Pink Floyd All the Songs
Page 31
The last section of the piece is a long rock improvisation during which Mason lets it rip on his Ludwig, Wright plays Hammond organ and piano, and Waters and Gilmour continue their dual bass line. The guitarist also launches into one of his first solos on double-neck pedal steel guitar (although he would later claim not to remember what instrument he had used). The sound is highly distorted rock, and he gives the impression of taking enormous pleasure in playing the instrument, which is tuned in open E minor (E, B, E, G, B, E). “I guess I was never particularly confident in my ability as a pure guitar player,” he is on record as saying, “so I would try any trick in the book. I’d always liked lap steels, pedal steels and things like that.”29 Where the one and only key change on the track occurs (from B minor to A major at 4:53), he can be heard playing two distinct solo lines, one in the right-hand channel and the other in the left. His playing, imbued with deep feeling, is superb. The piece concludes with a return to the synthesized wind.
According to Nick Mason, the roadie was late returning to the studio with the new strings because he had been making an impromptu visit to his girlfriend, who ran a boutique. The young man’s secret was betrayed by the new pants he was wearing when he got back.
For Pink Floyd Addicts
Having been a highly popular singer in the fifties, enjoying number one hits with “Unchained Melody” and “The Man from Laramie,” and following a brief spell at Radio Luxembourg, Jimmy Young became one of BBC Radio One’s first disc jockeys. Between 1967 and 1973, his morning show attracted large numbers of listeners (although presumably not from those circles interested mainly in rock and underground culture). After that he presented a show on BBC Radio Two that was also a big hit with the public.
COVERS
“One of These Days” has a number of covers. One is by Gov’t Mule (on the 2014 album Dark Side of the Mule).
On July 20, 2016, David Gilmour opened the second part of his show with “One of These Days”—which had not been played by the band or its members since 1994.
A Pillow Of Winds
Roger Waters, David Gilmour/5:13
Musicians
David Gilmour: vocals, acoustic guitar, electric lead guitar
Rick Wright: organ, vibraphone
Roger Waters: bass, acoustic guitar (?)
Nick Mason: drums
Recorded
Abbey Road Studios, London: March 21 and 25, 1971 (Studio Three)
AIR Studios, London: March 30 (other dates not known), 1971 (Studio Two)
Morgan Studios, London: July (precise dates not known) 1971 (Studios One and Two)
Technical Team
Producer: Pink Floyd
Sound Engineers: Peter Bown (Abbey Road and AIR), Rob Black (Morgan)
Assistant Sound Engineers: John Leckie (Abbey Road and AIR), Roger Quested (Morgan)
Genesis
Contrasting strongly with the previous track, a harrowing, hardish rock number, the second track on the album brings balm to the ears. As attested by its title, a poetic formula borrowed from mah-jongg, it is a ballad in the form of an invitation to dream. Nick Mason claims that Roger, Judy, Lindy, and he used to play the Chinese game together regularly.5
Like the title, Roger Waters’s lyrics (sung by David Gilmour) evoke peace and tranquility: A cloud of eiderdown draws around me, softening the sound/Sleepy time when I lie with my love by my side/And she’s breathing low and the candle dies. From the very first lines, peacefulness and harmony reign. Then come nocturnal dreams, punctuated by nature’s rhythms, followed by impressions of morning, when the night winds die and the first rays touch the sky and the hero of the song rises like a bird in the haze. In one sense, the song can be seen as a hymn of praise (Roger Waters–style) to the all-powerful sun… Other observers have seen the golden dawn of the third verse as an allusion to the well-known society of the same name devoted to the study of the occult, whose members included such great literary figures as William Butler Yeats, Henry Rider Haggard, Arthur Machen, and, of course, Aleister Crowley. However, there is no evidence to support this theory, Roger Waters having never (to the best of our knowledge) shown any interest whatsoever in the Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn or the neo-paganism with which it is associated.
