Mazzy! With all due respect, Roy Harper sings “Have A Cigar”, not “Welcome To Machines”. Not sure if it’s Gilmour or Waters on the latter track (I always THOUGHT it was Roger, but I admit I don’t know...) No biggie, I screw up the facts on my videos all the time ... I still love your videos. 😊 Oh, and possibly my favorite song on Dark Side Of The Moon is “Any Colour You Like”, right to the end of the album. This is a great “ranking” video, I rank it #1. 😁
@@Supernaut072 That is a Latin word and I think Roger would have that right. I’ve always forced a rhyme there ever since I first saw the title, and I just wanted to correct Mazzy with his “Doh-Mine” version.
I am gratified that you put Meddle and Dark Side together because that is how entwined the two albums are and it could even be said that Echoes is Dark Sides prologue. I have watched and read a lot of opinions and rankings of Floyd's music over the last 45 years, and it never ceases to amaze me how almost universally Atom Heart Mother is always ranked in the top 5, considering that all the interviews of the band members themselves over that same period are consistent in denouncing AHM as terrible. 1. Dark Side 2.Wish 3. Meddle 4. Animals 5. The Wall.....
1,The Piper At The Gate Of Dawn 2,Wish You Were Here 3,Dark Side Of The Moon 4,Saucerful Of Secrets 5,Animals 6,Meddle 7,Atom Heart Mother 8,The Wall 9,More 10,Obscured By Clouds
You need to check out nick masons touring band doing the early floyd. Think there is a record released live at the roundhouse. A poor second obviously to being there in the 60's but still excellent
Having not grown up with Pink Floyd and not listening to them until I was an adult, I have a different view of the albums. For me, Division Bell is my favorite album under the Pink Floyd name. Dark Side is my number two. Fun rankings Mazzy.
15: More 14: The Endless River 13: Ummagumma 12: A Saucerful of Secrets 11: Obscured by Clouds 10: Atom Heart Mother 9: Piper at the Gates of Dawn 8: A Momentary Lapse of Reason 7: The Division Bell 6: The Final Cut 5: Meddle 4: The Wall 3: Wish You Were Here 2: Animals 1: The Dark Side of the Moon
Astronomy Domine is pronounced Astronomy Dom-eh-knee(or closer to the Latin: Dom-in-eh.) But maybe not after taking Pay-oh-tea. Great ranking. I’m with you on all of them.
i could make 2 lists. List one is an average list made by mixing 3 concepts: 1) INNOVATION, in music in general and innovation in the band's formulas, 2) critical opinions... 3) perdonal feelings about the songs and the cohesion of the LP. that three concepts make a strange list... but that is: 1) dark side of the moon 2) wish you were here 3) Meddle 4) The Piper 5) The Wall Then we have the second list, my really favourite LP's in order: 1) the piper at the gates of dawn 2) dark side of the moon 3) meddle 4) Wish you were here 5 ) The wall
Totally agree on album cover art. I own my own creative design group and love their album art. Animals, is not only one of my favorite albums, but also my favorite album cover art. I think they could have done better on the inner gatefold. As for music, Dark side and Obscured by Clouds are my 2 and 3. Agree with you on The Wall.
you’re right, it’s all about time. When the records were released I heard or bought them . So…. For me it’s Piper at 1, because I was at art college (Floyd played at our summer Arts Ball mid 60’s ,with Syd and they were tremendous) After that Meddle, saw them play it live Free Trade Hall Manchester , Obscured By Clouds for the title track alone is a desert Island record, (just revisiting it on 1972 Obfusc/action) never tire of it. After that it’s, for me piece meal… I class Dark Side, Wish You Were Here and The Wall the beginning of the end for me about what Floyd were about. Too contrived. Again it’s all about time….. great piece though Mazzy.
Very nice video . Very well argued. No matter how much we all love Dark Side..., each one of us has his own number one album of this gigantic super group. Mine is the magnificent cow. Atom heart mother still blows my mind. Again superb video.
Fun video and an interesting list---enjoyed hearing your personal recollections unbelievably jealous that you got to witness Pink Floyd live 3 times in the 70's, awesome.
You had me at HIpgnosis!! If those guys did the cover for a band I gave it a try. They were also a huge influence on my becoming a graphic designer and director (I do mostly TV commercials). They have quite a few other books out on their photography and album covers but I was really happy when they released the book that you showed. It was nice to have a complete collection of every cover they did. I still have my copy of Walk Away Rene I bought back in the late 70s. It's pretty beat up from being referenced over and over again all of these years. Take care and thanks for the video!!
I hope you never run out of things to review! Love it! I started college in 1973. My parents had given me a decent stereo for a high school graduation present. The first thing I did once I was in my dorm room was to close the door and smoke a joint. I then opened the door, put on Dark Side of the Moon full volume and ran down to the end of the dorm hall, like a mile away, to see if I could hear it!
So you were one of the proverbial douche bags blasting rock music in the residence hall disrupting everyone's sleep or study. The main reason I moved out of residence after my first year. Thanks dude.
My favourite way to listen to the Ummagumma live material is a bootleg that adds an extra track, Interstellar Overdrive with a jam in the middle that was the basis of Up The Khyber from More. The studio album has grown on me over the years, I like Rick and Roger's sections the most. The editing effects on Nick's track are pretty cool. Dave's material got better when it was played live during 1969 imo.
Great video. Over my lifetime, I’ve only purchased one Pink Floyd album, Ummagumma. Now at age 69, I’ve ordered the “Oh By the Way” box set and I’m ready to dive deep into the Floyd catalog. I can’t wait, this video was an excellent warm up to hearing all these albums.
I think you nailed it mostly. That's about where I would rank the albums but I am not a typical Floyd fan...yeah I'm one of those who would call Piper the best album. I know Dark Side well of course but Piper opened my mind up to psychedelia and I still think there's nothing like it. Meddle is wonderful and I think Atom Heart Mother is quite underrated. I love that the band had to restart after Syd and figure things out. They could've folded but didn't. Good stuff
The really great bands, like Floyd & Beatles, learned how to layer their songs. What makes Dark Side so brilliant is how each cut will start and continue to build, adding different yet similar elements to the song. Time might just be the greatest example-the alarms, the seconds, the 12 chords, before the song starts. BTW, so glad you put Ummagumma & Atom Heart fairly high on the list. Headphones only for sure.
Thanks for this, Mazzy. Ummagumma was the first Pink Floyd album I bought, and the cover was part of the reason (I was a drummer/gearhead at 15). I love it for the live sides but only listened to the solo sides a few times. My personal #1 go-to for Floyd will always be "Echoes" from the album Meddle. My personal top five are #5 Dark Side, #4 Piper, #3 Live sides of Ummagumma, #2 Wish You Were Here, #1 Meddle. Dark Side just felt overthought and overbaked to me after the stuff that had come before. It was too perfect.
I saw the cover of "Umma..." at a store when I was 10, when it came out. The cover and song titles fascinated me, tho it took 3 or 4 years for me to buy it.
Shortly after moving to LA, my wife and I were driving through the high desert en route to Mammoth after a huge storm, with Meddle playing. It was early evening, the clouds cleared, and as Echoes started the sun came out, filtered by the rare occurrence of clouds and moisture in the high desert air. The single greatest synchronicity of music and driving I've ever experienced..... A most thoughtful ordering of albums but, while I agree with everything you said about DSOTM, when it comes to which albums I would actually listen to on a desert island, my ordering would be 1. WYWH, 2. Meddle, 3. DSOTM - and the #3 spot could easily rotate with Animals, Obscured and Piper....... And you're dead right about the acoustic guitar sound on WYWH - it's uncanny.
Well well...what did I expect? The first three records are my favorite ones too! You can't deny Dark Side is a class on it's own! Meddle is all because of the monumental Echoes...Glad you ranked Atom Heart Mother so high! Fine top.
Will be checking this out soon, enjoyed the others. Maybe Van, Patti, Cohen, Dead, Waits, Cooder, Lucinda, Cave, PJ etc. So many great catalogs and love your takes.
