The BBC have been running a series of programmes on Pink Floyd. What this means in practice: a 'new' documentary (old pics and clips used with scant regard to chronology), the previously broadcast programmes on the making of 'Dark Side' and Syd Barrett, and (which I have yet to see) a solo concert by Gilmour.
Watching the main documentary one thing became abundantly clear: as of 1973 the Floyd - speaking of the group as a functioning unit - ceased to have any ideas. You get the feeling that 'Dark Side' was such a phenomenal hit and realised so many of their individual ambitions (creative and financial) that they didn't really know where to go next.
As I see it, the next move was to side step music making as such (ie actually developing, exploring, experimenting) and to do all in their power to safeguard the Brand Name. Wish You Were Here was, by definition, looking backwards - one wonders had Barrett not gone so 'romantically' crazy what Floyd would have had to sustain them; The Wall looked like a new departure but was, in fact, a construction out of old materials. Albums post-Waters are so clearly cobbled together and designed to include every Floydian trademark to keep the punters happy (echo piano effects, incredibly slow openings, soaring Gilmour guitar parts, usefully vague lyrics about 'us' and 'thems' and 'you' and 'mes'). Y-a-w-n.... . You keep getting the 'aroma' without any substance.
The reunion in London was the climax for the documentary and pulled on all sorts of predictable dewy-eyed journalistic cliches. Would Floyd re-form? Could we dream of a new album - a real new Floyd (meaning Gilmour, Wright, Mason and Waters) album? Oh! What an album that would be ...
And then you realise: no, it wouldn't be. For the 'reunion' in London is the Pink Floyd moment in excelsis: a celebration of an easily avoided feud, using music which has always been about celebrating some hypothesized golden moment in the past - you can call it Syd Barrett, or pre-Second World War England, or the 60s, or pre-solo Waters, but it is really Pink Floyd itself. If there ever was that 'golden moment' it was probably at one of those dank little clubs where everyone was dancing not terribly aware of the music other than as something weird and mind-expanding and a good excuse to gyrate around to and the lead singer looked rather unusual*. Ironically, it is the very moment Barrett epitomised and Waters did his best to leave behind as soon as possible. Why? Because you'd never sell a million albums with that kind of music. Soft Machine did carry on in that vein -and look what happened to them. (But then they were interested in the music).
So a 'new' Floyd album is something of a contradiction in terms. (I realise now why they actually called an album 'Relics'). What else have they been doing - almost from the word go - but trading in the past (and which is none other than their own)? For all Waters' hatred of the war years, 'his' band has been the epitome of 1940s austerity: make a little go a (very) long way. Thrift and good housekeeping are other ways to put it. They haven't wasted a scrap nor an opportunity to re-package it, re-sell it, all in the name of keeping the brand going. What a success story!
__________
* what a give away when Waters admitted that the reason they had such a spectacular light show was that otherwise fans would find actually listening to the music "boring".
5 comments:
I don't know anything about Pink Floyd. Is DARK SIDE their best album? (People seem to be calling it the Best Album of All Time on Amazon, but what I've sampled on iTunes hasn't exactly blown me away -- it sounds rather tidy & twee & for a devout Miles Davis fan, as I am, a track lasting 7 minutes really isn't all that radical!)
I used to have RELICS years ago on cassette (!) & the songs have stayd with me, in my head, but I have no desire to 'own' it again...
I'm thinking the Floyd may be a bit MOR for my taste. Give me The Residents' THIRD REICH 'N' ROLL (1976) or even THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA (1968) any day...
Walrus
Dear Walrus
As you will have gathered I have rather conflicting feelings about Floyd. 'Wish You Were Here' was the first real rock record I heard as an impressionable 13 year-old and my early listening was shaped by it (for better or worse). Listening to Floyd is steeped in adolescent memories and so the music - as such - is coloured (tainted?). I do like the Gilmour guitar sound and Wright's keyboard washes. I'm also a big fan of Barrett's solo work and tracks such as 'See Emily Play'. Then again, the Blog has covered this.
However, I deplore the corporate aspect of Floyd's music and - as I have come to realise - their limited repertoire. What I once heard as dazzling new ideas have dimmed into tired old gimmicks.
Also, discovering Zappa altered my tastes irrevocably - I think that is the price you pay for getting into his work. So much other music pales in comparison. And yes, I too love Miles Davis - the 50s cool period, the 60s rock phase (Jack Johnson!), and the resurrected Miles of 'We Want Miles' etc. Teo Macero's editing interests me a lot (eg 'In A Silent Way').
