Pink Floyd…what am I missing?

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  • Danny1969Danny1969 Frets: 10357
    Neill said:
    ICBM said:

    If you like DG's playing, try listening to some of his solo albums
    I love Gilmour’s playing and I can’t stand his solo albums :).

    I don’t even like post-Waters Floyd much...
    The ongoing spat between Waters and Gilmour says it all really, both are in denial that they need(ed) each other.  
    I don't think Waters needs Gilmour so much, as much as I love Gilmour's playing all the creative song writing comes from Waters and Amused to Death, as an example is probably better than most Pink Floyd albums. 
    Financially Waters is by far the richest, owning the rights to The Wall, the biggest work they ever did. 
    What Waters wants is access to the Pink Floyd fan base so he can share his work with them. 

    I see Pink Floyd as 4 different bands over a period of 20 years. 

    The Sid stuff, has a charm but not great 

    The abstract stuff like Meddle, Atom, Echos etc

    Then there's the DSOTM, Wish you were here, Animals, The Wall and The Final Cut  ... all these are masterpieces 

    The Gilmour / Polly stuff afterwards ... very weak songwriting and pandered to the production of the time so sounds very dated now


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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14324
    TINMAN82 said:
    Do I need to be stoned to fully appreciate it?
    If this Discussion had been about The Doors, I would have said yes. To me, their material divides into the obvious hit songs and meandering twaddle. The latter probably only makes sense if the listener is in a similar state of inebriation to the band.


    TINMAN82 said:
    So many people seem to put them on the highest pedestal.
    Some of the material is very much of its time. (Or, perhaps, of its phase?) Things that seemed cutting edge back in the day have become bog standard Stadium Rock tropes.

    The first major name concert I ever attended was The Wall at Earl's Court - a colossal production in several senses. The most exciting concert was Living Colour, warming up for their European tour, in a tiny club in Cardiff.

    At one of these shows, you could not dance because the floor was packed (and sticky with spilt beer). At the other show, you would not want to dance.

    Floyd detractors will point out that much of their output is plodding chord progressions, supporting plaintive (plaintiff?) lyrics and, basically, an excuse to solo over at length.

    Floyd fans will probably argue that the music and lyric content are relatable. For them, the high points hit the spot. They are entertained. Job done.

    Phase 1 - Syd.
    Airy færie whimsical ditties, stolen Beatles-esque recording trickery. Nice but dim art student stuff. 
    Phase 2 - Four Characters In Search Of An Identity. (Up to and including side one of Meddle.)
    Phase 3 - Echoes to Animals. Roger assumes control.
    Phase 4 - The Wall, The Final Cut
    Resistance is futile. 
    Phase 5 - Post Waters.
    "A fair impersonation." Some good music. Less incise in the lyric department.

    YMMV

    There is a parallel to be drawn with The Cream. Conceived as an equal partnership, come recording time, one member arrives with a raft of song ideas and the others bring one each. 

    The Cream burned out in acrimony. Latterday Pink Floyd hibernated while Gilmour brought forth new songs at a glacial pace.

    IMHO, Gilmour gives of his best when Waters is kicking his arse to get a project completed. Wright adding clever keyboard chords. Mason was everybody's chum and owned a drum kit.
    Be seeing you.
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  • KebabkidKebabkid Frets: 3301
    I watched the Roger Waters Them & Us concert last night on Sky Arts followed by Pink Floyd's Pulse Tour Concert. Both were impressive and I'd seen the latter many times before but I actually preferred elements of the RW concert.

    Horses for courses


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  • GrumpyrockerGrumpyrocker Frets: 4118
    Kebabkid said:
    I watched the Roger Waters Them & Us concert last night on Sky Arts followed by Pink Floyd's Pulse Tour Concert. Both were impressive and I'd seen the latter many times before but I actually preferred elements of the RW concert.

    Horses for courses


    I can see why.

    But there is one difference. One of those blokes mimes, one sings live. 

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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    Kebabkid said:
    I watched the Roger Waters Them & Us concert last night on Sky Arts followed by Pink Floyd's Pulse Tour Concert. Both were impressive and I'd seen the latter many times before but I actually preferred elements of the RW concert.
    I watched both back-to-back with MrsICBM, who is - despite my best efforts - a ‘casual observer’… and she liked both but preferred Roger. She thought PF sounded like they were going through the motions, whereas Waters seemed to have more to say.

    (Perhaps I’ve trained her better than I thought ;).)

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • poopotpoopot Frets: 9098
    Pink Floyd…what am I missing?”


