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I just don't understand Pink Floyd

T

tjnkoo

Apr 19, 2011
416
10
Metro Atlanta
#1
First off, I am a HUGE prog guy. I listen extensively to Yes, ELP, King Crimson, Porcupine Tree, The Mars Volta, Jethro Tull, Genesis (Peter Gabriel era of course), Gentle Giant, Renaissance, Rush, Tool, Dream Theater, Obscure, etcetera. Basically if its considered prog I'll often at least give it a shot.

Notice though that Pink Floyd wasn't on that list. I've really tried liking Pink Floyd. I've listened to nearly every album of theirs, including the 'masterpieces' (Dark Side of the Moon, Animals, etc) and find them to be so boring its almost ridiculous. On my first complete listen of Dark Side it actually put me to sleep, literally. Its like watching paint dry. There are small highlights here and there, but that's about it.

In no way am I trying to trash them though, honestly! I want someone to help me understand the Pink Floyd phenomenon. Fellow musicians are practically offended when I say they bore me to tears, especially being how much I am into progressive music (its my favorite genre). Nearly all my favorite bands are prog (minus Primus and earlier Modest Mouse), but I just don't get Pink Floyd. Please help me see the light, o' talkbass.
 
#6
gene beauchamp said:
Me too. I made the mistake of watching a pink floyd concert on dvd with a date one night and it ruined everything. Blaaaah!!! If you start a club I'm in...
Click to expand...

I'm not sure if we saw the same one, but there was a recent one that we watched at a music camp I was helping out with. After watching them stand there and bask in the exact same chord/synth scale thing for something like 30 minutes I just walked out and went to Panera Bread. Much better use of time for those of us like us two, haha.
 
#7
I totally agree, I really don't understand what the huge deal is with them either. Don't get me wrong, I have enjoyed and even own some of their more popular stuff, my absolute favorite being animals and dark side, but mainly, I think, most people get into them because of the drug thing that is associated with them. The counter culture I mean. I've known some people be like, oh man that pink Floyd stuff is the best! Grab a doob and lay back. I then ask them to name a single Floyd song and they can't. I think they made some some great tunes but I really don't think their all people crack them up to be. Especially when you put them in, or try to, with the likes of the other bands you mentioned. Mars Volta and porcupine tree are magnificant, and old genesis stuff, oh man, now that's the stuff. I always thought of pink Floyd as more blusey and ambient than prog. Their good, but again, I just don't think they are cracked up to be the band so many people try to make them out to be.
 
#10
You have to be in the mind set and just dig the groove.
It's far from boring, it's extremely artistic in fact.
I play stuff from Wooten to McCartney and I love grooving to a complete album of Floyd from time to time.
To me it's all about diversity and the less it's more concept.
There is a massive amount of music out there that would fit right in the same category as Floyd, and much of it was in the top 100 music charts over the years.
Each to there own though.
 
#13
I dig PF, always did. They are the precursors to a lot of the stuff I listen to (mainly post-rock these days).

I prefer their early days, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, Ummagumma, Atom Heart Mother and Meddle. I'm a bit surprise you dislike AHM since its considered to be one of the most important prog album right along with In the Court of King Crimson.


Kwesi said:
:D

This thread gets an A+ for disagreement without hostility. I don't get Pink Floyd myself but I don't get A LOT of things musically and otherwise so I'm not much of a barometer, haha.
Click to expand...


I dislike that.
 
#15
Pink Floyd writes songs about the Universal Human Condition. They are very much in the "Everyman" vein, and they use that theme to do a lot of different things with sound, textures, etc. Gilmour is a very innovative and great-sounding lead guitar player; the rhythm section is solid as hell; they tend to build up emotion over the course of a track; each song is an artistic statement of its own; the lyrics are fantastic; the album artwork is outstanding; the vocal harmonies are spot-on; they use a lot of variety as far as technical approaches to the actual song structures; they are very experimental, and yet always bring the listener back home by the end of the piece; they are basically sound-painters who know how to rock.

That would be a list of all the reasons they are one of my all-time favorite bands, but keep in mind, I am an overly pompous "artistic" type who probably indulged too much in stuff I don't care to get specific about.
 
#20
The first live concert I ever saw was Pink Floyd at Knebworth in 1975. This was the last time that Dark Side of the Moon was performed in its entirety with Roger Waters. It had a big impact on me and I wore out that album afterwards.

Fast forward to a couple of years ago and I had the chance to play with a Floyd tribute. I went through the set list and I have to admit I passed on the gig because I really found it kinda boring! Still respect the Floyd and particularly Dave Gilmour but it is a slow show.
 

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