthe musical content islessimportantandcan slide aroundit “Rogerand Nicktendto make the tapesoreffectslike heheartbeaton theLP.Atconcerts wehave quad tapes and. four-track tape machines. Sowecan mixthe soundand panitaround. The heartbeat alludesto the human condition and setsthe ‘mood for the music, which describes the ‘emotionsexperienced during lifetime. Amidthe chaosthereisbeauty and hope for mankind. Theeffectsare purely help the listenerunderstand what the whole thing isabout. “Wsamazing...atthefinal mixing stagewe thoughtitwas obviouswhat the album was about, butstillalotofpeople,includingthe tengincersand the roadies, whenwe asked them, didn'tknowwhatthe LPwasabout, Theyjustcouldn' say-and wasteally surprised. They didn'tsee twas about the pressures that can drivea youngehap mad, “Ireallydon'tknowifour things get through, butyouhavetocarryon hoping, Ourmusicis about neuroses, but that doesn't mean that we areneurotic. Weareabletoseeit, and discuss it The DarkSide Of The Moonitselfisan allusion to the moonand lunacy. The datk side isgenerallyrelatedto what goeson inside people'sheads~thesubconsciousand the unknown, ‘Wechanged th ‘goingto be called Eclipse’ because Medicine Head didan album called Dark Side OfThe ‘Moon, butitdidn'tsell well, sowhat thee. Jnst‘Eclipse’ andwe felabitannoyed Decausewehadalready thoughtofthe Dark’ tlebefore Medicine Head came out. Not annoyedatthem, butbecause wewanted t0 usethetitle.Thereare alotofsongs with the sametitle.Wedid onecalled'Fearless and Familyhadasinglecalled that Did the Floyd argueamongthemse! much? ‘Mairi, suppose, but not too traumatic. ‘We're bound toargue because weareall very

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