Floyd Discussion

[soon]

I listened to side one of Roger Waters' Radio K.A.O.S yesterday. I swear my cat was looking at me judgementally  But I think that album has a lot going for it. Its just that whereas Pros and Cons and Amused to Death both have ace guitarists filling in some of the space, KOAS seems to focus on the very capable drummer Graham Broad (along with a track by Jon Linwood and programming by Ian Ritchie). It definitely works for what they were up to, but I think could have been even cooler with Jeff Beck.

Radio Waves seems to be in the vein of Summer Of 69 to my ears. Similar to Momentary Lapse, it is very much 'of its time.' Momentary and KAOS are also similar in that there are so many musicians on the albums that Roger and Floyd may have risked showing up on each others album by accident! 

[RussTCB]

4 hours ago, moreblack said:

That run between Dark Side to The Wall is one of the strongest creative streaks in rock music. Most bands can barely string together 2 good albums.

Totally agree except I'd honestly throw Meddle in there too. 

4 hours ago, soon said:

I listened to side one of Roger Waters' Radio K.A.O.S yesterday. I swear my cat was looking at me judgementally  But I think that album has a lot going for it. Its just that whereas Pros and Cons and Amused to Death both have ace guitarists filling in some of the space, KOAS seems to focus on the very capable drummer Graham Broad (along with a track by Jon Linwood and programming by Ian Ritchie). It definitely works for what they were up to, but I think could have been even cooler with Jeff Beck.

Radio Waves seems to be in the vein of Summer Of 69 to my ears. Similar to Momentary Lapse, it is very much 'of its time.' Momentary and KAOS are also similar in that there are so many musicians on the albums that Roger and Floyd may have risked showing up on each others album by accident! 

I looooove Radio KAOS. Really the only thing he's done that I don't care for all that much is Pros & Cons. I love Every Strangers Eyes, but that's about it. 

As far as KAOS goes, yes it sounds dated but I think it's supposed to. The whole idea is that this earth shaking occurance is being played out on this tepid LA radio station, so the music is meant to reflect that, at least in my opinion. 

[moreblack]

5 hours ago, RussTCB said:

Totally agree except I'd honestly throw Meddle in there too. 

Yeah I think so, it's got One Of These Days, Echoes and Fearless.

[username]

10 hours ago, RussTCB said:

Totally agree except I'd honestly throw Meddle in there too. 

Meddle is criminally overlooked. It's stellar. 

And Obscured By Clouds also has some amazing tunes actually. 

Last summer I saw Nick Mason's Saucerful Of Secrets. They only play pre-DSOTM material. And it's an amazing show. Absolutely amazing. Interesting to think you can easily fill a 2 hour rock show with the stuff from before their most well-known run.  

[soon]

18 hours ago, RussTCB said:

I looooove Radio KAOS. Really the only thing he's done that I don't care for all that much is Pros & Cons. I love Every Strangers Eyes, but that's about it. 

Radio KOAS has a lot going for it in my books. I agree about Pros and Cons, I once played it on repeat in hopes to chase away an unwanted house mate  Yeah, every Stragers Eye is a standout for sure. 

18 hours ago, RussTCB said:

As far as KAOS goes, yes it sounds dated but I think it's supposed to. The whole idea is that this earth shaking occurance is being played out on this tepid LA radio station, so the music is meant to reflect that, at least in my opinion. 

Oh, I see what you mean about the style. Right on.

I think its maybe meant to be show tune ready as well - based on his complaining about Andrew Loyd Webers theatrical successes on Amused To Death, lol

As a separate but related thought, is KAOS one of his rare utopian concept albums? Theres sad subject matter, but to me its mostly a positive spin on things. Is it maybe even his only concept album that isnt dystopian? 

[double talkin jive mfkr]

On 10/28/2019 at 11:43 AM, moreblack said:

That run between Dark Side to The Wall is one of the strongest creative streaks in rock music. Most bands can barely string together 2 good albums.

yeah for sure 

floyd is the only band whereby each album is not a chapter of their music but a fucking masterpiece and the evolution of each album is tremendous 

no other band comes close as far as creating an album that holds a unique identity on its own and the fact they produced one after another and another is unparalleled 

[RussTCB]

On 10/29/2019 at 1:34 PM, soon said:

Radio KOAS has a lot going for it in my books. I agree about Pros and Cons, I once played it on repeat in hopes to chase away an unwanted house mate  Yeah, every Stragers Eye is a standout for sure. 