The Belgianwaffle Guide to Pink Floyd reads thus:
i) listen to 'Echoes' on 'Meddle' - a key transition moment between their earlier freer form music and the more MOR stadium rock stuff. That the opening bars are used and re-used in later pieces shouldn't spoil the effect. Probably my favourite track.
ii) 'Wish You Were Here' - as much for the whole album design as the music. Wright's keyboards are lovely. 'Shine On' is a key track.
iii) 'Animals' - supposedly a bad album. I think it's great to listen to for Waters' vocals: adenoidal and embittered.
iv) And yes, I suppose 'Dark Side of the Moon'. I expect iTunes raves about it due to Radiohead fans discovering it. 'Us and Them' is my favourite here and now I know why: Rick Wright listened to Bill Evans records and stole a few chord changes.
v) 'See Emily Play' (off 'Piper at the Gates of Dawn') massive 60s nostalgia trip. Then EVERYTHING by Barrett on his own. He is my 'poete maudit' of choice. That he fluffs notes, stops after a few bars, was a nightmare to record with is all part of the legend. Great original album art and the repackaging as a double was good too. CDs don't capture the charm.
Nothing past Waters' departure is worth more than one play on the iPod. (If that).
Solo Gilmour is worth looking into - his recent concerts have been very appealing (at least the DVDs I've seen). He strips away the songs and is obviously trying to make more of a connection with his audience. He seems to be a Nice Bloke.
Rick Wright's 'Wet Dream' (not sure you can even get it on CD) is quite nice in a South Of France-by-the-pool-70s kind of way.
Funny thing is - having grown up filling my ears with Pink Floyd, I found myself supervising Roger Waters' son - Harry - at a sixth form college in the UK. A really friendly chap and now getting into jazz I see.
Don't know much about the Residents beyond the 'concept'.
Do you know Soft Machine? Soft Machine 3 puts everything by the Floyd into the shade - musically speaking. Probably more to your taste, too.
OK.
The Madcap Laughs etc.
Cheers
The C.
and a few further thoughts ...
I think it is rhythmically where Floyd really come a cropper. As I began to appreciate what drummers could do (Vinnie Colaiuta, Chester Thompson, Bill Bruford, early Robert Wyatt) so Nick Mason sounded more and more uninspired.
Bands I shut my ears to as a know-it-all-spotty Floyd-head - Yes and King Crimson in particular - were streets ahead in terms of sheer playing ability. Do you know King Crimson's early record 'Lark's Tongues in Aspic'? That's really worth a listen.
The BBC documentary - if you did see it - was very misleading and superficial. Clips and photos were used out of sync with the period in question. Also, the early 'experimental' Floyd was under-explored. According to The Wire they were rather more open to what was going on in modern music than many people assume (or perhaps than the band wish to admit now). The tape experimentation that people such as the BBC Radiophonic Workshop's Delia Derbyshire was doing had filtered through. And I get the impression that Rick Wright was listening to quite a lot of jazz - Miles' 'Kind of Blue' seems to have been a formative influence.
Essentially, Waters and Mason were products of architectural school: they thought of albums as buildings. No coincidence that 'The Wall' came into being. They also wanted fame and fortune. Barrett, on the other hand, was out of art school (and continued painting) and seemed much more in tune with the whole 60s scene of radical experimentation. I think his lyrics - on the solo albums especially - are interesting, too.
To be honest, I listen to Floyd these days in much the same way as I'd take a long warm bath: comforting and relaxing but after a while you have to get out. Now I drive - it only took me 39 years to get my licence - several of the albums work well on a car stereo. (Oh dear, am I turning into Jeremy Clarkson ...?).
More likely to be playing on the belgianwaffle iPod wavelength are:
- Faust (early albums)
- King Crimson (ditto)
- Yes (ditto)
- Kevin Ayers
- Soft Machine (up to 5)
- Hatfield & The North
- Gong
- Can
- Genesis (a few key tracks - teenage habits die hard)
with grudging nods towards The Velvet Underground.
And, of course, Zappa.
I am interested to hear about your Miles Davis obsession. What, for you, are the key albums? I'm all ears!
The C.
Blimey, Miles Davis. Where to begin. Key albums? Well, all I can really say is that the music of Miles Davis is like my mind working and making music, without the effort of actually having to learn an instrument. It’s like thinking in notes, to the extent that there’s not even any self-conscious feeling of “I am listening to music.” So he is the only one for me. It’s as if he’s playing solely for me and different albums appeal at different times, depending on my mood. It would be really hard for me to pick just 10 top albums, but here goes.
