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March 28, 2024, 02:54:41 PM

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Good bits of Floyd

Started by famethrowa, September 10, 2020, 10:27:16 PM

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spaghetamine

It's a very silly song but the bit in The Gnome where Barrett sings "look at the sky, look at the river, isn't it good?" never fails to give me chills. Lysergic pastoral whimsy of the best kind.

Oz Oz Alice

Put me down as another who sees little or no value in them post Syd. When he left he took both the pop sensibility and any genuine weirdness with him, not to mention any shred of animal magnetism. There's a few nice bits but nothing to equal Jugband Blues, Lucifer Sam or his solo track Late Night.

My nomination is the part at the end of Opel where he is singing "I'm trying to find you" and it's evident he's singing to himself.

El Unicornio, mang

The segue from the end of "The Happiest Days of our Lives" to the beginning of "Another Brick in the Wall Part 2". Also, for musos, the 2.5 step bend (most bends are 0.5/1 step) in the solo of Another Brick, which took me about a week of practising to do.

I like both Floyds but lean more towards post-Syd. They're almost completely different bands, to me, at least if you compare Piper to something like DSOTM, so it doesn't surprise me that a lot of people like one or the other.

Neville Chamberlain

#33
The best bits of Floyd are the bits where their albums end.

popcorn

Quote from: El Unicornio, mang on September 11, 2020, 02:23:51 PM
The segue from the end of "The Happiest Days of our Lives" to the beginning of "Another Brick in the Wall Part 2". Also, for musos, the 2.5 step bend (most bends are 0.5/1 step) in the solo of Another Brick, which took me about a week of practising to do.

I posted about this earlier in the thread. Did you actually nail it with practice? I found that it was physically impossible but perhaps I have the fingers of a weakling?

El Unicornio, mang

Quote from: popcorn on September 11, 2020, 02:37:31 PM
I posted about this earlier in the thread. Did you actually nail it with practice? I found that it was physically impossible but perhaps I have the fingers of a weakling?

I found it impossible at first too, you really just have to keep at it. I hit it at 0:24ish here.

https://youtu.be/veWieOLLMxQ?t=24

But that was almost 2 years ago, haven't played much since and have lost calluses and can no longer do it. I've seen a lot of youtube videos where people just slide for that part instead of bending.

This guy does a good breakdown of it

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26yzbSvQOGo&feature=youtu.be&t=587QOGo?t=587&ab_channel=PaulDavids

phantom_power

Quote from: sweeper on September 11, 2020, 02:01:40 PM

Everything they did after this is just the sound of some posh blokes messing around because they didn't fancy being architects. Which isn't to say that they weren't good, here and there, but Jugband Blues is fried gold.       

Again, the genuine, visceral anger throughout Animals suggests otherwise

BlodwynPig

Two Suns in the Sunset >>> Barrett.

Chew on that.

badaids


Shit Good Nose

#39
Quote from: badaids on September 11, 2020, 05:16:36 PM
The whole of The Final Cut.

Quote from: BlodwynPig on September 11, 2020, 05:33:26 PM
Southampton Dock is the greatest heavy rock song of all time.

There's always two.



BlodwynPig

Quote from: Shit Good Nose on September 11, 2020, 05:17:41 PM
There's always one.

Southampton Dock is the greatest heavy rock song of all time.

Ambient Sheep

Quote from: famethrowa on September 10, 2020, 11:17:24 PMLove how he goes for the high note there and only just gets it.

He didn't!  They had to drop the tape speed by a semitone and drop it in.  Source: DG's interview in the Wish You Were Here songbook.  Once you know, if you listen carefully you can hear the join.


Fake EDIT: found it online here.

QuoteNormally Floyd will keep working away at a vocal line until it's right. There was one track, though, which just refused to go the way they wanted it.

"The only time we've ever used tape speed to help us with vocals was on one line of The Machine Song. It was a line I just couldn't reach so we dropped the tape down half a semitone and then dropped the line in on the track."

Ambient Sheep

Quote from: Twonty Gostelow on September 11, 2020, 02:19:26 AMAlso "Why can't you see?" in Arnold Layne because it sounds exactly like Eric Idle.

Heh, not to me, I'll have to give it a relisten.


However what, to me, has ALWAYS sounded like Eric Idle is the roadie repeatedly knocking on the door and saying "Time to go-o!" at the end of Bring The Boys Back Home, just before it drops into Comfortably Numb.