    Nothing!!! Not a damn thing!..
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  • KebabkidKebabkid Frets: 3301
    ICBM said:
    Kebabkid said:
    I watched the Roger Waters Them & Us concert last night on Sky Arts followed by Pink Floyd's Pulse Tour Concert. Both were impressive and I'd seen the latter many times before but I actually preferred elements of the RW concert.
    I watched both back-to-back with MrsICBM, who is - despite my best efforts - a ‘casual observer’… and she liked both but preferred Roger. She thought PF sounded like they were going through the motions, whereas Waters seemed to have more to say.

    (Perhaps I’ve trained her better than I thought ;).)
    100% agree :)
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  • I like early Floyd the best tbh. Pre Gilmour. But I like his playing a lot

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  • StuckfastStuckfast Frets: 2393
    The only truly great album that Pink Floyd ever spawned is The Madcap Laughs, Syd Barrett's first solo record. That is a bona fide work of genius, and might have been even better had Gilmour and co not dubbed boring rock band stuff onto it.

    There are some good individual tracks on early PF albums but everything after Echoes (the song) is just so dull. It's not even good in a "Wow this is technically impressive but leaves me cold" kind of way like lots of other prog is.
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  • daveyhdaveyh Frets: 681
    No, I don’t get them either. I just find them boring.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    I don’t love PF for the technically impressive musicianship, I love them for the powerful songwriting - which is almost all Waters. The music isn’t quite incidental, but it is supportive rather than the point, for me. But I entirely understand that other people aren’t interested in the songwriting or find him positively offputting.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • not_the_djnot_the_dj Frets: 7306
    I'd rather listen to David Gimour play guitar than Roger Waters telling me about his grandad in the war.
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  • scrumhalfscrumhalf Frets: 11262
    I agree with @Funkfingers ' split of the several Floyds.

    Personally I love the early stuff, and DSOTM was the last album of that era for me. WYWH is okay for Shine On but anything after that could be any other band, they lost their sonic identity. 

    Some of their live shows in 1971 were eccellent, there are bootlegs around. 
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  • KilgoreKilgore Frets: 8599
    It's Water's song writing that is at the heart of Floyd for me also.

     Strip away the production and Gilmour's guitar and you're still left with songs that are in many cases just as powerful strummed or fingerpicked on an acoustic.

    He's a fantastic lyricist. 
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  • FunkfingersFunkfingers Frets: 14324
    scrumhalf said:
    I agree with Funkfingers' split of the several Floyds.
    You are too kind. 

    Obviously, my casual categorisations in this thread were made with the benefit of hindsight. I am of sufficient age to have been around as many of the albums were released. The reception that the material got then is not the same as it gets now. 

    scrumhalf said:
    Personally, I love the early stuff
    That material made a positive impression on my pre-teenaged self because I had no idea how it was created. As I began learning the guitar and acquired effect pedals, it became apparent how to make passable imitations. 


    TINMAN82 said:
    I'm really trying to get into Floyd.
    This is a mistake. If you have to try to get into any music, by any artiste, you are not enjoying it. 

    I made precisely this mistake when I purchased a pre-owned copy of the boxed set, Perception. (The Doors' first six studio albums.) I still love the obvious, popular ditties. I still do not suffer the other stuff gladly.



    It occurs to me that the OP might be hoping for a playlist of accessible Floyd tracks. That could be done but that still leaves the problem of the less accessible and/or embarrassing stuff.


    Be seeing you.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    I'd rather listen to David Gimour play guitar than Roger Waters telling me about his grandad in the war.
    It was his dad, which perhaps makes it more obvious why it should matter so much to him.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • dazzajldazzajl Frets: 5654
    The fact that there are still so many conversations about this long gone band says there must have been something special in the group of talents and personalities. I personally have enjoyed a lot of Gilmour’s output as solo artist and I have no time for Waters at all but I can see how the combination was a perfect storm. Waters brought the eternal angst and alienation that made for such powerful words. Gilmour brought musicality and an ability to distil Roger’s thoughts into a performance. Wright added beautiful layers to the compositions and Mason provided that solid backbone, both musically and in the group. 

    My favourite Floyd experience is definitely Nick and the Saucerful of Secrets. A fantastic band that bring a huge amount of love, talent and fun to the very early tunes. 
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  • riffpowersriffpowers Frets: 344
    I don’t get them either . Don’t worry about it , it would be a boring world if we all liked the same stuff !!
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  • crunchmancrunchman Frets: 11414
    ICBM said:
    I'd rather listen to David Gimour play guitar than Roger Waters telling me about his grandad in the war.
    It was his dad, which perhaps makes it more obvious why it should matter so much to him.

    His Grandad was killed in WW1 when his Dad was young, so it was both of them.
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  • I have to say as I am not fully immersed in the waters and Gilmour feud. That it is beyond anything the Gallagher's have spoken about in there quote comical feud at times.
    There seems a genuine hatred from Waters towards Gilmour. 


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