MEDDLE

It's hard enough to find examples of albums with Meddle's ecclectic variety-- but to find one which succeeds at everything it attempts is nearly impossible. Yet, here Pink Floyd blends spacy atmospheres, rousing guitar, and a non-chalant, "lazy day" attitude to create one of their finest releases (and that's saying something).

The album starts with unique, bass-led riffing and powerful guitar noise, giving way to a head- scratching series of beautifully understated mixture of jazzy subtelty and fun, day-dreamy tunes. Of chourse, side-B's "Echoes" steals the show, as a creative, spacy, minimalist masterpiece; one of the most easy to listent to 20+ minute songs of the classic prog era.

Meddle's pure, unpretentious beauty and creativity make it a clear winner. Why not 5 stars? While Meddle is a joy to listen to, it remains somewhat distant and challenging to connect with. This lack of emotion is the only thing tarneshing an otherwise stellar release-- don't let this one get lost in Dark Side's shadow!

Songwriting: 5 Instrumental Performances: 4 Lyrics/Vocals: 4 Style/Emotion/Replay: 4