Pink Floyd - Meddle

Mon 31st Jan, 2005 in Music Reviews

This is the ultimate space rock album. No doubt about it… Not as well known to non-Floyd fans than say The Wall or Dark Side, this has so many buried treasures I don’t know where to begin. This is Dave Gilmour’s album (although all lyrics were written by Roger Waters), with many of the psychedelic rockouts orchestrated by him and his earthy voice dominating the album. With only six tracks on the album, it is dominated by the sheer beauty and eeriness of its closer, Echoes which many have listened to in a darkened room and imagined all kinds of outrageous ideas.

The album kicks off with the almost instrumental track, the pulsating One Of These Days, the only words being uttered by Floyd drummer Nick Mason – a sinsiter snarl saying “One of these days, I’m gonna cut you to pieces” – through a vocoder and echoes added for effect. It’s a great jam piece and I know for a fact this is one of Kostya Tzsyu’s favourite songs of all time. Apparently he used to come out to fights with this as his backing music. It sure is one hell of a gee-up song!

The next track softens the blow, a gentle ballad with breathy vocals; and in case you forgot how calming this song is, the first lyrics read: “A cloud of eiderdown draws around me/Softening the sound.” The album in content and musically is more pastoral than other Pink Floyd offerings and even has a bit of humour in it, which some people have yet to grasp (more on this later).

The only true rock song on the album is Fearless - but even this samples Rodgers’ and Hammestein’s You’ll Never Walk Alone sung by the Liverpool Kop Choir – and includes quite decent uplifting lyrics and the song bounces along to a quite infectious melody and becomes quite catchy after two or so listens.

The next two songs though divide opinion amongst the band’s devoted fellowship. Both are short bouncy pieces uncharacteristic to most of Pink Floyd’s other works. I for one enjoy both songs. The jazz lounge feel of San Tropez includes some of Waters’ earliest remarks and lampooning of the rich and division of wealth, (sample lyric – “I’m drinking champagne like a good tycoon”) and the sly in-joke of Seamus - a blues ridden tale of a dog outside the kitchen puts a smile on my face every time I hear the howling dog in the background.

And now I come to the aforementioned Echoes... WOW!!! Starting with a single keyboard note made to sound like sonar or some tripped out thing, this piece goes on for an astounding 23 minutes, and this truly was the start of the classic Pink Floyd sound. Awesome lyrics, with a haunting melody that well really never stops. It should put goosebumps on your back and after a few listens you’ll be sounding like some old fogey repeating to everyone you know – “They sure don’t make songs like they used to.”

The first time you put this CD into your player, make sure the curtains are drawn, the light is low, and let yourself dream that you’re travelling past exploding stars and black holes that suck you into a realm of possibilities.