Line #39 AwesomeMusic/PinkFloyd


1	!!'''As a Moments subpage, all spoilers are unmarked [[Administrivia/SpoilersOff as per policy]]. Administrivia/YouHaveBeenWarned.'''
2
3	There's a ''very'' [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic good reason]] that Music/PinkFloyd -- Music/RogerWaters, Music/SydBarrett, David Gilmour, Richard Wright, and Nick Mason -- is one of the most successful acts ever.
4	----
5	* Sitting down and listening to a Pink Floyd album from start to finish almost always counts as Awesome Music. ''Music/{{Meddle}}'', ''Music/TheDarkSideOfTheMoon'', ''Music/{{Wish You Were Here\|1975}}'', ''Music/{{Animals\|1977}}'' and ''Music/TheWall'' are particularly well put together. ''Music/ThePiperAtTheGatesOfDawn'' and ''Music/ASaucerfulOfSecrets'' are awesome too. Some may find ''Music/TheFinalCut'' fits into this category.
6
7	[[AC:Music/ThePiperAtTheGatesOfDawn (1967)]]
8	* The whole album is 42 minutes of prime space rock/psychedelia, including "Astronomy Domine", "Lucifer Sam", "Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk", "Interstellar Overdrive", and "Bike", as well as the singles, "Arnold Layne" and "See Emily Play", that were spawned during this period.
9
10	[[AC:Music/ASaucerfulOfSecrets (1968)]]
11	* [[https://youtu.be/Cu5acxwxc00 "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun"]] (the only song to feature performances by both Syd Barrett and David Gilmour) is one of the masterpieces of Pink Floyd's early psychedelic era. Roger Waters' haunting, whispered vocals, Richard Wright's wizardry with the Farfisa organ and vibraphone, and Nick Mason's soft drumming make this song an unforgettable classic.
12	* The darkly satirical [[https://youtu.be/WM9I_y72fGk "Corporal Clegg"]] does the improbable and makes a ''kazoo solo'' awesome. It is also notable for being the only Pink Floyd song to feature lead vocals by Nick Mason (though only in the verses).
13	* "[[https://youtu.be/RXkqayAc6Ew Jugband Blues]]", Syd Barrett's swan song with Floyd, is an SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic moment in its creepiness. It's a SanitySlippageSong by a singer who knows he's being fired from his own band, and yet it's so ''deliberate'', showing that the guy who ''was'' Pink Floyd just 12 months earlier is still there, if only for the last three minutes of the album.
14
15	[[AC:Music/{{More}} (1969)]]
16	* "The Nile Song" and "Ibiza Bar" AKA the heaviest Pink Floyd songs ever written. Heck, they even helped with the development of HeavyMetal!!
17
18	[[AC:Music/{{Ummagumma}} (1969)]]
19	* The entire live half is an absolutely fantastic journey into what Pink Floyd shows were like in their psychedelic years (particularly for those too young to have actually experienced it [[{{Pun}} in the flesh]]). All four songs are superbly done, but "A Saucerful of Secrets" in particular is utterly sublime.[[note]] And it could have been even more awesome; the band felt that their performances at Mothers Club in Birmingham were superior to those at the Manchester College of Commerce, but their recording equipment malfunctioned at the Mothers gig, so the majority of tracks on the album - "Astronomy Domine", "Careful with that Axe, Eugene", and the first two sections of "A Saucerful of Secrets" - are taken from the Manchester concert.[[/note]]
20
21	[[AC:Music/AtomHeartMother (1970)]]
22	* "[[https://youtu.be/uUHb3cBvWMY Atom Heart Mother Suite]]", a six part movement that clocks in at nearly 24 minutes, that somehow manages to sound both classic and esoteric.
23	* "[[https://youtu.be/8GZnSeGbssw If]]" is an important track as well, as it is similar to "Brain Damage" from ''Music/TheDarkSideOfTheMoon''.
24	* "[[https://youtu.be/Ou4u4kOatck Summer '68]]" is a major stand-out from the album. Influenced by Music/TheBeachBoys, it's generally considered to be one of the stronger compositions by Richard Wright.