Frustratingly, a few years ago someone published a list of all the various voices and TV clips that are on the album, except one.  And you can guess which one...

Ambient Sheep

#43
Quote from: Flouncer on September 11, 2020, 01:21:33 AM...and then all of a sudden you get the fuzzy glissando background guitar and those beautiful, dancing delay chords explode out; flittering around like ethereal butterflies, layering over one another, each one seeming to spiral off into the sky as it fades away... That's the most beautiful, well crafted and emotionally effective part of any piece of music I can think of.

I agree with everything you wrote, but ESPECIALLY that bit.  One of the few bits of that song I never really worked out how to play.  Although tbf I never really tried THAT hard. 

Ambient Sheep

Quote from: popcorn on September 10, 2020, 11:27:27 PMI had a go at learning the solo the other day and discovered it contains bends the length of Saturn's rings. I assume they require some particular kind of string gauge because I could find no way of making them feasible.

Hah, that solo broke me as a 16yo boy.  Indeed, it's what finally killed off any pretensions I had to be a lead guitarist, after my best friend declared to me that my very best effort at it sounded as if I were "wading through concrete". :-)

Oddly though, the infamous 5-fret bend wasn't a problem for me on the guitar I had, provided it was fitted with light enough strings (although not mega-light, started at 09 if I remember correctly)... it was the twiddly bit at the start that I couldn't do.  Hours and hours and hours of practice but I could only ever get it about 1 time in 50, if that.

The only comfort I had is that I saw Floyd live three times (The Wall 1980, The Wall 1981, Delicate Sound of Chunder 1987) and on every single occasion DG couldn't do it either... he always fudged it.  He did do the five-fret bend though!

(All was not lost however, as I switched to acoustic fingerpicking and ended up surprisingly good at it, could give mean renditions of Goodbye Blue Sky, Hey You, Is There Anybody Out There?, as well as other tunes like Anji, Blackbird, Back to The Old Racist's House, start of Supper's Ready, etc., etc.  I think it comes down to the fact that I seem to have a crap left hand.)


Quote from: El Unicornio, mang on September 11, 2020, 03:00:53 PMI found it impossible at first too, you really just have to keep at it. I hit it at 0:24ish here.

https://youtu.be/veWieOLLMxQ?t=24

Fuck me, that's awesome!  I'm not bullshitting you when I say that that's the best I've ever heard it played, including by DG himself live... you can do the twiddly bit for a start!  My hat goes off to you, sir!


EDIT: Although come to think of it, when I saw Roger Waters on tour in the late 2000s, Doyle Bramhall II made a very good stab at it, certainly better at it than DG was live... sacrilege, I know!

sweeper

Quote from: phantom_power on September 11, 2020, 03:31:58 PM
Again, the genuine, visceral anger throughout Animals suggests otherwise

If 1977 was 2020, Waters would just be spleening on Twitter, rather than making a horrible album to torture everyone with.

El Unicornio, mang

Quote from: Ambient Sheep on September 11, 2020, 07:05:59 PM

Fuck me, that's awesome!  I'm not bullshitting you when I say that that's the best I've ever heard it played, including by DG himself live... you can do the twiddly bit for a start!  My hat goes off to you, sir!


EDIT: Although come to think of it, when I saw Roger Waters on tour around 2010, Doyle Bramhall II made a very good stab at it, certainly better at it than DG was live... sacrilege, I know!

Oh thank you for the compliment! Very kind, sir. I'm generally not one for learning solos but I became a bit obsessed about learning that one as precisely as possible, a personal challenge as much as anything. Might attempt the ones from "Comfortably Numb" some day...

Pink Gregory

Welcome to the Machine.

I know it's obvious but I don't care.

popcorn

Quote from: Ambient Sheep on September 11, 2020, 07:05:59 PM
Hah, that solo broke me as a 16yo boy.  Indeed, it's what finally killed off any pretensions I had to be a lead guitarist, after my best friend declared to me that my very best effort at it sounded as if I were "wading through concrete". :-)

Oddly though, the infamous 5-fret bend wasn't a problem for me on the guitar I had, provided it was fitted with light enough strings (although not mega-light, started at 09 if I remember correctly)... it was the twiddly bit at the start that I couldn't do.  Hours and hours and hours of practice but I could only ever get it about 1 time in 50, if that.

