Genesis- Foxtrot

Genesis's 1971 release Nursery Cryme was an important album in the history of Genesis. The musicianship was excellent, with their "proggiest" up to that point, and the songs were more cohesive than previous albums such as Trespass. But the album was important for another reason: the addition of Steve Hackett on guitar and Phil Collins on drums. The two added a great dynamic and became the "classic" line-up, with Peter Gabriel singing, Steve Hackett on guitar, Mike Rutherford on bass, Tony Banks on keyboards, and Phil Collins on drums. Although Genesis would become more mainstream with the later departure of Gabriel and Hackett, most progressive rock fans are most familiar with this line-up.

After the release of Nursery Cryme to a surprise success in Europe, particularly Italy, Genesis were ready to do their next album. This album would be their most ambitious one up to that point (and possibly throughout their whole career) and would become known as one of the band's best works.

Genesis recorded the album throughout 1972 after all of the promoting and touring of their previous album. Foxtrot was released in October of 1972 to acclaim throughout the whole, except the US where they were still behind the bigger names in prog such as Pink Floyd and Yes. This album is the very first Genesis album I heard, and I was hooked from the first few bars of the first track "Watcher of the Skies". I love Peter Gabriel's voice, and the whole band sound as it is completely different from the sound of other progressive rock bands of their time. This album remains as my second favorite Genesis album (second to the following album Selling England by the Pound) and as my third favorite album of all time!

The album opens with the incredible, and now infamous, chords played on Mellotron by Tony Banks. He plays a wonderful melody that lasts for about a minute and thirty seconds which fades out at the end into the slow build up of the band playing a single note to an incredible rhythm which is accentuated by Phil Collins' drumming. This rhythm builds up into the verse that features Gabriel's vocals at their best. He sings with power, but retains a soothing quality to his voice. Tony Banks' Mellotron stays prominent with the guitar mostly playing in the back with the rhythm of section. The bass playing reminds me of the bass in Yes, but not in a Chris Squire way. I mean that it sounds like Yes because the bass, although not out at the front, acts as a main part, just as Squire does in Yes, rather than just playing a few notes here and there and generally following the guitar lines. After a softer verse, Hackett gets a short solo which leads into another build up similar to the first, but rising in pitch, that leads into a powerful stanza with a thumping beat. This sequence of soft verse to guitar solo to thumping chorus is repeated, but ends the second time with what seems like a duel between the keyboards and the rest of the band as they take turn playing the main phrase, in a back and forth style. This all suddenly takes into a quick reprisal of the full band rhythm from the opening and ends with some minor, yet triumphant Mellotron notes that build up with a drum to the final major chord, which ends the song nicely. As this was the first Genesis song I heard, this has remained a favorite of mine ever since I first heard it because it was a brand new sound to me and I enjoyed it- a lot.

The second track on Foxtrot is "Time Table", a mellow tune in contrast to "Watcher of the Skies". The song opens up with a short piano solo by Tony Banks which transfers into the first verse with the full band. This piano introducing the full band mold would later be used on "Firth of Fifth" from Selling England By the Pound. The song has an interesting sound to it, unlike any other song in their catalog really, apart from "Seven Stones" from Nursery Cryme perhaps. Although it maintains a mellow sound throughout most of the song, the choruses get a bit louder as Gabriel sings fervently about how the purposes of the people of today are so much less moral now. He sings about "a time when honor meant much more to a man than life", signifying an increase of man's selfishness. The song, though mostly piano driven, features some wonderful acoustic guitar work from Steve Hackett, who plays a repeated guitar line throughout the song which is quite beautiful in addition to the rest of the song. In all honesty I don't listen to this song too much, but it really is a good one no matter how much I listen to it.