25	* "[[https://youtu.be/nFEaoDXXrNQ Fat Old Sun]]" shows that even Pink Floyd can show their calmer side every once in a while.
26
27	[[AC:Music/{{Meddle}} (1971)]]
28	* [[https://youtu.be/DQvG2SMVl84 "One of These Days"]], anyone? The bass line is simple yet haunting, and the slide guitar jam in the second half is icing on the cake. This is the reason why ''Meddle'' is a great album. Even more awesome is the AscendedMeme of playing the ''Series/DoctorWho'' theme halfway through it, something which began on the "Delicate Sound of Thunder" tours. So awesome that every tribute act, including and especially the ''Australian Pink Floyd Show'', does it.
29	* [[https://youtu.be/FwITUMl5UKw "San Tropez"]]. Waters said this was his attempt at writing a Burt Bacharach-type song. It also has a sweet slide guitar solo from Gilmour.
30	* [[https://youtu.be/-KMpZaEF6g0 "Echoes"]]. With ''Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey''. You '''cannot''' get more awesome than that. As for the song itself... the reprise and release, the band jam with the two guitar solos in a row, the whale song. Just unbelievable. Hell, even the intro. Just hearing the empty, ethereal ''ping...ping...'' leading into the main theme, you know you're in for something truly epic. The fact that Pink Floyd created such an atmosphere with a single repeated note is proof of their greatness. (Especially Wright's greatness, as he came up with the intro. He wasn't as visible as Waters or Gilmour, but his contributions were nonetheless vital.) After the eerie whale song section, the band slowly builds a crescendo over Rick Wright's organ solo until the song bursts into what can only be described as a musical orgasm.
31
32	[[AC:Music/ObscuredByClouds (1972)]]
33	* The [[https://youtu.be/16V-wNwlTw0 title track]]. Recorded in ''1972''. [[UrExample Prototype electronica]].
34
35	[[AC:Music/TheDarkSideOfTheMoon (1973)]]
36
37	If you had to narrow Pink Floyd's awesome output down to one album, it'd be ''The Dark Side of the Moon'', their most critically acclaimed and commercially successful work. It was on the Billboard Top 200 for ''14 years'' and would have re-entered the chart again had Billboard not changed the rules to prevent that (instead, it remains a mainstay of their "Catalog" chart). When they changed their rules in 2009 to allow catalog albums and re-entries into the Billboard Top 200, ''The Dark Side of the Moon'' re-entered the chart a few weeks later and has popped in here and there ever since.
38	* [[https://youtu.be/JwYX52BP2Sk "Time"]]. The intro ''alone'' is awesome. The contrast between the more aggressive sections sung by Gilmour, and the more mellow and melancholic moments sung by Wright is breathtaking, particularly so at "Breathe (Reprise)". It should go without saying that the guitar solo is one of David Gilmour's best.
39	* [[https://youtu.be/UqCEPytSFqU "The Great Gig in the Sky"]]... [[https://youtu.be/LlF8APEkh-E set to a simulation of an asteroid impact.]] There is no Pink Floyd song like it, thanks to all of Clare Torry's energy and passion pouring into the vocals (one of two guest performances in the discography) and Nick Mason's most brilliant yet overlooked drum playing.
40	* [[https://youtu.be/GKiLEgAzFDQ "Us and Them"]] contains some of the best harmonies Floyd ever created with excellent saxophone playing from Dick Parry and beautiful piano and Hammond organ playing by Richard Wright.
41	* [[https://youtu.be/_83urK9rO4U "Any Colour You Like"]] is an epic instrumental track, and a much-needed cooldown after the beautiful and moving "Us and Them".
42	* [[https://youtu.be/pnExahMPPFI "Brain Damage"]] is a highlight. What with Richard's beautiful organ playing, and the amazing singing from Roger and backup singers, the song really does make you feel like you've almost made it to the end.
43
44	[[AC:Music/WishYouWereHere1975]]
45	* [[https://youtu.be/54W8kktFE_o "Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I–V)"]]. Proof the Floyd could go into different genres in a song and make it an epic for the ages.
