The Sunday Six

Happy Sunday and, to those celebrating, Happy Easter! Once again, I’d like to invite you to join me on another imaginary travel through time and space to visit some great music of the past and the present. Let’s all have some fun together!

Sonny Rollins Quartet/When Your Lover Has Gone

As has become customary, we’ll kick off our journey with some beautiful jazz by the Sonny Rollins Quartet. After tenor saxophonist Sonny Rollins had worked with Miles Davis and been part of the trumpeter’s band, he asked the members of Davis’ “First Great Quintet” – John Coltrane (tenor saxophone), Red Garland (piano), Paul Chambers (double bass) and Philly Joe Jones (drums) – to back him on an album titled Tenor Madness and released in October 1956. Here’s When Your Lover Has Gone, a 1931 composition by Einar Aaron Swan. The tune became a jazz standard after it had been featured in Blonde Crazy, a picture released the same year, starring James Cagney.

The Damned/Stranger On the Town

Let’s pick up the speed and next head to October 1982, which saw the release of Strawberries, the fifth studio album by The Damned. AllMusic notes they were the first UK band to release a punk single (New Rose) in 1976, followed by the first UK punk album (Damned Damned Damned) the following year. Subsequently, they also began incorporating psychedelic and garage rock into their music. And other genres. Stranger On the Town, a track from Strawberries and another great tip from my dear longtime German music friend Gerd, has a cool soul vibe. The song is credited to band members Rat Scabies (drums, synthesizer), Captain Sensible (guitar, backing vocals, Paul Gray (bass) and Dave Vanian (lead vocals).

Southern Avenue/Be The Love You Want

Time to jump back to the present and pay a visit to one of my favorite contemporary bands: Southern Avenue. The group from Memphis, Tenn., which has been around since 2015, blends blues and soul with flavors of contemporary R&B. Southern Avenue are Israeli blues guitarist Ori Naftaly; lead vocalist Tierinii Jackson and her sisters Tikyra Jackson (drums, backing vocals) and Ava Jackson (backing vocals); bassist Evan Sarver; and keyboarder Jeremy Powell. Be The Love You Want, co-written by the group’s co-founders Naftaly and Tierinii Jackson, is the title track of their third and most recent studio album. Released in August 2021, I reviewed it here at the time.

The Doors/The End

This next stop takes us back to January 1967 and the eponymous debut album by The Doors. My proposition is the epic closer The End. The bone-chilling lyrics, which as usual were written by lead vocalist Jim Morrison, initially revolved around the break-up with an ex-girlfriend but grew more complex over time with Oedipal themes of loving the mother and killing the father. Songfacts notes Morrison always remained vague about the meaning. The hypnotizing music was credited to the entire group who in addition to Morrison included Ray Manzarek (organ, piano, bass), Robby Krieger (guitar) and John Densmore (drums).

Matthew Sweet/Girlfriend

The most recent occasion we stopped by Matthew Sweet on The Sunday Six dates back to late January 2023. I’d say it’s time for another visit. In October 1991, the alternative rock/power pop singer-songwriter put out his third studio album Girlfriend. It was the first that made the charts in the U.S., reaching no. 100 on the Billboard 200. While Sweet subsequently had higher-charting albums, Girlfriend was certified Gold (500,000 certified sold units) by RIAA in April 1995, becoming the first of two to date. Here’s the title track.

Pink Floyd/Time

Once again, we’re reaching our sixth and final stop. Let’s make it count with what I feel is an amazing track from one of the sonically most compelling albums I know: The Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd’s gem from March 1973. I could go on gushing about it but trust you know what I’m talking about. It’s hard to believe this music is 51 years old. Here’s the mighty Time, credited to all four band members Roger Waters (vocals, bass, VCS 3 synthesizer), David Gilmour (guitars, vocals), Richard Wright (organ, piano, synthesizers, vocals) and Nick Mason (drums, percussion).

What’s missing? Of course, the Spotify playlist featuring all of the above goodies. Here you go and hope to see you again!

Sources: Wikipedia; AllMusic; Songfacts; YouTube; Spotify

Brit Floyd Shine, Celebrating 30th Anniversary of Pink Floyd Album The Division Bell

When I saw earlier this year Brit Floyd would return to Sands Bethlehem Event Center in Bethlehem, Pa., I decided right away to look for a ticket. Five years ago, the British Pink Floyd tribute band had blown me away at the same venue with incredible renditions of the English rock band’s music and an impressive stage show. As such, I had high hopes. Showtime finally came last Saturday, and once again Brit Floyd delivered the great gig in the sky!

The genius behind Brit Floyd is founder and musical director Damian Darlington, who also provides vocals, guitar and lap steel. Prior to forming the band in Liverpool, England in 2011, Darlington had played for 17 years with long-running Aussie tribute The Australian Pink Floyd Show. According to his bio, between the two tribute groups, he has fronted more than 2,500 live gigs over the past 28 years. That works out to approximately 90 shows per year – an impressive track record!

Doing Pink Floyd’s complex music justice live requires an army of a backing band, and Brit Floyd has many mightily talented artists who are all listed on the group’s website! Apart from Darlington, Saturday’s performing band featured Ian Cattell (vocals, bass), Edo Scordo (guitars, vocals), Matt Riddle (keyboards, synthesizers, Hammond organ, vocals), Randy Cooke (drums, percussion), Ryan Saranich (saxophone, percussion, guitars, bass keyboards), as well as backing vocalists Chess Galea, Genevieve Little and Eva Avila.

Brit Floyd leader Damian Darlington (center), with Ian Cattell (left), who has been with the band since 2011, and Matt Riddle, a member since 2017 (photo: Brit Floyd website)

In addition to The Division Bell, Brit Floyd mostly drew from Pink Floyd’s ’70s albums, especially The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here and The Wall, as well as Meddle and Animals. They also gave a nod to the Syd Barrett era with Piper at the Gates of Dawn and touched on A Momentary Lapse of Reason, which like The Division Bell falls into the band’s late stage after they had parted ways with Roger Waters.

The show included two sets that were divided by a 20-minute intermission, as well as an encore. It all added up to more than 2.5 hours of magnificent live music. As much as I love The Dark Side of the Moon, I would have been okay with fewer tracks from that gem and a few more songs from the Barrett era. But Brit Floyd essentially recreated Pink Floyd’s 1994 final concert tour, The Division Bell Tour, which was captured on Pulse, their third live album released in May 1995.

