TOP 100 ALBUMS EVAR: #83 Pink Floyd: Meddle (1971) <Harvest/EMI> Genre: Psychedelia, Progressive Rock Nationality: UK (Cambridge, London) Meddle was a significant turning point in the band’s musical direction.  It was more cohesive and concrete than their previous works, and would be more atmospheric and minimal than the epic works that followed.  This makes Meddle a truly cosmic kind of record.  It drifts through giant, empty voids, featuring astounding guitar work that conveys a sense of disconnect.  Roger Waters doesn’t sing like a frontman, more like just another detail in the sonic landscape that Pink Floyd creates on Meddle.  A couple songs, like “Fearless” and “San Tropez,” mark a noted shift towards form and structure, but for the most part, Meddle floats and drifts, not quite sure of itself.  But then again, is the universe meant to be sure of itself?  This culminates into the massive second side of the record, the sprawling mega work “Echoes.”  This twenty minute plus cosmic odyssey represents the epic soundscapes that would later go on works like Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall.  Although, this is notably darker and more sinister, evoking feelings of looming doom.  As the piece shifts into its second half, the percussion subsides, and tonality all but disappears.  David Gilmour’s guitar shrieks and moans, and the dense ambience suggests a very foreign, alien feeling.  It’s a frightening middle of the song which eventually leads to a bombastic interlude into the song’s final chorus.  When it’s all over, you’re left awestruck, a feeling that would become Pink Floyd’s signature effect with their approaching future masterworks. Key Tracks: “Echoes,” “Fearless,” “One Of These Days” For Fans Of: David Bowie, Tangerine Dream, The Flaming Lips

TOP 100 ALBUMS EVAR: #83

Pink Floyd: Meddle (1971) <Harvest/EMI>

Genre: Psychedelia, Progressive Rock

Nationality: UK (Cambridge, London)

Meddle was a significant turning point in the band’s musical direction.  It was more cohesive and concrete than their previous works, and would be more atmospheric and minimal than the epic works that followed.  This makes Meddle a truly cosmic kind of record.  It drifts through giant, empty voids, featuring astounding guitar work that conveys a sense of disconnect.  Roger Waters doesn’t sing like a frontman, more like just another detail in the sonic landscape that Pink Floyd creates on Meddle.  A couple songs, like “Fearless” and “San Tropez,” mark a noted shift towards form and structure, but for the most part, Meddle floats and drifts, not quite sure of itself.  But then again, is the universe meant to be sure of itself?  This culminates into the massive second side of the record, the sprawling mega work “Echoes.”  This twenty minute plus cosmic odyssey represents the epic soundscapes that would later go on works like Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall.  Although, this is notably darker and more sinister, evoking feelings of looming doom.  As the piece shifts into its second half, the percussion subsides, and tonality all but disappears.  David Gilmour’s guitar shrieks and moans, and the dense ambience suggests a very foreign, alien feeling.  It’s a frightening middle of the song which eventually leads to a bombastic interlude into the song’s final chorus.  When it’s all over, you’re left awestruck, a feeling that would become Pink Floyd’s signature effect with their approaching future masterworks.

Key Tracks: “Echoes,” “Fearless,” “One Of These Days”

For Fans Of: David Bowie, Tangerine Dream, The Flaming Lips