46	* [[https://youtu.be/tBvAxSx0nAM "Welcome to the Machine"]]. One of the best criticisms of the music industry, which has only gotten more and more apropos over time.
47	* [[https://youtu.be/tbdpv7G_PPg "Have a Cigar"]]. More excellent hard rock from Pink Floyd.
48	* [[https://youtu.be/hjpF8ukSrvk "Wish You Were Here"]]. A great way to pay tribute to a fallen friend or family member.
49	* [[https://youtu.be/tUDUltSdqIk "Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts VI–IX)"]]. The parting musical eulogy to Music/SydBarrett, but especially the guitar solo from Part VI and the transition from Part VII to Part VIII.
50
51	[[AC:Music/Animals1977]]
52	* [[https://youtu.be/4QA30qkRYy8 "Dogs".]] Once you hear this song, you'll understand why many people say it contains some of David Gilmour's best guitar work.
53	* [[https://youtu.be/gOqblSqx_VI "Pigs (Three Different Ones)".]] An absolutely badass song that just... fills you with the urge to just get up and become an absolute rebel. Charade you are for hating it.
54	* [[https://youtu.be/3GE-sfEbJ7I "Sheep".]] Especially near the end with the EpicRiff.
55
56	[[AC:Music/TheWall (1979)]]
57	->''--[[SelfDemonstratingArticle we came in?]]''
58	* "In the Flesh?" with its epic guitar opener, and invitation into the mind of Pink, setting up the rest of this amazing album.
59	* "Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)" will always kick major ass. ALWAYS. At exactly the 2:49 mark is one of the most amazing note bends in musical history. Just that 5 seconds there is one the finest moments in music. It's even more insanely awesome when [[https://soundcloud.com/mixessss21/pink-floyd-vs-bee-gees-stayin mashed up excellently with the Bee Gees' "Stayin' Alive"]]. And while not everyone is a huge fan of the Music/{{Korn}} version, it speaks to the staying power of this song when they play it live and you hear people who weren't even ''alive'' when the album came out singing along to "HEY! TEACHER! LEAVE THOSE KIDS ALONE!" with every fiber of their being.
60	* "Hey You", and the moments where Pink realizes [[OhCrap he has spent his whole life making a mistake]] and tries to reconnect to humanity, even though he knows his efforts are doomed to failure. Although written by Waters, it's another showcase for Gilmour, who plays the haunting riff at the beginning, the great guitar solo in the middle, and even the memorable fretless bass part throughout.
61	* [[https://youtu.be/x-xTttimcNk "Comfortably Numb"]] is a huge fan favorite and gains more radio play than any other Pink Floyd song these days, for a reason. Especially the live version from ''[[https://youtu.be/JWnapx502uQ Pulse]]''. The ending guitar solo almost hurts, and the light show isn't exactly a detractor. [[https://youtu.be/FM0Pl80Zf00 Here's]] a live performance of "Comfortably Numb"...''featuring Music/DavidBowie!''
62	* [[VillainSong "Run Like Hell"]] is seriously ''badass''.
63	* [[VillainSong "Waiting for the Worms"]]. The epic anthem for pure Neo-Nazi evil.
64	* [[https://youtu.be/FCMHmDnfD6I "The Trial"]] anyone? (Warning, that link leads to one of the weirdest and [[NightmareFuel scariest]] music videos ever. Still a [[SugarWiki/AwesomeMusic fantastic climax track.]])
65	* [[https://youtu.be/a4ZlWEQ17ns "Outside the Wall"]], particularly [[https://youtu.be/P-hxpnnNREQ the movie version]], is a haunting reflection of the events that transpired throughout the story prior, serving as a reassuring acceptance that we all have our own social difficulties and barriers, and that while not all of us can overcome them, we can at least reconcile with them.