Time for some music! The band explicitly encouraged taking photos and video, as long as you wouldn’t use flash and would respect the folks around you – to me, both goes without saying! Let’s kick it off with the opener of set 1, Astronomy Domine. Co-written by the brilliant Syd Barrett and Floyd keys man Richard Wright, the instrumental is the first track on the band’s debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn released in August 1967.

While The Division Bell isn’t my favorite, I felt a concert tour that celebrates the 30th anniversary of Floyd’s 14th studio album warranted capturing at least one track. The Division Bell marked their final regular studio project. The Endless River, released in November 2014, features posthumous contributions from Wright who sadly passed away from lung cancer in September 2008 at age 65. High Hopes, composed by Gilmour, features lyrics by English novelist, lyricist and journalist Polly Samson who has been married to Gilmour since 1994. One of the highlights of Brit Floyd’s mighty rendition was Darlington’s lap steel action!

Initially, I had been reluctant to capture Dogs, a 17-minute track. I also didn’t anticipate Brit Floyd would throw in the preceding short Pig On the Wings (Part 1), effectively playing the entire side 1 of Floyd’s January 1977 Animals studio album! My arms felt comfortably numb afterwards, but as a Pink Floyd nut, I thought it was worth it! Both tracks were written by Waters. On Dogs, he was joined by Gilmour on vocals. The Darlington-Edo Scordo harmony guitar action and Matt Riddle’s neat keyboard work were the highlights of Brit Floyd’s great set 1 closer.

Hey you, are you still out there? Cause I just got started! This brings me to the second set. As much as I was tempted to capture the majestic opener Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V), the thought of filming another 10-minute-plus track was a deterrent even to me. Instead, the first song I captured from this set is Hey You, a favorite off The Wall. While I really dug Floyd’s 11th studio album when it came out in November 1979, nowadays, it’s no longer in my top 3, though perhaps still in my top 5. Hey You was solely written by Waters who essentially had taken over the group. Generously, he shared vocal duties with Gilmour on this track.

If I could only pick one Pink Floyd album, it would either be The Dark Side of the Moon or Meddle. The latter foreshadowed the sonic brilliance of The Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Here. Here’s One of These Days, Meddle’s charging instrumental opener. It was credited to all four members of the band at the time, i.e., Gilmour, Waters, Wright and Mason. Once again, Brit Floyd delivered the goods while Cattell doing a great job playing that pulsating bass part, while Darlington was shing like the sun on lap steel. Be careful, you might get blown away!

I deliberately held back on filming tracks from The Dark Side of the Moon, especially obvious choices like Money or The Great Gig in the Sky. That said, just like in 2019, the latter was a highlight of the night. But I couldn’t entirely ignore this masterpiece, so decided to go with another gem, Us and Them, co-written by Waters and Wright.

Once again, I resisted capturing an audience pleaser and, yes, another highlight of the night, Comfortably Numb, the final song of set 2. But at the last second, I decided to film the encore, Run Like Hell, another track of The Wall. While it’s not among my favorites, I know many other folks dig it, so here you go. Plus, the light show went into interstellar overdrive!

In addition to The Great Gig in the Sky and Comfortably Numb, there would have been many more choices of tracks I could have filmed. If you visit my post about Brit Floyd’s 2019 gig, you can find these two songs and four additional tracks I captured at the time. Of course, you could also simply check Brit Floyd’s YouTube channel, which features many excellent (professional) clips. My only beef is they are 9-plus years old and, as such, capture a largely different band. That said, Damian Darlington has always surrounded himself with top-notch musicians, and earlier lineups of Brit Floyd sounded just as compelling as the current group.

Here’s the setlist from last Saturday:

Set 1:
• Astronomy Domine – The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967)
• Learning to Fly – A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987)
• High Hopes – The Division Bell (1994)
• Take It Back – The Division Bell (1994)
• Coming Back to Life – The Division Bell (1994)
• Sorrow – A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987)
• Keep Talking – The Division Bell (1994)
• Pigs On the Wing (Part 1) & Dogs – Animals (1977)

Set 2:
• Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V) – Wish You Were Here (1975)
• Hey You – The Wall (1979)
• Time – The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
• Breathe (Reprise) – The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
• The Great Gig in the Sky – The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
• Wish You Were Here – Wish You Were Here (1975)
• One of These Days – Meddle (1971)
• Another Brick in the Wall, Part 1 – The Wall (1979)
• Us and Them – The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
• Money – The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)
• Comfortably Numb – The Wall (1979)

Encore:
• Run Like Hell – The Wall (1979)

If you dig what you’ve seen and heard and are interested in catching Brit Floyd during the U.S. leg of their current tour, upcoming gigs include Syracuse, N.Y. (tomorrow); Erie, Pa. (March 27); Atlantic City, N.J. (March 29 & 30); Johnstown, Pa. (April 1); and Toledo, Ohio (April 2). The full schedule is here. I’d say, if you dig Floyd, you really can’t go wrong with Brit Floyd.

I’m leaving you with a Spotify playlist capturing all tracks of the show, mostly pulling from the Pulse album to make it as authentic as possible.

Sources: Wikipedia; Brit Floyd website; Setlist.fm; YouTube; Spotify

Roger Waters Releases Reimagined Version of Classic Pink Floyd Album

When I heard the first snippets of Roger Waters’ The Dark Side of the Moon Redux a few months ago, I was underwhelmed, to put it mildly. Why would Waters who played a key role in the making of one of the greatest albums of all time butcher this masterpiece? I was quick to dismiss it as yet another misstep by a highly controversial artist. When the album finally came out on Friday (October 6), I felt as a longtime fan of Pink Floyd I should at least listen to it with an open mind before rendering judgement. While Waters’ reimagined version doesn’t come close to the original masterpiece, I still believe it deserves to be heard.

Why did Waters decide to take on a project that looked like mission impossible from the get-go? Various reviews I’ve read, which ranged from pretty favorable to unfavorable, quoted from a statement by Waters: The original ‘Dark Side of the Moon’ feels in some ways like the lament of an elder being on the human condition. But Dave, Rick, Nick and I were so young when we made it, and when you look at the world around us, clearly the message hasn’t stuck. That’s why I started to consider what the wisdom of an 80-year-old could bring to a reimagined version. Sounds like a fair rationale.

