Review Summary: One of Pink Floyd’s most exquisite pieces. It’s one of their most enduring and beloved albums.
“Meddle” is the sixth studio album of Pink Floyd and was released in 1971. The line up on the album is David Gilmour, Richard Wright, Roger Waters and Nick Mason.
In 1967, Pink Floyd released their debut album, “The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn”, a fantastic work led by Syd Barrett. That album launched the band into instant form of super stardom at a very young age. Over the next years, no longer with Barrett but with Gilmour, the band experimented with differing sounds and textures, forging many great moments. But, without “The Dark Side Of The Moon” and the albums that followed, their status today would be decidedly diminished. Most everyone would agree that this album made of them who they are today, but not as many people might appreciate that, if it wasn’t for “Meddle”, probably there would have been no “The Dark Side Of The Moon”.
More than any other album during that period, “Meddle” finds the happy medium of those two successful yet divergent eras of Pink Floyd. It contains enough experimental music to make it interesting to the art lover, just enough melodic songs to be liked by the pop music lover, and a few brilliant moments of theatrical rock to make it collectible for those who love “The Dark Side Of The Moon”. “Meddle” is a classic album that isn’t accorded the level of attention it would otherwise receive if didn’t exist within the ever expanding shadow of the subsequent string of albums it helped inspire.
Pink Floyd has finally emerged from “Atom Heart Mother” phase. They tried to cover for it by putting a particular series of subliminal sound effects on “Atom Heart Mother”. “Atom Heart Mother”, for all its glories, was an acquired taste, and Pink Floyd wisely decided to trim back its orchestral excesses for its follow-up. “Meddle” not only confirms Gilmour’s as a real shaping force in the band, but it also states that the band is well into the growth again. “Meddle” spends most of its time with sonic textures and elongated compositions, most notably on its epic closer, “Echoes”. Pink Floyd was nothing if not masters of texture, and “Meddle” is one of their greatest excursions into little details, pointing the way to the measured brilliance of “The Dark Side Of The Moon”. “Meddle” is one of Pink Floyd’s most consistent explorations of mood and stands as the strongest album they released between Syd’s departure and “The Dark Side Of The Moon”.
The first side of the album contains five standard lengthy tracks while the second contains the single and side long “Echoes”. This track forecasts much of what Pink Floyd would put out throughout the decade of the 70’s, save the shorter material on “The Wall”. This track is, in my opinion, one of the best things that Pink Floyd ever has made. It got a very typical Pink Floyd’s melody, very atmospheric keyboards, excellent Gilmour guitar, dark and gloomy parts with natural sounds and a great Hammond sound from Wright. This track is simply progressive rock music at its very best.
The first side starts with the instrumental “One Of These Days”, which would become a concert staple for decades to come. It’s quite genius in all its simplicity. Basically it’s just a bass line and a two chord keyboard theme, but it sounds really awesome. “A Pillow of Winds” is a soft acoustic love song much in the vein of those put out on albums like “Ummagumma” and “Atom Heart Mother”. This second song could not be in more contrast to the first one. “Fearless” is highlighted by Gilmour’s calm yet strong guitar strumming and the odd beat from drummer Mason. The odd ending to the song uses field recordings from an English soccer game, with fans singing. “San Tropez” is a jazz-inflected song with a shuffle tempo, composed and sang by Waters. It adds yet another diverse dimension to the album with its easy going crooner like melody and atmosphere. “Seamus” is a pseudo blues novelty song meant to be humorous filler with an annoying, howling dog throughout. The song is often ranked as the worst song ever by dedicated Pink Floyd’s fans.
“Meddle” was recorded at a series of locations around London, including the Abbey Road Studios, at several occasions between January and August of 1971. “Meddle” reached gold record in 1973 and platinum and double platinum in 1994.
Conclusion: Pink Floyd released four masterpieces, “The Dark Side Of The Moon”, “Wish You Were Here”, “Animals” and “The Wall”. If “Meddle”, instead of “San Tropez” and especially “Seamus” had two better songs, would be certainly another masterpiece. “Meddle” was the turning point of the band’s sound, which became more evolved and original. “Meddle” launched the roots of what would be the trademark of their music, which would influence so many bands of so different styles. “Meddle” launched the band, particularly through “The Dark Side Of The Moon”, to the world of fame and stardom, beyond the realm of the prog, having reached a so high level, that we can say that no other progressive band reached. I’ll leave you with a phrase of Gilmour that defines the importance that “Meddle” had for the group: «“Meddle” are among of my favourite Pink Floyd’s albums. For me, it was the beginning of the walk of Pink Floyd”».
Music was my first love.
John Miles (Rebel)
