Sir Zidan Mirror: Pink Floyd

Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast

Mon, 01 Oct 2007 22:20:37 GMT

Everyday I add a new proof that Pink Floyd is the ultimate rock band of all times. Their superb progressive genre, pounding drums, speaking guitars, inspirational silence, suspending bridges and unintelligible moments. Pink Floyd is a mysterious legend of making music.
Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast is a three-part instrumental track from the 1970 Pink Floyd album Atom Heart Mother. The track has taken place - probably - in a never-been-before site in the world of music, the kitchen... The four-members-music-passion has guided them every to corner around - even the kitchen. It features Alan Stiles - a Pink Floyd roadie, who appeared on the "live album cover" of Ummagumma - speaks about the breakfast. He is preparing and eating, as well as breakfasts he has had in the past "Breakfast in Los Angeles. Macrobiotic stuff..." Matter of fact, much of Alan's speech is overdubbed throughout the piece in gradually fading echoes e.g. "Macrobiotic stuff" is repeated every couple of seconds, more quietly each time. There are significant breaks before the first, and in between all three instrumental parts - Rise and Shine, Sunny Side Up and Morning Glory - where only Alan's muttering and movements, with occasional exterior background noise are heard, in addition to the sounds of Alan making breakfast; when Alan can be heard entering the kitchen and gathering supplies at the start of the track, knives and forks stainless-steel sounds pop at the background, lighting the stove, cooking bacon, pouring cereal, loudly gulping and drinking milk or juice, and loudly and vigorously eating cereal are clearly audible in the background, which adds a conceptual feel to the track, and then washing up and exiting the kitchen at the end.

Now, through those Ramadan days and while I hurry to catch the breakfast at the end of a twelve-hour-fasting, I hear the breakfast sounds and smell the kitchen's odours diverge from every table - everyone's is eating at the same moment - and converge overdubbed in my head - like a surrounded system - from every corner of the city, I revive instantly this old music and recall simultaneously those old days of - Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast...

* The picture is the cover of Pink Floyd's Atom Heart Mother album, designed by Storm Thorgerson, released on 10th Oct. 1970, and produced by Pink Floyd and Norman Smith.

Sir Zidan

Scarehead: 40 years PATGOD

Mon, 03 Sep 2007 04:16:45 GMT

Today - 3rd of Sep. 07 - is the official release of the 40 anniversary version of The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (PatGoD.)

Back with the time for forty years ago, exactly at 1967. On 3rd Aug. Pink Floyd hit UK and US music markets with their first official debut PatGoD ... Then all Floyd's huge success has came in sequence, that no band could ever get near their mastering to rock. Firstly, at the time of its release, nobody realized what Syd Barrett -Pink Floyd former and leader at this time- would mean by these high technical and musical touches that he created in his meaningful album. The album carries a psychedelic instrumental passages that rocked the audience with passion allover forty years, with whimsical and thoughtful lyrics that still enjoyed worldwide till today, about space, scarecrows, gnomes, bikes - the time's greatest invention - gnomes, books and many more. They all reflected the diversity of the band's cultural trends, and Syd Barrett specifically, the greatest psychedelic artist of all times. Even the album title, which was taken from the title of the seventh chapter of Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows, where Water Rat and Mole, while searching for a lost animal, have a spiritual experience. And Piper refers to the Greek god Pan.

The album is a mixture of inspirational lyrics along with Syd psychedelic voice and the band's space rock early innovations along with modern music techniques of the time, instrumental overlapping, and an audio experience that is rare to be achieved, and all are wrapped in a spiritual psychedelic mould, that no band reached it ever in the history of rock. The album has been regarded as one of the most influential LPs ever made, being a tremendous influence on the psychedelic rock scene of the time.

In 1999, Rolling Stone Magazine gave the album 4.5 stars out of 5, calling it - "the golden achievement of Syd Barrett." Q Magazine described the album as "indispensable,” and included it in their best psychedelic albums of all time. It was also ranked 40th in Mojo magazines, The 50 Most Out There Albums of all Time. In 2000, Q Magazine placed PATGOD at number 55 in its list of the 100 Greatest British Albums Ever. In 2003, the album was ranked number 347 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 500 greatest albums of all time.

