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THE REVIEW
Finally, with my fifth review, I have decided to talk about my favorite band: who are they? But of course, the Pink Floyd! Here is Meddle, certainly not the most famous album, but one of the most beautiful in terms of experimentation.
It is 1971, a memorable year for rock and music in general: Jethro Tull releases "Aqualung", "Machine Head" by Deep Purple comes out, and Genesis reaches the pinnacle of progressive with "Nursery Crime", while the radio endlessly plays "Stairway To Heaven" by Led Zeppelin, released a few months earlier. Pink Floyd, after the release of Atom Heart Mother, were not caught unprepared and published an album in some respects influenced by the psychedelia of the Barrett era, but which also reflects the new progressive "turn" that characterized the band in the early '70s.
This fantastic LP begins with the harsh and biting "One of these Days": everything revolves around the perfect sound of a bass that marches triumphantly forward, introduced by a light rustle, reaching its peak when Roger Waters utters the fateful words: "One of these days I'm going to cut you into little pieces". Also noteworthy is the distorted guitar in the background by a certain gentleman named David Jon Gilmour, now more than ever reached full maturity. The first masterpiece of the album. It is followed by "A Pillow of Winds", a sweet, poignant ballad over which Gilmour's strong and clear voice stands out, accompanied by an acoustic guitar. "Fearless" is a truly unique track, as it ends with the addition of a choir of Liverpool fans; a very simple melody, but suggestive. We then have "St. Tropez", a really cute song, with a lush rhythm: a gem of the entire record. "Seamus," the penultimate track, features the keyboard of Richard Wright, accompanied by the howling of a greyhound named as such.
What's next, you ask? I will answer immediately: we are in the presence of the English band's "masterpiece" suite: "Echoes", lasting only 23:31 minutes! I have no words to define this song: it starts with a repeated note, to which Nick Mason's percussion is later added. We reach dreamy atmospheres: the guitar, very bluesy, and the deep keyboard. The voices of Gilmour and Wright come together to create a single deep "echo". The second part, perhaps a bit unsettling, makes us understand the degree of maturity the band has reached, no longer Syd-dependent, but now autonomous (note also the great experimental vein). This track is also considered a direct precursor to an album that will be published a few years later (and if I'm not mistaken it has a cover with a prism crossed by a beam of light, does it ring a bell?). The suite concludes with the initial theme, finishing with the homogeneous and chilling voices of Dave and Rick.
Probably one of the first great works of the post-psychedelic period. The band loves to range across various genres (including folk, blues, and a pinch of jazz) even if they have not yet reached their compositional peak. However, the group already demonstrates a cohesion that will lead them to achieve their maximum musical expression in the '73-'75 period.
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Summary by Bot
This review highlights Pink Floyd's 1971 album Meddle as a pivotal work blending psychedelia and progressive rock. It praises key tracks like the intense 'One of These Days' and the epic 23-minute suite 'Echoes.' The album is recognized for its experimentation and the band's musical maturity post-Syd Barrett. Though not their most famous, Meddle is celebrated for its cohesion and genre-spanning variety.Tracklist Lyrics Videos
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd formed in London in 1965 and became a defining force in psychedelic and progressive rock. The classic lineage spans Syd Barrett’s founding vision, Roger Waters’ conceptual leadership, Richard Wright’s harmonic textures, Nick Mason’s pulse, and David Gilmour’s arrival in 1968, shaping their signature sound.237 Reviews
Other reviews
By zuckina
'Echoes' is a suite of more than twenty minutes, and on its own would be enough to elevate Meddle to the level of a masterpiece.
There is a melody that continues to be played, again and again, and at the same time it rises to higher frequencies, almost imperceptibly, and reaches nowhere. So is the Echoes chorus at the end.
By Torre Ste
"One Of These Days" spreads visceral energy to the listener, making one forget that this is the theme for Dribbling for a moment.
"Echoes" is a classic Pink Floyd suite to be listened to in the dark with closed eyes, freeing the mind from thoughts and letting oneself be carried away by the notes far from the real world.
By FLOYDMAN
Water, 'Water was the perfect subject for this album'… it is changeable yet constant and controllable, in some ways even varied and different.
'Echoes' represents the best sound symphony of Pink Floyd: an advanced stage, another step… toward the Dark Side of the Moon.
By Breus
Meddle puzzled the growing crowd of fans back then, who...did not expect an excursion into blues and intimate ballads.
'Echoes' remains in the collective imagination a masterpiece, never inflated and never abused, whether for its length, or for its substantial indivisibility.
By Valeriorivoli
"One of these days I'm going to cut you into little pieces," is more than a phrase—it's a furious threat transformed into psychedelic art.
Pink works just when you put earplugs in for mumps and decontextualize them into an adjective... like listen to this piece it doesn't sound a bit old pink.