Waters also said the following in a video introducing the album: “I love the original recording, by the way. And I love what Nicky [Nick Mason – CMM] did, what Rick [Rick Wright – CMM] did or what Dave [David Gilmour – CMM] did on the original recording. The new recording is more reflective, I think, and is more indicative of what the concept of the record was. ” While the sonic ingenuity that made The Dark Side of the Moon such a gem is missing on Redux, which puts much more emphasis on words than on the music, I think Waters does have a valid point.

He also acknowledges on his website, ‘It’s not a replacement for the original which, obviously, is irreplaceable. But it is a way for the seventy nine year old man [Waters who was 79 at the time of the recording turned 80 on September 6 – CMM] to look back across the intervening fifty years into the eyes of the twenty nine year old [Waters’ age when Pink Floyd recorded the original album – CMM] and say, to quote a poem of mine about my Father, “We did our best, we kept his trust, our Dad would have been proud of us.” And also it is a way for me to honor a recording that Nick and Rick and Dave & I have every right to be very proud of.’

Waters’ website further suggest that Redux was inspired by The Lockdown Sessions, a collection of home recordings of songs from Waters’ two final albums with Pink Floyd, The Wall (November 1979) and The Final Cut (March 1983), along with his September 1992 solo album Amused to Death. Waters felt a similar approach could be taken for Dark Side’s 50th anniversary. So far, so good.

Unfortunately, as reported by Paste, Waters was less complimentary in an interview with British newspaper The Telegraph, in which he maintained, “I wrote The Dark Side of the Moon. Let’s get rid of all this ‘we’ crap!” – seemingly contradicting the spirit of his comments in the aforementioned video. Paste rightfully added, most songs on the album are co-credited and some do not feature Waters as a composer at all. Together with his controversial comments about Israel and the war in Ukraine, this has created a less than ideal environment to release this album.

Let’s get to some music. The tracks follow the same order as on the original album. Here’s the second, Breathe. While Waters isn’t a bad narrator, there are too many monologues in-between tracks. Breathe is very representative of the bare bones vibe of Redux. That said, I kind of like the Hammond organ by Johnny Shepherd and the acoustic guitar fill-ins by Jonathan Wilson. Even though the sound is bare bones, I still recommend listening to the album via headphones.

Another Redux track that works for me is Time. I will say that while the album strangely drew me in, it gets better when listening to it the second or third time. Perhaps you need to get comfortably numb!

I will skip Great Gig in the Sky and Money, which both don’t work for me in their Redux versions, and go to Us and Them. Waters stays relatively close to the original. He gets some vocal help from Azniv Korkejian. Musically, again it’s the Hammond and Wilson’s acoustic guitar fill-ins that stand out to me.

Let’s do one more, Brain Damage, which starts with the lyrics, Why don’t we rerecord Dark Side of the Moon? He’s gone mad, words that to some listeners undoubtedly will ring true.

A word about the musicians on Redux. You won’t be surprised that none of Waters’ surviving former Pink Floyd bandmates are included, though drummer Nick Mason was rather complimentary, telling NME he thought it was “absolutely brilliant” and “It’s not anything that would be a spoiler for the original at all, it’s an interesting add-on to the thing.”

In addition to the aforementioned Wilson, Shepherd and Korkejian, other musicians include co-producer Gus Seyffert (bass, guitar, percussion, keyboards, synthesizer, backing vocals), Jon Carin (keyboards, lap steel, synthesizer, organ), Joey Waronker (drums, percussion), Via Mardot (theremin) and Gabe Noel (string arrangements, strings, sarangi). Notably, Waters only played bass on Any Colour You Like.

Based on reviews I’ve read, it’s obvious opinions will be divided about this album, just as opinions are divided about Roger Waters, who British tabloid The Sun in their favorable review notes “has managed to become the most controversial rock star on the planet.” As stated at the outset of this post, Redux doesn’t get close to replacing the original masterpiece, which Waters himself has acknowledged. I still feel it can be viewed as an adjunct, even though it’s far from perfect. Waters also deserves some credit for reimaging rather than recreating the original album with different musicians, which would have been safer and much easier.

Last but not least here’s the Spotify link to the album.

Sources: Wikipedia; Roger Waters website; Paste; NME; The Sun; YouTube; Spotify

The Dark Side of the Moon at 50 Remains a Timeless Gem

Missing the actual March 1 date wasn’t how I had envisaged celebrating it, but at the end of the day, I simply couldn’t ignore the 50th anniversary of Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon– especially after I had found myself with some unexpected extra time to write a dedicated post about one of my favorite albums. Limiting myself to a brief song inclusion in yesterday’s installment of my Sunday Six recurring feature would have been pretty measly!

The Dark Side of the Moon is one of the rare albums I can think of that hasn’t lost any of its magic since its release on March 1, 1973. To start with, it continues to be a sonic gem to this day, which has aged very well. Moreover, while greed, division and mental disease, to name some of the topics the concept album explores, have existed since the beginning of mankind, these issues remain relevant today, arguably more than ever.

Since so much has been written about this album (once again, I’d like to call out fellow blogger Vinyl Connection’s outstanding recent post), I’ve decided to keep this upfront tight and mostly focus this post on the music. I also made the deliberate choice not to contribute to the over-exposure of Money, even though I still dearly love this tune. I will also skip the excellent Us And Them, since I just featured that track in my aforementioned Sunday Six.

Let’s start taking a closer look at the music with Breathe (In the Air), the second track on Side one (in vinyl speak!). Like all other tunes, the lyrics were written by Roger Waters, the mastermind behind the concept of an album to explore dark aspects of human existence. Come to think of it, “The Dark Side of the Human Condition” would have been an apt alternative title, though the chosen option much better captures the spacy sound. The music for Breathe was composed by Richard Wright and David Gilmour, Pink Floyd’s keyboarder and guitarist, respectively. Songfacts notes Breathe…is about an older man speaking to a baby, telling it to breathe. The old man then describes the unfortunate working life the baby will have to face: “Run, rabbit, run. Dig that hole, forget the sun.” The song implies that we need to overcome these messages and do what inspires us.

Once you hear the ticking clocks, you know it’s time for, well, Time. The album’s only track credited to all four members of Pink Floyd (including drummer Nick Mason) deals with the topic of mortality. From Songfacts: This song is about how time can slip by, but many people do not realize it until it is too late. Roger Waters got the idea when he realized he was no longer preparing for anything in life, but was right in the middle of it. He had just turned 28. Songfacts also notes the layers of clock noises were put together by Alan Parsons, who served as the album’s production engineer. The sounds of each clock were recorded separately at an antiques store and subsequently were blended together – quite a feat!