A 40^th anniversary edition will be released on September 4^th 2007, as both a two CD and three CD box set. The packaging, designed by Storm Thorgerson - their all records artwork designer, except PatGoD,- will resemble a cloth-covered book, along with a twelve page reproduction Syd Barrett notebook. Discs one and two will contain the full 'Piper' album, in both stereo and mono versions. Both have been newly remastered by James Guthrie. Disc three includes bonus tracks, including the following: all the Pink Floyd singles from 1967, ("Arnold Layne", "See Emily Play", and "Apples And Oranges"), plus the B sides "Candy and a Currant Bun" and "Paint Box". Other tracks are a version of "Interstellar Overdrive" - Take 2 of the original recording sessions, previously only available on an EP in France - and the 1967 stereo version of "Apples and Oranges". Plus an alternate "Matilda Mother" (from the first session for the album mentioned in the 33 1/3 book on Piper) (at their first EMI session in February '67, Pink Floyd recorded a 4 minute version of Matilda that had vocals). Plus, another alternate Interstellar Overdrive (take 6) (On 3/16/67 Pink Floyd recorded four additional takes of IO. Each was reported to be about five minutes long, save for one false start.)

* The original album cover was photographed by Vic Singh, and released in 1967, however the 40th anniversary cover was designed by Storm Thorgerson, released on Sept. 07, and published by EMI.

Sir Zidan

Beatles' Pepper Vs. Floyd's Piper

Thu, 05 Jul 2007 16:42:44 GMT

A huge propaganda went over the last month to celebrate The Beatles' Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band 40th anniversary, the album was released on Jun. 1st 1967. Sgt. Pepper’s, which is labeled psychedelic, actually does not imply any psychedelics through its tracks, with the exception of Being for the Benefit of Mr. Kite, and Within you, Without you. The Beatles' eighth studio album is a weird mix of rock n' roll and 60's mainstream pop, I - really - can't see any perfectionism in the album, except for some new techniques, and various first-time-used instruments which were very malfunctioned by the band. The album was overrated to a point, which had made some critics reached superlatives like, "a decisive moment in the history of modern civilization." While some prominent critics and musicians at the time did not follow the mainstream, and gave the album its actual size. Richard Goldstein, a critic for the New York Times wrote, "Like an over attended child, this album is spoiled. It reeks of horns and harps, harmonica quartets, assorted animal noises, and a 41-piece orchestra," and added that it was an "album of special effects, dazzling but ultimately fraudulent." In addition, Frank Zappa, the renowned passed American rock musician who accused The Beatles of co-opting the flower power aesthetic for monetary gain, saying in a Rolling Stone article that he felt "they were only in it for the money." That criticism later became the title of the album We're Only in It for the Money, which mocked Sgt. Pepper with a similar album cover. Truthfully, you will not give it much time on your cassette, as well as, you will skip many tracks. Although, I cannot deny that it has a few good songs like With a Little Help from my Friends and Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds.

* **

However, Sgt. Pepper cannot be compared by any mean to the Floydian masterpiece, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn that was recorded in studio 3 of Abbey Road in London, in front of and at the same period of The Beatles’ album recording, and during The Pretty Things were recording S.F. Sorrow. Considering the artist's maturity, PATGOD was Floyd's debut, however, it's hundred times better than Sgt. Pepper; It's purely psychedelic, under great musician like Syd Barrett's leadership and inspiration, it has been regarded as one of the most influential LPs ever made, being a tremendous influence on the psychedelic rock scene of the time, and much of what followed. The album has whimsical lyrics about space, scarecrows, gnomes, bicycles, and fairytales, along with psychedelic instrumental passages. Actually, you will play it in your cassette over and over, and you can't skip a single second, every track has a unique tale and an experience with the British society main issues and importance, at the time. Cash Box called it a "striking collection of driving, up to date rock ventures," and Q Magazine described the album as "indispensable," and included it in their best psychedelic albums of all time. Its album cover being photographed and designed by Vic Singh is unlike subsequent Floyd's covers, that were all designed by Storm Thorgerson. The album's title comes from the title of the seventh chapter of Kenneth Grahame's The Wind in the Willows, where Water Rat and Mole, while searching for a lost animal, have a spiritual experience.

