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Any Pink Floyd Historians?

In my days as a young audiophile, I spent a lot of time listening to various DSOTM recordings. I also enjoyed the Wall, but never really delved more deeply into Wish You Were Here, Animals or Pink Floyd's earlier albums. Now, however, I have been studying some of the chords on the piano and would love to learn more:

Could someone please comment on the evolution of their music? Which CDs would you recommend for further study?

My other questions concerns the members and "spirit" of the band -- I have read that Roger Waters was one of the founders and that everything BEFORE DSOTM was the "best" but also heard someone say "I disagree -- I preferred everything they did BEFORE WATERS" ?!?!??!

And is it just me, or are the lyrics anti business, anti capitalism, does "Money" comments on the evils of greed, were "Pigs" and "Dogs" (Animals) metaphors for greedy businessmen? Was The Wall anti establishment regarding the English school system, or could Waters really have written it as a rant against "stadium rock" as I read in one interview?

If so, how would you reconcile all of this with the fact that the band was (is?) wildly successful and presumably very rich?

Any and all comments on Pink Floyd greatly appreciated as I try to learn more and further explore their music.

Thanks and best wishes.
cwlondon
rockvirgo
587 posts
 
Before DSOTM, Pink Floyd offered listening heads a kind of music that required no foot tapping. Piper at the Gates and Saucerful of Secrets feature some awesome cuts. They do however lack that consistent, cut from the same cloth, feel. Atom Heart Mother and Umma Gumma are terrific concept albums. Parts of Umma Gumma are so heavy your neighbors today will wonder what the heck is going on over there. More and Obscured by Clouds are good listens but lack coherence. For me, Meddle was the last genuine PF album. One side is a conglomeration of cuts but the Echoes side is concept thru and thru. The whole album makes a nice ending to their experimental career.

DSOTM marks PF's sellout into commercialism and the abandonment of humor. The grooving in a cave, psychedelic breakfast, and ridiculous howling dog give way to a polished smugness and the sarcasm trap. It's still head music all the way and much more accessible to the average black clad goth, closet nihilist or workaday joe wannabe. Something for everyone! Enjoy your discoveries.
cwlondon OP
1,210 posts
 
Thanks for the excellent info so far!

Rockvirgo -- Sounds like I will have to spend some time with Meddle.....while Slipknots point of the Wall as "bloated" is not hard to see, you must be a real traditionalist to suggest DSOTM was the sell out?!?

Further to my questions on greed and capitalism, does anyone have a view on Pink Floyd (Roger Water's?) politics?
twl
3,251 posts
 
Just get all the early albums, starting with the first one, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, and going all the way to DSOTM. You won't be sorry. That is their best material. They've all been mentioned above. Some is classic, some is bizarre. It's all Pink Floyd at their peak.
egoss
124 posts
 
I guess I'm not a PF purist, but I like RW's "Amused To Death" as one of the best LPs of all time. As for the rest of the PF catalogue, in order, I like:
RW's "Radio KAOS"
PF's "The Division Bell"
"Wish You Were Here"
"The Final Cut"
"The Wall"
"Momentary Lapse Of Reason"

I like Roger's bitter, insightful lyrics & storytelling, and I like David Gilmour's guitar playing & lighter, less serious look at things. I don't know about anyone else, but DSOTM has ben so overplayed that I'm actually tired of hearing it. I own a (gasp!) CD changer for Saturday morning background listening, and it's not uncommon to load up 7 PF & RW CDs to keep me occupied for most of the day. :-)
blkadr
739 posts
 
I agree, the wall was hugely popular and I like it, but their best music, the real creative stuff is on the early albums. Start from the begining and go from there, its worth it. Piper and Saucerful establishe the strange Floyd signature, creative writing mixed with aural mind candy. Half of Umma Gumma is live and half studio. Cool insight into their earlier live show. The studio sides have some great classic Floyd jams and some is strange sound-effect stuff thats fun also. I would buy Atom Heart Mother for cows on the album cover, but the title song, with orchestra is powerful. More and Obscured by Clouds are soundtrack albums with some great songs. Meddle marks the next step in thier sound and Dark Side is considered their crowning glory. Wish You Were Here was a comment on the commercial side of the buiseness after the 'monster' Dark Side was. A lot of fans listen to later Floyd, but for me Dark Side and earlier is the place to go when you need a Floyd fix. There is not one album I would skip, love them all.
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