I agree the contrarian brigade going against Dark Side of the Moon has gotten really extreme in my opinion, and the same is true for so many dumping on Piper at the Gates of Dawn, so glad to see that you put Dark Side at number 1 and ranked Piper at the Gates of Dawn so high. 1. Dark Side of the Moon - Profound reflection upon human darkness and light by focusing on an astronomic image that pulls on the tides from the sky with seamless integration of tracks and elemental themes of life from time, war, death, and money with a moving blues and jazz foundation creating a soulful mix with the experimental instrumental elements. Great guitar solos in Time and Money and great sax solo in Money and Us and Them. The keyboard through out is innovative and engaging. The use of impassioned solo and vocal harmonies and voices giving maxims about life combined with the sound effects of clocks, running and heart beats while running gives the album a really vital feeling of the ebb and flow of life. The representation of lunacy through the dark side of the moon links back to Syd Barrett with the phrase when the band you're in starts playing different tunes combined with the sun is in tune but eclipsed by the moon, since Syd Barrett untuned his guitar on stage while the band was playing a different song. 2. Piper at the Gates of Dawn- not as consistent as Dark Side of the Moon but intriguing mix of intense psychedelic compositions with a wild childlike and rustic element mixed with a lot of visionary and emotional intensity, tend to like Barret's vocals the best of all members as well with the heavy British accent with loads of spaced out playfulness. 3. Meddle- Really innovative use of double bass licks on the opening One of these Days and Echoes is a fascinating space rock composition with great funky keyboard and guitar and seagull or teradactyl type sounds. 4. Wish You Were Here- great follow up to Dark Side of the Moon once again with a lot of jazz and blues influence with great interplay between the keyboards and guitar, emotionally resonant and articulate lyrics also funny in Have a Cigar, Shine on You Crazy Diamond is a wonderful piece but the introduction takes quite a while to get going and Welcome to the Machine doesn't quite measure up to the other songs for me. 5.Animals - I have started to like this album a lot more so it has moved up a lot and may continue to do so. The main anchor is Gilmour's great guitar playing and I enjoy his singing in Dogs, I also like Water's singing in Sheep and Pigs and the creepy keyboard textures. Still not that crazy about all the lyrics b 6. The Wall - their most directly emotionally intense album with some of Gilmour's fiercest and most tasteful solos, and a lot of their catchiest melodies with a great range of emotion from aggressive anger to tender sensitivity, however the morbid nature of much of the material, a few weaker and self-indulgent tracks and the iconclastic view of education and family relationships like on Mother otherwise a great song, keep me from enjoying it as much as the ones above it. Still a really impressive album. Has anyone else noticed that this seems to be influenced by the rock opera Tommy though delivered in a unique way? 7. Saucerful of Secrets- a direct and intense psychedelic album that has a number of impressive atmospheric songs ranging from the devastating nostalgic sorrow of Remember a Day (my favorite) to the intense instrumental and vocal outbursts on the title track. Have a tough time listening to the Barrett track because it so directly addresses his break down. Set the Controls is a fantastic atmospheric piece featuring all the members including Syd. 8. Atom Heart Mother- my favorite song is again by Richard Wright, Summer of 68, and to me this would have offered the perfect framework for the long prog track of Atom Heart Mother because it already includes horns and a dynamic rise and fall of emotion set against the backdrop of a fleeting love affair. It has what to me the long composition on the other side is missing a compelling human story and vocal and instrumental connection to the group. 8. Obscured by Clouds like Free Four and Childhood's End 9. 10. Final Cut 11. Division Bell - High Hopes is an impressive song and there are a lot of good atmospheric tracks though they go on a bit long for me. 12. More 13. Momentary Lapse of Reason 14. Umma Gumma 15. Endless River
I'll admit I did speed through the video the first time before watching it. Not seeing "The Final Cut" displayed, I was getting my hopes up that it would be near the top. However, on my second viewing, my hopes were dashed. It would be in my top five, though.
Really enjoyed this. What a great privilege to have seen them right before the release of DSOTM in such an intimate setting. Incredible. I rank both The Wall and Momentary Lapse higher than this list. Momentary Lapse is easily the best Gilmour-led Floyd album - there’s some fire to it, unlike the more sedate, plodding albums that followed.
It's nice to see Obscured by Clouds getting recognition . Wot's .. Uh the Deal is one of my favourite Pink Floyd songs , as well as Stay . It ranks number 4 on my list , behind only Dark Side , Wish You Were Here , and The Wall . I agree that The Wall would be stronger without several of it's songs . Most noticeably at the end of the album. Still great though . Great ranking !
Great stuff Mazzy. The Floyd are the sound of The Home Counties of England where I originate from. Just as worthy as any anthropological study as anywhere in the world. From The Beatles to Bowie we have given the music world so much. But never a mention. Quiet desperation really is the English way!!
I agree with your first 5 choices. Also, i agree that The wall is an overrated album, on the contrary, bscured by clouds and meddle are underrated gems.
Really like your order. I'm glad you put "Obscured by Clouds" up there. Interestingly, my UK version of the first album had a completely different cover.
This is a cool ranking. The album, “Endless River” is kind of like an endless river meandering in ambience, chill and adult essence. The album, “Animals” is my top ranked Pink Floyd album, because I like the progressive sound more than “Dark Side Of The Moon”.
Hi Mazzy. This is a better ranking than most that I've seen. A point on Animals - your 'lofi' point might be true, but it's also the first time in a while that the sound wasn't augmented by choirs, saxophones and such. It's just the band.
Yes, Dark Side of the Moon is obvious, but it IS a classic album for a reason. Personally, I would rank The Wall higher (number 3, after WYWH at #2) but I know why you ranked it so low as it took me many, many listens to fully appreciate it. That's the trouble with some double albums, in fact only just recently did I start to realise the sonic beauty of Genesis' The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, an album which I previously thought was a misfire. Good review Mazzy.
Thank you for a thoughtful talk through the Pink Floyd albums. Everyone will have a different take on personal favorites and what ranking to give them. Like you I arrived at Ummagumma. Grantchester Meadows is a personal favorite as I have spent some time on the meadows. The song captures the atmosphere of them beautifully. I also saw them just before Dark Side was released and it was pretty special. My number one would be Meddle though. Still that element of experimentation around which is why I liked them in the first place.
Good ranking n video Pink Floyd really drew me in when i was young when my dad would play the albums all the time i always like to chime in with my list 15. A Momentary Lapse in Reason 14. The Endless River 13. The Final Cut 12. More 11. Atom Heart Mother 10. The Division Bell 9. Obscurred by Clouds 8. The Wall 7. Ummagumma 6. Piper At the Gates of Dawn 5. Meddle 4. Saucerfull of Secrets 3. Wish you Where Here 2. Darkside of the Moon 1. Animals
Nice video of my early favorite band. I saw ‘em every tour from ‘68 to ‘72 (missed Syd’s rather sad ‘67 Fillmore gig). My #1 would be Piper which I think is filled to the brim with wonderful magical tunes, whereas later LPs had more spacey filler. But, hey, that’s what makes horse races. ;)
I agree with your choices here. I remember us all being disappointed with Wish You Were Here when it came out (yet it was a great album) because it was post Dark Side. Agree with you on The Wall, I think central idea is cliched and the art work tacky.
I enjoyed this video. I don’t listen to Dark Side often but when I do the word “ masterpiece” always comes to mind. I listen to Wish You Were Here and Meddle most often. I really enjoy A Momentary Lapse Of Reason. Yet Another Movie is a fantastic song. My only complaint about the video is your comment on Quadrophenia :). It IS the best double album of all time :) , just before Physical Graffiti
Norman I notice you still have the original shine on versions of Pink Floyd from 1992. I adored this box set still do. But the new 2011 remasters are vastly superior except for that unique Doug sax touch. I was listening to the new version of wish you were here on my Marantz and my senheiser noise cancelling headphones and dude I was gobsmacked at what I was hearing. So much detail simply flawless!
Totally nailed the ranking, Mazzy! Anyone who claims that DSOTM isn't #1 is either burnt out or a provocateur. The albums just before and just after are very good and worthy of Pink Floyd. THE WALL is an overblown mess, spelling the demise of the group. The stuff afterwards is interesting but a pale imitation. The Syd Barrett band, though different, had great songs and a way with a groove (and I'd include RELICS here). I especially appreciate how you linked the music with the album graphics; this was a key component to the band's mystique.
If you want to expand the horizons of listeners discographies of any band, these ranking shows do it! My cd collection has doubled in the last year, and I could not be happier for it! Born in '61, I just listened to Meddle for the first time ever in the last week - great. This might be as early in the catalogue as I go, but I never tire of ranking shows and you as one of the more 'experienced' listeners / reviewers, as ranking shows go, fills a need on youtube. I've only got Meddles thru The Wall at the moment. I might go with Obscured next given you said it has some catchy songs besides being atmospheric (ideally, I like to have a little of both).
This is the first video I can mostly agree with. All the others made me rather angry, but I really enjoyed your musical perspective. I also loved your stories from back in the day! Keep it up man! -greetings from germany
I hope someday Floyd does a clean, official release of "Live at Pompei"......the version of "Echoes" at Pompei is incredible.....I"m with you on Quadrophenia......It is fantastic...but I also think it's a bit overrated.....I tend to rate "Animals" very high though. Glad you're ranking "Obscured" so high. It still rates to me VERY high on my own personal scale (Love Childhood's End)..