Production
The group began recording this beautiful song, known still as “Dave’s Guitar Thing,” at Abbey Road on March 21. It is an acoustic ballad typical of David Gilmour’s style: folk, country, and rock influences go hand in hand with certain West Coast sonorities, representing the diametrical opposite of Syd Barrett’s resolutely English pop. The first take was used as the base track. The song begins with three guitars playing arpeggios: two acoustic instruments in the center and on the right of the stereo field (the Gibson J-45?), and an electric (the “Black Strat”?) on the left. It is assumed that David Gilmour plays all three, although it is possible that Roger Waters lent a hand by playing one of them. Gilmour also—and of this there is no doubt whatsoever—plays a slide guitar part, demonstrating his unique and characteristic touch: mellow, gentle, warm. He also sings lead vocal and doubles his own voice.
There is a question mark over one of the instruments, the bass guitar played by Roger Waters. It is clearly a fretless instrument, a type of bass not previously used on a Pink Floyd record. Although not especially characteristic, the specific sound would seem to leave no doubt about this. Is it a bass that happened to be lying around in the studio? It is impossible to know. Rick Wright provides support on the Hammond organ, but also on the vibraphone, which comes in at 3:00. Nick Mason is happy to provide an extremely discreet rhythmic accompaniment, confining himself simply to marking the beat on his hi-hat.
On March 25, the group recorded some additional guitar and vibraphone tracks. Gilmour probably added electric slide guitar parts at this stage, in particular the doubled solo with extremely melodic phrasing in the instrumental bridge (listen from 3:03), but also some acoustic slide guitar (for example in the coda). On March 30, the EMI eight-track tape was then copied to the sixteen-track machine at AIR Studios. Aside from this technical procedure, however, there is a lack of information about the work done at AIR. With the track more or less finished, the following sessions were most probably used for mixing and of course for the cross-fading that links “A Pillow of Winds” to the synthesized wind of “One of These Days.”
Fearless (included You’ll Never Walk Alone)
David Gilmour, Roger Waters (Rodgers & Hammerstein)/5:11
Musicians
David Gilmour: vocals, electric rhythm and lead guitar, six-string and twelve-string (?) acoustic guitar
Rick Wright: piano, organ, backing vocals (?)
Roger Waters: bass, fuzz bass, six-string and twelve-string (?) acoustic guitar
Nick Mason: drums, maracas, tambourine
Fans of Liverpool F. C. (Kop): soccer supporters’ chanting
Recorded
AIR Studios, London: May 9, 10, September 11, 1971, other dates not known (Studio Two)
Morgan Studios, London: July (precise dates not known) 1971 (Studios One and Two)
Technical Team
Producer: Pink Floyd
Sound Engineers: Peter Bown (AIR), Rob Black (Morgan)
Assistant Sound Engineers: John Leckie (AIR), Roger Quested (Morgan)
Genesis
“Fearless” is the second composition on Meddle by the Waters/Gilmour duo. According to Nick Mason, the title “was an overused expression—a soccer-inspired equivalent of ‘awesome.’”5 The group had picked it up from Tony Gorvitch, the manager of Family and a close friend of Steve and Tony Howard. “Fearless” has developed particular associations with the Liverpool soccer supporters (especially those of the “Kop” stand), who sing “You’ll Never Walk Alone” at the end of matches. This is because the same chant occurs a number of times in the Pink Floyd song: very surreptitiously, indeed barely audibly, at the beginning (0:24) and in the middle (2:08) of the song, and very clearly, indeed a cappella, at the end
(from 4:40). According to Mark Blake, the chant used here was recorded live at a Liverpool versus Everton derby.
