Friday Floyd - 2/6/15

I usually try to expand your PF horizons with my Friday Floyd, but this week, I'm going with a classic. This week's Friday Floyd is the very popular song "Hey You". This is the first song of disc / album 2 of The Wall. Many casual Pink Floyd and even classic rock in general fans know this song very well.

The song fits well as the halfway point of the album due to it's content. The Wall is about closing off from society and reality by putting up a wall (see the connection?), but "Hey You" is sung from the standpoint of an individual who is desperately trying for human interaction.

When The Wall is performed live, a literal wall is being constructed during the first half of the show that is completed on the last note of "Goodbye Cruel World". The next song is "Hey You" and is performed by the band as they are completely hidden behind the wall.

Enjoy "Hey You", but don't forget to always Pink Floyd responsibly and listen to the entire album at some point as well.

Friday Floyd - 1/30/15

Happy Friday. Today's Friday Floyd is a deep cut as it appears on the soundtrack album Obscured by Clouds. I have mentioned this album before in the past telling you that you have to listen to it cover to cover. If you haven't done so yet, this is is your not so friendly reminder.

The Gold It's In The... is an extremely unique song for Floyd for 3 reasons. The first reason is the tempo of the song. The song is very upbeat which is rare to find in the Floyd catalog as most of their compositions are long, drawn out, complex arrangements. This one though seems as if maybe, juuuust maybe, David Gilmour has a smile on his face and a bounce in his step when he's singing. The second reason that this song is unique is the lyrical content. Most PF songs deal with very heavy topics such as life and death, greed, and coming of age. TGIIT... is a story about a man who just loves adventure and doesn't care about what he finds. He wants to explore and come upon treasures, but has no interest in keeping them. The video below includes the lyrics so you'll be able to see for yourself. The final reason that this song is a rarity for Pink Floyd is the fact that Rick Wright (probably to the delight of Roger) is not featured on this song. There are no keyboards or piano anywhere in this song as it is entirely composed of guitar, bass, and drums.

Enjoy The Gold It's In The..... and listen to Obscured by Clouds already!!

Friday Floyd - 1/23/15

With a band as huge and as popular as Pink Floyd, it's very hard to call any song of their's a "hidden gem". I mean for crying out loud, only 6 artists in history have sold more records. There is a lot of love for (and deservedly so) for the big 4 Floyd albums so any sort of "hidden gem" would have to be found elsewhere. My favorite deep track of the Floyd is the song Fearless from Meddle. This song starts off slow but features one of the best riffs that PF ever performed. At the very end of the song, a recording of Liverpool FC faithful can be heard singing their anthem You'll Never Walk Alone which as a LFC fan, I very much enjoy.

A surprising fact about this song is that Roger Waters (bassist) plays the acoustic guitar parts, rather than David Gilmour, the band's usual guitarist.

The meaning of the lyrics is uncertain, but some debate that they might tell a portion of the story of Jesus's life. See for yourself.....

Friday Floyd - 1/16/15

My full review to come soon of the El Monstero Christmas 2014 show, but in the meantime, the first Friday Floyd of 2015 features one of the songs "for the heads". Interstellar Overdrive came off the first official Pink Floyd album, Piper at the Gates of Dawn, released in 1967. This was one of the first songs that started to explore the realms of progressive and instrumental extended length tracks that went on to do more for their career than some of the pop driven singles that they recorded at the time as well. So take 15 minutes and explore the depths of an almost 50 year old song.

TT5 - Desert Island Albums

Following the 2 week Christmas / New Years hiatus, the first Tuesday Top 5 of 2015 is my ranking of the top 5 desert island albums. What is a desert island album? It's an album that if you were stranded on a desert island that somehow has electricity, you're going to be glad you have these particular albums. I picked my 5 so that they would address all different situations and moods. Following are my top 5 desert island albums.

5) Ray Charles - Live
This is the perfect summation of Ray Charles' career put onto a double live album. This album features the raw energy and soul of one of the greatest singers ever.

4) Jimi Hendrix Experience - Are You Experienced?
This is the masterpiece of the greatest guitar player of all time. Not only did this album put Jimi at legend status as soon as it was released, it's featured some of the best guitar work that has yet to be copied.

3) Led Zeppelin - 4
The Zep is widely considered (by me included) as the greatest band of all time. Every single song on this album is a classic and has stood the test of time. This album completely shows what LZ is capable off with hard and heavy rockers all the way down to folk ballads.

2) AC/DC - Back in Black
One of the most popular albums of all time, it should come as no surprise that this album made the cut. From the start of Hells Bells to the finale of Rock n Roll Ain't Noise Pollution, there are no dull points in this album. A true classic that will forever be revered.

1) Pink Floyd - Dark Side of the Moon
Anyone who knows me knows that this is my top album of all time. A true masterpiece from cover to cover is the perfect album for any scenario.