Favorite Pre-Darkside Floyd Album

[mac1]

Which was the best Pink Floyd Album before they released Darkside of the Moon?

[knivesout]

I chose Piper because that's the album I listen to most often apart from Animals.

I can't even sit through DsotM anymore - just burned out on hearing it too much, especially in pubs where people gleefully sing along to songs like Comfortably Numb, not even realising that the lyrics stand as an indictment of all that they are.

[I, Brian]

I've only got Saucer full of Secrets - some good tracks on it.

Into the Heart of the Sun is possibly the best, though...

[mac1]

Oh Yeah! "Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun" is an amzing track, its just so haunting, and it really conjures up images of a lonely spaceship for me. Classic track.

Piper At The Gates of Dawn is a whole different Pink Floyd, a sixties psycadelic experience complete with authenic hammond organ on tracks like stethoscope, another great one though. Astronomy Domine and Intersteller Overdrive are timeless classics.

[Harpo]

Searching for a Pink Floyd thread just now, I found this old poll. I've voted for the first Pink Floyd album I ever heard, at the age of about ten - Atom Heart Mother. The title piece is an incredible work - even better when they performed it live (I have a substantial collection of 1970/71 Floyd concerts on CD).

If bootleg recordings were included my choice for best Floyd album ever would go to "Interstellar Encore". (recorded on April 29th 1970 and also available with different titles, the date is what matters) Here's the tracklist, with timings given for each track:
Grantchester Meadows (7.00); Astronomy Domine (10.19); Cymbaline (11.27); Atom Heart Mother (20.23); Embryo (11.23); Green Is The Colour (4.35); Careful With That Axe, Eugene (11.26); Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun (12.47); A Saucerful Of Secrets (22.46); Interstellar Overdrive (15.34).
The sound quality is better than on the Ummagumma live album, and the band sometimes talk a bit between songs.


Let's revive this thread as a general discussion of early Pink Floyd.

[pyan]

Why no "Relics"? Don't compilation albums count?

[Harpo]

I agree with you about Relics, especially since many of its tracks were otherwise not available on albums at that time. "Biding My Time" and "Julia Dream" are among their best early songs, in my opinion.

[GOLLUM]

Dunno Pyan, I picked Piper...

[Harpo]

I loved the new 3CD set of Piper - worth the money for the alternate Matilda Mother alone, and the alternate take of Interstellar Overdrive is incredible.

[pyan]

Originally Posted by Harpo

I agree with you about Relics, especially since many of its tracks were otherwise not available on albums at that time. "Biding My Time" and "Julia Dream" are among their best early songs, in my opinion.

And "Arnold Lane" and "See Emily Play".....

I doubt we'll ever know why it wasn't included, given that mac1 last posted nearly three years ago......

[Harpo]

Originally Posted by pyan

And "Arnold Lane" and "See Emily Play".....

goes without saying. Paintbox is good too.

Armold & Emily were on the 2001 "Echoes" compilation, but not the others.

[panopticon]

Tough choice - Piper would have won, but for me there's nothing better than sticking Meddle on my record player when it's raining and miserable outside, laying back and chilling out on the sofa and listening to Echoes

[Sephiroth]

1.) Obscured by Clouds
2.) More
3.) Meddle
4.) Atom Heart Mother
5.) Piper At The Gates Of Dawn
6.) Ummagumma
7.) Saucerful Of Secrets

That's my preference.

I'm not counting live ones or compilations, since they only have songs that already appear on the studio albums.

The song Wot's...Uh, The Deal? off Obscured By Clouds is the most underrated Floyd song, IMO. And one of my absolute favourites.

I will also mention Green Is The Colour and Cymbaline, from More, as two more.



It's hard to compare Piper and Saucerful to the rest on the list, though. Especially the former. It's so unique.

[Iorek444]

This thread is a little old, but I see so few threads about Pink Floyd albums pre-DsotM that I just had to post here!

For me, I'd have to say probably Saucerful of Secrets, though I also love Meddle.

Originally Posted by knivesout

I can't even sit through DsotM anymore - just burned out on hearing it too much, especially in pubs where people gleefully sing along to songs like Comfortably Numb, not even realising that the lyrics stand as an indictment of all that they are.

I understand what you're talking about, but isn't Comfortably Numb actually from The Wall, not DsotM?

[Sephiroth]

Yes it is. I meant to mention that too, actually.





Oh, and welcome to the forum.