Good stuff. I always enjoy these sorts of lists, especially when they feature my favorite band. This is the 5th such list I've found on RUclips. What makes them interesting to me is the different perspectives that each of the reviewers has on each record. I'm going to post my list here and it differs from yours in many places. What I don't enjoy is the "Your list is wrong because..." comments and I know you have some here and everyone gets those when they post such lists publicly. What makes these great is how diverse they are. My list then: 1- Dark Side of the Moon 2- Wish You Were Here 3- Animals 4- Meddle 5- The Wall 6- Piper at the Gates of Dawn 7- Obscured by Clouds 8- Saucerful of Secrets 9- Atom Heart Mother 10- Momentary Lapse of Reason (2019) 11- More 12- The Final Cut 13- The Division Bell 14- The Endless River 15 - Ummagumma I could bump Ummagumma higher because as you said, the live record is very good. I kind of look at the live record more akin to the other live stuff like "Is There Anybody Out There?", "Pulse", and "Delicate Sound of Thunder". Which is one reason I have it at 15. The other being that it features the only album by my favorite band which I am unable to listen to from start to finish. Parts of it are just unlistenable to me. There are a few gems on the studio recordings record but man there are long, rough stretches. Thanks for sharing your list and your thoughts!!
I was listening to PF dsotm one day at age 21 and my dad walked by and said to me "sounds good" and he even did not listen to rock n roll so that told me that it as a great album because the music resonated even with people that were not into their music.
I agree with The Final Cut being a mess and I also agree with your ideas about The Wall being not all that either. I also am with you on Dark Side being #1. Can't top it! I was 17 when I ist heard it and still almost 50 years later it is so part of us ya know! It's in our DNA.Thanks Mazzy!
Pink Floyd was, to us outsiders, ruled by Syd, Roger or David and that most often is shown in people's ranking and opinions about Pink Floyd. They most often love one or two and have issues with the third. Which is which differs from person to person.. I like that you come out the gate and say you actually like to some degree even those at the end. Many want to use a harder language and put say 15-11 as something very bad. Which is sort of isn't. I totally get why The Endless River ranks low amongst most... Very few lyrics and bascially a B-side version of The Divison Bell BUT it still has great playing and sounds good so no need to hate. While not an important record it can be quite enjoyable. I do agree about The Wall. A great idea, probably done great live many times by Roger Waters and includes some brilliant and often "easier" songs to understand than most of their other material for those who aren't into progressive rock that much. However. I often find myself waiting for certain tracks. Much of the album feels like a long wait more than something else. The album is rather long and if they cut away 15-25 minutes.. I wouldn't complain. My number one might be Animals but I find albums like Atom Heart Mother more interesting to discuss because I feel they are a bit forgotten in the mix: Between Syd and the time they became huge. If that record came out after Meddle or Wish You Were Here I think many would view it very differently. LOVE your Darkside of the Moon story! I hope you have a great rest of your day :)
Hey Mazzy, just 2:30 in and i already feel i have to write you, because i can’t believe you’d put ‘the final cut’ as the worst PF album. It wasn’t my favorite either for a long time. But when misery struck harder than it ever did in my life, i not only understood the album for the first time but it also brought me consolation in days i was contemplating the final cut. Roger W must have been in a similar state or at least have known what true misery feels like. Nevertheless he succeeded in giving us this heartfelt and emotional album. The fact that he ends the album saying he decided not to take his own life truly inspired me to not give up on Hope. I hope you’ll give it a more deserving listen some time. All best from Belgium, Europe. -- Van.
Fantastic review again Mazzy. Good to finally see some love for Obscured By Clouds ( I love that album), and also great to see Animals and The Wall where they deserve to be. After Wish You Were Here and the l-o-n-g wait for the follow up, I don't think I've ever been more disappointed by an album than I was when I listened to Animals. In hindsight, the Wall now sounds to me like a prototype for the Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking and all the other dull, turgid, Waters crap that would follow). My running order only differs with yours on numbers 2 and 3. Meddle is #3 on my list and WIsh You Were Here is #2. Please, please - would love to hear your assessment of the Who's studio albums. Thanks again for another entertaining half hour.
I'm with you on The Division Bell - I love Momentary Lapse of Reason but could never get into The Division Bell. The Final Cut would be much higher for me - maybe getting into it as a teen helped as it really has that angsty introspective feeling. I'll never forget getting Atom Heart Mother for Christmas from an Uncle - I'd asked for a Floyd album after getting into The Wall and it was such a strange one to get into. I didn't like side 1 at the time but loved side 2. It's one of my faves now from them alongside Meddle.
I remember in the late 70’s my Dad used to borrow my copy of Meddle & play Echoes to test and position his hi-fi equipment. Seemed an unlikely choice to me at the time as he was into Perry Como & The Carpenters!
When The Wall came out...I was working as a stock boy at a local Big K store. And they had the album up front at the registers. So, I bought a copy. I took it back home, put my headphones on and laid on the bed...in the dark...in my room...and listened to the whole thing. By the time it was over...I was so depressed. I was at my lowest of lows. I have never listened to the whole thing all the through in one sitting since. Now, I love the album. But, if it was me, I would edit out much of it. But, I don't know that you would be able to. It's just a full cohesive experience. I'm more camp Gilmore than I am camp Waters so I really like Momentary Lapse and The Division Bell. But, to be honest, love Dark Side and WYWH but I think Animals may be my favorite.
Good video. For me it's: 1. Piper 2. Atom Heart 3. Saucerful 4. Animals 5. More 6. Umma Gumma 7.Meddle 8. Dark Side 9, Obscured 10. Wish None too interested in the rest
I have a bias favouritism to the albums my Dad owned as I grew into music. So, Saucerful of Secrets, Meddle, Obscured by Clouds, DSOTM and Division Bell. I revisit SOS most as there is so much to uncover within it. Iconic and legendary band, a blessing to all our lives.
Dark Side is the obvious choice for all the obvious reasons. I picked it up the first week it was out. I didn't have a clue what was behind the cover. I never heard of the band, I put the record down and started listening to it. And really didn't stop listening for 3 weeks. But I didn't really know what to do with it. Could you dance to it? Feature it on a slide show? It was just a great listening experience. It's a great album now. But it was an amazing experience in 1973. Think about it next to the records we had then: Rod Stewart, Wings, Stevie Wonder, Ringo's Ringo. Dark Side blows them all away. So much so that it was not until years after its release that I bought Wish You Were Here. I have to push back about the cover. The rainbow colors on a black background has that 'We Can Go One Better' than 'Let It Be' and 'McCartney' (the side with the cherries). It is an All Time Top 20 album cover for me. Like any of the other 19, you can look at it on the 12" format, compare it to the CD, and know instantly what ONE very important part the CD era did not get that was central to the Album era. A 12" album works as an object. A CD is like a pamphlet or a three-fold brochure. Lacking in the physicality, the presence.
I agree with your assessment of The Wall. That album marked the end of my love affair with the band. Many years later, I like it more but it has always crossed the "dark line" of life which just turned me off. Though in reality, the fundamental message of the track "Time" is the heaviest lyric ever written so what am I even saying. Peace Mazzy!
Hey Mazzy..really enjoyed hearing your thoughts the Floyd catalogue..We were totally in sync on the lower ranked albums, but being a big fan of early Floyd, I would have ranked Saucerful of Secrets a lot higher..I was interested in what you were going to do with Animals as I am in the the minority in this one..I have just never gotten into it..I would rank it around tenth..my top five would be 1/Meddle 2/ Piper 3/ Dark Side 4/ Saucerful of Secrets 5/ Wish You Were Here..great job❤️❤️👍👍🍸🍸glen
Interesting rankings. I've always struggled to get into the post - Waters stuff, couldn't get into the Division Bell whatsoever, for example. And I do like The Final Cut, somewhat. Two albums that you ranked fairly high -- Obscured By Clouds, & Atom Heart Mother, would rank lower for me for sure. Can't argue much with your top 4, although I would have Animals ahead of Wish you Were Here, probably.....absolutely love Meddle.......
Good video Mazzy, takes balls to put the Wall at number 9 haha . I kinda agree with you in the sense that is not my favorite either . I got Wish You Were Here at 1 , my personal favorite , Dark Side 2 , Animals 3 Meddle 4. I Like this gutsy ranking videos your doing . Take care my man .
In my teens I liked Dark Side of The Moon a lot then when I got to my twenties I cooled off on it a bit. When I later discovered the quadraphonic mix it went right back to being one of my favourite Pink Floyd albums.
Aloha Mazzy Awesome Rankings of your favorite PINK FLOYD Studio recording. I too would Rate, DARK SIDE OF THE MOON at # 1. To me this was there break through recording. I purchased this record album in 1973 when I was in the 11th grade. Went home put the album on my Technics turntable, put on my head phones . And was taken to another dimension of course with a litte help of PAKALOLO. 😆 lol. Sounds was so amazing when that Shure Cartridge V15 type 3 stylus hit those Record album grooves. Mazzy thanks again for another great Video. Looking forward to seeing your next video. Mahalo Ed
As always, a little bit late to this post's party, having not know of your channel. But this is an important post, being that Pink Floyd is a curious beast. My first album was Ummagumma. I didn't know what to make of it. I probably enjoyed the live album more than the other. I kind of didn't follow them much after that, though I bought Meddle. One spring break we were in L.A. and we went looking for Rick Wakeman's album, The Six Wives of Henry the Eighth. The record store was playing something that immediately sucked me in. I had to have that album. That album was Dark Side of the Moon. So we drove back to Wyoming with Rick Wakeman and DSOTM in tow. I've heard DSOTM a thousand times, and generally prefer listening to Wish You Were Here, which I've only heard a hundred. Not saying it's a better album...it's just not as familiar. Agree that The Wall and Quadrophenia are of an ilk. I have a good CD set of Piper, mono and stereo mixes, extra stuff, in a nice little package. Anyway, they were a special band. As one of my friend's used to shout when we were listening to One Of These Days, and he was using short "u", "One of these days ummagumma cut you into little pieces." As always, I appreciate your thoughts; they bring back some of my own.