Oh, I see what you mean about the style. Right on.

I think its maybe meant to be show tune ready as well - based on his complaining about Andrew Loyd Webers theatrical successes on Amused To Death, lol

As a separate but related thought, is KAOS one of his rare utopian concept albums? Theres sad subject matter, but to me its mostly a positive spin on things. Is it maybe even his only concept album that isnt dystopian? 

Radio KAOS contains the only "happy" Waters song I can think of to that date. The Tide Is Turning is a super positive song for the album to end on. The complete opposite of say, Two Suns In The Sunset which ends The Final Cut. 

The only thing I've ever wondered about KAOS is what it might have sounded like if Ezrin had followed through on producing it. Although, Momentary Lapse sounds like total shit, so maybe Bob producing KAOS wouldn't have done anything for it anyways. 

Side note, the shot Waters takes at Ezrin on Amused To Death over that whole thing is one of the all time great Waters quips. 

On 10/29/2019 at 4:02 PM, double talkin jive mfkr said:

yeah for sure 

floyd is the only band whereby each album is not a chapter of their music but a fucking masterpiece and the evolution of each album is tremendous 

no other band comes close as far as creating an album that holds a unique identity on its own and the fact they produced one after another and another is unparalleled 

You're 100% correct. It's funny for me when people ask where to start with Floyd. I always kinda have to quiz them on what they like first. Everything record is so unique in its own sound that someone who dips their toe in Animals first may be completely turned off to Floyd, whereas if that same person had heard WYWH first, they might end up loving Floyd. 

[RussTCB]

On 10/29/2019 at 4:52 AM, username said:

Meddle is criminally overlooked. It's stellar. 

And Obscured By Clouds also has some amazing tunes actually. 

Last summer I saw Nick Mason's Saucerful Of Secrets. They only play pre-DSOTM material. And it's an amazing show. Absolutely amazing. Interesting to think you can easily fill a 2 hour rock show with the stuff from before their most well-known run.  

By way of a long story, I had to miss that show when it came to Detroit. I'm still pissed about it. It's the only time since I've been a fan that I've missed a member of Floyd coming near Detroit. 

I know it's a BIG IF but he does a similar tour of the US ever again, I absolutely will not miss it. 

[The Dissident]

3 hours ago, RussTCB said:

You're 100% correct. It's funny for me when people ask where to start with Floyd. I always kinda have to quiz them on what they like first. Everything record is so unique in its own sound that someone who dips their toe in Animals first may be completely turned off to Floyd, whereas if that same person had heard WYWH first, they might end up loving Floyd. 

I can see this, never really been much of a Pink Floyd fan but I have listened to a few albums and each one is incredibly different. Those 3 being The Wall, Dark Side Of The Moon and Animals. Only one I liked as a whole at the time was Dark Side. Need to revisit The Wall and want to give Wish You Were Here a spin at some point.

Edited November 4, 2019 by The Dissident

[RussTCB]

12 hours ago, The Dissident said:

I can see this, never really been much of a Pink Floyd fan but I have listened to a few albums and each one is incredibly different. Those 3 being The Wall, Dark Side Of The Moon and Animals. Only one I liked as a whole at the time was Dark Side. Need to revisit The Wall and want to give Wish You Were Here a spin at some point.

Wish You Were Here almost always ends up being the gateway drug for Floyd lol. I have at 3 friends who always referred themselves as non-Floyd fans, but then they started liking that album. It led to them giving more albums a chance and now their definitely fans. 

[username]

9 minutes ago, RussTCB said:

Wish You Were Here almost always ends up being the gateway drug for Floyd lol. I have at 3 friends who always referred themselves as non-Floyd fans, but then they started liking that album. It led to them giving more albums a chance and now their definitely fans. 

Kinda curious.... What do you think of Echoes (the compilation album, not the song) as a starting point? Floyd is a strange band with these things really. People can love certain eras and really hate others.So it's tricky to make a good Floyd compilation that represents their whole body of work. 