Two major questions remain: Why did the Floyd incorporate the supporters’ chant into the song at all? And why did they choose this iconic Liverpool chant given that the two members of the band who were keenest on soccer, David Gilmour and Roger Waters, had no particular liking for this club? According to Rick Wright, “We featured the Liverpool supporters because they’re the best football crowd in the country for what we wanted.”36
Some people, however, believe that instead of looking to the fervor with which the supporters are singing for an explanation, the answer is to be found in the words themselves. Very simple and heartening, the lyrics contain a message that could not be clearer. Even in adversity, the words say, we should never lose hope, and we should turn to those around us for support: Walk on, walk on/With hope in your heart/And you’ll never walk alone/You’ll never walk alone. This message of optimism is similar to that of the first verse of “Fearless,” whose words describe the difficulties that can be encountered in life and the succor those around us can bring.
Others have seen the song as an allusion to Syd Barrett, who was struggling to forge a solo career around this time. How could one not see Syd in the idiot who faced the crowd smiling, Syd the king (of psychedelia, that is) who had forfeited his crown, whom the abuse of psychotropic drugs had led into an unknown world, into a “madness” that is synonymous not with “insanity” but with an alternative reality.
Among the many other hypotheses is the more political explanation put forward by some commentators whereby Roger Waters, an avowed pacifist ever since the death of his father, the soldier and staunch socialist, had a fondness for Liverpool because of the city’s conspicuous left-wing politics. For those who support this interpretation, the words can be seen as a kind of ode to the city: You say the hill’s too steep to climb/You say you’d like to see me try.
“Fearless” closes with the Liverpool Kop chanting the club anthem “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” a song written by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein II for the musical Carousel, first performed on Broadway in 1945.
Production
Before being named “Fearless,” this song was known rather more prosaically as “Bill,” and it was under this title that it was first worked on in AIR’s Studio Two on May 9. The seventh take, which was earmarked as the base track, was recorded most probably by Nick Mason on drums, Roger Waters on bass, and David Gilmour on Stratocaster. The guitar is tuned to open G and the sound is slightly distorted, courtesy of the Fuzz Face. During the ensuing overdubs it was Waters who most likely played first acoustic guitar (on the right of the stereo image), because this composition was written under the influence of Syd Barrett, as the bassist himself acknowledges: “Funnily enough, that was a tuning that Syd showed me. It’s a really beautiful open G tuning, for anybody who wants to tune their guitar: G-G-D-G-B-B.”36 After doubling this guitar part, Waters then recorded a fuzz bass, which, although discreet, can be heard throughout the coda (from 3:57). He also seems to have added to, or rerecorded, his initial bass line that same day. Gilmour floats Stratocaster effects over the song’s mellower passages, combining violining and feedback using his volume pedal (or the Strat’s potentiometer) with distortion and substantial use of reverb. He can also be heard playing harmonics (at around 1:18 and 3:21).
The next day brought new overdubs. This time a twelve-string acoustic guitar (on the left of the stereo image) added by either Gilmour or Waters as well as a very discreet organ part (from 1:55) and a piano, both played by Rick Wright. Mason in turn recorded maracas and a tambourine over the coda, both of which are drenched in reverb. The vocal parts, of which the date and place of recording are not known, are sung mainly by David Gilmour, again in a gentle, breathy voice. Gilmour double-tracks himself in order to add substance to his initial take, and either the guitarist or Rick Wright can also be heard harmonizing with the main voice. The last documented date on which this track was worked was September 11, and this was almost certainly one of the last sessions devoted to the album. “Fearless” is one of the triumphs of Meddle. The sound engineer John Leckie corroborates this. “‘Fearless’ is still the one that everyone in Liverpool plays.[…] Not just for the football chant but those churning acoustic guitars. That’s the one that the La’s and all those bands tell you is the classic Pink Floyd track.”71
For Pink Floyd Addicts
Nick Mason mentions Family. In 1971, Roger Chapman’s band released an album entitled… Fearless.
COVERS
“Fearless” was covered by Fish (the former lead singer of Marillion) during the sessions for his album Songs from the Mirror (1993). The Black Crowes have also performed an excellent version of the song in concert.