We’re same age and agree with you on most everything. My #2 would be Wish You Were Here. Just bought a new Maranz when this record came out. My wife and I were snoozing and fell asleep. When the doors closed on Shine On You Crazy Diamond. We woke up startled thinking someone was coming in our house. It scared the shit out of us. True story. Best receiver I ever had until it was stolen.
My top six are: 1. The Dark Side of the Moon 2. The Wall 3 Wish You We’re Here 4. Animals 5. The Division Bell 6. Obscured By Clouds I just got all three Immersion sets plus a ton of other Pink Floyd disc sets, and the surround version of Dark Side is mind blowing. I still haven’t listened to the surround Wish You We’re Here, but I imagine it’s pretty spectacular.
I love the Wall but I have to be in the right mood. I’ve played it so many times that I know every phrase...even the birds and sound effects. Alan cooking his breakfast on Atom Heart Mother is wonderful! I do prefer Wish you were here to Dark Side.
Great assessment. Agree that Obscured by Clouds is the most underrated Pink Floyd record. I love that LP. I believe they completed that while they were working on Dark Side. Also feel that the Wall is way overrated. Loved that record when it came out my senior year of high school. Listened to it in the last few years and it has not held up. There are a few great songs (Comfortably Numb and Hey You) but by and large it is a self indulgent mess. Side four is especially heinous in my opinion. Dark Side is still incredible. They had their head to the underground (krautrock, Cluster, other early 70’s electronic music) and helped bring those ideas to the masses. What a masterpiece.
I was lucky enough to catch Floyd in March 73, $6.00 floor seats were considered expensive.They played their earlier songs for the first half.The second half consisted of Dark Side in it's entirety with backup singers and a sax.They were voicing their vaunted $1,000,000 quad system and it worked that night.Great memories.
I'm about eight years younger than you, "Dark Side" was when I came on board - so my perspective is a bit different than yours. I did get their back catalog in the mid 70s during HS. I was fortunate to see The Wall 6th row center at the Los Angeles Sports Arena in 1980. The tickets were sold mail order only, it was my senior year in HS, and I worked part-time for the LA Times and saw the advert in the Sunday Calendar section on Thursday. 8-) If you asked me 30 or 40 years ago, their big four ("Dark Side" to "The Wall") would be at the top hands down - we could argue about the order, but all their other work would begin at a distant five. Maybe because I've heard those classic albums so many times they're now almost at cliche level (what a shame), so I would have to rank their work differently today. The one album I can listen to any time, whether it's in the car, while I'm cooking, or sitting in a chair with headphones, active or passive listening, is "Piper". It's just a fun album, I love it. There's no question it's my number one Pink Floyd album at this point in terms of what I listen to. The "Atom Heart Mother" suite gets the occasional spin and I wish there were more songs like "Jugband Blues".
Sorry, late to class ,yet again. Your right about Dark side. It's Floyds defining moment as far as I'm concerned. However I do tend to play Meddle and Obscured by clouds more. Wish I'd kept the vinyl but we all make mistakes.✌
Gerald Scarfe, not Hipgnosis, did the cover art for the wall. Very Good ordering, but I personally would say river, db, lapse, fc, wall, obc, wywh, more, saucerful, animals, ug, piper, dsom, meddle, ahm
Wow! Our top 5 is the SAME! :D I'm not sure I COULD rank my top 5 Pink Floyd albums. I have played Meddle probably 3 times as many times in the last 5 years as any other Pink Floyd album. And yet? Man... the other four are ESSENTIAL. I *loathe* Animals. To be completely honest, I never gave Pink Floyd a chance after Animals. I've never heard any of the post-Animals albums all the way through. Even though my husband loves Final Cut. I feel a little bad for piling on with the corrections: "Domine" is pronounced "Dom-e-nay" - so it's a slant rhyme for "Astronomy".
Look, the final cut is one of the very best albums that the band recorded. No it isn’t a solo Roger album. If you knew your Floyd history you’d know that he presented the pros and cons of hitchhiking and the wall to the rest of the band before they decided on the wall. They decided to go with the wall. The band does not play on every song on the album, but then again, they did the very same with the wall. For the live shows they hired Richard Wright on after firing him as a union musician. Nick Mason wasn’t really far behind. That was before they even considered the next album. It was supposed to be called Spare Bricks as a companion piece to the movie soundtrack. If you think of the final cut in that fashion thank god they did what they did. He gave us more original Pink Floyd music. How are you going to complain about that? Roger himself dislikes this album because his voice is shot out from yelling and screaming at the rest of the band. As for him being a megalomaniac, think of it this way: would you like to have authored an entire book just to have someone else tell you how you should have written it or that this certain chapter is better in this way than in the way you chose to write it? Rogers point was that if they were so sure to try and correct him in writing the songs where the fuck were their songs? They didn’t write any other than the instrumentals for run like hell and comfortably numb. Without lyrics those songs would be nothing at all. As far as the final cut, Gilmour throws a couple solos in there and sings Not now John. Other than that I don’t miss him. Go listen to momentary lapse of reason or the division bell. The roger fans won’t miss you. Trust me. As for the author of this video, I like your view of the catalog. This isn’t pointed at you whatsoever. You’re pure genius guy. Keep it up.
I have all their studio material on vinyl. My top 3 are as follows: 3. Wish You Were Here 2. DSOTM 1. Meddle Miss Congeniality is....... More! You can really hear the shadow of Syd start to lift, and you get a glimpse of what's to come.
15:28 I thought you were going to mention Give My Regards to Broad Street. Towards the end we see Paul miming to No More Lonely Nights, and there it is. Edit: I was wrong, but it appears in the movie slightly towards the end.
The cover of The Wall of course is not by Hipgnosis but cartoonist Gerald Scarfe. Ummagumma is highly influential since it inspired later generations of experimental (non-)musicians such as the people from Throbbing Gristle.
If you like the acoustic guitar, trying listening to the studio side of Ummagumma backwards. Whole passages that sound like random noise revolve into simple acoustic lines. I found this out when my cassette got twisted in the player and started playing the B side when it was on A. Don't miss that medium at all.
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Mazzy! With all due respect, Roy Harper sings “Have A Cigar”, not “Welcome To Machines”. Not sure if it’s Gilmour or Waters on the latter track (I always THOUGHT it was Roger, but I admit I don’t know...)
No biggie, I screw up the facts on my videos all the time ... I still love your videos. 😊
Oh, and possibly my favorite song on Dark Side Of The Moon is “Any Colour You Like”, right to the end of the album.
This is a great “ranking” video, I rank it #1. 😁
Damn and of course I knew this 🤷🏻♂️ pinned your comment
@@mazzysmusic - I was sure you knew it too. 👍🏼
Astronomy Domine is pronounced Astronomy Dom-eh-knee. But maybe not after taking Pay-oh-tea.
Great ranking. I’m with you on all of them.
I have several live shows from 1970 Roger introduces the song as Astronome dom-mi-nay
@@Supernaut072 That is a Latin word and I think Roger would have that right. I’ve always forced a rhyme there ever since I first saw the title, and I just wanted to correct Mazzy with his “Doh-Mine” version.
Great to see Obscured By Clouds getting some love, very underrated as you say
It's one of my favorites
The title track is sooooo goooood
My favorite PF song lives on that record, The Gold, It's In The? That song cranks!
I am gratified that you put Meddle and Dark Side together because that is how entwined the two albums are and it could even be said that Echoes is Dark Sides prologue. I have watched and read a lot of opinions and rankings of Floyd's music over the last 45 years, and it never ceases to amaze me how almost universally Atom Heart Mother is always ranked in the top 5, considering that all the interviews of the band members themselves over that same period are consistent in denouncing AHM as terrible. 1. Dark Side 2.Wish 3. Meddle 4. Animals 5. The Wall.....
1,The Piper At The Gate Of Dawn
2,Wish You Were Here
3,Dark Side Of The Moon
4,Saucerful Of Secrets
5,Animals
6,Meddle
7,Atom Heart Mother
8,The Wall
9,More
10,Obscured By Clouds
You need to check out nick masons touring band doing the early floyd. Think there is a record released live at the roundhouse. A poor second obviously to being there in the 60's but still excellent
Having not grown up with Pink Floyd and not listening to them until I was an adult, I have a different view of the albums. For me, Division Bell is my favorite album under the Pink Floyd name. Dark Side is my number two. Fun rankings Mazzy.
