MEDDLE

4.5 stars. This marks the precise point in their career where the Floyd finally found their direction post Syd Barrett's departure. Go to this album after you've listened to Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here.

This album, Meddle, is often seen as the missing link to The Dark Side of the Moon, and it's easy to see why. Even though there was an album in between Meddle and Dark Side, named Obscured by Clouds, this is a more direct precursor to their big breakthrough. The song that alludes to that magnum opus the most is "Echoes". Brilliant from start to finish, it is the ultimate Pink Floyd song. Complete with Roger's best lyrics, great musicianship (like the jam sequence at 7 minutes), and moments of experimentation. This side-long epic is Pink Floyd at their most focused and most progressive.

Meddle offers a lot of variety in only 6 tracks. "One Of These Days" is a heavy song with double bass playing, "A Pillow Of Winds" is a gentle folky tune, and "Fearless" is a guitar driven song with a great riff. "San Tropez" and "Seamus" are kind of weak but the other songs more than make up for it.

If you have heard Dark Side and Wish already, then by all means, check this one out as well. A fine album made even better by the aforementioned "Echoes". Excellent addition to any prog rock music collection.