THE LEGENDARY “FIRST ELEVEN”
The Floyd (in particular Gilmour and Waters) were great soccer enthusiasts. They never traveled without a ball and formed their own team, the Pink Floyd Football Club, also known as the “First Eleven.” In addition to the four members of the band, the team comprised the graphic artist Storm Thorgerson, the road managers Chris Adamson and Bob Richardson, and even the band’s manager Steve O’Rourke, central defender. Dressed in blue and white, this improbable team is immortalized in a photo on the sleeve of the 1973 compilation album A Nice Pair.
San Tropez
Roger Waters/3:44
Musicians
David Gilmour: electric slide guitar, electric rhythm and lead guitar
Rick Wright: piano
Roger Waters: vocals, bass, acoustic guitar (?)
Nick Mason: drums
Recorded
AIR Studios, London: dates not known
Morgan Studios, London: July 27, 1971, other dates not known (Studio One)
Technical Team
Producer: Pink Floyd
Sound Engineers: Peter Bown (AIR), Rob Black (Morgan)
Assistant Sound Engineers: John Leckie (AIR), Roger Quested (Morgan)
Genesis
The Roger Waters song “San Tropez” is an evocation of the Mediterranean resort in the South of France made famous all over the world by Brigitte Bardot. The small port in the département of Var was well known to David Gilmour as he and Syd Barrett had performed for loose change to the café terraces there in the early sixties before Pink Floyd had even been formed. More importantly it had been one of the venues in the group’s tour of the festivals of the South of France in the summer of 1970. While several concerts were canceled, the one they played at Les Caves du Roy in Saint-Tropez within the context of the music festival there on August 8, 1970, was a great success. It was most likely the memory of their stay in Saint-Tropez that inspired Roger Waters to write this jazzy little number with somewhat cryptic words.
The meaning of the first verse is not at all clear. The narrator seems to touch on his fame, on solitude, and on a lover who offers to console him… The second line of this verse has been puzzling listeners ever since the song was recorded. The problem centers on the meaning of the word rind in the line: Slide a rind down behind a sofa in San Tropez. Is this simply an enigmatic phrase of the kind that is by no means uncommon in the songs of Pink Floyd? Or does the famous “rind” refer to the skin of a fruit with hallucinogenic properties? Of course it might just be an error made when transcribing the words, as the booklet of the CD versions seems to indicate by changing the words Slide a rind down… to Slide a line down… From here it requires no great leap of the imagination to visualize a line of cocaine.
In the second verse, the narrator refers to his modest origins (Owning a home with no silver spoon) and his current jet-setting lifestyle (I’m drinking champagne like a good tycoon), surely, at the same time, an allusion to the jet set that made Saint-Tropez its summer meeting place, above all after the success of the movie And God Created Woman (1956), directed by Roger Vadim and starring Brigitte Bardot. In the third and final verse we return to reality by a country stile, and with it a ha
nkering after simple pleasures: And you’re leading me down to the place by the sea/I hear your soft voice calling to me. The voice of the narrator’s loved one, then, rather than that of some siren…
Production
“‘San Tropez,’ a song Roger brought in complete and ready to record, was inspired by the Floyd expedition to the south of France the previous summer and the house we had rented there,”5 writes Nick Mason. A fully finished composition that Waters presented to his bandmates, it is the only song on the album whose writing involved no collaboration whatsoever. Apparently recorded in a hurry, under pressure from EMI to ensure that the album was finished before the Christmas holidays, “San Tropez” was most probably the last song recorded for Meddle. Save for the one known recording session, at Morgan Studios on July 27, there is no technical information relating to the making of this track.
From the very first notes, the listener is struck by the frothiness of the song, which is entirely in keeping with the sunshine of Côte d’Azur and Saint-Tropez, inexplicably misspelled in the song title. Waters has succeeded in composing a jazz-inspired ditty of which one would never have thought either him or the Floyd (given their back catalog) capable. We are a long way here from the troubled or introspective moods of the other tracks on this album; Waters has taken a leaf out of Burt Bacharach’s book and come up trumps!