15: More
14: The Endless River
13: Ummagumma
12: A Saucerful of Secrets
11: Obscured by Clouds
10: Atom Heart Mother
9: Piper at the Gates of Dawn
8: A Momentary Lapse of Reason
7: The Division Bell
6: The Final Cut
5: Meddle
4: The Wall
3: Wish You Were Here
2: Animals
1: The Dark Side of the Moon
The Final Cut really is ridiculously underrated. Brilliant album! Although admittedly, it should have Roger Waters solo effort...
Astronomy Domine is pronounced Astronomy Dom-eh-knee(or closer to the Latin: Dom-in-eh.) But maybe not after taking Pay-oh-tea.
Great ranking. I’m with you on all of them.
i could make 2 lists.
List one is an average list made by mixing 3 concepts: 1) INNOVATION, in music in general and innovation in the band's formulas, 2) critical opinions... 3) perdonal feelings about the songs and the cohesion of the LP. that three concepts make a strange list... but that is:
1) dark side of the moon
2) wish you were here
3) Meddle
4) The Piper
5) The Wall
Then we have the second list, my really favourite LP's in order:
1) the piper at the gates of dawn
2) dark side of the moon
3) meddle
4) Wish you were here
5 ) The wall
"All those records, before and after, lead up and come back to this record."
-Norman Maslov
The most pure words I have ever heard about Dark Side
Totally agree on album cover art. I own my own creative design group and love their album art. Animals, is not only one of my favorite albums, but also my favorite album cover art. I think they could have done better on the inner gatefold. As for music, Dark side and Obscured by Clouds are my 2 and 3. Agree with you on The Wall.
you’re right, it’s all about time. When the records were released I heard or bought them . So…. For me it’s Piper at 1, because I was at art college (Floyd played at our summer Arts Ball mid 60’s ,with Syd and they were tremendous) After that Meddle, saw them play it live Free Trade Hall Manchester , Obscured By Clouds for the title track alone is a desert Island record, (just revisiting it on 1972 Obfusc/action) never tire of it. After that it’s, for me piece meal… I class Dark Side, Wish You Were Here and The Wall the beginning of the end for me about what Floyd were about. Too contrived. Again it’s all about time….. great piece though Mazzy.
Very nice video . Very well argued. No matter how much we all love Dark Side..., each one of us has his own number one album of this gigantic super group. Mine is the magnificent cow. Atom heart mother still blows my mind. Again superb video.
Fun video and an interesting list---enjoyed hearing your personal recollections unbelievably jealous that you got to witness Pink Floyd live 3 times in the 70's, awesome.
You had me at HIpgnosis!! If those guys did the cover for a band I gave it a try. They were also a huge influence on my becoming a graphic designer and director (I do mostly TV commercials). They have quite a few other books out on their photography and album covers but I was really happy when they released the book that you showed. It was nice to have a complete collection of every cover they did. I still have my copy of Walk Away Rene I bought back in the late 70s. It's pretty beat up from being referenced over and over again all of these years. Take care and thanks for the video!!
I hope you never run out of things to review! Love it! I started college in 1973. My parents had given me a decent stereo for a high school graduation present. The first thing I did once I was in my dorm room was to close the door and smoke a joint. I then opened the door, put on Dark Side of the Moon full volume and ran down to the end of the dorm hall, like a mile away, to see if I could hear it!
So you were one of the proverbial douche bags blasting rock music in the residence hall disrupting everyone's sleep or study. The main reason I moved out of residence after my first year. Thanks dude.
The live disk on Ummagumma is amongst my favorite Pink Floyd recordings. I can’t commit the studio disk to memory 😅
My favourite way to listen to the Ummagumma live material is a bootleg that adds an extra track, Interstellar Overdrive with a jam in the middle that was the basis of Up The Khyber from More. The studio album has grown on me over the years, I like Rick and Roger's sections the most. The editing effects on Nick's track are pretty cool. Dave's material got better when it was played live during 1969 imo.
Great video. Over my lifetime, I’ve only purchased one Pink Floyd album, Ummagumma. Now at age 69, I’ve ordered the “Oh By the Way” box set and I’m ready to dive deep into the Floyd catalog. I can’t wait, this video was an excellent warm up to hearing all these albums.
I think you nailed it mostly. That's about where I would rank the albums but I am not a typical Floyd fan...yeah I'm one of those who would call Piper the best album. I know Dark Side well of course but Piper opened my mind up to psychedelia and I still think there's nothing like it. Meddle is wonderful and I think Atom Heart Mother is quite underrated. I love that the band had to restart after Syd and figure things out. They could've folded but didn't. Good stuff
The really great bands, like Floyd & Beatles, learned how to layer their songs. What makes Dark Side so brilliant is how each cut will start and continue to build, adding different yet similar elements to the song. Time might just be the greatest example-the alarms, the seconds, the 12 chords, before the song starts. BTW, so glad you put Ummagumma & Atom Heart fairly high on the list. Headphones only for sure.
Headphones and drugs you mean lol..
@@Matasky2010 good things come in threes . Atom , Umma and LSD .
@@alanthomson1227 But you’ve only listed one good thing lol
@@Matasky2010 touché
Thanks for this, Mazzy.
Ummagumma was the first Pink Floyd album I bought, and the cover was part of the reason (I was a drummer/gearhead at 15). I love it for the live sides but only listened to the solo sides a few times. My personal #1 go-to for Floyd will always be "Echoes" from the album Meddle.
My personal top five are #5 Dark Side, #4 Piper, #3 Live sides of Ummagumma, #2 Wish You Were Here, #1 Meddle. Dark Side just felt overthought and overbaked to me after the stuff that had come before. It was too perfect.
I saw the cover of "Umma..." at a store when I was 10, when it came out. The cover and song titles fascinated me, tho it took 3 or 4 years for me to buy it.
Shortly after moving to LA, my wife and I were driving through the high desert en route to Mammoth after a huge storm, with Meddle playing. It was early evening, the clouds cleared, and as Echoes started the sun came out, filtered by the rare occurrence of clouds and moisture in the high desert air. The single greatest synchronicity of music and driving I've ever experienced..... A most thoughtful ordering of albums but, while I agree with everything you said about DSOTM, when it comes to which albums I would actually listen to on a desert island, my ordering would be 1. WYWH, 2. Meddle, 3. DSOTM - and the #3 spot could easily rotate with Animals, Obscured and Piper....... And you're dead right about the acoustic guitar sound on WYWH - it's uncanny.
Echoes as aligned with sone special moments in my life as well. 🌸
Well well...what did I expect? The first three records are my favorite ones too! You can't deny Dark Side is a class on it's own! Meddle is all because of the monumental Echoes...Glad you ranked Atom Heart Mother so high! Fine top.
Will be checking this out soon, enjoyed the others. Maybe Van, Patti, Cohen, Dead, Waits, Cooder, Lucinda, Cave, PJ etc. So many great catalogs and love your takes.
I like How you Communicate preventing People from doing hatespeech or messing about your content
Solid. Amazing how many different rankings you will get from fan to fan. I love the Final Cut. Never tire of that album.
I agree the contrarian brigade going against Dark Side of the Moon has gotten really extreme in my opinion, and the same is true for so many dumping on Piper at the Gates of Dawn, so glad to see that you put Dark Side at number 1 and ranked Piper at the Gates of Dawn so high.
1. Dark Side of the Moon - Profound reflection upon human darkness and light by focusing on an astronomic image that pulls on the tides from the sky with seamless integration of tracks and elemental themes of life from time, war, death, and money with a moving blues and jazz foundation creating a soulful mix with the experimental instrumental elements. Great guitar solos in Time and Money and great sax solo in Money and Us and Them. The keyboard through out is innovative and engaging. The use of impassioned solo and vocal harmonies and voices giving maxims about life combined with the sound effects of clocks, running and heart beats while running gives the album a really vital feeling of the ebb and flow of life. The representation of lunacy through the dark side of the moon links back to Syd Barrett with the phrase when the band you're in starts playing different tunes combined with the sun is in tune but eclipsed by the moon, since Syd Barrett untuned his guitar on stage while the band was playing a different song.
2. Piper at the Gates of Dawn- not as consistent as Dark Side of the Moon but intriguing mix of intense psychedelic compositions with a wild childlike and rustic element mixed with a lot of visionary and emotional intensity, tend to like Barret's vocals the best of all members as well with the heavy British accent with loads of spaced out playfulness.
3. Meddle- Really innovative use of double bass licks on the opening One of these Days and Echoes is a fascinating space rock composition with great funky keyboard and guitar and seagull or teradactyl type sounds.
4. Wish You Were Here- great follow up to Dark Side of the Moon once again with a lot of jazz and blues influence with great interplay between the keyboards and guitar, emotionally resonant and articulate lyrics also funny in Have a Cigar, Shine on You Crazy Diamond is a wonderful piece but the introduction takes quite a while to get going and Welcome to the Machine doesn't quite measure up to the other songs for me.
