MEDDLE

Pink Floyd in 1971 had changed drastically from it's psychedelic/pop roots with Syd Barrett and soon after his departure they became a highly experimental band who took no prisoners with their sonic bombardments. Meddle is the realization of all the experimentation they had done at that time and perfects it. The group had not yet become the mega-famous group they are now, at the time, they were rapidly growing a fan base and becoming increasingly popular. The musicianship on this album is phenomenal, with each member really shining on essentially all tracks. And if that weren't enough, the lyrics provided on this album are top notch, with Waters really coming a long way after his contributions from The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.

The album opens with an ethereal instrumental known as One of These Days. The pounding bass rhythms and the spacey slide guitar are augmented by wavy keyboard lines and pounding drums. The moment when all hell breaks loose is when Mason utters his famous phrase, "One of these days I'm going to cut you into little pieces"... and then all goes into madness, and the song ends with a real bang. A Pillow of Winds is a dreamier piece, with some spacey Rick Wright vocals and some nice keyboard work from Wright as well. It's not the best song on the album, but a strong one to say the least. Fearless is another astoundingly strong piece. Great ascending guitar riffs and vocal/lyrical work are highlights. Gilmour's guitar work is astounding on this track. San Tropez is more of a joke track than anything else, in the vein of The Nile Song off of More. It's a strong joke track, to say the least. The vocals are well done and the jazzy music that accompanies it is very strong as well. Seamus is a considerably weak tune, and the only thing that really keeps me from rating this album as a masterpiece. Nick Mason's dogs are featured on this track, and that's the only thing really worth noting.

Echoes in the finale of the album, and the 24 minute epic really shows that Pink Floyd were all about taking everything to the next level. This atmospheric and moody piece is a total realization of everything that Pink Floyd had done up to that period and gives it a respective twist. The spacey aquatic themed tune is begun with some great keyboard work from Wright and some great solo work from Gilmour. The main theme to the song is astoundingly strong and the lyrics and vocals are also incredibly strong. The breakdown between the vocals is a great descending riff and one of the strongest riffs Pink Floyd had come up with at the time. The breakdown section in the middle features some strong rhythmic overtones from Waters and Mason, who provide the groove for Gilmour and Wright to solo over. Add more spacey and ethereal sections, and you have yourself a masterpiece of an epic.

Overall, this was Pink Floyd's strongest album to date. The work on this album is astounding, and the only reason I can't rate it as a masterpiece is because of the weak track Seamus. Otherwise, you must get this album and listen to some truly revolutionary music. 4.5/5.