Riding the Gravy Train
In which we pivot to the band with the Pig
I bet you thought I was gonna do another DEVO album, yeah? I wonder which one.....
Anyhoo, I'll get to that at a future date. We have a ton of these to go.
157 of 365
So. This is Pink Floyd's album after that bombastic Dark Side thing. I'm not a big fan of DSOTM (although I thought it was great when I was a kid), but I think this album is amazing.
It's a comment about the absence of band founder Syd Barrett, and a critique of the music industry as a whole.
The songs about Syd are frankly brilliant. Shine On You Crazy Diamond starts with an organ ostinato that goes on for quite some time before merging into the overall song. I love it. Plus, the title track is a gorgeous acoustic piece about loss. This is an amazing album, and perfectly captured.
A Not so fun fact that I'll just re paste from WIKI:
"On 5 June 1975, on the eve of Pink Floyd's second US tour that year, Gilmour married his first wife, Ginger. That day, the band were completing the mix of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" when an overweight man with shaven head and eyebrows entered, carrying a plastic bag. Waters did not recognise him Gilmour presumed he was an EMI staff member. Wright presumed he was a friend of Waters, but realised it was Barrett. Mason also failed to recognise him and was "horrified" when Gilmour identified him. In Mason's Pink Floyd memoir Inside Out, he recalled Barrett's conversation as "desultory and not entirely sensible". Storm Thorgerson reflected on Barrett's presence: "Two or three people cried. He sat round and talked for a bit but he wasn't really there."
Waters was reportedly reduced to tears by the sight of his former bandmate. When fellow visitor Andrew King asked how Barrett had gained so much weight, Barrett said he had a large refrigerator in his kitchen and had been eating lots of pork chops. He mentioned that he was ready to help with the recording, but while listening to the mix of "Shine On", showed no signs of understanding its relevance to him. Barrett joined Gilmour's wedding reception in the EMI canteen, but left without saying goodbye. It was the last time the band members saw Barrett until his death in 2006. Barrett's appearance may have influenced the final version of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond"; a subtle refrain performed by Wright from "See Emily Play" is audible towards the end."
Pink Floyd. Wish You Were Here.
Harvest, 1975
Headphones on…