OBSCURED BY CLOUDS

This album is one that 'clicks' with some listeners, and doesn't 'click' with others....Floyd fans can't go wrong here, although prog-heads do have much better to choose from - I dearly love most of the songs here, but there is a certain 'spark' that is missing. There is nothing particularly wrong with the songs here, it's just they come across as fairly average, as opposed to their more experimental moments.. That said, a finer point worthy of mention ; Waters and Wright utilise the VCS3 synthesizer on some tracks, of which they will go on and perfect for their next, ground-breaking achievement (not that they're the only band to do so, though). Opening tracks, 'Obscured by Clouds' and 'When You're In' are 2 instrumental pieces which hold incidental promise, great synth/keyboard work, and also fine guitaring from David Gilmour, but never actually go beyond the norm. 'Burning Bridges' is a mellow, dreamy tune that is well arranged and features some lush vocal harmonies between Gilmour and Wright. 'The Gold, It's In The...' is more in tune with 'Hard Rock', not a foot astray here, but fairly straight-ahead 'rock', it doesn't support their usual, 'ground-breaking pioneers' reputation. 'Wot's...uh The Deal' is soft, acoustic pop number, pleasant, but one can't help but feel the band members are capable of so much more. 'Mudmen' is a superb instrumental piece which is more true-to-form. Tasteful keyboards from Wright, and some searing guitars from Gilmour.

Side 2 of the LP licks off with 'Childhood's End' - it is a very strong composition, with an almost ambient, organ-driven opening leading into a funky groove for the rest of the song - a very good track for sure. 'Free Four' is a popular Waters composition, nothing wrong with it, but fairly ordinary within prog territory. 'Stay' is a pretty ballad, beautiful melody and vocals, but again nothing spectacular. Album finale, 'Absolutely Curtains', is fully superb - Rick Wright puts his Farfisa and Hammond organs to good use, and also a Fender Rhodes, to create a wonderfully mysterious listening experience - at least for the first instrumental half, the last section being dominated by chanting from a local 'New Guinea' tribe, still, pre-dating 'World' music by incorporating such an indigenous recording within a 'Rock' context, which not many musicians were doing so... Not as exciting as the psychedelic escapades displayed on the 'More Soundtrack', but still worthy of investigation. 3.5 points for this 'very good' album.