The third track is the "short" epic "Get 'Em Out By Friday". I say "short epic" not because it is a short song per say (its almost nine minutes, actually), but its length is dwarfed by the second side's "Supper's Ready". This song really shows the creativity of Peter Gabriel and the rest of the band in their lyric writing. It seems like Peter is singing full novels all within one song. Simply, the story is about people being evicted and charged way too much for their living arrangements because of a filthy, greedy real estate firm called Styx Enterprises. Gabriel takes on the rolls of several characters throughout, changing his voice in amazing voices as he goes person to person. The song, set in the present (of when it was written in 1972) at first, spans forty years, ending in 2012. Although the story is awesomely creative and the lyrics are sung with emotion by Gabriel, the best part of the song is the musical arrangement. Phil really beats the drums on this one, showing that he can be loud and soft, and he can go from time signature to time signature all within a single song. The tune opens up with a fast paced instrumental passage with lead guitar and keyboards taking turns out in front with a sort of call and response type of feel. This all finally leads into the main song, which doesn't follow a standard structure at all. After the first half of the song, the band goes into a slower instrumental section that indicates that time is passing over the years. This section is wonderfully created with Peter even getting a flute solo. This section eventually comes to a small climax and quickly and suddenly transfers back into the quick tune of the first half. This part always catches me by surprise as its such a weird transition as it goes from a nice second flute solo right into a quick section with Gabriel singing quickly over the top. This all comes to an end as the band ends on an odd note that ends with an interesting triumphant yet unnerving feeling. This song continues to amaze me and surprise me with things I never hear in previous listens.

Next up is the 6 minute epic "Can-Utility and the Coastliners", which sounds the most like a tune of Nursery Cryme off of this album, besides the intro to "Supper's Ready" that is. This song is cool, although it is one that I don't listen to that often. The song is very dynamic, starting with a very soft and major tune played on acoustic guitars, but gradually getting louder in preparation for the middle instrumental section. During this section, the bass really comes out loud in the rhythm section as well as Tony Banks getting out front with his synthesized orchestration. This part is very heavy compared to previous sections even though the guitar is still acoustic. After a minute or two of this, Peter comes back in, singing over the, now minor, musical tune. However, the minor tune quickly becomes major once again as Peter Gabriel sings the final verse after an epic keyboard solo by Tony Banks. This album really is full of keyboard excellence. The keyboard solo is followed by a slightly shorter guitar solo by Hackett. After Pete sings the final verse, the song comes to a close. This is another example of how each Genesis song seems to be an epic novel story. This is followed by a short instrumental song called "Horizons", which is a solo acoustic piece by Hackett. It truly gives him the opportunity to show his mastery of not only electric lead guitar, but classical acoustic guitar as well. This piece is beautiful and intricate, and it really implants it into my head that this guy is incredible! Hackett and Howe (from Yes) are my two favorite progressive guitarists of all time, and it's easy (I hope) to see why, especially with this tune.


And last, but certainly not least, is the epic "Supper's Ready". I can't even begin to tell about how many times I have listened to this song, but I can say that it still strikes me today. The great musicianship is there, the epic song length is there, Gabriel's interesting lyrics are there- what else could you ask for?? This 23 minute tune has become one the most well known Genesis songs in their repertoire, and for good reason! Now, if you would turn on the song and read along (hey that rhymed!) to my analysis, let us begin.

The song is divided into seven sections which all flow seamlessly together. These sections are fairly independent of each other, and clearly identifiable, as apposed to parts of Yes's "Close to the Edge" and "Relayer". Throughout the song, Peter Gabriel would don various outfits during the instrumental sections and while singing. Several of his most well known costumes were featured during this song, such as the Flower and Magog. Needless to say, Gabriel, as well as the rest of the group, would be very tired by the end of this song, so, in order to make it easier on him, the song was tuned down a few steps so Gabriel wouldn't need to stretch his voice every night. I will go by the sections of the song in my writing about it in order for you to stay on track.