Well, you've inspired me to try this again, and I can do that twiddly bit but the bend is still impossible.

Ambient Sheep

Quote from: El Unicornio, mang on September 11, 2020, 08:15:10 PMMight attempt the ones from "Comfortably Numb" some day...

The first one's easy, even 16yo me could do it.  The second I never tried.  (Same as the first and last ones in Dogs, funnily enough.)

Mantle Retractor

You!

Yes You!

Stand STILL Laddy!

"Marmalade, I like Marmalade" from Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast pops into my head during the weekly shop. I've ended up with about 10 jars during lockdown.

I love the Floyd. Flouncer's post about Echoes is bang on, I'm just listening to it now (before moving on to Obscured By Clouds, which I've always considered an underrated gem in the back catalogue).


BlodwynPig

Quote from: Mantle Retractor on September 12, 2020, 12:18:11 PM
You!

Yes You!

Stand STILL Laddy!

"Marmalade, I like Marmalade" from Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast pops into my head during the weekly shop. I've ended up with about 10 jars during lockdown.

I love the Floyd. Flouncer's post about Echoes is bang on, I'm just listening to it now (before moving on to Obscured By Clouds, which I've always considered an underrated gem in the back catalogue).

Obscure By Clouds is my favourite after Meddle, remember listening it on my walkman on family holidays in the South of France in the 80s, perfect. More Soundtrack also is so rich and varied, bought the cassette in San Sebastian a few years before getting caught by parents with a porn magazine I'd found discarded in a Super U.

rue the polywhirl

Quote from: Neville Chamberlain on September 11, 2020, 02:30:54 PM
The best bits of Floyd are the bits where their albums end.

I think this is true to a large extent. Eclipse is an almighty epic closure to one of the best albums of all time. Pigs on the Wing pt2 is a tender resolution to 40 minute black hole of cynicism that went before it. The last few minutes of Shine On You Crazy Diamond help make it feel like a true swan song/send off. Echoes fades out eeriely and beautiful. And all the noise at the end of Bike is clatterful and inspired.

Bently Sheds

Quote from: Flouncer on September 11, 2020, 01:21:33 AM
The bit in Echoes, between the wooshy, formless noisy bit and the last verse. The radar ping from the beginning returns and Rick's shimmering Farfisa chords come in, then Gilmour's palm muted guitar and the folky keyboard melody... Nick's drums gradually, delicately ramping it up, and then all of a sudden you get the fuzzy glissando background guitar and those beautiful, dancing delay chords explode out; flittering around like ethereal butterflies, layering over one another, each one seeming to spiral off into the sky as it fades away... That's the most beautiful, well crafted and emotionally effective part of any piece of music I can think of. Just perfect; incredibly organic and full of the essence of life itself.
I was going to post this, using exactly the same words but not necessarily in the same order. Fucking outstanding job there, Flouncer - this is the absolute pinnacle of Floyd. After that, pure shite.

Dr Syntax Head

Quote from: popcorn on September 10, 2020, 11:27:27 PM



I had a go at learning the solo the other day and discovered it contains bends the length of Saturn's rings. I assume they require some particular kind of string gauge because I could find no way of making them feasible.

I can do those bends, been learning the solo as well. I use 10-52. Yes I am boasting about it. Never gonna sound as clean as Gilmour though. Who possibly could?

Dr Syntax Head

All of Breathe (especially the phased guitar chords) and the whole of any colour you like.

Also love the hammond b3 in brick and in young lust. In fact all of young lust is brilliant

Brundle-Fly

The mental bit in See Emily Play.

H-O-W-L

Quote from: Ambient Sheep on September 11, 2020, 06:30:10 PM
Heh, not to me, I'll have to give it a relisten.


However what, to me, has ALWAYS sounded like Eric Idle is the roadie repeatedly knocking on the door and saying "Time to go-o!" at the end of Bring The Boys Back Home, just before it drops into Comfortably Numb.

Frustratingly, a few years ago someone published a list of all the various voices and TV clips that are on the album, except one.  And you can guess which one...

I'm quite sure it's Roger. It certainly sounds like him affecting a voice.

the science eel

More fans here of the constipated, shouty 70s stuff than the kaleidoscopic 60s material.

WANKAS