5.Animals - I have started to like this album a lot more so it has moved up a lot and may continue to do so. The main anchor is Gilmour's great guitar playing and I enjoy his singing in Dogs, I also like Water's singing in Sheep and Pigs and the creepy keyboard textures. Still not that crazy about all the lyrics b
6. The Wall - their most directly emotionally intense album with some of Gilmour's fiercest and most tasteful solos, and a lot of their catchiest melodies with a great range of emotion from aggressive anger to tender sensitivity, however the morbid nature of much of the material, a few weaker and self-indulgent tracks and the iconclastic view of education and family relationships like on Mother otherwise a great song, keep me from enjoying it as much as the ones above it. Still a really impressive album. Has anyone else noticed that this seems to be influenced by the rock opera Tommy though delivered in a unique way?
7. Saucerful of Secrets- a direct and intense psychedelic album that has a number of impressive atmospheric songs ranging from the devastating nostalgic sorrow of Remember a Day (my favorite) to the intense instrumental and vocal outbursts on the title track. Have a tough time listening to the Barrett track because it so directly addresses his break down. Set the Controls is a fantastic atmospheric piece featuring all the members including Syd.
8. Atom Heart Mother- my favorite song is again by Richard Wright, Summer of 68, and to me this would have offered the perfect framework for the long prog track of Atom Heart Mother because it already includes horns and a dynamic rise and fall of emotion set against the backdrop of a fleeting love affair. It has what to me the long composition on the other side is missing a compelling human story and vocal and instrumental connection to the group.
8. Obscured by Clouds like Free Four and Childhood's End
9.
10. Final Cut
11. Division Bell - High Hopes is an impressive song and there are a lot of good atmospheric tracks though they go on a bit long for me.
12. More
13. Momentary Lapse of Reason
14. Umma Gumma
15. Endless River
I'll admit I did speed through the video the first time before watching it. Not seeing "The Final Cut" displayed, I was getting my hopes up that it would be near the top. However, on my second viewing, my hopes were dashed. It would be in my top five, though.
Really enjoyed this. What a great privilege to have seen them right before the release of DSOTM in such an intimate setting. Incredible. I rank both The Wall and Momentary Lapse higher than this list. Momentary Lapse is easily the best Gilmour-led Floyd album - there’s some fire to it, unlike the more sedate, plodding albums that followed.
It's nice to see Obscured by Clouds getting recognition . Wot's .. Uh the Deal is one of my favourite Pink Floyd songs , as well as Stay . It ranks number 4 on my list , behind only Dark Side , Wish You Were Here , and The Wall . I agree that The Wall would be stronger without several of it's songs . Most noticeably at the end of the album. Still great though . Great ranking !
Great stuff Mazzy. The Floyd are the sound of The Home Counties of England where I originate from. Just as worthy as any anthropological study as anywhere in the world. From The Beatles to Bowie we have given the music world so much. But never a mention. Quiet desperation really is the English way!!
I agree with your first 5 choices. Also, i agree
that The wall is an overrated album, on the contrary, bscured by clouds and meddle are underrated gems.
Obscured was almost higher than number 5 but I feel that’s the appropriate position
Really like your order. I'm glad you put "Obscured by Clouds" up there. Interestingly, my UK version of the first album had a completely different cover.
This is a cool ranking. The album, “Endless River” is kind of like an endless river meandering in ambience, chill and adult essence. The album, “Animals” is my top ranked Pink Floyd album, because I like the progressive sound more than “Dark Side Of The Moon”.
The Endless River is solely a tribute to Richard Wright and basically...the end of the band itself. It's taken from outtakes of Rick Wright's playing.
Hi Mazzy. This is a better ranking than most that I've seen. A point on Animals - your 'lofi' point might be true, but it's also the first time in a while that the sound wasn't augmented by choirs, saxophones and such. It's just the band.
You’ve inspired me to start collecting Floyd vinyl. I’m going to go from Piper to The Wall.
Yes, Dark Side of the Moon is obvious, but it IS a classic album for a reason. Personally, I would rank The Wall higher (number 3, after WYWH at #2) but I know why you ranked it so low as it took me many, many listens to fully appreciate it. That's the trouble with some double albums, in fact only just recently did I start to realise the sonic beauty of Genesis' The Lamb Lies Down on Broadway, an album which I previously thought was a misfire. Good review Mazzy.
Completely agree with you about The Wall
Thank you for a thoughtful talk through the Pink Floyd albums. Everyone will have a different take on personal favorites and what ranking to give them. Like you I arrived at Ummagumma. Grantchester Meadows is a personal favorite as I have spent some time on the meadows. The song captures the atmosphere of them beautifully.
I also saw them just before Dark Side was released and it was pretty special. My number one would be Meddle though. Still that element of experimentation around which is why I liked them in the first place.
Atom Heart, Meddle and Obscured is my favorite era.
Excellent critique. Loved your comments about Prog. Obscured By Clouds; Meddle; Dark Side of the Moon - My Top 3 respectively.
Division Bell has one of their best song on it High Hopes
I would sell my soul for that incredible record collection you have!
Good ranking n video Pink Floyd really drew me in when i was young when my dad would play the albums all the time i always like to chime in with my list
15. A Momentary Lapse in Reason
14. The Endless River
13. The Final Cut
12. More
11. Atom Heart Mother
10. The Division Bell
9. Obscurred by Clouds
8. The Wall
7. Ummagumma
6. Piper At the Gates of Dawn
5. Meddle
4. Saucerfull of Secrets
3. Wish you Where Here
2. Darkside of the Moon
1. Animals
Nice video of my early favorite band. I saw ‘em every tour from ‘68 to ‘72 (missed Syd’s rather sad ‘67 Fillmore gig). My #1 would be Piper which I think is filled to the brim with wonderful magical tunes, whereas later LPs had more spacey filler. But, hey, that’s what makes horse races. ;)
I agree with your choices here. I remember us all being disappointed with Wish You Were Here when it came out (yet it was a great album) because it was post Dark Side. Agree with you on The Wall, I think central idea is cliched and the art work tacky.
I enjoyed this video. I don’t listen to Dark Side often but when I do the word “ masterpiece” always comes to mind. I listen to Wish You Were Here and Meddle most often. I really enjoy A Momentary Lapse Of Reason. Yet Another Movie is a fantastic song. My only complaint about the video is your comment on Quadrophenia :). It IS the best double album of all time :) , just before Physical Graffiti
Then wait a week or so until you see my Who video 😎
Agree higher on Quadrophenia than I am Tommy. I just think its more of a complete album.
Norman I notice you still have the original shine on versions of Pink Floyd from 1992.
I adored this box set still do.
But the new 2011 remasters are vastly superior except for that unique Doug sax touch.
I was listening to the new version of wish you were here on my Marantz and my senheiser noise cancelling headphones and dude I was gobsmacked at what I was hearing.
So much detail simply flawless!
Totally nailed the ranking, Mazzy! Anyone who claims that DSOTM isn't #1 is either burnt out or a provocateur. The albums just before and just after are very good and worthy of Pink Floyd. THE WALL is an overblown mess, spelling the demise of the group. The stuff afterwards is interesting but a pale imitation. The Syd Barrett band, though different, had great songs and a way with a groove (and I'd include RELICS here).
I especially appreciate how you linked the music with the album graphics; this was a key component to the band's mystique.
Or just simply disagrees with you… Don’t be a jerk!
DSOM was always my fave album of all time. Its been a big part of my life since hearing it in early 73.
If you want to expand the horizons of listeners discographies of any band, these ranking shows do it! My cd collection has doubled in the last year, and I could not be happier for it! Born in '61, I just listened to Meddle for the first time ever in the last week - great. This might be as early in the catalogue as I go, but I never tire of ranking shows and you as one of the more 'experienced' listeners / reviewers, as ranking shows go, fills a need on youtube. I've only got Meddles thru The Wall at the moment. I might go with Obscured next given you said it has some catchy songs besides being atmospheric (ideally, I like to have a little of both).
Try obscured. You can probably audition around here. It’s a gem imho. ✌🏽
This is the first video I can mostly agree with. All the others made me rather angry, but I really enjoyed your musical perspective. I also loved your stories from back in the day! Keep it up man!
-greetings from germany
I hope someday Floyd does a clean, official release of "Live at Pompei"......the version of "Echoes" at Pompei is incredible.....I"m with you on Quadrophenia......It is fantastic...but I also think it's a bit overrated.....I tend to rate "Animals" very high though. Glad you're ranking "Obscured" so high. It still rates to me VERY high on my own personal scale (Love Childhood's End)..
Live at Pompeii was technically released standalone in 2016, as Volumes 1-6 of The Early Years are available standalone.
@@daemonspudguy Thanks for the info...did not know that!
