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Pink Floyd - More (OST) CD (album) cover

MORE (OST)

Pink Floyd

 

Psychedelic/Space Rock

3.15 | 1547 ratings

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Finnforest
Special Collaborator
Honorary Collaborator
3 stars A short break for some film work

Stylistically, and over-generalizing of course, there are fans who think "the good Pink Floyd" started with the Meddle album. And, in lesser numbers but just as passionate, there are some fans who would say "the good Floyd" ended with the release of Meddle. Ok, so a third group exists, those like myself who pretty much love all of the Floyd albums, in my case I enjoy all of the legitimate albums released through "The Final Cut." Although I sympathize with the fans of the early work particularly, because it is disheartening to read the disrespectful and occasionally ignorant comments of listeners and band members alike regarding the early work. For the albums from the debut Piper through Atom Heart Mother represent a truly amazing body of work-they are the true essence of the experimental, progressive Pink Floyd. The Floyd that still dabbled and searched, the Floyd who were willing to work as a four person unit (with pleasure) and try things very unsafe to their brand name. Beginning with the mediocre Meddle album (their weakest proper album until AMLoR) and throughout the '70s the brand name would take over a bit and the truly avant-garde moments would become rare, even while the music itself became more palatable to the accumulating fans and thus more commercially successful. Ironically, as the fan base was swelling in the 70s, music writers were beginning to mourn the loss of the experimental/progressive Floyd as they became stadium rock-a fact not lost on Waters as he melted down during the Animals tour. As a listener I find the early work as important and enjoyable as the later work but in a different way. It was the Floyd at their most "interstellar" to pick an appropriate adjective and there's nothing wrong with that! The biggest mistake made is by those who don't consider this early work progressive but write it off as psychedelic musings only-it most surely was progressive music. The band members scoffed at the label of "British Psychedelia" by '69 and considered themselves serious musicians, not pop personalities. While common knowledge loves to credit Crimson with everything short of man's creation, the Floyd were right there with them regardless of the label you wish to apply.

In the Spring of '69 the Floyd very quickly recorded the music for the Barbet Schroeder film "More." Schroeder was a fan of the band and wanted their music in his counterculture film about the misadventures of a young couple. He was looking for more than just standard background soundtrack and wanted songs that integrated into and out of the actual scenes, music the characters would be listening to or encountering. The band were shown the film which was already completed and agreed to the rather high-pressure project, which they later knocked but admitted the experience was useful in building their working skills. Schroeder was stunned with the speed at which the Floyd were able to generate the ideas and get them recorded-the band members themselves were not interested in abandoning rock and roll but saw the practice of making film music as a potential gig to fall back on if they failed in their main quest. Remember, at this point the full potential of the group was far from certain, many thought they would collapse without Barrett's songwriting talents. The film came out in May of '69 and did not do well but the Floyd's soundtrack actually did crack the top 10 shortly thereafter. Even in this early period between Saucerful and Ummagumma it was Roger who was beginning to morph into the leader of the group. "I took responsibility in the Floyd because nobody else seemed to want to do it" he stated. "They'd no f___ing idea what the band was for." As '69 moved on they would now begin a period of live activity that would see them reach their experimental height attempting some fairly crazy live sound histrionics.

Like much of their early catalog, "More" has become far more interesting to me now that I've grown as a listener beyond the more easier-listening 70s albums. Once your brain has every note of WYWH and DSotM committed to memory you almost don't need to play them any more. The prog portion of your brain still likes Floyd of course but sends you cravings to start listening to their more challenging material. It is in this phase of life where the beauty of a daydream like "More" can be appreciated in the way that today's predictable corporate prog cannot. Subtle ideas casually played with and dropped, atmosphere, and a general disenchantment for the ways of the world?.the last no doubt an element of the film itself. It all uncoils to draw the listener into a hazy state where the band's still-developing talents take full advantage. Not every idea had to be this all-inclusive song which followed a formula to satisfy the fan?rather the band could simply indulge themselves and drop an idea as quickly as they picked it up. Some reviewers call this approach "fragmented" and perhaps that is valid, but it could also be thrilling-the idea that not every album of music had to be this quantifiable product. The 60s and early 70s provide many examples of what rock music lost as expectations changed among fans, labels, and musicians. Beginning with bird sounds "Cirrus Minor" sounds a bit like "Granchester Meadows" and Roger confirms the track is based on little bits of Cambridge memory. A truly haunting piece of music with the stark vocals and thin acoustic guitar draped in Wright's ceremonious, beautiful background. Rick and Nick were every bit the full contributors at this time which lends the sound extra intimacy. Along with Cirrus the album features early stellar highlights "Crying Song," "Green is the Colour," and "Cymbaline." (I have read a claim or two that Barrett's recorded playing was used in Crying Song but I've never seen anything confirming that and believe it to be false.) Crying Song features a pleasant if cheeky vocal by Roger and a nice guitar lead by Dave, both of which have that certain Floyd familiarity to them?if you listen close I believe you hear the earliest typical sounding Floydisms throughout More. Roger's lyrical growth process was slow but there are a few lines that hint at things to come. (Years later he would bristle at Rick's interview comments from this period playing down the importance of lyrics, another example of diverging views quite early in the game.) Green and Cymbaline were often performed live in much greater length, both songs here are sadly brief but have the most joyous, intoxicating effect to them. Many fans have commented that More is one of the best stoner albums around but among the Floyd's many talents were the ability to simulate a drug experience by the nature of their sound-with no chemicals needed. Often throughout More there is a catatonic, hazy feeling that envelops the listening, perfectly coaxed along by those laid back vocals, Wright's loose piano tinkling here and there, and Mason's drumming which can sound like the flailing of a drowning man. This same feeling permeates their second "daydream" album of soundtrack music, the lovely and equally overlooked "Obscured by Clouds" from a few years later. The duds here in my view are the heavier throwaways "Nile Song" and "Ibiza Bar" which find the band out of their element and unconvincing. Much of the rest of the album consist of occasionally interesting, occasionally quite patchy instrumental work that sounds more like typical soundtrack work while hinting at where they would go on the next project "Ummagumma." Not perfect, but interesting and enjoyable in the context.

"More" is certainly no masterpiece but at least half of the album is truly beautiful stuff and for an album made in just over a week, it is nothing to be ashamed of. Be sure to get the '95 remaster here for improved sound, as well as a booklet full of gorgeous stills from the film, including some provocative shots of the lovely actress Mimsy Farmer. Not an essential album but recommended for all Floyd fans who wish to experience the bridge albums that connected their best pre-Dark Side works Piper and Atom Heart Mother.

Finnforest | 3/5 |

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