MEDDLE

"Meddle" is the 6th full-length studio album by UK progressive rock act Pink Floyd. The album was released through Harvest/EMI in October 1971. Pink Floyd´s transition from a groundbreaking psychadelic rock act to one of the most influential progressive rock acts of the seventies began with the previous album "Atom Heart Mother (1970)" and while there are still psychadelic rock elements on "Meddle", the transition is almost complete with this album.

"Meddle" features six tracks and a full playing time of 46:42 minutes. Side 1 of the original LP release contains five shorter tracks while Side 2 of the original LP release features the 23:27 minutes long track "Echoes". While the most significant highlight on "Meddle" is arguably "Echoes", the five shorter tracks on Side 1 are almost equally as intriguing.

"Meddle" opens with the dark, hard edged, powerful, and predominantly instrumental "One of These Days". It´s followed and contrasted by the soft, mellow and acoustic "A Pillow of Winds". It´s a track that´s designed to soothe the ears and ease the mind. "Fearless" is a great track too with lots of acoustic slide guitars and soft vocals. It´s not a mellow track like "A Pillow of Winds" but it still features that relaxed and laid back feeling that Pink Floyd are some of the best exponents for. "Fearless" features a field recording of the Liverpool FC Kop choir singing their anthem "You'll Never Walk Alone", which fades in and out several times throughout the track´s playing time. The most prevalent interpretation of the use of the sample is of course that Pink Floyd are Liverpool FC supporters, but that´s actually not the case. At least not for bassist/vocalist Roger Waters (who plays acoustic guitar on this particular track) who co-wrote the song with guitarist/vocalist David Gilmour. He had been an Arsenal supporter since childhood. Some people have interpreted the use of the sample as Pink Floyd´s way of displaying uncompromising unity with a socialist ideology. The last two tracks on Side 1 of the original LP are often scolded and called weak but personally I appreciate the variation those tracks bring to the album. The lounge jazzy "San Tropez" with it´s relaxed atmosphere and the bluesy acoustic "Seamus" with the barking dog sounds in the background might not be the strongest tracks on "Meddle" but both are a part of the great whole and without them the album just wouldn´t be what it is. So shoot me! I enjoy those songs.

"Echoes" with it´s 23:27 minutes long playing time, takes up the entire second side of the original LP and what a side long track that is. From the opening echo pings produced through amplifying a grand piano and sending the signal through a Leslie rotating speaker, to the fantastic guitar solo by David Gilmour, to the brilliantly arranged vocal section, to David Gilmour imitating whale sounds on his guitar though his wah-wah pedal this is simply a fantastic composition.

The sound production is warm and pleasant. Very well sounding and organic. It´s a bit raw and unpolished too which is a sound element the band removed from later recordings, which are more clean in nature. "Meddle" is a consistently high quality release with a great flow but at the same time featuring nice variation between the tracks. Transition albums are not always the strongest albums in an artist´s discography but to my ears "Meddle" is among the most intriguing albums by Pink Floyd and a 5 star (100%) rating is fully deserved.