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pink floyd


caroselambra~

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No real argument could be made that any of the musicans in the band were among the most technically skilled in their craft. Waters could barely play bass, and there are no odd time signature drum freakouts. Gilmour was a fine guitarist, but he isn't in the same league as Hendrix or Page, barring personal preference. Rick Wright was by far and away the most technically skilled musician in the band.

Pink Floyd did more with their small amount musical expertise than any band ever, but made some of the most complex sounding mainstream music, ever.

Anybody that says they are a one trick pony or that DSOTM or WYWH is their best needs to listen to a bit more of their catalog. Give me Meddle and Animals over either of those anyday, with Obscured by Clouds tossed right in there with them.

I can't agree with the first paragraph. Granted, Roger Waters was no Jack Bruce, but then he always was a believer of less is more. If you've listened to interviews with him, he states that clearly. He was an experimenter, always searching for new sounds and avenues to take those sounds. People have different opinions on what is considered good, great or genius. I won't put Roger, or Syd in the latter, but I think both were very instrumental in the development of art rock.

Totally agree with the second paragraph. I saw PF twice and both times, I don't think any of the group members moved more than two feet from the spot they were standing. So you didn't go to their concert to work up a sweat, but you always left amazed at what you just saw. Visually, it was light years ahead of it's time.

Meddle was a totally underrated album. If you put on headphones and listen to Echoes, you hear one of the best sides of any album made. Dark Side was great, but way too commercialized. Wish You Were Here is probably their best work as a group. I though Animals was lame. The rot had set in by then and it was Waters at the controls totally. The Wall was, imo, a waste of time. Except for Comfortably Numb that is. Gilmour's best work for sure.

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I would agree...Gilmour isn't in the same class of musician as Page or Hendrix. But he certainly is one of the greats in rock and roll guitar history. Next to Duane Allman, I can't think of anyone of that generation who played a better slide guitar. B)

you should hear *stan the man* at the flying swan, lakeside, bowness, windermere.

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And let's not forget Derek Trucks.

RB

I didn't forget him, he is amazing, but definitely not of the same generation. Since the generation point was made earlier I limited it to that. There are guys out there doing stuff with slide guitar now that would amaze the greats of the past. Guys like Derek have taken it to a different level.

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One thing Gilmour deserves credit for with his slide playing is he used it in a very non-blues way. Echoes is pretty far from the Mississippi delta. A+ for originality, but yeah not very technical. Though I'm surprised I would mention something like that, creating good music has little to do with how technical the finished product is. For example I prefer to listen to Johnny Thunders any day before I'd toss on a Yngwie cd, any day.

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... creating good music has little to do with how technical the finished product is...

This is it. I'm surprised (well no, not really) at how many references are being made equating technical prowess with the quality of the music. Sure, it has its place, but it is not esential in all genres. It's the notes a musician doesn't play that makes the difference, and Pink Floyd were masters of that.

RB

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This is it. I'm surprised (well no, not really) at how many references are being made equating technical prowess with the quality of the music. Sure, it has its place, but it is not esential in all genres. It's the notes a musician doesn't play that makes the difference, and Pink Floyd were masters of that.

RB

Eh I don't know that I'd go that far. If I had to sum up PF my personal opinion would be they had what it took to write a good stripped back song, Wish You Were Here is a decent song. But I feel they relied on synths, filters and other electronic gadgetry to a fault when a few simple notes or chords could\would have been a better choice. It's not a good thing or bad thing and it was an essential part of their style. I feel if you stripped all of the sonic "tricks" away much of their stuff is musically stagnant, like the song is secondary to electronic blips. What others see as a form of expression I see as a crutch.

Edited by danelectro
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Eh I don't know that I'd go that far. If I had to sum up PF my personal opinion would be they had what it took to write a good stripped back song, Wish You Were Here is a decent song. But I feel they relied on synths, filters and other electronic gadgetry to a fault when a few simple notes or chords could\would have been a better choice. It's not a good thing or bad thing and it was an essential part of their style. I feel if you stripped all of the sonic "tricks" away much of their stuff is musically stagnant, like the song is secondary to electronic blips. What others see as a form of expression I see as a crutch.

