Pink Floyd…what am I missing?

Neill · June 2021

Some years ago I was referencing DSOTM in a conversation with our sax player and to my astonishment he had no idea what I was talking about. He's about the same age as me so I was perplexed how he had acquired this massive blind spot. But then, as he explained, it simply wasn't the sort of music he listened to back then, he was mainly into jazz.

There's possibly a tendency for those of us who were around when the album was released, to give DSOTM and hence Pink Floyd a sort of untouchable status. It was such a groundbreaker at the time, but from the perspective of a younger person looking at the Floyd back catalogue I can see why they might question what's so good about it.

It's the same with the Bluesbreakers album, in 2021 it might be seen as just another decent record but at the time it was, as John Etheridge put it "Like a thunderbolt out of the sky".

I do often question my own musical tastes which are heavily influenced by what I was listening to as a teenager and into my early 20's, but it's difficult to isolate the time & place factor. Music simply doesn't have the same effect on me in my mid 60's as it did when I was 19.

So, I'd say to the OP if you don't "get" Pink Floyd, don't waste time trying, maybe it just isn't that good after all...

fretfinder · June 2021

Redlester said: Waters is an interesting psychological/ sociological study. Clearly a study in repression and ill concealed rage. He rather reminds me of Jeremy Corbyn. Margaret Thatcher too.

What, Margaret Thatcher reminds you of Jeremy Corbyn?!

Smellyfingers · June 2021

I am not a huge Floyd fan.

But I find 'Time' and 'Brain Damage' (on dark side of the Moon) to be works of genius. It does not surprise me that this was their bestselling album.

ToneControl · June 2021

my favourite PF era was Atom Heart Mother through to Wish you were here

Then the lyrics started to become a bit too intrusive
I do like Animals and the Wall, but only in parts, I've always disliked Final Cut
It got more and more like someone ranting about things that upset them

I quite liked the post-RW era PF, with the lyrics taking a back seat again

Funkfingers · June 2021

Neill said:
So, I'd say to the OP, if you don't "get" Pink Floyd, don't waste time trying, maybe it just isn't that good after all.

It is not a question of musical merit. You are either entertained or you are not.

•

About fifteen years ago, a young local shred head insisted that I should accept an .MP3 collection of Joe Satriani back catalogue. The lad was convinced that I would:
1) enjoy Joe's music.
2) get up to speed sufficiently quickly to be ready to converse with him about Joe's next album.

I never did catch up. Part of me always kicks against "you'll like this". The bald truth is that a fair proportion of Satch's recorded works simply did not grab me. I know that he is a superb guitarist but I would prefer to listen to scrabblers such as Zappa, Summers and Buckingham.

absolutpepper · June 2021

Danny1969 said:

Neill said:

ICBM said:

ToneControl 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

I just wanted to pick up on a bit of this. Some of it I agree with but the reality is that the Wall is in no way Pink Floyd’s most successful work commercially (and I would add musically). The worldwide sales of the Wall are completely eclipsed (pun intended) by Dark Side. The Wall is c. 30m sales and DSOM is c. 45m. You could almost put wish you were here and the wall together and it’s not much more than DSOM alone.

Personally, as a huge fan of floyd and having seen both Gilmour and Waters live and invested time in their solo albums I just have the opinion that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. In reality, gilmour’s playing and his voice are as needed by Waters as Waters’ lyrics and themes are needed by Gilmour.

I do get the point about the 4 bands but to me, it’s always been one band with 4 distinct eras - the Syd era (which I would included saucer film as a part of). The post-Syd pre-DSOM era, the post-DSOM up to final cut Waters taking control era and then the post-Waters era up to the Endless River.

fretfinder · June 2021

absolutpepper said: I just wanted to pick up on a bit of this. Some of it I agree with but the reality is that the Wall is in no way Pink Floyd’s most successful work commercially (and I would add musically). The worldwide sales of the Wall are completely eclipsed (pun intended) by Dark Side. The Wall is c. 30m sales and DSOM is c. 45m.

