Ok I know this is an odd post for Christmas Eve...
Yesterday I watched the documentary on the making of this album. Very interesting story for die-hard Pink Floyd fans. I knew some of it - the stuff about Syd coming into the studio and nobody recognizing him at first - but it was fascinating to hear the band members talk about it first-hand.
Anyway, I put the album on again tonight. The new SACD/5.1 mix.
It's hard for me to explain what I think about this album, and just how GOOD it is. This is not a rock album, it is a rock symphony. And I mean that with all the weight of classical music history that is so dear to me. As much as I like DSotM and other Floyd albums, this one has the most amazing musical composition to it. I think in 100-200 years (it's already been ~40), people will be talking about this album, in the context of 70's pop/rock, in the same way we think of some of the great symphonies and other works of the classical era in their time. It stands out, in my opinion, this much above the other music of the same period.
I think I can see maybe why it didn't top the charts in the same way DSotM did, because relatively little of the album is "radio playable" - which to me is 100% irrelevant, but certainly an issue for the commercial setting and the ratings. This music seems to me to be so far above typical radio fare, it's hardly surprising that it didn't gain the notoriety of DSotM - not that it did badly of course.
The music in this album is very satisfying, and very emotional. And while I don't generally pay much attention to lyrics, of course the lyrics here have a lot of meaning behind them.
I also didn't realize until I watched the documentary that the singer on Have a Cigar is not one of the regular band members, but a friend/colleague of theirs named Roy Harper.
Finally, if you haven't had a chance to hear this in 5.1, I highly recommend it. It's not an over-the-top sort of surround mix, but succeeds in separating some of the parts so that they're more distinct. It's very well done, IMHO.
Sorry for the long ramble. Merry Christmas, my friends.
Yesterday I watched the documentary on the making of this album. Very interesting story for die-hard Pink Floyd fans. I knew some of it - the stuff about Syd coming into the studio and nobody recognizing him at first - but it was fascinating to hear the band members talk about it first-hand.
Anyway, I put the album on again tonight. The new SACD/5.1 mix.
It's hard for me to explain what I think about this album, and just how GOOD it is. This is not a rock album, it is a rock symphony. And I mean that with all the weight of classical music history that is so dear to me. As much as I like DSotM and other Floyd albums, this one has the most amazing musical composition to it. I think in 100-200 years (it's already been ~40), people will be talking about this album, in the context of 70's pop/rock, in the same way we think of some of the great symphonies and other works of the classical era in their time. It stands out, in my opinion, this much above the other music of the same period.
I think I can see maybe why it didn't top the charts in the same way DSotM did, because relatively little of the album is "radio playable" - which to me is 100% irrelevant, but certainly an issue for the commercial setting and the ratings. This music seems to me to be so far above typical radio fare, it's hardly surprising that it didn't gain the notoriety of DSotM - not that it did badly of course.
The music in this album is very satisfying, and very emotional. And while I don't generally pay much attention to lyrics, of course the lyrics here have a lot of meaning behind them.
I also didn't realize until I watched the documentary that the singer on Have a Cigar is not one of the regular band members, but a friend/colleague of theirs named Roy Harper.
Finally, if you haven't had a chance to hear this in 5.1, I highly recommend it. It's not an over-the-top sort of surround mix, but succeeds in separating some of the parts so that they're more distinct. It's very well done, IMHO.
Sorry for the long ramble. Merry Christmas, my friends.