Personally I started with the big ones and it took me quite a while to really get into the Syd stuff. I'm still kind of hit-and-miss with some of the early works. I try and judge them song by song, but with the laters works I really prefer judging them as a whole. Does them more justice really. 

Dark Side and WYWH are the easiest way in I'd say. 

[RussTCB]

16 minutes ago, username said:

Kinda curious.... What do you think of Echoes (the compilation album, not the song) as a starting point? Floyd is a strange band with these things really. People can love certain eras and really hate others.So it's tricky to make a good Floyd compilation that represents their whole body of work. 

Personally I started with the big ones and it took me quite a while to really get into the Syd stuff. I'm still kind of hit-and-miss with some of the early works. I try and judge them song by song, but with the laters works I really prefer judging them as a whole. Does them more justice really. 

Dark Side and WYWH are the easiest way in I'd say. 

I don't mind Echoes but like you said; putting together a "good" Floyd compliation is kind of a flawed concept to begin with. Of the 3 major compliations (Works, A Collection of Great Dance Songs and Echoes) Echoes is the best overall picture of what Floyd is. 

I'd agree DSotM or WYWH are probably the best starting point but WYWH has the edge IMO. Most people will have heard a lot of DSotM on the radio for years whereas most people probably haven't heard anything but the title cut from WYWH on the radio. The other songs on there really show the diversity Floyd is capable of. 

I mentioned this previously but my whole journey started with Delicate Sound of Thunder because it was newly released when I started looking into Floyd. Because of that album, I looked into all of the original albums that songs were featured from. That's why I got into Animals & The Final Cut last, because no songs from those are on DSoT. Listening to Meddle - WYWH and The Wall heavily because of DSoT made it easy for me to slide into Animals & The Final Cut because I already understood the breadth of music Floyd could produce.

In thinking about it more, I would probably tell a new person looking to get into Floyd to listen to DSoT first. Then if they want to hear more, go back and listen to the albums their favorite tracks came from. I did that and it worked out great for me lol

[username]

1 hour ago, RussTCB said:

I don't mind Echoes but like you said; putting together a "good" Floyd compliation is kind of a flawed concept to begin with. Of the 3 major compliations (Works, A Collection of Great Dance Songs and Echoes) Echoes is the best overall picture of what Floyd is. 

I'd agree DSotM or WYWH are probably the best starting point but WYWH has the edge IMO. Most people will have heard a lot of DSotM on the radio for years whereas most people probably haven't heard anything but the title cut from WYWH on the radio. The other songs on there really show the diversity Floyd is capable of. 

I mentioned this previously but my whole journey started with Delicate Sound of Thunder because it was newly released when I started looking into Floyd. Because of that album, I looked into all of the original albums that songs were featured from. That's why I got into Animals & The Final Cut last, because no songs from those are on DSoT. Listening to Meddle - WYWH and The Wall heavily because of DSoT made it easy for me to slide into Animals & The Final Cut because I already understood the breadth of music Floyd could produce.

In thinking about it more, I would probably tell a new person looking to get into Floyd to listen to DSoT first. Then if they want to hear more, go back and listen to the albums their favorite tracks came from. I did that and it worked out great for me lol

Come to think of it Delicate Sound Of Thunder was my way in too. When I was about 16 a girl I hang out with a lot was really into that album. So every time I was there drinking (which was fairly often) it was on. From there I pretty much delved into Dark Side, Wish You Were Here and The Wall. Animals and Meddle followed quickly. But everything pre-Meddle didn't come until at least 6 or 7 years later. In 2005 I remember having lots of Floyd discussions with my then-girlfriend her brother in law. He was a huge Floyd fan and was also really into their first 2 albums. I really wasn't (yet).  That stuff grew slowly. 

Edited November 4, 2019 by username

[soon]

On November 3, 2019 at 3:44 PM, RussTCB said:

Radio KAOS contains the only "happy" Waters song I can think of to that date. The Tide Is Turning is a super positive song for the album to end on. The complete opposite of say, Two Suns In The Sunset which ends The Final Cut. 

The only thing I've ever wondered about KAOS is what it might have sounded like if Ezrin had followed through on producing it. Although, Momentary Lapse sounds like total shit, so maybe Bob producing KAOS wouldn't have done anything for it anyways. 