Synths ? DSOTMs On The Run and WYWHs. Welcome To The Machine maybe. Are you sure you're not thinking about Kraftwerk ?

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Eh I don't know that I'd go that far. If I had to sum up PF my personal opinion would be they had what it took to write a good stripped back song, Wish You Were Here is a decent song. But I feel they relied on synths, filters and other electronic gadgetry to a fault when a few simple notes or chords could\would have been a better choice. It's not a good thing or bad thing and it was an essential part of their style. I feel if you stripped all of the sonic "tricks" away much of their stuff is musically stagnant, like the song is secondary to electronic blips. What others see as a form of expression I see as a crutch.

Doesn't really sound like you know what you are talkin about. 99% of Pink Floyd's music is stuff that those 4 guys(+a few supplemental players, occasionally) can pull off live.. Sure they worked in some samples, but they were mostly used as lead ins to songs. I don't see how anybody can view it as a crutch. They mastered their effects and all the sonic mayhem and then applied it to their music. It wasn't like they sat there blindly turning knobs without a clue.

Pink Floyd using and mastering all those musical gadgets is no different from Led Zeppelin using the stairwell at Headley Grange for Bonzo's drums? Do you view that as a crutch, too?

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Doesn't really sound like you know what you are talkin about. 99% of Pink Floyd's music is stuff that those 4 guys(+a few supplemental players, occasionally) can pull off live.. Sure they worked in some samples, but they were mostly used as lead ins to songs. I don't see how anybody can view it as a crutch. They mastered their effects and all the sonic mayhem and then applied it to their music. It wasn't like they sat there blindly turning knobs without a clue.

Pink Floyd using and mastering all those musical gadgets is no different from Led Zeppelin using the stairwell at Headley Grange for Bonzo's drums? Do you view that as a crutch, too?

I suppose I should elaborate, I'm not implying PF are an electronica band. To my ears it sounds like some of the effects they use came before the music, as in they made that more important than developing the bones of the songs. That's why I don't like some of their work, like Dark Side, I don't think the riffs in a song are like Money are all that interesting on it's own. It takes the background stuff to make it somewhat interesting, as in if stripped that away there isn't much left. Like I said it's my opinion not a fact, re-read what I wrote, I stated clearly it's how I interpret it not a fact.

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I suppose I should elaborate, I'm not implying PF are an electronica band. To my ears it sounds like some of the effects they use came before the music, as in they made that more important than developing the bones of the songs. That's why I don't like some of their work, like Dark Side, I don't think the riffs in a song are like Money are all that interesting on it's own. It takes the background stuff to make it somewhat interesting, as in if stripped that away there isn't much left. Like I said it's my opinion not a fact, re-read what I wrote, I stated clearly it's how I interpret it not a fact.

Waffle...... You have it all wrong.......basicaly, you don't know what you're talking about.

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Waffle...... You have it all wrong.......basicaly, you don't know what you're talking about.

Sure whatever you say. How about you get off my back. I've said all along it is my opinion not a fact and I'm not beating it down anyone's throat that I am some supreme being that is right.

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One thing Gilmour deserves credit for with his slide playing is he used it in a very non-blues way. Echoes is pretty far from the Mississippi delta. A+ for originality, but yeah not very technical. Though I'm surprised I would mention something like that, creating good music has little to do with how technical the finished product is.

Exactly. What makes Gilmour such a stand out, IMO, is he never played blues.

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this might make me v unpopular :unsure:

does anyone else, other than me, think pink floyd are probably the most overrated band in the world?

listening to their albums from 68 through to the final cut (i dont count the ones without roger waters as they are completely dire) it strikes me there are only 3 good ones out of the whole bunch.

their early ones are just a lot of un-melodic noise and the later ones (the wall side 4 on vinyl and the final cut) just a weak attempt at some kind of brass band opera style pomp.

dark side of the moon is good BUT not that good, wish you were here and the first 3 sides of the wall are probably the only good stuff they ever released.

it amazes me how they are consistently put up there with Zeppelin as one of the greatest bands in history.

just listening to their drummer is enough to put you off

anyone got any thoughts on this?

You are certainly entitled to your opinion.

I totally disagree, but to each his/her own.

Floyd is in the top percentile of great bands.

Your opinion of Floyd doesn't change that.

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