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The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
Release Date: August, 1967
Track List: Astromy Domine, Lucifer Sam, Matilda Mother, Flaming, Pow R. Toc H, Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk, Interstellar Overdrive, The Gnome, Chapter 24, The Scarecrow, Bike
Pink Floyd's first full length album, it is one of the best psychedelic albums ever made, not to mention the fact that none of Pink Floyd's other albums come even close to it musically. Pink Floyd had released 2 singles (Arnold Layne and See Emily Play), but the band needed something larger, so they recorded Piper as their first full length LP. Sadly it was only originally released in the UK, because EMI, the bands American distributor thought people would not like it and released a truncated version in whcih "Lucifer Sam", "Pow R Toc H",
"Interstellar Overdrive" and "Bike", were removed and replaced by "See Emily Play". The reason that no other Pink Floyd album sounds this good is because in early 1968, Syd Barret, the groups dynamic frontman had an LSD induced breakdown, and was replaced.
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Dark Side of the Moon
Release Date: March 24, 1973
Track List: Speak to Me/Breathe, On the Run, Time, The Great Gig in the Sky, Money, Us and Them, Any Colour You Like, Brain Damage/Eclipse
The landmark album of Pink Floyd and the album that made them the stars they are. In 1971, with the release of Meddle, the precursor to Dark Side of the Moon, begun a new period for Pink Floyd, from 1968-1970, Pink Floyd were in an awkward period when they were between the psychedelic pop of their early days and their hard rock of Dark Side of the Moon. Dark Side of the Moon is supposed to be about the dark side of life, Corporate Opression: Breathe, War: Us and Them, Madness: Brain Damage/Eclipse, Greed: Money and Senility: Time. The albums best tracks are "Money", "Time", "Us and Them", and "Brain Damage/Eclipse". The low point, if you can say this album has a low point, is "Any Colur You Like". The album closes an obnoxious old man saying, "There is no Dark Side of the Moon, it is all dark."
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The Wall
Release Date: November 30, 1979
Track List: In the Flesh?, The Thin Ice, Another Brick in the Wall part 1, The Happiest Days of Our Lives, Another Brick in the Wall part 2, Mother, Goodbye Blue Sky, Empty Spaces, Young Lust, One of My Turns, Don't Leave Me Now, Another Brick in the Wall part 3, Goodbye Cruel World, Hey You, Is There Anybody Out There?, Nobody Home, Vera, Bring the Boys Back Home, Comfortably Numb, The Show Must Go On, In the Flesh (alternate version), Run Like Hell, Waiting For the Worms, Stop!, The Trial, Outside the Wall
A landmark album and Roger Waters songwriting at its best, The Wall is a cynical Double Album about the madness of a fictitious rock star called Pink and the emotional wall he surrounded himslef with, also this album channels Roger Waters hate for the stadium rock lifestyle. Also this took like forever to make and it was the last Pink Floyd album ever made that i think was good. Momentary Lapse of Reason, please people. My favorite track is Comfortably Numb. This album was made into a movie in 1982 with Bob Geldoff as the disturbed rock star who builds an emotional wall around himself.
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Wish You Were Here
Release Date: September 15, 1975
Track List: Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 1-5), Welcome to the Machine, Have a Cigar, Wish You Were Here, Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Part 6-9)
Dark Side of the Moon sold over 6 million copies in its first year, was number one still around the time Wish You Were Here was being recorded, it would take another miracle to make a follow up to Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here was that miracle. Roger Waters, planned a concept album about the madness of Syd Barret and the madness of being a rock star, David Gilmour's idea was similar, except he wanted more new material and he didnt want the album to revolve around "Shine On You Crazy Diamond". But ultimately Roger's idea won. "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" is a two-part extended song about Syd Barret. "Welcome to the Machine" is a darker gloomier version of a song by the byrds, of the same name. "Have a Cigar", which is sung by Gilmour is a greeting by a greedy manager. "Wish You Were Here", my favorite song on the album is a tribute to Syd Barret and a telling viewpoint on Roger Waters socialist beliefs. A great album, Wish You Were Here is sadly the last album where Pink Floyd as a whole contributed lyrcially to an album.
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Meddle
Release Date: November 11, 1971
Track List: One of These Days, A Pillow of Winds, Fearless, San Tropez, Seamus, Echoes
By far my least favorite album of Pink Floyds second great era (the first was with Barret), it is too drawn out and boring and "Echoes" is too long. But there wouldnt be a Dark Side of the Moon without Meddle so I respect it, but its no Piper or DSOTM (Dark Side of the Moon). My favorite track on this album is "One of these Days", and my least favorite is "Echoes".
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Animals
Release Date: January 23, 1977
Track List: Pigs on the Wing, Dogs, Pigs (Three Diferrent Ones), Sheep, Pigs on the Wing (Alternate Version)
One of Pink Floyd's most cynical albums, and my favorite, Animals, is a concept album based on the author George Orwell's Animal Farm, in whcih Roger Waters (Pink Floyds frontman) dismisses the human race as either Pigs: The Hypocritical Leaders, who care only about themselves, Dogs: The Pigs greedy followers and Sheep: The hapless followers who blindly follow what the Pigs and Dogs tell them. There is only one new song on this album and that is the light psychedelic folk song, "Pigs on the Wing". Sheep (originally titled "Raving and Drooling"), Dogs (originally titled "You Gotta Be Crazy") and Pigs was recorded under its original name. All of those songs were rejects from "Wish You Were Here". In fact even the plan for Animals was thought up 3 years prior to its recording, the idea originally was rejected as too dark. This album although it is my favorite should not be the first album a casual listener gets, the album is more an experienced listener album.
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