Side note, the shot Waters takes at Ezrin on Amused To Death over that whole thing is one of the all time great Waters quips. 

Thats true about Tide is Turning. And to me the album has an undercurrent of 'tech utopia' in that Billy is able to communicate despite his cognitive impairment, too. I wonder if Live Aid really made him that positive? Or if technology was exciting him? Just so unlike him to be positive - especially in the Raegan era.

In the recent Later Years press Mason talked about Ezrin sitting them down with some 'current' recordings and instructing Floyd to make music in that vein for Momentary Lapse - with triggers, sequencers, drum loops, etc. smh. I guess Ezrins famous in these parts for his input to legendary artists at this point.  Maybe he would have respected Waters artistry more than that era of Floyd though? Could have been cool maybe?

AHHH! I never knew the story behind that quip! Too cool! Waters is such a lovely maniac . Absolutely one of the greatest Waters quips!

 

Edited November 6, 2019 by soon

[RussTCB]

1 hour ago, soon said:

Thats true about Tide is Turning. And to me the album has an undercurrent of 'tech utopia' in that Billy is able to communicate despite his cognitive impairment, too. I wonder if Live Aid really made him that positive? Or if technology was exciting him? Just so unlike him to be positive - especially in the Raegan era.

In the recent Later Years press Mason talked about Ezrin sitting them down with some 'current' recordings and instructing Floyd to make music in that vein for Momentary Lapse - with triggers, sequencers, drum loops, etc. smh. I guess Ezrins famous in these parts for his input to legendary artists at this point.  Maybe he would have respected Waters artistry more than that era of Floyd though? Could have been cool maybe?

AHHH! I never knew the story behind that quip! Too cool! Waters is such a lovely maniac . Absolutely one of the greatest Waters quips!

 

Honestly, my only problem with Ezrin (with respect to Floyd) was that he should have made good on his word and gone to the KAOS project. I really think Floyd was going to make an 80s sounding record no matter who produced it at that point.

Aa far as Waters being hopefully on KAOS, I've never really thought about what would've triggered that. I mean, the Live Aid reference is there, but I don't know if I've ever thought about that being the main driver. 

I'm any case, he swung way back to his old ways on AFD anyway haha. AFD is second only to The Wall for me, so I'm glad he did swing back. I really like his latest effort as well. I don't think it got nearly the attention it deserves. 

[double talkin jive mfkr]

i've never gotten into post floyd waters - to me he peaked out at the wall and was never the same after he's like the character in the movie cuckoo - and then he came back with his solo touring and that worked fine 

gilmour is the true legend of floyd - he managed to surpass their old classic stuff by really taking in to the next level with A Momentary Lapse of Reason and Division Bell these 2 albums are for me the best material they ever produced as the songs are not boring like the old overplayed shit 

the only other chapter that is severely different from the rest is syd barrett - this is floyd being a dark occultist band hence syd going nuts himself ?? this is the most intriguing part of their story where I'd like to learn more

Edited November 6, 2019 by double talkin jive mfkr

[RussTCB]

1 hour ago, double talkin jive mfkr said:

i've never gotten into post floyd waters - to me he peaked out at the wall and was never the same after he's like the character in the movie cuckoo - and then he came back with his solo touring and that worked fine 

gilmour is the true legend of floyd - he managed to surpass their old classic stuff by really taking in to the next level with A Momentary Lapse of Reason and Division Bell these 2 albums are for me the best material they ever produced as the songs are not boring like the old overplayed shit 

the only other chapter that is severely different from the rest is syd barrett - this is floyd being a dark occultist band hence syd going nuts himself ?? this is the most intriguing part of their story where I'd like to learn more

Let me start by saying that I love David and Roger equally when it comes to Floyd material itself.

David is my favorite guitarist of all time and he's in the discussion with some of my favorite singers. 

Having said that, I think his post Floyd output pales in comparison to Waters. I think Momentary Lapse is OK at its very best. I absolutely love The Division Bell though. I think of David's solo works are just very bland though. 

