Huh, I never thought of this album in that way, but it makes a lot of sense. And I don't think the idea of "Wish You Were Here" being the final track really ruins the symmetry; placed after the reprise/continuation of "Shine On", it would serve a similar purpose to "A Day in the Life" playing after the "Sgt. Pepper" reprise. And just a small correction, but David Gilmour is responsible for the (intentionally) ugly vocals on "Welcome to the Machine". Also, I would think that Roy's inclusion strictly had to do with conceptuality rather than Gilmour and Waters not liking their voices on the track: in that sense, it almost has a more rock opera-like quality than The Wall, with Gilmour, Waters and Harper each representing a different character of sorts.
Great and insightful write-up, as always. One question though: in the bottom summary section, what exactly do you mean by "voice"? And what is your justification for the "so-so" rating for this album in that category?
"Voice" is an approximate average assessment of both the lyrics and the way they are delivered. WYWH is one of those records that would have remained equally stunning even if it were completely instrumental.
I remember on the original site when you called this something like "a bizarre collection of aimless jams", haha. The minimoog and guitar jams on the second half of SYOCD are definitely my favorite part of the album. Really, I think this album is the peak of a non-synth band using synthesizers to complement and expand the mood of the pieces.
Being familiar with George's old review of WYWH, I kinad expected the album to land somewhere between "mp3 collection" and "on the shelf" - now way would I expect George to take a record containing "Have a Cigar" and "Welcome to the Machine" on a desert island. People do get softer with age. Still, out of classic era PF records, "The Wall" is probably the only one that grows off you, as you get older.
Well, to be honest, I'd only take it on a desert island because of 'Shine On' - I've learned to live with all the other ones, understand and respect them. But without 'Shine On', I couldn't imagine my ideal desert island.
The journey from the brutal (and heartbreaking) review on the earlier site to this insightful and benevolent one is a joy to behold...Heartfelt requiem mass indeed. I'll now have to go back and spin out earlier works in that genre. The big difference is something alluded to in the recent review of DSotM...Pink Floyd's ability to make this difficult matter accessible to a wider audience.
I'm not sure that going down the RYM chart is the ideal way to do this. It would mean reviewing 4 or 5 Zeppelin and Stones albums while basically never reviewing stuff like "The Joshua Tree" or "Appetite for Destruction". Considering this is a collection of "Important Albums" I think there are many albums to prioritize more for this list than "Beggars Banquet" or "Led Zeppelin 3". Just a thought. I'm sure whatever you write about will be an excellent read.
I think going straight down is a little silly if it means re-re-reviewing albums that he's only re-reviewed fairly recently (if that's what he's planning on doing - i guess we'll find out in a few weeks when he gets to the first Beatles album), but... it does mean we'll get reviews of albums i thought he'd never get to - like Master of Puppets! And Daydream Nation! either way will be interesting to see what he decides to do. (-:
I could listen to Welcome to the Machine over and over in the dark, so deliciously doomy and dreadful. I remember writing the song title with a marker on this stupid military recruitment bus shelter ad (Be all you can be!) on a bus shelter one afternoon on the way to the shrink lol, stuck in my head bad. Sad album, i can't believe a twenty minute song was ever so widely popular, seems impossible. The slowness lets the mood sink in though.
Huh, I never thought of this album in that way, but it makes a lot of sense. And I don't think the idea of "Wish You Were Here" being the final track really ruins the symmetry; placed after the reprise/continuation of "Shine On", it would serve a similar purpose to "A Day in the Life" playing after the "Sgt. Pepper" reprise. And just a small correction, but David Gilmour is responsible for the (intentionally) ugly vocals on "Welcome to the Machine". Also, I would think that Roy's inclusion strictly had to do with conceptuality rather than Gilmour and Waters not liking their voices on the track: in that sense, it almost has a more rock opera-like quality than The Wall, with Gilmour, Waters and Harper each representing a different character of sorts.
ReplyDeleteGreat and insightful write-up, as always. One question though: in the bottom summary section, what exactly do you mean by "voice"? And what is your justification for the "so-so" rating for this album in that category?
ReplyDelete"Voice" is an approximate average assessment of both the lyrics and the way they are delivered. WYWH is one of those records that would have remained equally stunning even if it were completely instrumental.
Delete"Animals laid out a whole socio-political vision (hardly an original one, but very originally encoded in animalistic and musical metaphors)"
ReplyDeleteHow originally, three decades after Animal Farm?
I remember on the original site when you called this something like "a bizarre collection of aimless jams", haha. The minimoog and guitar jams on the second half of SYOCD are definitely my favorite part of the album. Really, I think this album is the peak of a non-synth band using synthesizers to complement and expand the mood of the pieces.
ReplyDeleteSOYCD that is...
DeleteBeing familiar with George's old review of WYWH, I kinad expected the album to land somewhere between "mp3 collection" and "on the shelf" - now way would I expect George to take a record containing "Have a Cigar" and "Welcome to the Machine" on a desert island. People do get softer with age. Still, out of classic era PF records, "The Wall" is probably the only one that grows off you, as you get older.
ReplyDeleteWell, to be honest, I'd only take it on a desert island because of 'Shine On' - I've learned to live with all the other ones, understand and respect them. But without 'Shine On', I couldn't imagine my ideal desert island.
DeleteThe journey from the brutal (and heartbreaking) review on the earlier site to this insightful and benevolent one is a joy to behold...Heartfelt requiem mass indeed. I'll now have to go back and spin out earlier works in that genre. The big difference is something alluded to in the recent review of DSotM...Pink Floyd's ability to make this difficult matter accessible to a wider audience.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure that going down the RYM chart is the ideal way to do this. It would mean reviewing 4 or 5 Zeppelin and Stones albums while basically never reviewing stuff like "The Joshua Tree" or "Appetite for Destruction". Considering this is a collection of "Important Albums" I think there are many albums to prioritize more for this list than "Beggars Banquet" or "Led Zeppelin 3".
ReplyDeleteJust a thought. I'm sure whatever you write about will be an excellent read.
I think going straight down is a little silly if it means re-re-reviewing albums that he's only re-reviewed fairly recently (if that's what he's planning on doing - i guess we'll find out in a few weeks when he gets to the first Beatles album), but... it does mean we'll get reviews of albums i thought he'd never get to - like Master of Puppets! And Daydream Nation! either way will be interesting to see what he decides to do. (-:
ReplyDeleteI could listen to Welcome to the Machine over and over in the dark, so deliciously doomy and dreadful. I remember writing the song title with a marker on this stupid military recruitment bus shelter ad (Be all you can be!) on a bus shelter one afternoon on the way to the shrink lol, stuck in my head bad. Sad album, i can't believe a twenty minute song was ever so widely popular, seems impossible. The slowness lets the mood sink in though.
ReplyDelete