Wot's... Uh the Deal? Well quite a bit acutally.... (Obscured By Clouds - Pink Floyd - Soundtrack)

Member Name: obscuredbykep

Product:	Obscured By Clouds - Pink Floyd - Soundtrack
Date:	08/02/09 (59 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Great Songs, some brilliant Lyrics

Disadvantages: Probably only let down by the final track

== Background ==

Pink Floyd released their first album in 1967, the infamous 'Piper at the Gates of Dawn' a real sixties album which is a shining example of the psychedelic movement. In those days, the band was fronted by Syd Barrett, the lead guitarist and vocalist, as well as main songwriter.

Syd had a bit of a breakdown, and was replaced by David Gilmour in 1968, during the time they were recording album number two, 'A Saucerful of Secrets', an album which only featured one composition of Barrett's, the poignant 'Jugband Blues'. Roger Waters said in an interview once, that when Syd was replaced, they faced a bit of a problem, and didn't really know where to go with their music, so just did what they new best, hence some of the amazing instrumentals, and long tracks which are on ASOS. This was followed by 'Ummagumma' and 'More' (1969), 'Atom Heart Mother' (1970) and 'Meddle' (1971) before they released 'Obscured By Clouds' in 1972.
Obscured by Clouds was Pink Floyds third album soundtrack, the other two being 'More' and 'Zabraskie Point', and it was created for the French film, "La Vallée" a film which I am desperately trying to get my hands on!

The Tracks
So, the important part of the album, what are the tracks? OBC comprises of 10 tracks, and the album totals in at around 40 minutes long. Since it was a soundtrack, there are none of the long compositions such as 'Echoes' from 'Meddle' which was 24 minutes long.
1 - Obscured By Clouds

The introduction to the album is a nifty little instrumental. Starting rather slow, with just drums and a bit of synthesiser, Gilmour then interjects with some smooth guitar notes. The song is medium paced, and rather relaxing. The song then flows to a finish at 3:03 sliding directly into:

2 - When your In

Starting with some drums and keyboards, with a gentle guitar in the background, a faster paced song which is much more uplifting, naturally, another instrumental, and again the song comes to a natural trail off into the next track...
=== 3 - Burning Bridges ===

The first song to feature some lyrics, written by Waters. The song is sung by Gilmour and Wright, which is always a great pairing, due to the softness of their voices. The song is slower than the previous two, and keeps the relaxing tones of the album. It features another piece of gentle guitar work from Gilmour, which is slightly reminiscent of that which is featured in some Fleedwood Mac, at least that is what springs to my mind. The lyrics are nothing special when compared to some of the lyrics appearing alter in the album.
=== 4 - The Gold it's in the... ===

Starting more upbeat than the previous song, with a gentle clanging of guitar, which resides in the back of the song throughout. As another reviewer has said, this song is a quintessential rock song, the type of which Pink Floyd did not produce many of. The guitar solo in the middle, while not complex like many of the modern solos in songs, is well chosen and flows well, its making me nod my head in appreciation.
=== 5 - Wot's... Uh the Deal ===

The second longest song of the album, at just over 5 minutes long. It's a relatively slow paced piece, with vocals by Gilmour. The music is subtly layered in the background, with the gentle strings of a guitar being heard. Water's lyrics for this song are much better than the previous two, with the final verse:
Hear me shout "Come on in,
What's the news and where you been?"
Cause there's no wind left in my soul
And I've grown old

Which I find particularly poetic.
=== 6 - Mudmen ===

Another instrumental track which some compare to 'Burning Bridges'. It flows beautifully, and is medium paced, until around 1 and half minutes in, when Gilmour bursts out some stunning guitar work, this really adds to the feel of the album, which as I will explain later is very relaxing. This was all written by Gilmour and Wright, and was the last compostion accredited to just them until they worked on 'Cluster One' in their 1994 album, 'The Divison Bell'.
=== 7 - Childhood's End ===

This is my favourite song from the album, starting side two of the Vinyl. Written and sung by Gilmour. The song starts of with silence, then a gradual chord is heard fading in, to be honest this bit annoys me and I tend to fast forward through it. A drumbeat is then heard gradually rising in volume, before the guitar chords come in, and the song begins to really take shape.
The lyrics of this song are the best on the album, the final verse being particaully so:

Who are you and who am I
To say we know the reason why?
Some are born
Some men die
Beneath one infinite sky
There'll be war
There'll be peace
But everything one day will cease
All the iron turned to rust
All the proud men turned to dust
And so all things, time will mend
So this song will end
Gilmour is often down played compared to the lyric writing of Waters, which dominated the band during their most successful stages, but with songs like this, it is clear that Gilmour does have a great ability to write great songs.

=== 8 - Free Four ===
The most upbeat track on the album, written and sang by Waters. This song has a slightly different feel to it that the rest of the album, with a less dominant guitar through most of the verse, being that it only presents an acoustic jangle, and features less of the classic Gilmour guitar. The lyrics of this song are also strong, especially with the final verse:

The memories of a man in his old age
Are the deeds of a man in his prime.
You shuffle in gloom in the sickroom
And talk to yourself till you die.
This is then followed by the missing guitar from the rest of the song, with a beautiful piece from Gilmour which finishes the song off perfectly.

=== 9 - Stay ===
Stay is a very slow song compared to the rest, with a piano base. Sang by Wright, and written by Waters. After all the excitement of the rest of the album, it gives connotations of the evening, relaxing with a glass of wine watching the moon, or something like that. Compared to the rest of the album I find it a bit disappointing, but as a stand alone song, it really isn't too bad, albeit not comparing to a number of the Floyd's other lesser known work.

10 - Absolutely Curtains

The final track on the album and the longest. It starts off rather gently, and the music is underlined by a soft chord, with delicate tamperings of the keyboard. The song flows softly, and is very ambient. By nearly four minutes in, you hear some voices, but not of the Floyd. It is a the Magupa Tribe, from Papa New Guinea, they can be heard chanting, with little music behind them, I think it is kind of wishy-washy really, and so this is never a song I would choose to listen to, other than when I am purposely listening to the whole album through. No doubt that if/when I watch the film, it may serve some purpose.
My Thoughts on the Album
One of the magical things about Pink Floyd is how different all their albums are, from the epic long songs, like 'Shine on You Crazy Diamond' on 'Wish you were Here' to the mind bending songs such as 'Interstellar Overdrive' from 'Piper at the Gates of Dawn'. Obscured by Clouds is a relaxing album, the music driven songs flow gently into one another, which I find perfect for just chilling out. Especially brilliant on a hot summer day, sat in the garden letting the chords and notes wash over you, it transports you away into a different world, and leaves you chilled out and relaxed.

I personally prefer it on Vinyl, which I managed to get a decent second edition copy of from Ebay a few years ago. The odd little crackles and pops add to the songs, and it becomes ever more distant and relaxing.
On the whole this album is great, however it isn't comparable to over Floyd albums. They were in the middle of working on 'Dark Side of the Moon' when they recorded this album, but that doesn't really show, in fact I am sure many would have never expect the monumental success which followed that album. If you are new to Pink Floyd then I don't recommend starting with this album, instead try out Dark Side, since it is a more well known album, and achieved much better commercial success, it is after all a stunning album.

This album is a must for all Pink Floyd fans, and would compliment your music collection perfectly. Definitely worth keeping an eye out for.

Summary: A great piece of the Floyd