Music / Obscured by Clouds

Is your conscience at rest if once put to the test?

Obscured by Clouds is the seventh studio album by Pink Floyd, released in 1972 through Harvest Records. It is their second full length soundtrack, for the film La Vallée (The Valley in English, and is called that on some copies of this album). It was certified gold in the U.S. and Germany and silver in the U.K.

Preceded by Meddle. Proceeded by The Dark Side of the Moon.

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Tracklist:

Side One

1. "Obscured by Clouds" (3:03)
2. "When You're In" (2:30)
3. "Burning Bridges" (3:29)
4. "The Gold It's in The..." (3:07)
5. "Wot's... Uh the Deal?" (5:08)
6. "Mudmen" (4:20)

Side Two

1. "Childhood's End" (4:31)
2. "Free Four" (4:15)
3. "Stay" (4:05)
4. "Absolutely Curtains" (5:52)

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Principal Members:

• David Gilmour – Lead vocals, guitar, VCS3
• Nick Mason – Drums, percussion, tambourine, cymbals, tape effects
• Roger Waters – Bass, backing and lead vocals, VCS3, tape effects
• Richard Wright – Organ, backing and lead vocals, keyboard, piano, synthesizer, vibraphone, VCS3, tack piano

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Let me in from the cold, turn my tropes into gold:

• Alliterative Title: "Burning Bridges" and "Free Four."
• All There in the Manual: Obscured, like its earlier counterpart More, has a detailed plot synopsis in the liner notes in the remastered version. Justified as very few anglophones have seen it.
• But Now I Must Go: "Stay:"
  I rise, looking through my morning eyes
  Surprised to find you by my side
  Rack my brain to try to remember your name
  To find the words to tell you goodbye
• Call-Back: "Stay," penned by Rick Wright, is about the awkward morning after a one night stand, as is "Summer '68" from Atom Heart Mother.
• Continuity Nod: In "Not Now John" from The Final Cut, Roger Waters references "Free Four."
• Epic Rocking: Unusually for Pink Floyd, averted. All songs are under 6 minutes.
• Grief Song: "Free Four:"
  Life is a short, warm moment
  And death is a long cold rest
  (...) The memories of a man in his old age
  Are the deeds of a man in his prime
  You shuffle in gloom in the sickroom
  And talk to yourself till you die
• Instrumentals: "Obscured by Clouds," "When You're In," "Mudmen," and "Absolutely Curtains."
• Intercourse with You: "Stay:"
  I rise, looking through my morning eyes
  Surprised to find you by my side
• Lampshade Hanging: "Childhood's End:"
  And so all things, time will mend
  So this song will end
• Left Hanging: The title of "The Gold It's in The..." doesn't finish the sentence.
• Longest Song Goes Last: The album closes with the nearly six-minute "Absolutely Curtains", the only track on the album to get that close to Epic Rocking status.
• Lyrical Dissonance: "Free Four" combines an upbeat, poppy melody with dour lyrics about aging to death.
• The Not-Remix: The album received one in 2016 for the Boxed Set The Early Years, later being included on the Obfusc/ation excerpt package the following year.
• One-Word Title: "Mudmen" and "Stay."
• Out-of-Genre Experience:
  • The title track sounds more like a Kraut Rock song, with Nick Mason adopting a minimalistic "motorik beat" similar to Neu! or Can.
  • "The Gold It's In The..." is a hard rock song, similar to "The Nile Song" on More.
• Packaged as Other Medium: The album cover is styled to resemble a film slide for a projector (as the artwork's concept was borne from a slide projector jamming while displaying stills from La Vallée), to the point where the original LP release rounds off the sleeve corners to resemble the shape of a film cel.
• Pun-Based Title: "Free Four."
• Shout-Out:
  • "Childhood's End" is a reference to Arthur C. Clarke's Childhood's End.
  • "Stay" seems to be influenced by Elton John's "Your Song." John recorded in the same studio the band used to make the album.
• Sliding Scale of Realistic vs. Fantastic: "Childhood's End:"
  Your fantasies merge with harsh realities
• Step Up to the Microphone: Roger Waters sings lead vocals on "Free Four." Richard Wright sings lead vocals on "Stay" and co-lead vocals on "Burning Bridges."
• Take That!: The album was given its current title after the band fell out with the film company behind La Vallée. In response, the film was retitled La Vallée (Obscured by Clouds) upon its release.

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