Good stuff. I always enjoy these sorts of lists, especially when they feature my favorite band. This is the 5th such list I've found on RUclips. What makes them interesting to me is the different perspectives that each of the reviewers has on each record. I'm going to post my list here and it differs from yours in many places. What I don't enjoy is the "Your list is wrong because..." comments and I know you have some here and everyone gets those when they post such lists publicly. What makes these great is how diverse they are. My list then:
1- Dark Side of the Moon
2- Wish You Were Here
3- Animals
4- Meddle
5- The Wall
6- Piper at the Gates of Dawn
7- Obscured by Clouds
8- Saucerful of Secrets
9- Atom Heart Mother
10- Momentary Lapse of Reason (2019)
11- More
12- The Final Cut
13- The Division Bell
14- The Endless River
15 - Ummagumma
I could bump Ummagumma higher because as you said, the live record is very good. I kind of look at the live record more akin to the other live stuff like "Is There Anybody Out There?", "Pulse", and "Delicate Sound of Thunder". Which is one reason I have it at 15. The other being that it features the only album by my favorite band which I am unable to listen to from start to finish. Parts of it are just unlistenable to me. There are a few gems on the studio recordings record but man there are long, rough stretches.
Thanks for sharing your list and your thoughts!!
I was listening to PF dsotm one day at age 21 and my dad walked by and said to me "sounds good" and he even did not listen to rock n roll so that told me that it as a great album because the music resonated even with people that were not into their music.
most of the floyd crosses over well, a lot of the prog groups are just too bombastic for most people
I agree with The Final Cut being a mess and I also agree with your ideas about The Wall being not all that either. I also am with you on Dark Side being #1. Can't top it! I was 17 when I ist heard it and still almost 50 years later it is so part of us ya know! It's in our DNA.Thanks Mazzy!
Pink Floyd was, to us outsiders, ruled by Syd, Roger or David and that most often is shown in people's ranking and opinions about Pink Floyd. They most often love one or two and have issues with the third. Which is which differs from person to person.. I like that you come out the gate and say you actually like to some degree even those at the end. Many want to use a harder language and put say 15-11 as something very bad. Which is sort of isn't. I totally get why The Endless River ranks low amongst most... Very few lyrics and bascially a B-side version of The Divison Bell BUT it still has great playing and sounds good so no need to hate. While not an important record it can be quite enjoyable.
I do agree about The Wall. A great idea, probably done great live many times by Roger Waters and includes some brilliant and often "easier" songs to understand than most of their other material for those who aren't into progressive rock that much. However. I often find myself waiting for certain tracks. Much of the album feels like a long wait more than something else. The album is rather long and if they cut away 15-25 minutes.. I wouldn't complain.
My number one might be Animals but I find albums like Atom Heart Mother more interesting to discuss because I feel they are a bit forgotten in the mix: Between Syd and the time they became huge. If that record came out after Meddle or Wish You Were Here I think many would view it very differently.
LOVE your Darkside of the Moon story! I hope you have a great rest of your day :)
Hey Mazzy, just 2:30 in and i already feel i have to write you, because i can’t believe you’d put ‘the final cut’ as the worst PF album. It wasn’t my favorite either for a long time. But when misery struck harder than it ever did in my life, i not only understood the album for the first time but it also brought me consolation in days i was contemplating the final cut. Roger W must have been in a similar state or at least have known what true misery feels like. Nevertheless he succeeded in giving us this heartfelt and emotional album. The fact that he ends the album saying he decided not to take his own life truly inspired me to not give up on Hope.
I hope you’ll give it a more deserving listen some time.
All best from Belgium, Europe. -- Van.
Fantastic review again Mazzy. Good to finally see some love for Obscured By Clouds ( I love that album), and also great to see Animals and The Wall where they deserve to be. After Wish You Were Here and the l-o-n-g wait for the follow up, I don't think I've ever been more disappointed by an album than I was when I listened to Animals. In hindsight, the Wall now sounds to me like a prototype for the Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking and all the other dull, turgid, Waters crap that would follow). My running order only differs with yours on numbers 2 and 3. Meddle is #3 on my list and WIsh You Were Here is #2. Please, please - would love to hear your assessment of the Who's studio albums. Thanks again for another entertaining half hour.
Actually The Who is planned ... soon.
I'm with you on The Division Bell - I love Momentary Lapse of Reason but could never get into The Division Bell. The Final Cut would be much higher for me - maybe getting into it as a teen helped as it really has that angsty introspective feeling. I'll never forget getting Atom Heart Mother for Christmas from an Uncle - I'd asked for a Floyd album after getting into The Wall and it was such a strange one to get into. I didn't like side 1 at the time but loved side 2. It's one of my faves now from them alongside Meddle.
Follow up... nice, thoughtful commentary about "Dark Side".... food for thought for me....
I remember in the late 70’s my Dad used to borrow my copy of Meddle & play Echoes to test and position his hi-fi equipment. Seemed an unlikely choice to me at the time as he was into Perry Como & The Carpenters!
When The Wall came out...I was working as a stock boy at a local Big K store. And they had the album up front at the registers. So, I bought a copy. I took it back home, put my headphones on and laid on the bed...in the dark...in my room...and listened to the whole thing. By the time it was over...I was so depressed. I was at my lowest of lows. I have never listened to the whole thing all the through in one sitting since. Now, I love the album. But, if it was me, I would edit out much of it. But, I don't know that you would be able to. It's just a full cohesive experience. I'm more camp Gilmore than I am camp Waters so I really like Momentary Lapse and The Division Bell. But, to be honest, love Dark Side and WYWH but I think Animals may be my favorite.
Hi Mazzy, good ranking.I totally agree with you about The Wall !!!
Meddle and Animals are my favorites
Really enjoyed this video and your take on the albums and your memories of them.
Good video. For me it's:
1. Piper
2. Atom Heart
3. Saucerful
4. Animals
5. More
6. Umma Gumma
7.Meddle
8. Dark Side
9, Obscured
10. Wish
None too interested in the rest
I have a bias favouritism to the albums my Dad owned as I grew into music. So, Saucerful of Secrets, Meddle, Obscured by Clouds, DSOTM and Division Bell. I revisit SOS most as there is so much to uncover within it. Iconic and legendary band, a blessing to all our lives.
Dark Side is the obvious choice for all the obvious reasons. I picked it up the first week it was out. I didn't have a clue what was behind the cover. I never heard of the band, I put the record down and started listening to it. And really didn't stop listening for 3 weeks. But I didn't really know what to do with it. Could you dance to it? Feature it on a slide show? It was just a great listening experience. It's a great album now. But it was an amazing experience in 1973. Think about it next to the records we had then: Rod Stewart, Wings, Stevie Wonder, Ringo's Ringo. Dark Side blows them all away. So much so that it was not until years after its release that I bought Wish You Were Here. I have to push back about the cover. The rainbow colors on a black background has that 'We Can Go One Better' than 'Let It Be' and 'McCartney' (the side with the cherries). It is an All Time Top 20 album cover for me. Like any of the other 19, you can look at it on the 12" format, compare it to the CD, and know instantly what ONE very important part the CD era did not get that was central to the Album era. A 12" album works as an object. A CD is like a pamphlet or a three-fold brochure. Lacking in the physicality, the presence.
I agree with your assessment of The Wall. That album marked the end of my love affair with the band. Many years later, I like it more but it has always crossed the "dark line" of life which just turned me off. Though in reality, the fundamental message of the track "Time" is the heaviest lyric ever written so what am I even saying. Peace Mazzy!
Agree w/ your top 4, not even close. Piper is such is a great album and without it none of the other albums would have happened.
It s difficult for me to choose or do a rank, i loved and I love all Pink Floyd album, but Atom Heart Mother - Ummagumma - Animals are my fave
Hey Mazzy..really enjoyed hearing your thoughts the Floyd catalogue..We were totally in sync on the lower ranked albums, but being a big fan of early Floyd, I would have ranked Saucerful of Secrets a lot higher..I was interested in what you were going to do with Animals as I am in the the minority in this one..I have just never gotten into it..I would rank it around tenth..my top five would be 1/Meddle 2/ Piper 3/ Dark Side 4/ Saucerful of Secrets 5/ Wish You Were Here..great job❤️❤️👍👍🍸🍸glen
Interesting rankings. I've always struggled to get into the post - Waters stuff, couldn't get into the Division Bell whatsoever, for example. And I do like The Final Cut, somewhat. Two albums that you ranked fairly high -- Obscured By Clouds, & Atom Heart Mother, would rank lower for me for sure. Can't argue much with your top 4, although I would have Animals ahead of Wish you Were Here, probably.....absolutely love Meddle.......
Good video Mazzy, takes balls to put the Wall at number 9 haha . I kinda agree with you in the sense that is not my favorite either . I got Wish You Were Here at 1 , my personal favorite , Dark Side 2 , Animals 3 Meddle 4. I Like this gutsy ranking videos your doing . Take care my man .
Hi,
Always like your countdown videos.
My favourite PF album is Atom Heart Mother.
In my teens I liked Dark Side of The Moon a lot then when I got to my twenties I cooled off on it a bit. When I later discovered the quadraphonic mix it went right back to being one of my favourite Pink Floyd albums.
Aloha Mazzy
Awesome Rankings of your favorite PINK FLOYD Studio recording.