Having said all of the above, I’m not a big fan of the early stuff. I really can’t stand bebop, so I come in a little later on with the Columbia studio albums. My first taste of Miles was Sketches of Spain and I still love that Gil Evans sound (tho it seems a little tame once you’ve tasted the later Miles). Out of those albums (Sketches, Porgy and Bess, even Quiet Nights has its moments) I’m going to pick Miles Ahead for the first of my Top Ten, principally for the track “My Ship”, which creeps into my head at odd times and has never gone away. The whole album is just beautiful, as far as I’m concerned.
Let’s take it for granted that Kind of Blue is a masterpiece (tho I don’t listen to it all that much), so I’ll leave it off my list. Same goes for Seven Steps to Heaven.
So my personal 10 at the moment would be:
TOP 10
Miles Ahead
Someday My Prince Will Come. I thought this would be terribly corny, principally due to the title track being from a Disney film. But it’s sublime. Something like “I Thought About You” just playing in the background of your life – it makes it all better, if a little wistful.
Miles Smiles. Another album that lingers (like Miles Ahead). A song like “Circle” just envelops you and takes you away. But where?
Filles de Kilimanjaro. Sheer unadulterated genius. One of my all-time favourites. And if you want to know great drumming, welcome to Tony Williams. Wow. A stand-out track for me is “Mademoiselle Mabry”. Too subtle to work in a car. You need headphones & a very quiet room. And a bed, preferably. Just don’t fall asleep.
In a Silent Way. Proof of Teo Macero’s splicing ability. A fine album; genius throughout.
Bitches Brew. People scared me off this one for years, so that when I finally bought it I was pleasantly surprised to find it’s just funky – what’s to be scared of? Brilliant music for walking around town.
E.S.P. A beautiful, light album. “Little Ones”, “Iris”, just meander in the head.
Live-Evil. My absolute favourite of the 70s stuff, with On the Corner a close second. “Sivad” really gets me going in the morning. “What I Say” is just wonderful.
On the Corner. “Black Satin” – need I say more? (Actually I even like the remix on Panthalassa, but real jazz buffs don’t admit to this.)
Get Up with It. Heard the first track, “He Loved Him Madly” on a very hot day, I was tired, the curtains were drawn, I was on the sofa, this was swirling around the room. A kind of “trip” of sorts ensued. Very odd. But “Maiysha” is my favourite here (I even, in a very nerdy way, like to listen to it alongside “Prelude Pt 2” (Agharta)).
Water Babies. I absolutely love it. I think this and Live-Evil & On the Corner are really the most fun for me. “Dual Mr Anthony Tilmon Williams Process” is a stand-out track for me. More delicious drum-work.
Oops. That’s 11. And I’ve yet to mention the moody film score for Ascenseur pour l'Échafaud, A Tribute to Jack Johnson (a fave of yours, I know), My Funny Valentine (delicious, soothing vibes), Agharta and Pangaea (both contain great moments), or We Want Miles (the nerd in me likes to play “My Man’s Gone Now” alongside the Porgy & Bess album version), although We Want Miles loses marks for utilising slap bass. Yuk, I say, but I’ll live with it if Miles is playing over it.
There’s more, of course, Nefertiti, Sorceror, Milestones, Miles in the Sky – there’s something on every one of these albums, but I’m going to stop now before everybody falls zzzz zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
That's a great post - you should have a Blog (maybe you do, but you're not letting on ... I'd read it, anyway!).
Miles is your Zappa (speaking from my warped perspective). Actually a year ago I set myself the task of listening to Miles from start to finish - you can find traces of the project in the Blog - having always loved what I'd heard but never really getting into it.
Your post revives the desire - and points me to albums I'd not heard or thought of great interest - for which many thanks!
You don't go for the Marcus Miller slap bass on 'We Want'? Oh, that's a pity - I LOVE the whole funk sound of the album - hot, sweaty, 'dirty' late night atmospherics. Miles meets George Clinton, no?
'Lift to the Scaffold' is absolutely super-dooper (the film too - and Jeanne Moreau!).
I posted a while ago about 'Star People' - I kept playing that CD.
I'm going to dig out the CDs and have another bout of Miles - your post has inspired me.
Fab!
Cheers
The C.
Post a Comment