#95...

Pink Floyd - Wish You Were Here

Only Pink Floyd, with all the pomp of Withnail and the audacity of an aloof Frenchman, could release a two-part nine-part song on this, a 45-minute long album with five songs. And in "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", we have one of 'the Floyd's' seminal works, one that may be cut down and adapted for shows (Er...why?), but on this album, is just beautiful. The simple introduction of four notes at the end of the third minute send chills up your spine, before the drums come in and one of the most relaxing little guitar solos pops along for the listener's delectation. Oh, yeah, then a saxophone solo; as you do.

"Welcome To The Machine" and "Have A Cigar" both have similar themes, involving the band's dislike at the very idea of "the Machine", which is ultimately, the music industry. Crazy-mad synth on "Welcome.." adds to the band's experimental ideas, with more regularity ensuing throughout the third track.

But my favourite track, without doubt, is "Wish You Were Here". Everything about this song - the simulated radio knob-twiddling at the start; the opening riff, expanding onto two guitars to increase the depth, the melody, the sweetness, of what Gilmour et al were creating; the first words Gilmour himself speaks ("...so you think you can tell..."); simply everything about it has made "Wish You Were Here", without doubt, an absolute stand-out song so far on this musical journey I appear to have burdened myself with. But this song makes it all worth it; my first Favourite Song of 2011.

With Pink Floyd, one feels that the only way to truly appreciate these songs is to go back to them again and again, picking apart each individual instrument, each vocal piece, each tiny seemingly insignificant part, and not so much analysing it, but appreciating it fully; celebrating a dynamic of music that will probably never be brought to the fore again. Or at least, in not such a ground-breaking way.

Key Tracks: All of them. Why not? There's only five. Or four, depending on how you look at it. Or twelve, if you want to be picky. But still, all of them.

The Crazy Diamond In Question: It has been said that "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" - and partly, "Wish You Were Here" are direct tributes to the band's former singer-songwriter and guitar, Syd Barratt, and his drug-induced mental breakdown. But even stranger was an event that occurred on 5th June 1975. Whilst the band worked on their final mix of "Shine On...", an large shaven-headed man entered the recording suite, much to everyone's surprise. At first, noone knew who it was, but were horrified to realise it was Barratt himself, but dramatically changed. Waters and Gilmour were deeply affected by this visit, but especially Waters, who was completely overcome with tears at how much his old bandmate had changed. After that day, they didn't see him until his death in 2006.

#98...

Led Zeppelin - Physical Graffiti

Well. What can be said about "the Led" that hasn't already been said thousands of times? Best Rock and Roll band of All Time? Probably. And even if it's not true, it's been said enough so that any 21st Century boy (or girl) who even utters the words, "Who are Led Zeppelin?" gets a slap on the wrists and their heads clamped into a battered pair of Sennheisers with Led Zeppelin IV on repeat, until they know every intonation of the guitar solo from "Stairway to Heaven".

But, I digress. We speak today of Physical Graffiti. And, although not the best album the band released - we're only at #98, for God's sake, and I'm even surprised it's been put so low - it is indeed an album so full of ideas, experimentation and downright indulgence that it's hard not to leave on repeat itself, until you're familiar with every noise Jimmy Page got out of that sexy axe of his. Especially on "The Rover", where you can practically taste the guitar solo. Or should that be solos?

But my highlight, I feel is "In The Light". With it's 90-second build-up - and middle break of similar musical calibre - it is unlike anything I've really heard them do before. There's the subsequent breakdown into familiarity though, as Plant's sustained vocal breaks the surface and the rest of the foursome follow suit. Page's layered delay solos that begin in the middle of the album's third epic just force you to go back and listen to it all again. Definitely a song I can go back too umpteen times and just take apart piece by piece. And I haven't even mentioned that well-known behemoth "Kashmir", partly because it speaks for itself. All eight minutes and twenty-four seconds of itself.

So. Although it isn't their best - because it isn't - there's more than enough musical talent and change in style here to showcase everything fantastic about Led Zeppelin.

Key Tracks: "In The Light"; "Kashmir"; "The Rover"; "In My Time of Dying"

Better to Stretch Out Than to Leave Off: Originally intended to just be an single album, the band had put so much into the first eight recorded tracks that even they were longer than the required 40 or so minutes. So they took the opportunity to whack out some tunes that otherwise wouldn't have made it. Strangely enough though, it still feels like it runs through in one 'smooth variation'.