I. "Lover's Leap"

This first section is very reminiscent of something from the Tresspass and Nursery Cryme era. Rutherford and Hackett both play twelve strings while Gabriel's double tracked vocals (the second vocal was sung by Collins live) sing of two people in love embarking on a journey. "Hello babe, with your guardian eyes so blue/Hey my baby, don't you know our love is true," he sings in typical Gabriel fashion. Throughout the first 2 and a half minutes, Banks plays strings on his piano to add tension to the song. After two verses, Banks plays an incredible piano solo. The piano solo is very wonderful, and Gabriel even adds flute to accent the piano. This whole section would have made a great song of its own, as it contains a great mix of the whole band. Even though it is mostly acoustic, everybody gets something to do.

II. "The Guaranteed Eternal Sanctuary Man"

The song takes a dynamic change as it transfers into the next section. At the end of Banks' solo, he switches to a hammond organ, and Mike Rutherford returns to bass. The whole band comes in with a chord sequence written by Banks himself years before. Peter's words fit the music amazingly well, but it would take 100 scientists billions of years to decipher what on earth he is trying to say. The whole band unites well here, as Phil keeps a simple, but steady beat, and Hackett noodling on the higher strings of his guitar. The piano seems to form a rhythm and lead section at the same time, which compliments the other instruments well. The section ends abruptly as Gabriel sings "He's a guaranteed eternal sanctuary-", being cut off on the last word along with the rest of the band. A single organ note is sustained as a short little song by school children is played, segueing into the third section.

III. "Ikhnaton and Itsacon and Their Band of Merry Men"

This whole section seems like a song of its own. It begins with a reprise of the tune from the opening lines of the song "Walking across the sitting room...", but soon transfers into a short, soft verse. This verse describes the main characters seeing an army before them, ready to attack. At the end of the verse, Gabriel shouts "Waiting for battle!", which leads into a much louder section. The keyboard takes a quick solo before Gabriel comes in with another verse over some electric guitar and a rolling drum beat. At the end of the verse, Hackett gets his time to shine with a phenomenal solo. He begins with standard soloing, but soon gets faster and more intense, all leading up to the solo's climax with his tapping technique. Yes, in 1972 (actually, even in '71 with their album Nursery Cryme) Hackett was already tapping. That's still several years before Van Halen showed up. In fact, Steve Hackett is often quoted as saying that he showed Eddie Van Halen how to tap. Back to the point, though, the tapping at the climax of the solo is awesome, and Tony Banks even plays a harmony on his keyboards, adding to the sound. This lets up into another softer, twelve string acoustic section that still retains the drums. Peter sings another verse as Banks plays a constant lead line that reinforces the melody sung by Gabriel. The rhythm section in this part is, in my opinion, one of the coolest in the song. Mike Rutherford and Phil Collins match up perfectly, yet subtly. The bass drum hits and the bass note hits work well to create a different approach for the 4/4 sections, which you don't find that often. In between Gabriel's singing, Hackett plays his guitar like a bowed instrument by fading in each note, something that Steve Howe did as well at the time, and Alex Lifeson would make popular in the Rush song "La Villa Strangiato" in 1978. This section quietly crossfades into the shortest and quietest section, "How Dare I Be So Beautiful?".

IV. "How Dare I Be So Beautiful"

Tony Banks is a genius. It shows in this section especially. Instead of using a standard church organ, or even a Hammond, he creates an even more unique sound by fading in the notes of just the acoustic piano, similar to what Hackett did with his guitar. Banks fades in the notes throughout, creating a very atmospheric feel as Peter Gabriel sings over the piano. As I said before, the section is quite short and simple in structure, but the genius behind it all is pretty extraordinary. At the end of Gabriel's singing, a voice can be heard inquiring, "A flower?", and from here on, all hell breaks loose.

V. "Willow Farm"

This section is certainly one of the most diverse in terms of structure. Featuring Peter Gabriel yelling about nonsense as if he's insane as well as little snippets of people talking, what else could someone want from a Genesis piece? In fact, this whole section could have stood on its own easily, although it is a nice addition to the whole 23-minute epic. Several different verses come and go as Gabriel somehow manages to keep up with the rhythm changes and key changes. This all ends with a short mellotron interlude that leads into the next section. This interlude features Gabriel on the flute, accenting the guitar and mellotron in the background. This all builds up as Phil Collins comes in with a drum roll, bringing everyone up to speed for the next, very exciting section.