Side one closes with the magnificent The Great Gig in the Sky, which I simply couldn’t skip. The track’s key feature are extraordinary vocals by Clare Torry, a British singer who had been brought in by Parsons. “She had to be told not to sing any words,” Parsons told Rolling Stone in March 2003, as documented by Songfacts. “When she first started, she was doing ‘Oh yeah baby’ and all that kind of stuff, so she had to be restrained on that. But there was no real direction – she just had to feel it.” Torry rightfully ended up receiving a writing credit for her powerful contribution. This track continues to give me chills, even though I must have listened to it more than 100 times over the decades!

Let’s move on to Side two. As previously noted, I’m skipping Money and Us And Them, which also became the album’s two singles. Instead, I’d like to call out the two final tracks, which were each written and composed by Waters. First up is Brain Damage. Songfacts observes This is probably about insanity, something the band was quite familiar with. To me, there’s no doubt this tune is about mental disease! Songfacts adds, The line, “And if the band you’re in starts playing different tunes” is a specific reference to Syd Barrett’s propensity for playing the wrong song on stage during his “episodes” towards his final days with Pink Floyd, which subsequently led to his dismissal. It’s really sad what certain drugs can do!

This leaves me with the final track titled Eclipse. It seamlessly follows Brain Damage, essentially making both tunes one song. From Songfacts: The album was well into production but didn’t have an ending until Roger Waters came up with the song. It reprises some lyrics to the opening track “Breathe” (“All that you touch, all that you see”) before closing out the album with the words, “There is no dark side of the moon really. Matter of fact it’s all dark.” Songfacts adds the closing statement was spoken by Gerry O’Driscoll, the doorman at London’s Abbey Road Studios, where this masterpiece was recorded. I think it’s safe to assume this makes Driscoll the most popular doorman most of the album’s listeners aren’t aware they know. I was one of them!

Following is a Spotify link to the album. If you own headphones, I highly recommend using them!

The Dark Side of the Moon has sold more than 45 million copies worldwide, which according to Wikipedia makes it the best-selling album of the ’70s and the forth-best selling in history after Michael Jackson’s Thriller (70 million), AC/DC’s Back in Black (50 million) and the soundtrack of The Bodyguard (45 million). A Billboard story published in March 2013 for the album’s 40th anniversary reported, Despite only reaching the No. 1 spot for one solitary week, the album continues to hold the record for the most weeks charted on the Billboard 200 (over 800 weeks!) and was a constant feature on the Billboard 200 from its initial release until 1988 – returning to the chart in late 2009 after Billboard revised its chart eligibility rules regarding older releases.

A look at the current Billboard 200 (week of March 4) reveals The Dark Side of the Moon at no. 155 with a total of now 972 weeks on the chart – that’s the equivalent of approximately 18.5 years! I imagine the upcoming March 24 reissue box-set The Dark Side of the Moon 50th Anniversary, if anything, is going to breathe in (no pun intended!) additional life for this amazing album!

Sources: Wikipedia; Songfacts; Billboard; YouTube; Spotify

The Sunday Six

Good morning, afternoon, evening, night…in whichever time zone you are, I’d like to welcome you! Is 2023 already starting to feel old? Are you struggling with sticking to any new year’s resolutions? I hope you can put aside any such thoughts you may have and join me on another trip into the amazing world of music. Let’s all escape the present and have a great time together while it lasts!

Red Garland/Almost Like Being in Love

Today, our journey starts in June 1957 with some groovy jazz by pianist Red Garland. Born in 1923 in Dallas, Tx., Garland started playing the clarinet and alto. saxophone before switching to the piano in 1941. In the ’40s, he also had a short-lived career as a welterweight boxer. Garland who helped popularize the block chord style of playing in jazz piano, gained prominence when he joined the Miles Davis Quintet in 1954. In addition to Davis, it featured jazz greats John Coltrane, Philly Joe Jones and Paul Chambers. After leaving the quintet in 1958, Garland formed his own trio. They recorded with many other artists, such as Pepper Adams, Nat Adderley, Ray Barretto, Kenny Burrell and Eddie “Lockjaw” Davis. Garland continued to work until his death from a heart attack at age 60 in April 1984. Almost Being in Love, composed by Allen Jay Learner and Frederick Loewe, is a great track from Garland’s album Red Garland’s Piano. He was backed by Chambers (bass) and Art Taylor (drums). Feel free to snip along!

Toad The Wet Sprocket/All I Want

Our next stop takes us to the early ’90s and a great tune I was reminded of the other day when I coincidentally caught it on the radio: All I Want by Toad The Wet Sprocket. Formed in 1986 in Santa Barbara, Calif., this alternative rock band took their peculiar name from a Monty Python comedy sketch. After their first two albums, which didn’t receive much attention, the band broke through with their third studio release, Fear, which appeared in August 1991. That success was fueled by All I Want, the second single off the album and the group’s first to chart on the Billboard Hot 100, climbing to no. 15. Toad the Wet Sprocket had a few additional charting songs and disbanded in 1998 after their fifth album Coil. Yet they continued to work on and off until 2008. As of 2009, the band has officially reunited and released two additional albums to date. All I Want was written by Glen Philips (lead vocals, rhythm guitar, mandolin, keyboards), one of three founding members who remain with the group to this day. This jangly guitar sound and beautiful harmony singing are right up my alley!

The Georgia Satellites/Keep Your Hands to Yourself

Time to pay a visit to Atlanta, Ga. The year is 1986 and it’s the month of October. That’s when southern rock band The Georgia Satellites released their eponymous debut album. The record became their most successful to date, surging to no. 5 in the U.S. on the Billboard 200. In turn, that was thanks to Keep Your Hands to Yourself. Their biggest hit peaked at no. 2 on the Billboard Hot 100 and no. 3 in Canada. Elsewhere, it reached no. 20 in Australia and no. 69 in the UK. After two more albums and a few additional charting singles, the group went on hiatus in 1990. The Georgia Satellites reemerged in 1993, released another album in 1996, and have since been a touring act. Their current line-up features original member Rick Richards (lead guitar, backing and lead vocals), together with Fred McNeal (lead vocals, rhythm guitar), Bruce Smith (bass, backing vocals) and Todd Johnston (drums). Keep Your Hands to Yourself was penned by the group’s original lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist Dan Baird. That Stonesy rocker just makes me smile, but no touching, please!

