Pink Floyd Album Tournament, Round 10

My vote went to WYWH

uduwudu wrote: Stop is a linking piece only. I would be amused to death to hear a rehearsal and performance of a 34 second track. But I don't find anyhitng musically weak. The Trial is quite a large composition and has to do an awful lo. One Of My Turns is sheer build and dramtcic impact. Just examples, don't want to rain on other opinions. I just hope we all get value out of it. Floyd went to a lot of effort with this and while not every track is going to be Comfy Numb alot of subtleties could be lost with underating less obvious moments. I kind of like the way everything flows as one complete flowing narrative (difficult reading the lyrics on my Japanese remaster cover but if you can it does. I suppose we hacve tpo be progressive with our listening. Amusing notes dept. I once read a label on a copy of The Wall. It said 30th aniversary edition. That was in 1999. Another record company snooze moment! (For those unaware this album came out in 1979.) And yeah Alan's Psych Brekkie is one the PF decided was a bad idea. There's a boot of a performance of this from late 1970. I wonder what happened to the food cooked on stage. On stage bacon and sausage sizzling to stoners with munchies.

There's no sense in making a 0:34 seconds "filler" because it doesn't fill anything. The only Pink Floyd's filler I can think about is "Alan Psychedelic Breakfast"

Languagegeek wrote: Filler?  10. One of my turns (1:33) 11. Don't leave me now (4:22) 2. Is there anybody out there! (2:40)  3. Nobody home (3:25) 4. Vera (1:38) 5. Bring the boys back home (0:50) 8. In the flesh (4:16) (again)  10. Waiting for the worms (3:56) 11. Stop (0:34) 12. The trial (5:16) 13. Outside the wall (1:42) Without doing the math, that looks like 25-30 minutes.

Remove these bits and the thing makes less sense. Rog thought Bring The boys Back Home was the album's centrepiece. Outside the wall... there has to be some sort of denouement. The Trial is where all the baddy characters get togther and confront the central character. Pretty important bit in the story line I would have thought. This si the album's real climax. Gives Rog a chance to do all his charcter voices as well.

Nobody's Home is the central character acknolweding where he comes from, nad hardly recognises. Nice guitar progression as well.

In The Flesh is the central character becoming this fascist leader. As it was taken seriously by so many (despite it being intended to be satire) it just goes to show how unaware or directly nasty so many people are. (Don't mean you, dear reader. I mean them... not us!) It's not a repeat really. It seems it from some music (the reprsie idea) but the surrogate band has become Pink and followers and they're all fascists now.

One of My Turns is a great climactic disintegration of personality. Inspired by - of all people - Roy Harper.
Waiting For The Worms, all creepy nastiness. More facist diatribes and build up.

Don't leave Me now? Forlorn and rejected the character now has nowhere to go but to become this fascist.

Is the Anybody Out There?... this is the precursor to Comfortably Numb. Many tracks are in support of each other and taking some out of context might leave holes in the wall.  Each has it's value and not every track is really intended to be a set piece but establishing continuity - make the album flow.

Vera and Bring The boys relate back to central character and Rog' Dad's past. Vera Lynn the WW2 soldier's sweetheart and Bring The Boys is anti-war. I think they get a short shrift because they have nothing to do with rock origins musically.
Possibly the expectation to have a signature tune like Comfortably Numb at the end of the album crerates the impression the rest after it is lesser material. But it's just another brick... the drug one. Apparently that happned to Rog once. Doc filled him with something so he could go on with the show...

One of the great  things about Floyd is that they made all these varied albums but very little sounds like another. Even The Wall's closest relative, The Final Cut, has a different sound and feel (chilly and austere) even if some music hearkens back to The Wall. Title track string harmnoies from Comfortably Numb for example.

octopus-4 wrote: I voted for The Wall...."When you're on of the few....:"

 

I voted for The Wall...."When you're on of the few....:"

Filler? 

10. One of my turns (1:33)
11. Don't leave me now (4:22)

2. Is there anybody out there! (2:40) 
3. Nobody home (3:25)
4. Vera (1:38)
5. Bring the boys back home (0:50)

8. In the flesh (4:16) (again) 
10. Waiting for the worms (3:56)
11. Stop (0:34)
12. The trial (5:16)
13. Outside the wall (1:42)

Without doing the math, that looks like 25-30 minutes. 

WYWH, no doubt in that.

The Wall is not prog rock. Only the conceptual thing fits in this format. That not means that is not good. But there are too many fillers there. Some stuff is excellent as Confortably numb or In the Flesh.

Ok, so what's worse lyrically. RW bleating about S.o.Y.c.D. Barrett (who turnnd up at the mixing of his requiem...) Or  The Wall where the missus, the teacher, his Dad, the judge who fined him five pounds for stealing a policeman's helmet on boat race night and some groupies...

I do find WYWH works lyrically If I don't consider Waters' lyrical intent (anti record company, Syd sadness) as it works brilliantly in an all encompassing way - he managed to engage a broad apectrum of listeners in relating their interpretations / experiences.

Muscially WTWH is sublime.

The Wall. Now if you scan the lyrics the whole thing works as an 80 minute single piece that manages cohesion and considerable variety. It uses non  rock (Vera, Bring The Boys Back Home) which is very courageous in a poular music environment. It has obscure irony (In The Flesh?) and less obscure irony (In The Flesh) which some took as gospel. It has a lot of variety, it's conceptual, has lots of high points. It is also another record / music bix moan. How tough life is as a rock star with groupies drugs and toilets. My heart bleeds Rog.

(Sorry folks I really cannot stand that predominantly 70s trend (BOC, Kiss, Floyd and whoever else writing about "the road" and doing what they do as if that's a bad thing. Work in an office or McDoanld's and then find something to whine about...)

Comfortably Numb is the Floyd's signature tune. Considering it's drug and power obsessed nature I can't help but think of DG at Live 8 ironically arm waving along with the crowd singing along as though it's a nostalgically schmaltzy ballad. Apparently DG dislikes showbiz, according tro interview comments in 1974
anyway.

WYWH was really the last musically collaborative effort from PF. Absence of being is the theme for one, while alienation despite the presence and because of the absence of family and friends in the other. It's going to come down to Shine On Versus Comfortably Numb.

Thankfully voting here is confidential. (Unlike in poiltics when yo vote your name is matched against a number on an attendance register so your govt can find out later for whom you voted.) Whoops. Cat out of the bag. Tell Rog. It's gotta be a better topic than Pros  And Cons...