Pink Floyd…what am I missing?

ToneControl

stonevibe said:

The problem with The Wall is that is a double album that could quite easily have been a single one. 

my problem with it is that, these days, I almost never have the appetite to listen to it in full. This is largely because quite a lot of it is more like parts of a "musical show" (like in the West End), carrying narrative rather than actually good musical compositions that are worth listening to on their own.

Some people like musicals, I rarely do.

I always think it's a shame when an outstanding album contains tracks that you end up skipping when listening, either because they are not as good, or just spoil the mood. The Wall has quite a few.

Personally I think that "Money" is a good track, but is an interruption of the mood and style of the rest of the material, same with Have a cigar on WYWH

Worst one I can recall is Wishbone Ash, I think the Album "Just Testing" is a real gem, but the track "Pay the Price" sounds like a B side from a different era, dropped in to disturb the mood

 

ICBM

steer said:

I used to think I was missing something, because I didn't like The Who. 

For me, the Who at their very best are unmatched, but there’s far too much other dross even on the better albums to make them a band I’d want to own much more than a best-of. Who’s Next is probably the only one without any duff tracks.

But I’m sure any Who fans will disagree, as much as the Floyd fans do with those who don’t get it...

octatonic

maltingsaudio said:

Music is marmite, you either like it or you don’t and nobody can or should change your mind on it. You can also appreciate it on a technical level but that still doesn’t mean you have to like it. For example I think Nile Rogers is a guitar god however I hate disco music.
Ps if you’ve not heard it listen to the Jeff  Beck album Jeff one of his later masterpieces

I’ve always been ambivalent about marmite.

not_the_dj

Who is this Dave Gilmore? Was he in a band with Roger Walters?

english_bob

ICBM said:

not_the_dj 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 dad who started the war as a conscientious objector, then joined up only to be killed in action. 

I can't help thinking that if I'd grown up without a dad because of a war, I'd have very strong, very mixed feelings about war too.

Granted, the fact that something matters to somebody doesn't magically enable them to make great art out of it, but IMO if you can't listen to When The Tigers Broke Free and at the very least understand where Waters is coming from, you're dead inside.

Philtre

not_the_dj said:

Who is this Dave Gilmore? Was he in a band with Roger Walters?

Gary's brother.

p90fool

english_bob said:

His dad who started the war...

Now let's not get into a Fawlty Towers argument here...

Mattharrier

I've been on a few similar journeys, seeking out classics when I've got into something (I've done it with dance music, movies, video games, comics, and more recently guitar music), and the one constant through all of it is that a lot of the most hallowed things are, in part, revered because of nostalgia. Yes, the quality of a work will shine through even 20, 30, or 50 years later, but ultimately what once was groundbreaking and incredible will become normal and routine, and if you missed it the first time, and have experienced other people doing those same things (and often improving on them), experiencing the original will always seem a little lacklustre.

The first movies with sound would have been utterly mindblowing at the time, but watching them now, the context of them being so different to what came before is lost, and while a good story that's well acted and well directed will always be a good story, it will still come across as a bit naff because the flickering, incorrect speed and scratchy sound will always be a barrier to most people.

Personally, while there are certain songs by PF that I like (ABITW part 2, or whichever one has the "Hey! Teacher!" bit in was on a compilation album when I was a kid and so I have fond memories of that particularly), and Gilmour is a great guitarist, I find that listening to an album is generally at best an unmemorable experience - it all sounds good, but afterwards nothing really sticks. At worst, it's just nonsense.

I feel like I "should" like Pink Floyd, but I've had the same thing with the Stones, the Who, Traffic, Free, Yes, Neil Young, and countless other artists - there's almost always some good, or even great stuff, but - particularly with bands that have been around for years - there's always a ton of stuff that just doesn't work for me. Bob Dylan is another one - Blonde on Blonde is regularly cited as one of the greatest albums of all time, but I just don't get it.

LastMantra

Like a lot of people I got into them with a few stoner mates. There was definitely a stage where I thought they were the most important band ever. 
I still think they're great (well the "middle bit". Similar to Bowie in that respect IMO) but I've not really listened to them for ages. Probably listened to them too much back in the day. A lot of it I find a bit depressing now too.

There's some really good music there though. There's a lot of stuff that is more important as part of the story as it is as cool music. I mean the wall is part of the movie IMO. There's some beautiful stuff on it but a fair bit of weird shit too.

Bridgehouse

Moved to Music as it’s a more appropriate home for this thread

Neill

Mattharrier said:

I've been on a few similar journeys, seeking out classics when I've got into something (I've done it with dance music, movies, video games, comics, and more recently guitar music), and the one constant through all of it is that a lot of the most hallowed things are, in part, revered because of nostalgia. Yes, the quality of a work will shine through even 20, 30, or 50 years later, but ultimately what once was groundbreaking and incredible will become normal and routine, and if you missed it the first time, and have experienced other people doing those same things (and often improving on them), experiencing the original will always seem a little lacklustre.