Pink Floyd/See Emily Play

After three tunes into our current excursion, we must turn to the ’60s, one of my favorite decades in music. Our destination is the second single by Pink Floyd, See Emily Play. I love the early stage of the British group, formed in London in 1965 by Syd Barrett (guitar, lead vocals), Richard Wright (keyboards, vocals), Roger Waters (bass guitar, vocals) and Nick Mason (drums). See Emily Play, penned by Floyd’s initial leader and key songwriter Barrett, first appeared in the UK in June 1967 as a non-album single. This early gem was also included on the U.S. edition of the band’s debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, which came out in August of the same year. Unfortunately, it was the only album featuring Barrett as a full member of Pink Floyd. Due to heavy drug use and mental illness, his behavior became increasingly erratic and led to his departure in April 1968. At that time, David Gilmour had already joined the group. While Floyd’s June 1968 sophomore album A Saucerful of Secrets still included some contributions from Barrett, Gilmour had fully taken over on guitar. Sadly, Barrett passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2006, after he essentially had lived in obscurity since the late ’70s.

Bob Dylan/Tangled Up in Blue

On to the ’70s and an artist I trust needs no introduction. When it comes to Bob Dylan, I’ve always had sentiments ranging from admiration to indifference. If anything, I’ve regained appreciation of Robert Zimmerman since his most recent studio album Rough and Rowdy Ways. To me, it’s a late-career gem. One of Dylan’s earlier tunes I’ve loved from the very first time I heard it is Tangled Up in Blue. In fact, I would count it among my all-time favorites by the Nobel Prize-winning singer-songwriter. It first appeared as a single on January 17, 1975, three days ahead of the release of Blood On the Tracks. Initially, Dylan’s 15th studio album received mixed reviews, but as we’ve seen all too often, the critics came around and now regard it as one of his greatest albums. Fans apparently agreed all along. Blood On the Tracks became Dylan’s second album to top the U.S. charts. It also was no. 1 in Canada and reached the top 5 in the UK (no. 4), Spain (no. 3), Norway (no. 2) and The Netherlands (no. 5). Man, I just love that song!

Melissa Etheridge/Hold On, I’m Coming

Once again, we’re reaching the final stop of yet another music journey. For this last pick, we turn to the current century, though it’s a ’60s Stax tune. You see what I did there? I sneaked in another song from one of my favorite decades in music! In October 2016, Melissa Etheridge released Memphis Rock and Soul, a great tribute to Memphis soul label Stax. One of my favorite tracks on that album is her sizzling rendition of Hold On, I’m Coming. Co-written by Isaac Hayes and David Porter, the tune was first recorded by Sam & Dave. Released in March 1966, it became one of their biggest hits. And, yes, it’s been covered by many other artists, such as Aretha Franklin, Waylon Jennings and Tina Turner, but I just dig Etheridge’s funky version.

Of course, this post wouldn’t be complete without a Spotify list of the above goodies. Hope there’s something you like!

Sources: Wikipedia; YouTube; Spotify

A First Glance at Albums Hitting the Big 50 This Year

With a new year upon us, I thought this would be a good opportunity to preview albums that are turning 50 in 2023. Taking a closer look quickly confirmed my expectation that 1973 was yet another great year in music. Based on Wikipedia, I came up with an initial list of 40 records released that year. I’m going to touch on six of them. A Spotify playlist at the end features songs from those albums, as well as one tune from each of the remaining 34 records.

Pink Floyd – The Dark Side of the Moon (March 1, 1973)

Pink Floyd’s eighth studio album The Dark Side of the Moon remains among my favorites by the English rock band. Released in March 1973, it was primarily developed during live performances and premiered before the recording sessions began. In fact, as reported by Variety and other music outlets, last month, Pink Floyd quietly released 18 of these concerts on streaming services before the recordings hit 50 years and would have lost copyright protection. The Dark Side of the Moon, a concept album around themes like conflict, greed, time, death and mental illness, is Floyd’s best-selling record and one of the most critically acclaimed albums in music history. Here is Time, with lyrics by Roger Waters (bass, vocals) and the music credited to all members of the band, who also included David Gilmour (guitar, vocals), Richard Wright (keyboards, vocals) and Nick Mason (drums, percussion).

Steely Dan – Countdown to Ecstasy (July 1973)

Steely Dan’s sophomore album Countdown to Ecstasy, released in July 1973, was recorded when they were still a standing band. In addition to masterminds Donald Fagen (acoustic and electric pianos, synthesizer, lead and backing vocals) and Walter Becker (electric bass, harmonica, backing vocals), the line-up featured Denny Dias (electric guitar), Jeff “Skunk” Baxter (electric and pedal steel guitars) and Jim Hodder (drums, percussion, backing vocals). Countdown to Ecstasy followed the departure of David Palmer and was the group’s first album where Fagen sang lead on every song. After their third record Pretzel Logic, Fagen and Becker turned Steely Dan largely into a studio project, relying on top-notch session musicians. One of my favorite tracks on Countdown to Ecstasy is My Old School, which like all other tunes was co-written by Becker and Fagen. Baxter’s guitar work shines and is among his best.

Stevie Wonder – Innervisions (August 3, 1973)

Innervisions, Stevie Wonder’s 16th studio album released in August 1973, is part of his so-called classic period, which spans six records, bookended by Music of My Mind (March 1972) and Stevie Wonder’s Journey Through “The Secret Life of Plants” (October 1979). Following his 21st birthday on May 13, 1971, Wonder allowed his contract with Motown to expire. He returned to the Detroit label with Music of My Mind and a much more lucrative contract that also freed him from the artistic straitjacket of the past. Wonder’s lyrics changed and started to explore social and political topics in addition to standard romantic themes. Musically, he began exploring overdubbing and recording most of the instrumental parts himself. Innervisions and the excellent Living for the City perfectly illustrate these changes.