Well, I am not against The Beatles, but I hope a bigger 40th anniversary for PATGOD than The Beatles' record, when it hits 40 next 5th of August.

Accordingly, a 40th anniversary edition releases in August as a 3-CD box set. The packaging, designed by Storm Thorgerson, will resemble a cloth-covered book, along with a 12-page reproduction Syd Barrett notebook. Discs 1 and 2 will contain the full Piper album, represented in both stereo and mono versions. Both have been newly remastered by James Guthrie. Disc 3 includes bonus tracks.

On the other hand More news and pictures from 10th of May 07 Syd tribute concert, Madcap's Last Laugh which was held at the Barbican Hall in the heart of the city of London, can be found at Pink Floyd official website, and brain-damage.co.uk. which featured an array of Syd's fans and colleagues, performing a healthy chunk of his back catalogue. Amongst these, were Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright, between them performing three songs in honour of their old band mate, who passed away on 7th Jul. 06 after span of sixty years; only ten of them showed his activity as a rock musician, before going into seclusion, from which he never publicly emerged for 35 years, until his death, except for one or two occasions. Profits from the concert were donated to the Mental Health Charity, nominated by the Barrett family - who were represented at the show by Ian, his cousin.

Notably, that the-huge-progressive-late-70th-record Floyd's Animals, passed its 30th anniversary without any mentioned official or non-official statements nor records. But, maybe because; a re-mastered record was released in 1997, celebrating its 20th anniversary. The original was released on Jan. 23rd in UK, and Feb. 2nd 1977 in US. The album appears to be heavily inspired by George Orwell's Animal Farm novel, through the central three songs and their relations to British policies and internal affairs, at the time. It's full of Roger experiences and human beings' nature. It was released during the Floyd's peak in Europe and the whole world. Floyd's 70th era, - no doubt - inspired thousands of subsequent bands, who considered Pink Floyd as the fathers of progressive rock.

References:
1 - Wikipedia.

2 - Pink Floyd official website.

3 - brain-damage.co.uk.

* The picture is the Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band album cover released in 1967, and produced by Gerorge Martin.
** The picture is the Piper at the Gates of Dawn album cover released in 1967, and produced by Norman Smith.

Sir Zidan

Pigs on the Wing

Fri, 20 Apr 2007 01:45:00 GMT

I'm sorry. But when you open Pink Floyd category on my space, you won't find blogs about them. Because a blog is too little to blog for Pink Floyd. So whether you read or listen. The passion is the same: Pink Floyd.

If you didn't care what happened to me
And I didn't care for you
We would zig zag our way through the boredom and pain
Occasionally glancing up through the rain
Wondering which of the buggars to blame
And watching for pigs on the wing

You know that I care what happens to you

And I know that you care for me too
So I don't feel alone or the weight of the stone
Now that I've found somewhere safe to bury my bone
And any fool knows a dog needs a home
A shelter from pigs on the wing.

Sir Zidan

Hey You

Fri, 20 Apr 2007 01:35:16 GMT

When you're lost for words, check out Pink Floyd. You'll find something to eat.

Hey you, out there in the cold
Getting lonely, getting old
Can you feel me?
Hey you, standing in the aisles
With itchy feet and fading smiles
Can you feel me?
Hey you, don't help them to bury the light
Don't give in without a fight

Hey you, out there on your own

Sitting naked by the phone
Would you touch me?
Hey you, with your ear against the wall
Waiting for someone to call out
Would you touch me?
Hey you, would you help me to carry the stone?
Open your heart - I'm coming home

But it was only fantasy
The wall was too high
As you can see
No matter how he tried
He could not break free
And the worms ate into his brain

Hey you, out there on the road
Always doing what you're told
Can you help me?
Hey you, out there beyond the wall

Breaking bottles in the hall
Can you help me?
Hey you, don't tell me there's no hope at all
Together we stand - divided we fall.

P.S. Are you waiting me to comment on Floyd?

- Well, no comment.

Sir Zidan