This is where I differ in opinion. It’s my favourite of their overall output. They were young and hungry. Acid & ego hadn’t destroyed them (yet). Even though I wasn’t even a “Twinkle” in 1967, everything from Arnold Layne, See Emily Play, Interstellar Overdrive, and Astronomy Domine are some of my favourite’s. When just the three of them were onstage in 1994 with just Guy Pratt added on Bass when the started the Concert in Toronto. We were blown away (and I was Straight throughout the show - 1987, I fell asleep during The Wall Medley, a bit too High).
But of course Atom Heart Mother, Saucerful of Secrets, Obscured by Clouds, UmmaGumma, and Meddle were great albums too.
And then there’s all that Audiophile Stuff they released from 1973 - 1994. That’s stuff’s OK too, I guess…
Hmmm, well I like AHM, and I really like Meddle, Obscured by clouds is also a fave in a way - it was the first album of theirs I heard (10, maybe? friend across the street’s older sister loaned me a cassette) and Umma Gumma I play often, I like the raw versions of the songs on the live album and the studio side is interesting, and humorous in places too too, but the “Audiophile stuff” (great name!) has Dave Gilmour suddenly finding his signature solo sound, and it all sloooows down, and seems to click into place as a collection of music with some lyrics here and there, rather than strictly Songs (even if some of them are long) - Meddle was kind of a premonition of this I think. I am more of a “music” person than a “song” person, with Pink Floyd, at least.
Yes, I just couldn’t get into the others as much as Fragile, no idea why, though I know much more of it is great stuff, although oddly I really like 90125 as well, like they’re a different band, but some great songs and production.
Of course, this could be just the mindless ramblings of someone who has just woken up after yet another 2 hour sleep and in need of tea and sustenance, what do I know
(to be edited to add “now playing” once I’ve picked something - gotta save these posts, only 9,900 to go!)
Here we go, waking up music, if I played some of the later stuff I might not wake up properly…
Qobuz. CD. Vejvanovski was a new name to me. Cheerful music, with good performance and sound. I imagine with all that trumpet that sitting through it as a live performance might have been slightly exhausting!
Katrina Gilmore and Jamie Roberts - British folk duo, I first saw them around 2007 or 8, supporting Fairport on their annual “Wintour”, and then again the next summer at the Fairport Cropredy annual festival (they joined them on the last night for “Meet on the Ledge” - doing the Sandy Denny part in a rather lovely two part harmony).
She plays violin and mandolin, he plays acoustic guitar, both “normally” and laying flat on his lap being finger tapped.
I’ve seen them a few times since then - the last time they had their few-months-old baby with them (and an aunt for baby sitting duties). They looked half awake, but still played brilliantly.
This album has, amongst many great tracks, the song “Doctor James”, about the pioneering doctor and surgeon, who performed the first Cesarean where both mother and child both survived, and, after death, turned out to have been a woman passing as a man all her life.
It also has “silver screen” a rather brilliant song from Katrina in praise of her sat-nav.
Really recommended, to listen to, and if you’re in the UK, go see them if you possibly can (they are usually small gigs, and sell out quickly).
“The Stealing Arm” is another highlight (with some laying flat guitar tapping) from Jamie about a man who had a burglar’s arm grafted onto his own body after an injury, and the stealing that it continued to do. (I’m going to assume that one is made up, unlike “Doctor James” which is a true story).
