MEDDLE

Pink Floyd. Beginning like a psychedelic rock band with great comercial success; exploring space music creating inpressive atmospheres of organs and guitars, and eventually taking rock to a higher dimension. And I have always seen the top of their journey in this album. Some people may prefer The Dark Side Of The Moon or Wish You Were Here, both great albums, of course, but, sincerely, not so "progressive" like this Meddle record. Because here is where they had to arrive. This album is the top they were looking forward to reaching: the great fusion of space rock, psychedelic music, melodic arrangements and chords progressions from another world. And I don't mean Wish You Were Here is less important, it's just that album has not got the union of elements this one owes.

But well, I'm not here to talk about the definition of progressive rock, I'm here to describe the musical feelings of Meddle, starting with "One Of These Days". The album fades in with the usual wind soundscape of that years. And, within just some seconds, the bass enter with only one reverbering note. Another bass joins the first one, and they both play a heavy secuence of two alternatives notes. A very simple thing, and not complex at all. However, the strenght of this song lies on its musical power to make you forget any trouble. When the bass line changes from one to the other, the drum announces the chord change and the keyboard plays the chord just for a second. In the second minute, a breaking guitar enters to scene and plays the solo, which consists in long during notes with great reverberation. As the brief solo fades out, the bass line changes completely, sounding nearer and with a clearly diferent notes secuence. In fact it sounds like some kind of helicopter or other vehicle. If you can notice, there's something in the background. If I'm well imformed, it's the music from the beginning of the famous tv serial "Dr Who". But anyway. Suddenly, a lot of soundscapes start playing louder and faster, and the drums come back with a strong hit. And then, the sentence, like a killing thunder, appears in the path: "One of these days I'm gonna cut you into little pieces". Nothing else to say. And then, the last part of the song, and incredible bass riff with another guitar solo and the sudden ending, making you feel like falling from a cascade when guitar fades out down.

The second song, "A Pillow Of Pills". A guitar ballad driven by the guitar chords progression and the tears of a guitar which is always sounding behind everything, even when the vocal part is sung. The guitar line goes in a different only way, alone, apart from the rest of instruments. The most interesting of the song is the fusion of an aparently simple ballad with the atmospheres of the space rock which Pink Floyd were able to create. An my favourite part: second 1:50.

Next one, "Fearless". An excellent soft rock piece again, and like their last one, in the way of the next album Obscured By Clouds. Pink Floyd were the masters in playing atmospheric ballads which, while transmiting you happyness, they give you melancholy as well. And that's what happens to me when I hear this one, that I feel like staying in the place I'd like to be. After all, the best in this song is the guitar riff which sounds through it.

"San Tropez". Like Cat Food from King's Crimson In The Wake Of Poseidon album. A kind of blue rock songs which makes you feel like resting in a cafe while the piano man is playing his song. Softer than Cat Food, of course, much softer and relaxing. The piano plays very good chords here, while the guitar makes its line. And the piano solo, the only one in the album, is a really good and bluesy one.

And now, before the climax, a short preceding song, which always remembers me to Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast, "Seamus". Seamus is the name of the dog which "sings" in the background. The song's got the blues rock sound of San Tropez, but it's quite an improvisation than other think. Despite the fact it's just a relax point before the last epic suite of the album, the songs performs an harmonica in just a few seconds in the background, quite strange coming from Pink Floyd.

Finally, the song, the suite, the one I consider the greatest prog rock combination of symphonic and space rock: "Echoes". And with echoes it starts. The notes from a modificated piano. One note played all through the song and a guitar solo with the magic of the sea. And the bass, slow and empty, floating over the water.

After the instrumental intro, the drum plays its hits and the vocal part begins, talking about green waves, lost worlds and depth. The chords pass from minor to major ones flying over your ears. The piano still plays its notes while the organ arrives and complements the guitar and bust chords, both three giving short riffs between every sentences. And, over all, the piano echoes. At the end of every verse, the guitar plays the famous solo chromatic riff, helped by the whole orchestra. When the vocals end, the guitar plays a solo over the chromatics scales, chords of every instrument, the drum incredible riffs and the melodic echoes from the piano. And this second part ends when you don't know how many instruments are you listening to at the same time.

The next part of the suite it's driven by a bass and organ heavy riff which doesn't stop untill the end of the same. It's incredible to notice the music change, because it passes from a space prog instrumental part to a heavy blues rock stronge line. And the incredible guitar solos which do never stop over the main riff are amazing. Finally, everything fades in to the most strange part of the song: lots of soundscapes representing the echoes from the title and hidden voices screaming for help and yelling in the sea.

Some minutes later, an organ starts to play an harmonic progression and a melody, while a bass fast line comes to help it and everything fates in. The melody which the organ plays here is the most beautiful one I've ever heard, and the guitar arpeggios are incredible, played over the bass and the organ.

To sum up the soul of the song, a new verse like the two first ones is sung ending with the chromatic scales, and, finally, the echoes of the piano, the organ, and the crying guitar from the beginning, everything ready to disappear between the last remaining sound of infinite voices. The last thing we hear is the piano note which the epic began with. The last echoe.