VI. "Apocalypse in 9/8"

As the title suggests, this whole section is performed in the unusual 9/8 time signature. It opens and closes with frantic Peter Gabriel lyrics, but has an incredible middle section, featuring an incredible keyboard solo by Tony Banks. As Steve Hackett, Mike Rutherford, and Phil Collins keep the back beat steady in 9/8, Banks rips it up with an insane keyboard solo that defies the odd time signature by using his own. Indeed, this creates an odd effect as Banks plays in 4/4 7/8 and 6/8 even overtop of the 9/8 back beat. Finally, this all comes to a head as Phil amplifies his drumming, getting more and more intense until Peter Gabriel finally comes in with one last verse in 9/8. He shouts, "The seven trumpets blowing sweet rock and roll. Gonna blow right down inside your soul." After this short verse, the band's beat collapses away as a short few bars of Peter Gabriel's flute comes in, after which is a long drum roll.

VII. "As Sure as Eggs Is Eggs (Aching Men's Feet)"

The soft little interlude brings a reprise of Gabriel's opening theme, "Hey my baby, don't you know our love is true?" This time, though, the band climbs into a triumphant ending sequence. Gabriel sings overtop a medium speed beat as Hackett gets a little time to shine in the background, as he fades in his guitar solo notes, something he would do later on "Firth of Fifth" from Selling England. Gabriel sings lyrics that sound like they're from the book of Revelation, which Gabriel has said was his influence for this final section. Finally, the band fades out triumphantly, having just played a 23 minute epic that remains as one of their best songs.

All together, this album is a masterpiece. Having been the first Genesis album I heard, this one left a considerable impression on me that has remained ever since. I give this album a full 5 out of 5.

A live version of the epic, "Supper's Ready"

Yes- Close To The Edge

After releasing their huge album Fragile in 1971, Yes were not phased by their sudden rise in fame, and that showed as they weren't going to give in and let the money go to their heads. They continued to do new material, more and more complex, rather than just going for the simplistic 3 minute songs with two chords. Their recent addition of Rick Wakeman on keyboards also helped get the band up to speed, leading to even more complex music. Their follow up album is no disappointment, and I find it to be better than Fragile, and even my favorite Yes album to date.

This new album was their most ambitious at the point of its release. The new album, released in 1972, was called Close To The Edge. The album featured their first sidelong epic song, the title track, which clocks in at just under 19 minutes. On the second side of the album were two 10 minute songs, both incredibly complex in and of themselves. When it was released in September of 1972, the album was another huge success, becoming Gold in the US alone just a month after its release and making it to number 3 on the Billboard Charts. The album remains as a many Yes fans' favorite album.

