Pink Floyd
Funny story on how I got into the Pink Floyd: When I was in college, I’d go into the library and see these books on the band in question. I read them, absorbed the band’s history and pretty much picked everything I would need to know – without even hearing the band’s music.
It may seem strange that I should pick up on the Pink Floyd during a strong interest in punk but that’s how it happened. And Pink Floyd taught me a vital lesson in atmospherics. I first became aware of them with Icehouse, but if Icehouse were the foundations then Pink Floyd is the mansion with the five car garage. I recall hearing One of These Days for the first time and being blown away by the throbbing bass, the strikes of guitar/keyboard and the build up to an eventual blistering guitar solo. Such was the impression of this (almost) instrumental that I wondered who this was - imagine my delight when I found out! That and the fact that Dave Gilmour's a fantastic guitarist.
Key Album: Dark Side of the Moon (1973) It may seem predictable that I should reference this but it did teach me a vital lesson. You see, when I heard this for the first time I wasn’t expecting each song to melt into each other. So I may have initially thought: ‘Gee this is a long song’ but it was only later that I realized something: Music can sometimes demand full attention. Later listens to Dark Side of the Moon revealed many textures and layers I didn’t pick up on the first time around. Since then I have added a new perspective in my tastes in music: By giving full attention, one can see the big picture. Sure pop music can work at times but that won’t keep working in the long run.
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