Quite right, the Wall is no way Pink Floyd’s most successful work commercially. It is merely their second most successful.

stonevibe · June 2021

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

poopot · June 2021

stonevibe said:

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

FTFY

dazzajl · June 2021

I remember an interview where Jasper Carrott was asked why he’d given up comedy. He said that his material was always based on ordinary things that we all share and after the giant financial success he had there we so few shared experiences. That no one wanted to hear a routine about the Chardonnay on BA first class being a degree off temp.

Being an angry young man is the same. It works when you’re a young man but when you’re a ludicrously wealthy middle aged, middle class white dood, it hits a best before date pretty quickly.

Sassafras · June 2021

I find it best to be stoned out of yer box to get the most out of Floyd.
I no longer smoke weed so I never listen to them anymore.

Barney · June 2021

Every body likes different things but I don't think you can go wrong with dark side of the moon to start with ...y favourite is animals and favourite song is Dogs ...it took me a while to get into it but never get bored with it

proggy · June 2021

@Funkfingers ; What are 'scrabblers'?

Funkfingers · June 2021

In the original dictionary sense of a synonym for scratch, scrape, scramble.

Nothing to do with the board game or Gyles Brandreth.

Iamnobody · June 2021

I don’t mind a bit of PF, childhood memories from parental playing of DSoTM. Stoned years plundering the whole back catalogue.

I even have a soft spot for The Division Bell as I was 16 at the time and bought it on release. But I rarely listen to them now.

Move on - I feel the same way about The Beatles as you do Floyd. I acknowledge their influence and skills but don’t want to listen to them.

steer · June 2021

I absolutely love Pink Floyd. Sometimes I listen to their Pulse album, and I just find myself drifting off into a bilssful different place.

I dont however like some other very popular bands that many guitarists like, but hey it doesn't matter.I used to think I was missing something, because I didn't like The Who.

Bidley · June 2021

I like Pink Floyd but I have to be in the mood for it. It's not the sort of thing I put on when I do the washing up or drive to work. Best enjoyed in a dark room at 3am with a massive bifta.

I've only really listened to the obvious 4 albums and a bit of Meddle. I've no desire to seek out any more. For my middle-class public school Prog I would rather listen to Genesis or Jethro Tull.

thumpingrug · June 2021

I can't remember the last time I listened to any PF deliberately. I do like Gilmores playing, but listening to his style opened me to other music that is still being made and is, to me, more relevant.

Philtre · June 2021

When I went to see the Australian Pink Floyd (very good BTW), I was struck by the realisation that most PF songs are just padding for Gilmour's extensive guitar solos.

Danny1969 · June 2021

absolutpepper said:

Danny1969 said:

Neill said:

ICBM said:

ToneControl 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

I just wanted to pick up on a bit of this. Some of it I agree with but the reality is that the Wall is in no way Pink Floyd’s most successful work commercially (and I would add musically). The worldwide sales of the Wall are completely eclipsed (pun intended) by Dark Side. The Wall is c. 30m sales and DSOM is c. 45m. You could almost put wish you were here and the wall together and it’s not much more than DSOM alone.

Personally, as a huge fan of floyd and having seen both Gilmour and Waters live and invested time in their solo albums I just have the opinion that the whole is greater than the sum of the parts. In reality, gilmour’s playing and his voice are as needed by Waters as Waters’ lyrics and themes are needed by Gilmour.

I do get the point about the 4 bands but to me, it’s always been one band with 4 distinct eras - the Syd era (which I would included saucer film as a part of). The post-Syd pre-DSOM era, the post-DSOM up to final cut Waters taking control era and then the post-Waters era up to the Endless River.

Yes DSOTM sold more albums, (although The Wall was more expensive being a double album so made more money per sale) but The Wall was also a film, a stage show, a cinema screening special, theatre production etc and earned Waters over 80 Million in one year alone.
If you look at Waters / Gilmour's worth you can see what album made the money .... in the divorce Waters got the rights to the Wall in the settlement

I agree about the sum of the parts but personally would rather listen to Waters solo stuff than Pink Floyd without Waters

Howdy, Stranger!

Categories

In this Discussion

Become a Subscriber!

Pink Floyd…what am I missing?

Comments

Win a Cort G250 SE Guitar in our Guitar Bomb Free UK Giveaway