66	->''[[BookEnds Isn't this where]]--''
67
68	[[AC:Music/TheFinalCut (1983)]]
69	* While certainly not one of their more well-regarded musically, this album does have its highlights, including [[https://youtu.be/MU2XnEba_LI "The Gunner's Dream"]], [[https://youtu.be/7LqTGiIr-1o "The Fletcher Memorial Home"]], [[https://youtu.be/2e-yO6_FbtI "The Final Cut"]], and [[https://youtu.be/TkNOky3orsM "Not Now John"]]. "Not Now John" can also be a contender for not only being one of Floyd's heaviest songs, but infamously the one with the most (badass) profanity.
70
71	[[AC:Music/AMomentaryLapseOfReason (1987)]]
72	* ''A Momentary Lapse of Reason'' gets a lot of flak, but it has its share of highlights. They include the aforementioned [[https://youtu.be/2tl0gab3Ufc "Learning to Fly"]], [[https://youtu.be/7UCRa9wRFlg "Yet Another Movie"]][[SiameseTwinSongs /]][[https://youtu.be/5fT0NEhl5-Q "Round and Around"]], [[https://youtu.be/ef7_H4VGuIw "Terminal Frost"]] and [[https://youtu.be/ijUCwQru9is "Sorrow"]]. Especially the section of "Learning to Fly" from "Above the planet on a wing and a prayer..." to the song's end.
73	* [[https://youtu.be/tOPNa753e1E "One Slip"]]. A great chorus and one of the most badass bass solos you will ever hear. Especially when it was [[https://youtu.be/yuZmS7gssBI played live]].
74	* [[https://youtu.be/0XrYoNbO-78 "The Dogs of War"]]. The perfect VillainSong, starting with menancing synths mimicking a marching army, the lyrics talking about a BadassArmy, another great chorus and two awesome solos, one guitar solo by Gilmour and a saxophone courtesy of Scott Page. The live version even included a "duel" between both sax and guitar after both solos.
75	* In spite of [[https://youtu.be/KjGXnSdVwCY "On the Turning Away"]] being a ''tad'' {{Anvilicious}}, it's nevertheless a soothing, yet powerful ballad that really pushes against the act of leaving the pale and downtrodden behind.
76
77	[[AC:Music/TheDivisionBell (1994)]]
78	* [[https://youtu.be/lku1fP-LszI "High Hopes"]] ([[https://youtu.be/uxdK_2EgpDs music video]]) is very mesmerising and beautiful, and "Poles Apart" and "Coming Back to Life" are awesome too. There's so much emotion in some of these songs that it hurts, and this album should never be overlooked. "High Hopes" might also count as a TearJerker because it seems like the band's farewell to their loyal audience. On the ''Echoes'' compilation, though, it's cleverly segued into Syd Barrett's "Bike" (by cutting from the closing church bell to a bicycle bell) so that they form a pair of reverse {{bookends}} to the band's career.
79	* The Grammy Award-winning instrumental [[https://youtu.be/P7YMI39sObY "Marooned"]] is also an eerily moving listening experience with its marine mood reminiscent of "Echoes" and its vibrant guitar wails.
80	* One of the often overlooked masterpieces of this album would have to be "[[https://youtu.be/wbOTkDn49qI Keep Talking]]". The song has been made worthy of this article thanks not just to its powerful lyrics, but to its musical components: a dual electric guitar/synth solo, a gospel choir, the return of the talk-box, and samples of Stephen Hawking's synthesized voice from a British Telecom commercial that actually made David Gilmour ''cry.'' The song's music displays just as much prowess as its lyrics.
81
82	[[AC:Music/TheEndlessRiver (2014)]]
83	* [[https://youtu.be/ZJM_5tbeGCk "Anisina"]] (meaning "in memory of" in Turkish), a wordless tribute to the late Richard Wright.
84	* [[https://youtu.be/Ezc4HdLGxg4 "Louder Than Words"]], a GrandFinale to the band as a whole that declares how despite Pink Floyd's turbulent history and the members' rocky relationships with each other, they were able to leave a wonderfully significant impact with their music.
85
86	[[AC:Other]]
87	* "Vegetable Man" is one of the best Barrett songs that was never properly released until the ''Early Years'' boxset came out in 2016. Its powerful vocals, psychedelic guitars, and bizarre lyrics make it one of Barrett's finest.

Context AwesomeMusic / PinkFloyd