Pink Floyd Retrospective: Album 06- Meddle

 

Pink Floyd starts rounding into their peak form...

Album:  Meddle

Year Released:    1971

Lineup:

Pink Floyd

• David Gilmour – electric guitars (1–4, 6), acoustic guitars (2, 3, 5), bass (in unison with Waters) (1), harmonica (5), vocals (2, 3, 5, 6)
• Nick Mason – drums (1, 3, 4, 6), percussion (2–4, 6), vocal phrase (1)
• Roger Waters – bass (all tracks), acoustic guitar (3, 4), vocals (4)
• Richard Wright – piano (1, 3–6), Hammond organ (1, 2, 6), Farfisa organ (6), vocals (6)

Additional personnel

• Rob Black – engineering (Morgan Studios)
• Peter Bown – engineering (Air and EMI Studios)
• Peter Curzon – design on album remaster
• Bob Dowling – outer sleeve photos
• Doug Sax, James Guthrie – 1992 remastering at The Mastering Lab^[54]
• James Guthrie, Joel Plante – 2011 remastering at das boot recording^[55]
• Hipgnosis – band photo
• John Leckie – engineering (Air and EMI Studios)
• Tony May – inner sleeve photos
• Pink Floyd – album cover design
• Roger Quested – engineering (Morgan Studio)
• Seamus the Dog – vocals on "Seamus"
• Storm Thorgerson – design on album remaster

Track Listing:

Side one

No. Title                                                                           Length

1. "One of These Days"                                           5:57

2.     "A Pillow of Winds"                                                    5:13

3.     "Fearless"                                                                  6:08

4.     "San Tropez"                                                             3:44

5.     "Seamus"                                                                  2:15

Total length: 23:17

Side two

No. Title                                                                          Length

6. "Echoes"                                                                  23:30

Total length: 23:30

Album Length:  46:47

Overall Thoughts:

The sixth album by Pink Floyd, Meddle, shows the group growing from their pure Psychedlic Rock roots from Syd Barrett.  There's more energy in the songs, and more focus, while still keeping their roots.  The group is levelling up, and while they haven't hit their peak yet, you can see the direction.

They start off with 'One Of Those Days', an instrumental that evokes anger and violence.  It's well done, and clocking in under 6 minutes, short for an instrumental.  'A Pillow of Winds' is softer and folkier, a strong contrast to their first song (a theme that resonantes throughout Pink Floyd as they move away from Syd Barrett's influence).  "Fearless" is an excellent song about being yourself even in the face of society (and ends with Liverpool fans singing "You'll Never Walk Alone").  "San Tropez" is a timeless jaunt and could have been a hit 30 years earlier. 

The album finishes with "Echoes", a 23 minute epic.  It's like most Progressive Rock epics- a decent song that is too long.  If it stopped at the 11 minute mark the song would be better.  

On an unrelated side note- this is truly a hideous album cover.  It manages to be ugly and not really look like anything (the idea was supposedly 'An ear underwater'.

Overall, it's an excellent album- the best one the band had created to date.  

Ranking of Pink Floyd Albums (adding as more albums are reviewed):

1. Meddle
2. A Saucerful of Secrets
3. Ummagumma
4. More
5. Piper at the Gates of Dawn
6. Atom Heart Mother

Top 10 Pink Floyd Songs (changing as more albums are reviewed):

1. "Fearless", Meddle
2. "Let There Be More Light", A Saucerful of Secrets
3. "Set The Controls For the Heart of the Sun", A Saucerful of Secrets
4. "San Tropez", Meddle
5. "Remember A Day", A Saucerful of Secrets
6. "Cirrus Minor", More
7. "Flaming", A Piper At the Gates of Dawn
8. "One of Those Days", Meddle
9. "Astronomy Dominé", A Piper At the Gates of Dawn
10. "A Saucerful of Secrets", A Saucerful of Secrets