I too would Rate,
DARK SIDE OF THE MOON at # 1.
To me this was there break through recording.
I purchased this record album in 1973 when I was in the 11th grade. Went home put the album on my Technics turntable, put on my head phones . And was taken to another dimension of course with a litte help of PAKALOLO. 😆 lol. Sounds was so amazing when that Shure Cartridge V15 type 3 stylus hit those Record album grooves.
Mazzy thanks again for another great Video.
Looking forward to seeing your next video.
Mahalo Ed
The Wall.. I have on vinyl and I love all 4 sides...# 4 for me. I would not include More... I have Relics on vinyl, is awesome... enjoying your posts.
As always, a little bit late to this post's party, having not know of your channel. But this is an important post, being that Pink Floyd is a curious beast. My first album was Ummagumma. I didn't know what to make of it. I probably enjoyed the live album more than the other. I kind of didn't follow them much after that, though I bought Meddle. One spring break we were in L.A. and we went looking for Rick Wakeman's album, The Six Wives of Henry the Eighth. The record store was playing something that immediately sucked me in. I had to have that album. That album was Dark Side of the Moon. So we drove back to Wyoming with Rick Wakeman and DSOTM in tow. I've heard DSOTM a thousand times, and generally prefer listening to Wish You Were Here, which I've only heard a hundred. Not saying it's a better album...it's just not as familiar. Agree that The Wall and Quadrophenia are of an ilk. I have a good CD set of Piper, mono and stereo mixes, extra stuff, in a nice little package. Anyway, they were a special band. As one of my friend's used to shout when we were listening to One Of These Days, and he was using short "u", "One of these days ummagumma cut you into little pieces." As always, I appreciate your thoughts; they bring back some of my own.
We’re same age and agree with you on most everything. My #2 would be Wish You Were Here. Just bought a new Maranz when this record came out. My wife and I were snoozing and fell asleep. When the doors closed on Shine On You Crazy Diamond. We woke up startled thinking someone was coming in our house. It scared the shit out of us. True story. Best receiver I ever had until it was stolen.
What about that series of cd's right behind you that together make up the cover of Dark Side? I've been wondering about that for a while.
Pink Floyd recorded Piper.. in the next door studio to the Beatles and sat in on the recording of Lovely Rita... I imagine you know this though ✌
My top six are:
1. The Dark Side of the Moon
2. The Wall
3 Wish You We’re Here
4. Animals
5. The Division Bell
6. Obscured By Clouds
I just got all three Immersion sets plus a ton of other Pink Floyd disc sets, and the surround version of Dark Side is mind blowing. I still haven’t listened to the surround Wish You We’re Here, but I imagine it’s pretty spectacular.
Great video and I agree with you. DSotM is their finest hour. Always enoy your posts on the SH forum.
I love the Wall but I have to be in the right mood. I’ve played it so many times that I know every phrase...even the birds and sound effects.
Alan cooking his breakfast on Atom Heart Mother is wonderful!
I do prefer Wish you were here to Dark Side.
Great assessment. Agree that Obscured by Clouds is the most underrated Pink Floyd record. I love that LP. I believe they completed that while they were working on Dark Side. Also feel that the Wall is way overrated. Loved that record when it came out my senior year of high school. Listened to it in the last few years and it has not held up. There are a few great songs (Comfortably Numb and Hey You) but by and large it is a self indulgent mess. Side four is especially heinous in my opinion. Dark Side is still incredible. They had their head to the underground (krautrock, Cluster, other early 70’s electronic music) and helped bring those ideas to the masses. What a masterpiece.
I was lucky enough to catch Floyd in March 73, $6.00 floor seats were considered expensive.They played their earlier songs for the first half.The second half consisted of Dark Side in it's entirety with backup singers and a sax.They were voicing their vaunted $1,000,000 quad system and it worked that night.Great memories.
Yeah same tour ✌🏼
Couldn't agree with you more in regards to the Wall and Quad////phenia
Loved your list and agree with you for the most of it. I would put Animals a little higher but totally agree with you about The Wall.
I'm about eight years younger than you, "Dark Side" was when I came on board - so my perspective is a bit different than yours. I did get their back catalog in the mid 70s during HS.
I was fortunate to see The Wall 6th row center at the Los Angeles Sports Arena in 1980. The tickets were sold mail order only, it was my senior year in HS, and I worked part-time for the LA Times and saw the advert in the Sunday Calendar section on Thursday. 8-)
If you asked me 30 or 40 years ago, their big four ("Dark Side" to "The Wall") would be at the top hands down - we could argue about the order, but all their other work would begin at a distant five. Maybe because I've heard those classic albums so many times they're now almost at cliche level (what a shame), so I would have to rank their work differently today.
The one album I can listen to any time, whether it's in the car, while I'm cooking, or sitting in a chair with headphones, active or passive listening, is "Piper". It's just a fun album, I love it. There's no question it's my number one Pink Floyd album at this point in terms of what I listen to. The "Atom Heart Mother" suite gets the occasional spin and I wish there were more songs like "Jugband Blues".
Sorry, late to class ,yet again. Your right about Dark side. It's Floyds defining moment as far as I'm concerned. However I do tend to play Meddle and Obscured by clouds more. Wish I'd kept the vinyl but we all make mistakes.✌
Gerald Scarfe, not Hipgnosis, did the cover art for the wall. Very Good ordering, but I personally would say river, db, lapse, fc, wall, obc, wywh, more, saucerful, animals, ug, piper, dsom, meddle, ahm
Wow! Our top 5 is the SAME! :D I'm not sure I COULD rank my top 5 Pink Floyd albums. I have played Meddle probably 3 times as many times in the last 5 years as any other Pink Floyd album. And yet? Man... the other four are ESSENTIAL.
I *loathe* Animals. To be completely honest, I never gave Pink Floyd a chance after Animals. I've never heard any of the post-Animals albums all the way through. Even though my husband loves Final Cut.
I feel a little bad for piling on with the corrections: "Domine" is pronounced "Dom-e-nay" - so it's a slant rhyme for "Astronomy".
The final cut is my all-time favorite album of any musician or band. severely underrated, lyrical masterpiece. Was not expecting it to be last
Well then I guess my list didn't quite work for you then ;-)
The Final Cut is a like a Roger Waters solo record. It isn't really a pink floyd record. Roger the control freak.
Yes , t.f.c. is for shore underrated. Whole album is awesome . They even added " when the tigers broke free " .
Look, the final cut is one of the very best albums that the band recorded. No it isn’t a solo Roger album. If you knew your Floyd history you’d know that he presented the pros and cons of hitchhiking and the wall to the rest of the band before they decided on the wall.
They decided to go with the wall. The band does not play on every song on the album, but then again, they did the very same with the wall. For the live shows they hired Richard Wright on after firing him as a union musician. Nick Mason wasn’t really far behind. That was before they even considered the next album. It was supposed to be called Spare Bricks as a companion piece to the movie soundtrack. If you think of the final cut in that fashion thank god they did what they did. He gave us more original Pink Floyd music. How are you going to complain about that?
Roger himself dislikes this album because his voice is shot out from yelling and screaming at the rest of the band.
As for him being a megalomaniac, think of it this way: would you like to have authored an entire book just to have someone else tell you how you should have written it or that this certain chapter is better in this way than in the way you chose to write it? Rogers point was that if they were so sure to try and correct him in writing the songs where the fuck were their songs? They didn’t write any other than the instrumentals for run like hell and comfortably numb. Without lyrics those songs would be nothing at all.
As far as the final cut, Gilmour throws a couple solos in there and sings Not now John. Other than that I don’t miss him.
Go listen to momentary lapse of reason or the division bell. The roger fans won’t miss you. Trust me.
As for the author of this video, I like your view of the catalog. This isn’t pointed at you whatsoever. You’re pure genius guy. Keep it up.
Sorry man , but you lost me at The Final Cut .
I have all their studio material on vinyl.
My top 3 are as follows:
3. Wish You Were Here
2. DSOTM
1. Meddle
Miss Congeniality is.......
More!
You can really hear the shadow of Syd start to lift, and you get a glimpse of what's to come.
Great channel. I like how relaxed and honestly you talk about music you feel passionate about.
I’m sleeping now 😴😘🤠
15:28 I thought you were going to mention Give My Regards to Broad Street. Towards the end we see Paul miming to No More Lonely Nights, and there it is.
Edit: I was wrong, but it appears in the movie slightly towards the end.
The cover of The Wall of course is not by Hipgnosis but cartoonist Gerald Scarfe.
Ummagumma is highly influential since it inspired later generations of experimental (non-)musicians such as the people from Throbbing Gristle.
Yeah I blew that cover thing. I was corrected here yesterday. Thank you too 🌸
If you like the acoustic guitar, trying listening to the studio side of Ummagumma backwards. Whole passages that sound like random noise revolve into simple acoustic lines. I found this out when my cassette got twisted in the player and started playing the B side when it was on A. Don't miss that medium at all.