The first movies with sound would have been utterly mindblowing at the time, but watching them now, the context of them being so different to what came before is lost, and while a good story that's well acted and well directed will always be a good story, it will still come across as a bit naff because the flickering, incorrect speed and scratchy sound will always be a barrier to most people.

Personally, while there are certain songs by PF that I like (ABITW part 2, or whichever one has the "Hey! Teacher!" bit in was on a compilation album when I was a kid and so I have fond memories of that particularly), and Gilmour is a great guitarist, I find that listening to an album is generally at best an unmemorable experience - it all sounds good, but afterwards nothing really sticks. At worst, it's just nonsense.

I feel like I "should" like Pink Floyd, but I've had the same thing with the Stones, the Who, Traffic, Free, Yes, Neil Young, and countless other artists - there's almost always some good, or even great stuff, but - particularly with bands that have been around for years - there's always a ton of stuff that just doesn't work for me. Bob Dylan is another one - Blonde on Blonde is regularly cited as one of the greatest albums of all time, but I just don't get it.

Being brutally honest, an awful lot of the stuff us older guys were listening to back in the late 60's early 70's was rubbish, it was just all we had, and bands like the Stones and the Who got away with second rate material because there would always be one outstanding track on each album.  With hindsight many of these "classic" albums don't deserve the reverence they have, in my opinion.

In a funny way things have come full circle in that I remember as a kid we listened mostly to singles, this was back in the 1960's, then everyone started becoming "progressive" and it was all about 20 minute tracks and endless drum solos.  When cassettes became all the rage it was so hard to fast forward/rewind, we got into the habit of just listening to recorded LP's in their entirety.  Digital technology put an end to all that.  Now we seem to be returning to the days when people were much less loyal to bands and more selective so our playlists are like the collection of 45's we all used to have.  

I find now that I listen mostly to pop songs of three minutes or less, I am fascinated and full of admiration for those songwriters who can create magic in two and a half minutes, it's a rare gift.

scrumhalf

Context. DSOTM may not be as revolutionary as many believed it to be because there is a world of music out there that was influenced by it and as an album on its own it may, to some, have lost its wow factor. Elvis may sound pretty tame now but as Lennon said "before Elvis there was nothing". 

I don't know how many others on here have the same brain function but I can tie in most periods of my life to music, some if it contemporary and some of it that I just happened to be listening to at the time.

There is music I will not listen to again because of bad memories associated with it and there is also "happy" music which generally cheers me up. 

Philly_Q

ToneControl said:

Worst one I can recall is Wishbone Ash, I think the Album "Just Testing" is a real gem, but the track "Pay the Price" sounds like a B side from a different era, dropped in to disturb the mood
 

I was idly reading through this thread - no particularly strong feelings about Pink Floyd to impart - but I wasn't expecting a Wishbone Ash reference! 

Interesting comment, Just Testing is one of my favourite WA albums - perhaps because it's a slightly harder edged rock record - but I've never thought of it as having a particular mood and Pay the Price doesn't seem jarring to me.

26.2

I love PF. In order of preference:
1)pre-DSOTM post-Syd era
2) Syd-era
3) DSOTM to Amimals
4) Rog taking over (The Wall, Final Cut)

big gap 

5) post-Rog

Very close between 1) and 2). The heart says Syd, the head goes for Echoes, Atom Heart (especially live versions), the live sides of Ummagumma, the totally underrated Obscured By Clouds, More etc 

Chuffola

I, for one, admire @Gassage restraint in this thread immensely. 

I love PF - but not all of their output, and certainly not really anything post Final Cut.  DSOTM is probably my favourite album, but I don't listen to it all that often. Funnily enough, it has more meaning the older I've got. 

At their peak, though, I still think they are up there with the best. 

26.2

Gassage has been DELAYED! 

Gassage

I can't really be bothered to defend a body of work that speaks for itself

menamestom

EricTheWeary said:

As my mother used to say ' if you haven't got anything nice to say then don't say anything.'
Of course she didn't stick to that and was quite capable of being vile about people behind their backs. So, in memory of my mother, I'll say that Pink Floyd are a horrible Andrew Lloyd Webberism of pretentious public school boy wank. 
Love you ma. 

I don't get the public school boy thing, why people have an issue with it, certainly in music.  I went to a large comprehensive in Manchester but never listen to music and think lesser of it because the band went through a different school system. 

I know you're only having a laugh but I've seen the same thing said quite a lot.

As for the Andrew Lloyd Webber link, that's probably more the other way round since Phantom came after Meddle....

Pretentious wank, much as I like certain eras of Pink Floyd, it's hard to argue against that!

scrumhalf

I've never got the public school hate thing as applied to the students.

Eton costs about fifty grand a year. It's the parents who pay, surely. Young Henry goes where he's told to go. Unless, whilst at school, he manages to earn enough to pay for his own fees in which case I say "bravo young Henry", he's clearly got something about him. 

And if public school boys want to get involved in rock music then good for them. It's not confined to people growing up with the arse hanging out of their trousers. 

Cirrus

I don't think there's a Henry in Pink Floyd?