MEDDLE

After Atom Heart Mother that is strongly influenced by the presence and the arrangements of Ron Geesin, with Meddle Pink Floyd have finally found their way. The psychedelia of the beginings is going to disappear. The chaotic part of Echoes is probably their last excursion in the acid realms. At the same time Waters is not yet the band's dictator. Making a collegial work is still possible and this is likely the last album on which we can appreciate the effective cooperation of all the members in the songwriting.

The opener is one of the most famous Pink Floyd's songs ever. A single compulsive bass note follows an intro made of winds. "One of These Days" is also the only one Pink Floyd's song in which we can hear the growling voice of Nick Mason. The song is a crescendo until Mason screams "I'm going to catch you into little pieces!".

Winds are a distinctive element of the album. They are present almost everywhere. In "A Pillow of Winds" they are at least in the title. The sound of Gilmour's slide guitar will become one of the most recognizable Pink Floyd trademarks since now on. The slow tempo behind major chords is something that we'll find several times, even in Mason+Fenn's Profiles.

"Fearless" is something that Everton's supporters probably don't like, as the song is famous for the coda in which the Liverpool's supporters sing "You'll never walk alone". Apart of it, this is the kind of song typical of this period of Pink Floyd. Gilmour is again on the slide. The base is driven by acoustic guitar and everything is calm and relaxing.

"Saint Tropez" is a sort of a joke for what concerns the lyrics, but it's one of their most concrete songs from a musical perspective. It's jazzy and upbeat. For those who criticise the musical skill of Roger Waters. A curiosity about this song: in the late 70s a book of Pink Floyd lyrics was published in Italy but the author didnt get a copy of the originals. He just tried to guess and translate them from a tape reader. That's how "Ringing by phone" becasme in that book "Rita Pavone" who was an Italian pop singer of the 60s. It started a legend. Rita Pavone herself said in an interview that she was proud of having been mentioned in a Pink Floyd's song...

"Seamus" is just a filler. The dog who "sings" was Steve Marriott's dog. He gave it to Gilmour during a Humble Pie tour and it finished to be the singer of this almost improvsed blues.

Finally we have the greatest epic ever written by the Pink Floyd. My favourite song ever. "Echoes" has everything an epic has to have and I have really no words to describe it. Gilmour and Wright singing on it is fantastic. The bluesy part has one of the best Gilmour's guitar solos, the way the main theme "resurrects" after the chaos is unique...if I have to mention a masterpiece this is the first song that appears to my mind.

"Echoes" alone would be enough to rate this album 5 stars but at least half of the A side is at the same level. Even though Dark Side is the best seller and Another Brick the most known commercial song, Meddle is the real "must have" in Pink Floyd's discography.