Lynyrd Skynyrd – (Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd) (August 13, 1973)

August 1973 also saw the release of Lynyrd Skynyrd’s first album (Pronounced ‘Lĕh-‘nérd ‘Skin-‘nérd). And what a debut it was, featuring classics like Gimme Three Steps, Simple Man, Tuesday’s Gone and the epic Free Bird. You wouldn’t necessarily guess it, based on the album’s relatively moderate chart performance when it came out. In the U.S., it reached no. 27 on the Billboard 200. Elsewhere, it climbed to no. 20 in Switzerland, no. 44 in the UK and no. 47 in Canada. But over time, the picture looks better. As of July 1987, it was certified 2X Platinum in the U.S. The album also made Rolling Stone’s list of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and was ranked at no. 381 in the most recent revision from 2020. Here’s the aforementioned Free Bird, co-written by the group’s original lead vocalist Ronnie Van Zant and guitarist Allen Collins.

Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road (October 5, 1973)

Elton John truly ruled during the first part of the ’70s. With Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, a double LP and his seventh studio album, he scored his third of six consecutive chart-toppers in the U.S. on the Billboard 200. The album also topped the charts in the UK, Canada and Australia. It spawned four singles, which charted in different countries. In the U.S., Bennie and the Jets became John’s second no. 1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100, while the title track topped the charts in Canada and New Zealand. I decided to highlight the magnificent opening medley of Funeral for a Friend/Love Lies Bleeding. As usual, John wrote the music to lyrics by his longtime collaborator Bernie Taupin. What an opus!

Paul McCartney and Wings – Band on the Run (December 5, 1973)

The final album I’d like to call out here is what I consider the Mount Rushmore of Paul McCartney’s post-Beatles period: Band on the Run, his fifth after the break-up of The Fab Four and the third with Wings. By the time recording in Lagos, Nigeria began, drummer Denny Seiwell and guitarist Henry McCullough had departed. This left Wings as a trio, which in addition to McCartney included his wife Linda McCartney and Denny Laine. As such, Paul ended up playing bass, drums, percussion and most of the lead guitar parts, with Laine providing guitars and Linda keyboards. Both also sang backing and harmony vocals. After recording the majority of the album’s basic tracks and some overdubbing in Lagos under difficult conditions, Wings returned to England and finished the album in George Martin’s AIR Studios in London. After initial modest sales, Band on the Run became the top-selling studio album of 1974 in the UK. More importantly, it revitalized the critical standing of Paul McCartney whose earlier post-Beatles records had received a mixed reception. Band on the Run’s opener and title track, credited to Paul and Linda, is a longtime favorite of mine.

I’m planning dedicated posts on each of the above albums and possibly others released in 1973, timed to their respective 50th anniversaries. Last but not least, here’s the above-noted Spotify playlist.

Sources: Wikipedia; Variety; YouTube; Spotify

What I’ve Been Listening to: Pink Floyd/Obscured by Clouds

Prompted by a recent comment from Graham at Aphoristic Album Reviews that he was happy to see Obscured by Clouds being included in my previous Sunday Six installment, I decided to revisit Pink Floyd’s seventh studio album. Even though its June 1972 release falls between Meddle and The Dark Side of the Moon, two of my favorite Floyd records, Obscured by Clouds was, well, a little obscure to me. After having listened to it again, I agree with Ultimate Classic Rock, which called the album ‘underrated.’ They also said it was “one of rock’s most under-appreciated treasures — and perhaps the most underrated album in Pink Floyd’s impressive discography.” I’m less sure about that statement.

Obscured by Clouds was set in motion when film director Barbet Schroeder approached Pink Floyd to ask whether they could do another soundtrack for his upcoming film project La Vallée. Previously, the British group had written and performed the soundtrack for More, Schroeder’s 1969 theatrical feature film directorial debut. Obscured by Clouds was recorded at Strawberry Studios at Château d’Hérouville close to Paris, France over a span of just six weeks.

The two sessions took place between late February and early April 1972 during two breaks from Pink Floyd’s Japan tour. At the time, the band had already started early work on what would become the brilliant album The Dark Side of the Moon. Quoting from drummer Nick Mason’s autobiography Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd, Ultimate Classic Rock noted Mason confirmed the group utilized the same methods employed on More, where Pink Floyd could be found “following a rough cut of the film, using stopwatches for specific cues and creating interlinking musical moods that would be cross-faded to suit the final version.”

French TV station ORTF captured a short segment during the first recording session, which featured interviews with Roger Waters (bass, vocals) and David Gilmour (guitar, vocals). After they had completed recording the album, Pink Floyd had a falling out with the film company and decided to release the record under the title Obscured by Clouds rather than La Vallée. As a result, the French film was retitled La Vallée (Obscured by Clouds) when it appeared in July 1972. Time for some music!

Side 1 kicks off with the title track, an instrumental co-written by Gilmour and Waters. The monotonous synthesizer line and drum part combined with Gilmour’s slide guitar give the tune a haunting sound. It has a largely improvisational feel to it.

Burning Bridges, another Waters-Gilmour co-write, is the only song off the album I had been able to name prior to this review and perhaps the most memorable tune. It also features Waters and Gilmour on vocals.

Wot’s… Uh the Deal? is a nice acoustic tune featuring multi-tracked vocals by Gilmour. The lyrics were written by Waters, though the song is credited to both him and Gilmour. According to Wikipedia, the words “Flash the readies, Wot’s…Uh the Deal” is a phrase Floyd roadie Chris Adamson apparently used.

Side 2 kicks off with Childhood’s End. Notably, this was the last Pink Floyd song entirely written by Gilmour until A Momentary Lapse of Reason, the band’s thirteenth studio album from September 1987, and the first without Waters. The tune was named after a 1953 science fiction novel by English sci-fi writer Sir Arthur Charles Clarke. I have to say I really like that track!

Free Four became the record’s only single released in July 1972. Solely written and sung by Waters, it did not chart. Songfacts notes, The lyrics are rather depressing, but the song is very upbeat (including Roger Waters gleefully uttering a line about the angel of death). It’s about how our lives pass by – most of the time with no real effect on the cycle by which we all live and pass. Wikipedia cites a review of the single by music industry trade magazine Cash Box, asking “Would you believe a happy song about death?”

The final track I’d like to call out is the closer Absolutely Curtains. Credited to all four members of the band – Gilmour, Waters, Mason and Richard Wright (keyboards, vocals) – Absolutely Curtains is a largely instrumental tune that ends with a chant of the New Guinea indigenous Mapuga tribe who is also seen in the film. The instrumental section has a cool spacey sound reminiscent of Floyd’s The Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here albums.

