Reply #41: My take on each album you listed: [View All]

Piper at the Gates and Saucerful of Secrets: Syd Barrett, psychadelic rock with a very different sound. Good, but not what most people assocaite with Floyd. Fun guitar, very experimental, Interstellar Overdrive, Bike, etc.
Good stuff, not what most people think of first though.


Ummagumma: I will never, EVER, listen to this album while high and alone in the dark again. Scared the shit outta me.


Atom Heart Mother: Very instrumental, some tracks have an almost Epic sound. Seems to be the first and only time Rick Wrigh really stepped forward and dominated with keys and organ, as both are heavily present on this album. It was panned or skipped over by many, though. Most people know it for its cover, the cow, and nothing more.


Meddle: I found this album to be very dark and deep. Arguably the biggest hit on this one is Echoes (they even chose it as the title track for a recent greatest hits album). Instrumentally was very good, but I don't listen to it much.


Dark Side: C'mon. Who hasn't heard this album. Its a fantastic piece of work, and part of the reason for its success, I think (aside from the Wizzard of Oz sync-up, the stoner-coulture value, and the marketing) is because it is a thematic, non-stop album and all of the songs seem to flow together seamlessly into one 40-minute long song. Hell, most people think Brain Damage / Eclipse is one song whose title is "Dark Side of the Moon". Its very, very good, but it is very overplayed and somewhat overrated.


Wish You Were Here: Short album (in number of songs). Its unfortunate that the song Wish You Were Here got so much play and success, because it caused people to overlook the other three songs on the album (Shine On..., Welcome to the Machine, Have a Cigar), all of which are stellar songs. Anyone setting out to make a Greatest Hits album for this band would be best off grabbing this entire album and putting the songs on in track order.


Animals: Fantastic and underplayed album. Some suggest it is modeled on the animal roles defined in Orwell's Animal farm, as it very well could be. There is a song about Pigs, or politicians, and the adding in of the description "Three Different Ones" might even be a reference to Orwell's work. There is a song about dogs, the ruthless capitalists and the enforcers for the pigs, a song that reminds us that there is no honor or loyalty among their class. And there is a song about sheep, reminding us just what the other animals think of the general public. The song Pigs on the Wing brings us into the album, and takes us back out. This is a must-listen album for anyone interested in politics.


The Wall: Everyone knows what this album is, everyone knows what it is about. Ask anyone to name their five favorite Floyd songs, and at least two will appear on the wall. Whether a scathing commentary on British private schools or the ramblings of a spoiled boy who's daddy never came home from the war, this album is arguably a classic and has been played by countless high school students who were sick of the bullshit and trying to find escape. However, just like Dark Side, I can't vote for this album as I feel it is too overrated and overplayed.


A Momentary Lapse of Reason: Roger Waters left, and David Gilmore stepped up. He delivered many good songs, like The Dogs of War and Terminal Frost, and even turned out a few hits, such as On The Turning Away and the very popular Learning to Fly. But this album just seemed to lack something that the previous albums had.