Meddle

Meddle

[1971]

      Now that I've finally gotten back to this thing, I'm here to review the Pink Floyd album Meddle which was also released in 1971. The album clocks in at a run time of 46 minutes and 42 seconds and has 6 tracks, 5 tracks on side A and 1 on side B. 

       The first track is titled One Of These Days and starts off with a mountain like whisper of wind. The bass starts to play and then the synth fades in at various points and finally the drums kick off and the guitar comes right in. This gives us a very psychedelic melody that I can't help but dig. After a few minutes of this, we hear some distortion and then a synthesized voice comes in and trails off into incomprehensible muttering after saying "One of these days" The song is then launched into a much more psychedelic melody with much more being heard out of all the instruments, but it is abruptly stopped and we hear the wind again as we transition into the next track.

       The second track is titled A Pillow Of Winds and starts with an acoustic melody and then dives into a more relaxed song. The tune is very relaxing and is very enjoyable. The vocals a very well harmonized and it really calms you down after the faster intro to the album.

       The third track is titled Fearless and starts with the guitar and drums going to a pretty peppy beat [It's terrific for driving] and has some chanting fading in and out of the background. The melody remains the same but slows down in some parts and the vocals harmonize very well again. After a while the instruments fade away to let the chanting take over and end the song.

       The fourth track is titled San Tropez and it has a more easy going feel to it. Consisting mostly of an acoustic guitar, a piano, and some minor instruments, the main thing I adore about this track is its awesome vocal synchronization. It just gets me every time.

      The fifth track is titled Seamus and is a sort of bluesy tune about a dog named Seamus. It consists mostly of one acoustic melody and then ends with some barking dogs here and there, overall, its a good song.

       The sixth and final track, and probably the most famous song on the entire album, is titled Echoes and took up the entire other side of the vinyl, coming in with a run time of 23 minutes and some change. Honestly, I have no way to explain this song, it's really more of an experience, in my opinion. As a music enthusiast, I can hear the slight resemblance to the band's later hit album, Dark Side Of The Moon.

       As a final evaluation of the album, I say that it is still a classic today, even though it isn't very well known to non-floydians, but my final consensus is that you should purchase this great piece of early Floyd magnificence. 

Track Listing

[1] One Of These Days - 05:55

[2] A Pillow Of Winds - 05:13

[3] Fearless - 06:08

[4] San Tropez - 03:43

[5] Seamus - 02:15

[6] Echoes - 23:32

Want to suggest an album? Leave a suggestion in the comments and I'll see what I can do!

The Electric Light Orchestra/ No Answer

The Electric Light Orchestra/ No Answer [1971]

       To kick off this new blog, I'll be reviewing the Electric Light Orchestra's debut album, The Electric Light Orchestra known as No Answer in the U.S. Released in 1971, this album was the first album released by the Electric Light Orchestra and contained 9 songs. The style of this album is a very interesting one, especially for the time period it was released.

        The album starts of with a sort of rock melody with underlining string instruments in 10538 Overture. This style continues through the album but drops the electric guitar after the first song.

        Look at Me Now is the second track and features various string instruments as the melody, some woodwinds underneath the strings, and has Roy Wood, one of the founding members of ELO, on vocals. Look at Me Now is a truly interesting piece, one of my favorite portions of the song happens at the two minute and fifteen second mark where Mike Edwards has a small cello solo that just sounds so crisp.

        The third track is Nellie Takes Her Bow which features a piano on melody, as well as cellos and violins. Jeff Lynne sings the vocals for this track and I must admit this has to be one of my favorite songs on this album, especially when the instrumental break occurs at the two minute and twenty seconds mark which includes  french horn, piano, drum set, and strings.

         The fourth track is The Battle of Marston Moore (July 2nd, 1644) and this song is more of a story telling song featuring only instruments the entire song, except the first minute where there are vocals setting up the story. It's a pretty good song and I believe that it is a very good start to ELO's instrumental songs.

        Track five is First Movement (Jumping Biz) which is a take on a classical piece of music in a different way. This features acoustic guitar, drum set, and strings.

        The sixth, and probably most remembered song, is Mr. Radio. Ah Mr. Radio, this song is a very good song. It starts off with some static noise and then fades in with a string quartet. After this it dives into the song, which features Jeff Lynne on vocals, and violin, cello, and piano as the backing instruments. This song is relatively slow moving, but it is very beautiful.

        The seventh track is Manhattan Rumble (49th Street Massacre) which is another storytelling song as well as an instrumental song. It is very reminiscent of the Capriccio portion of Ceaser Giovannini's Chorale and Capriccio. The song features piano, strings, woodwinds, and drum set.

       Track number eight is Queen of The Hours, my favorite track on the album. This features Jeff Lynne on vocals and strings as the backing instrumental. The way the strings form such a crisp and beautiful sound is what really makes me adore this song.

      The final song on the album is Whisper in the Night and is a great way to end an album. It features Roy wood on vocals and starts off with an acoustic guitar then slowly adds in string instruments. This is a very slow and melodic song and also has a small choir part after the instrumental break.

      So, does this album still hold up forty-one years after it's release? Well, if you're a die-hard ELO fan like myself, then I say you would definitely like this album, however the "baroque-and-roll" style of the album may turn most modern day music lovers away, but really, it's their loss.

Track listing
[1] 10538 Overture - 5:33
[2] Look at Me Now - 3:22
[3] Nellie Takes Her Bow - 6:02
[4] The Battle of Marston Moore (July 2nd, 1644) - 6:05
[5] First Movement (Jumping Biz) - 3:01
[6] Mr. Radio - 5:06
[7] Manhattan Rumble (49th Street Massacre) - 4:26
[8] Queen of The Hours - 3:22
[9] Whisper In The Night - 4:46

Want to suggest an album? Leave a suggestion in the comments and I'll see what I can do!