I mentioned this previously, but I'm not totally in love with all of Rogers output since he left Floyd either. I think Amused To Death is flat out genius though. I think ATD is as good or better than anything Roger did with Floyd. I actually consider ATD to be a Floyd record even though Roger is the only member on it. 

I'm really curious about that last thing you mentioned though. I've never heard anything about that. Are there any sites or anything you can point me to? 

[double talkin jive mfkr]

2 hours ago, RussTCB said:

Let me start by saying that I love David and Roger equally when it comes to Floyd material itself.

David is my favorite guitarist of all time and he's in the discussion with some of my favorite singers. 

Having said that, I think his post Floyd output pales in comparison to Waters. I think Momentary Lapse is OK at its very best. I absolutely love The Division Bell though. I think of David's solo works are just very bland though. 

I mentioned this previously, but I'm not totally in love with all of Rogers output since he left Floyd either. I think Amused To Death is flat out genius though. I think ATD is as good or better than anything Roger did with Floyd. I actually consider ATD to be a Floyd record even though Roger is the only member on it. 

I'm really curious about that last thing you mentioned though. I've never heard anything about that. Are there any sites or anything you can point me to? 

yeah so regarding solo work i know of nothing of the two - to me the parallel is axl and slash both are better together with gilmour proving himself to be superior with the likes of division bell 

 

the last part i mentioned is my perception, i did do some reading but nothing really specific, i mean bowie was into that shit and why syd went nuts is beyond me but some of those songs are dark and cultish as fuck, to me he must've made some deal with the devil? if anybody knows anything pipe in 

[Gordon Comstock]

The Syd era needs a bit more love in this thread... in general, they were hit or miss, but this is a damn good song:

 

 

[RussTCB]

1 hour ago, Gordon Comstock said:

The Syd era needs a bit more love in this thread... in general, they were hit or miss, but this is a damn good song:

 

 

First off, yes, Julia Dream is a GREAT Floyd cut. 

Second; I'm in the weirdest place with Syd. I really don't care for Piper but I truly love his solo albums. 

[Gordon Comstock]

18 minutes ago, RussTCB said:

First off, yes, Julia Dream is a GREAT Floyd cut. 

Second; I'm in the weirdest place with Syd. I really don't care for Piper but I truly love his solo albums. 

 

Yea I almost never listen to Piper, but Relics is one of my most-played Floyd albums... some real gems on there.

[double talkin jive mfkr]

5 hours ago, Gordon Comstock said:

 

Yea I almost never listen to Piper, but Relics is one of my most-played Floyd albums... some real gems on there.

piper is the only thing to go by its the soundtrack of the blow up 60s 

[double talkin jive mfkr]

7 hours ago, Gordon Comstock said:

The Syd era needs a bit more love in this thread... in general, they were hit or miss, but this is a damn good song:

 

 

i did not know this cut

real deep deeper than any gnr cut could go

 so a combination of enchantment and fantasy - u can't compare this syd floyd to anyone - its new age psychadelic 

no wonder - bowie completely ripped off syd 

Edited November 7, 2019 by double talkin jive mfkr

[username]

8 hours ago, RussTCB said:

Second; I'm in the weirdest place with Syd. I really don't care for Piper but I truly love his solo albums. 

I don't think that's too weird. Madcap and Barrett are amazing. Opel has good tunes too. Radio One Sessions is great and Bob Dylan Blues on the compilations is a personal favorite as well. 

Terrapin, Dominoes, Here I Go, Golden Hair, Octopus, Baby Lemonade, Gigolo Aunt, Wouldn't You Miss Me... They're all a distinct style, but still much more accessible than Syd's Floyd work imo. I love his solo stuff. 

Some songs are easy to like, such as Bike, Arnold Layne, See Emily Play, Astronomy Domine. But others are really..... out there. 

[soon]

10 hours ago, Gordon Comstock said:

The Syd era needs a bit more love in this thread... in general, they were hit or miss, but this is a damn good song:

 

 

Yes to more Syd love. Yes to Julia Dream! 

Too me, Julia Dream kinda marks the end of the Syd era as its the b-side to It Would Be So Nice (Wright), which is the first post-Barrett single. Marks the beginning of Waters writing great tracks imho, too. Gilmour on vocals. The new, classic, formula.

Relics is awesome. Biding My Time is a jam