Overall, I think Obscured by Clouds is a pretty solid studio effort by Pink Floyd. Perhaps the problem is that unlike Meddle and The Dark Side of the Moon, it lacks easily memorable tracks like One of These Days or Money. Still, to me, Burning Bridges and Childhood’s End are standout songs.

Remarkably, Obscured by Clouds climbed to no. 6 in the UK on the Official Albums Chart. It also went all the way to no. 1 in France – I assume because of the film – and reached no. 3 in The Netherlands. In the U.S., Obscured by Clouds got to no. 46 on the Billboard 200, marking Pink Floyd’s highest-charting record there at the time. The band’s relative obscurity drastically changed when the clouds were chased away by The Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here that topped the Billboard 200.

Sources: Wikipedia; Ultimate Classic Rock; Songfacts; Discogs; YouTube

The Sunday Six

It’s time again for what has become my favorite recurring feature on the blog. For first time visitors, the idea of The Sunday Six is to celebrate music in a random fashion, six tracks at a time. It could literally be anything from the past 60 years or so, in any order. My only “rule” is I have to like it. That’s consistent with my overall approach for this blog to write about music I dig. Without further ado, let’s get to this week’s picks.

Neil Cowley/Circulation

I’d like to start with Neil Cowley, an English contemporary pianist and composer I first included in a Sunday Six installment back in March. Born in London in November 1972, Cowley began as a classical pianist and already performed a Shostakovich piano concerto at Queen Elizabeth Hall as a ten-year-old. In his late teens, he played keyboards for various soul and funk acts, including  Mission Impossible, The Brand New Heavies, Gabrielle and Zero 7. It appears his first album Displaced was released in 2006 under the name of Neil Cowley Trio. Fourteen additional albums featuring Cowley as band leader or co-leader have since come out. He has also worked as a sideman for Adele and various other artists. Circulation is another track from Cowley’s most recent solo album Hall of Mirrors released in March this year. This is very relaxing piano-driven music with elements of ambient electronics.

Cream/Crossroads

After a mellow start, here’s something crunchy from one of my favorite ’60s British rock bands: Cream. Featuring Eric Clapton (guitar, vocals), Jack Bruce (bass, vocals) and Ginger Baker (drums, vocals), they were a true supergroup. As such, it’s perhaps not surprising they broke up after just a little over two years. In fact, given the bad, sometimes physical fights between the volatile Mr. Baker and Bruce, it’s a miracle they lasted that long – not to mention the fact they still managed to record four amazing albums. One of my favorite Cream tunes is their remake of Robert Johnson’s Crossroads, which he first recorded as Cross Road Blues in May 1937. Clapton did a neat job in rearranging the acoustic Delta blues. Cream’s version appeared on the live record of their double LP Wheels of Fire. Their third album was first released in the U.S. in June 1968, followed by the UK two months later.

The Jayhawks/She Walks In So Many Ways

Lately, I’ve started exploring The Jayhawks. I first came across the alt. country and country rock band about a year ago after the release of their most recent album XOXO in July 2020. The Jayhawks were initially formed in Minneapolis in 1985. After seven records, they went on hiatus in 2014 and reemerged in 2019. She Walks In So Many Ways is a track off their eighth studio album Mockingbird Time from September 2011. It marked the return of original frontman Mark Olson (guitar, vocals), reuniting him Gary Louris (guitar, vocals), another co-founder. Not only did they co-write all songs on the album, but they also delivered great harmony vocals. The other members at the time included co-founder Marc Perlman (bass), together with Tim O’Reagan (drums, vocals) and Karen Grotberg (keyboards, backing vocals). All remain with the band’s current line-up except for Olson who left again in the fall of 2012. She Walks In So Many Ways has a nice Byrds vibe – my kind of music!

Lenny Kravitz/Are You Gonna Go My Way

Let’s turn to Lenny Kravitz, who first entered my radar in late 1991 when I coincidentally listened to his sophomore album Mama Said in a restaurant in France. My brother-in-law asked the waiter about the music, and the rest is history. I immediately got the CD after my return to Germany and have since listened to Kravitz on and off. While he has won various awards and, according to Wikipedia, sold more than 40 million albums worldwide during his 40-year career, success didn’t come easy – especially in the U.S. where initially Kravitz was told he didn’t sound “black enough” or “white enough”, and there was too much ’60s and Hendrix in his music. Jeez, that terrible guitarist Jimi Hendrix – what a bunch of crap! Anyway, here’s the title track of Kravitz’s third studio album from March 1993. Are You Gonna Go My Way was co-written by him and guitarist and longtime collaborator Craig Ross. I’ve always loved this cool kick-ass guitar riff.

The Police/Spirits in the Material World

Let’s jump to the ’80s and one of my favorite bands from that time, The P0lice. A visit of a tribute band music festival in Atlantic City last weekend brought the British trio of Sting (lead vocals, bass), Andy Summers (guitar) and Stewart Copeland (drums) back on my radar screen. During their seven-year run from 1977 to 1984, The Police recorded five albums, a quite productive output. While I have a slight preference for their earlier rawer sound, I think there are great songs on all of their albums. Here’s one I dig from Ghost in the Machine, the band’s second-to-last record released in October 1981: Spirits in the Material World. I love Sting’s bassline on that track, as well as the synthesizer-driven reggae groove. According to Wikipedia, he wrote that tune on a Casio keyboard, his first experience with a synthesizer.

Pink Floyd/One of These Days

What, are we already at the sixth and final track? Just when I was fully getting warmed up! Don’t worry, I have every intention to continue this zig-zag music journey next Sunday. For now, I’d like to wrap it up with Pink Floyd and the opening track of Meddle. Their sixth studio album from October 1971 is one of my favorite Floyd records and yet another great album that’s turning 50 this year. I was tempted to feature Echoes but realize very few if any readers would likely to listen to a 23-minute-plus track, though I can highly recommend it! 🙂 Here’s One of These Days, credited to all four members of the band, David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Richard Wright and Nick Mason. I think it’s one of the best space rock instrumentals. That pumping double-tracked bass guitar part played by Gilmour and Waters is just great. The lovely line, “one of these days, I cut you into little pieces,” was spoken by Mason, and recorded using an effect device called a ring modulator, and slowed down to make it even more creepy.

Sources: Wikipedia; YouTube

My Top 5 Studio Albums Turning 50

The other day while driving in my car, I caught a cool program on SiriusXM, Classic Vinyl (Ch. 26) titled the “Top 50 Albums Turning 50.” Hosted by former Doors guitarist and drummer Robby Krieger and John Densmore, respectively, it was a countdown of records that came out in 1971, as voted by listeners. Once again, this reminded me what an outstanding period the early ’70s were for music, and I’m not only talking about classic rock. The radio show also triggered the idea for this post. While I don’t want to call this a series, I have a funny feeling I’ll do more about 1971, now that I’ve been bitten by the bug.

The amount of great albums released in 1971 is mind-boggling, especially from today’s perspective. It’s a true gold mine! Some artists and bands like Johnny Cash, Carole King, Faces and Yes released even more than one record. Following are my top five albums turning 50 this year. I’m not great at ranking, so I’m listing my picks in no particular order. Live records and debuts are excluded, since I’m contemplating separate posts for these categories. I guess it’s another way to admit that if you love early ’70s music, summing up 1971 with just five albums is mission impossible!

The Who/Who’s Next

As my favorite album by The Who, including Who’s Next in this short list was a no-brainer. The fifth studio album by the British rockers appeared on August 14, 1971. It came out of Lifehouse, another rock opera Pete Townshend had conceived as a follow-up to Tommy. Eight of the nine songs from Who’s Next had initially been written for Lifehouse. Additional tracks from the abandoned project were subsequently released as singles and appeared on other Who and Townshend (solo) records. Except for My Wife, which was penned by John Entwistle, Townhend wrote all tracks. I pretty much could have highlighted any song from the album. Here’s Bargain, which according to Songfacts is an homage to Indian spiritual master Meher Baba. Townshend believed in his message of enlightenment, which also influenced songs like Baba O’Riley and See Me, Feel Me. “Bargain” refers to losing all material goods for spiritual enlightenment.

Carole King/Tapestry

Folks who follow the blog or know me otherwise won’t be shocked by this pick. When it comes to the singer-songwriter category, Carole King will always remain one of my all-time favorite artists. Tapestry, released on February 10, 1971, is her Mount Rushmore in my book. A couple of months ago, leading up to the 50th anniversary date, I devoted a 10-part series to the album (“Ten Days of Tapestry”, see final part here, which includes links to all previous installments). Therefore, I’m keeping it brief here. Tapestry’s great opener I Feel the Earth Move was solely written by King, like most other tracks on the album.

Led Zeppelin/Led Zeppelin IV

Led Zeppelin IV and Stairway to Heaven marked the start of my Led Zeppelin journey. While they were an acquired taste, Led Zeppelin have become one of my favorite rock bands. To me, their fourth studio album, which came out on November 8, 1971, remains one of the most exciting ’70s rock albums, though I’ve also come to really dig their other records. Instead of the obvious tune Stairway, which I would select if I could only choose one classic rock song, let’s do Rock and Roll. It’s the record’s only tune credited to all four members of the band. In addition to Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, John Paul Jones and John Bonham, Rock and Roll features Rolling Stones co-founder Ian Stewart on keyboards.

The Rolling Stones/Sticky Fingers

Speaking of the Stones, Sticky Fingers is another must-include on my top five short list of the greatest albums released in 1971. You can read more about my favorite Stones album in this recent post I published a few days ahead of the April 23 50th anniversary date. Here I’d like to highlight a track I did not call out in that post: Sway, which also became the b-side of the album’s second single Wild Horses, released on June 12, 1971. The slower blues track features some sweet slide guitar action by Mick Taylor. Another factoid worthwhile noting is the song marked Mick Jagger’s first electric guitar performance on a Stones album. Oh, and there were some notable backing vocalists: Pete Townshend, Ronnie Lane (of Small Faces and Faces) and Billy Nichols, an American guitarist and songwriter who first came to prominence during the ’60s for his work with Motown.

Pink Floyd/Meddle

With so many great albums that were released in 1971, it’s tricky to keep this list to five, but that’s what I set out to do, at least for now. Meddle was the sixth studio album by Pink Floyd, which appeared on October 31, 1971. It foreshadowed the band’s mid ’70s masterpieces The Dark Side of the Moon and Wish You Were Here, especially on the 23-minute-plus track Echoes. While I was tempted to feature this epic track, I think it’s safe to assume very few readers would listen. Instead, let’s go with the opener One of These Days. The characteristic pumping bass line was double-tracked, played by bassist Roger Waters and guitarist David Gilmour. The instrumental is credited to all members of the band, which in addition to Waters and Gilmour included Richard Wright (organ, piano) and Nick Mason (drums, percussion). The only spoken line in the song, the cheerful and digitally warped “One of these days I’m gonna cut you up into little pieces,” was spoken by Mason.

Sources: Wikipedia; Songfacts; YouTube

Clips & Pix: Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets/See Emily Play

I just came across the above clip of See Emily Play performed by Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets. It’s from an upcoming album titled Live at the Roundhouse, which is scheduled for September 18 and will be available as a double-CD/DVD package, double-vinyl and on Blu-ray. The material was taken from concerts the band played at the famous London venue in May 2019.

Nick Mason, of course, is the former co-founder and drummer of Pink Floyd and the band’s only member who played on all of their studio albums. In 2018, he formed Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets together with guitarist Lee Harris. Other members of the band, which takes their name from Floyd’s 1968 sophomore album, include Gary Kemp (guitar, vocals), formerly with Spandau Ballet; Guy Pratt (bass, vocals) and Dom Beken (keyboards).

The idea behind Saucerful is to perform Pink Floyd’s early music prior to the The Dark Side of the Moon album. “We’re not a tribute band,” Mason told Uncut in May 2018. “It’s not important to play the songs exactly as they were, but to capture the spirit.”

Whatever you want to call them, I think it’s great fans of Floyd’s early years including the Syd Barrett era have an opportunity to hear tracks that haven’t been played live for decades like Interstellar Overdrive, Astronomy Domine, If, The Nile Song and, of course, See Emily Play. Written by Barrett, the tune appeared on Floyd’s debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn.

Now that I’ve watched the clip and other footage that’s on YouTube, I’m starting to regret I didn’t catch the band in April 2019 when they played the Beacon Theatre in New York City. A few weeks earlier, I had seen outstanding tribute band Brit Floyd, so I didn’t feel like going to another show of Pink Floyd music. Due to COVID-19, Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets had to reschedule many gigs in England and elsewhere in Europe until next year. Their currently planned schedule is here.

Sources: Wikipedia; Uncut; Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets website; YouTube