The album opens up with the epic title track "Close To The Edge". Divided into four main sections, the whole song goes through many movements, all including wonderful musicianship by the five members, Jon Anderson, who is the angelic voice of the group, the insane Chris Squire on bass, the accomplished Bill Bruford on drums, the great Rick Wakeman on keyboards, and the legendary Steve Howe on guitar.  The first movement is called "The Solid Time of Change" and it begins very unassumingly with a fade in of nature sounds such as birds and a waterfall and also a small bit of synth setting an unsettling mood. Then, at the apex of the fade in, the band booms in with a rather unorthodox guitar solo played by guitarist Steve Howe along with the rest of the band playing their individual roles, creating an almost cacophonous mix at time. There's not much of a structure for this section, going from time signature to time signature, but still sounding amazing because the musicianship is amazing. All the while Chris Squire plays an ascending bass riff, often adding to the mood going from menacing to happy with ease of just a note. Interspersed are random wordless vocal shouts, which are multilayered by vocalist Jon Anderson, and some other members in the band. About 3 minutes into the song, the whole band comes in with a main theme and structure, which is just beautiful to hear because the band shows themselves to be very diverse. This whole section seems happy almost, that is, until the words come in a minute later. This vocal section lets the guitar take a break from relentless soloing, but puts the bass and keyboards in the front, as Chris Squire plays a minor and prominent bass line for the first verse. Jon's vocals are wonderful, sung in an almost chanting style due to the amount of words per line. At the end of the verse, one of the song's most prominent themes comes in with Anderson singing "Close to the edge, round by the corner. Close to the edge down by a river", which gets used a lot later in the song. This transfers into a major sounding verse, different than the first musically, but ending with the same "Close to the edge, round..." lyrics coming in. This is where the song takes a big leap into the most prominent theme of the song with Anderson singing "I get up, I get down". These words end the first section, although the whole song really doesn't feel like there are big differences in the sections as they beautifully and organically flow through each other and into each other. The whole song feels like a complete unit, which is great because it wasn't just several songs all pasted together with an odd chord change and then sudden change of tempo or a fade out and fade in, put together haphazardly as other prog rock groups would do (such as Rush's first sidelong epic "The Fountain of Lamneth" and even parts of the famous "2112"). At the 6:00 mark or so, the song goes into the second section, "Total Mass Retain" which stays in the same style as the first part, but the bass line changes to a more frantic style. During this section, there are a few different movements, but the tune stays within what has happened already in the song. This also is one of the only parts with Steve Howe playing rhythm guitar as most of the time in this tune he is ripping it up playing lead in cool ways, or leaving the space open for keyboards and bass to take the front. Very mature in his guitar playing indeed. This repeats the "I get up, I get down" theme another time and is followed by a short riff played by guitar and bass with keyboards slowly becoming the main section to transfer into the third section which is dominated by keyboards. This third section is called "I Get Up, I Get Down", and it is titled this rightfully so as that phrase is repeated several times. The whole part is mostly quiet, with atmospheric keyboards playing at the beginning and then transferring into a standard melodic beat played on a keyboard softly. Jon Anderson, Chris Squire, and Steve Howe then perform some of the most beautiful harmonies as they sing the lyrics. Chris and Steve take the backing vocals most of the time with Jon singing lead overtop. This whole section is so beautiful and well constructed. This is definitely the most diverse part of the song, as the quietness is unexpected in the context of the song. There is a somewhat verse-chorus structure here with several verses coming and ending with "I get up, I get down". After this cycle is repeated numerous times, Jon Anderson sings the line louder as his voice soars followed by a loud and lovely church organ played by Rick Wakeman. Jon then sings the line again at the end of the organ piece, which then goes back into the organ piece. The organ is so powerful and creates a wonderful sound in the tune. At the end of the organ solo, a synth comes in, transferring into "Seasons of Man", the fourth and final part of the song. This whole section begins with Rick ripping it up as he plays an amazing synth solo. He is truly talented, playing intricately fast. The music in the background is similar to earlier parts of the song's verses. At the end of Rick's solo,  which lasts for nearly 2 minutes, Jon comes back in to sing a final verse in the song, leading up to the climax. The whole band gets progressively louder, building up gradually. At the end of the verse, the several themes in the song, "Close to the edge, down by a river", "Seasons will pass you by", and "Now that it's all over and done", come back building up into a final three repeats of the triumphant "I get up, I get down", sung beautifully with added orchestration and fervor from the band. This ends with a keyboard line getting repeated several times, fading into the sounds of nature heard at the beginning. This truly is Yes's greatest piece, at least in my opinion! The musicianship is insanely talented, and the song is so well put together.

The second side opens up with the ten minute "And You and I", which is considerably softer than "Close to the Edge" and the following track "Siberian Khatru". The song opens up with Steve Howe playing an acoustic guitar and speaking a few words such as "Okay". He plays some harmonics for about 30 seconds as he tunes up until he goes into the intro riff, played on a twelve string acoustic guitar, the riff is minor in contrast to the major riff that follows. This next riff is just a simple three chord progression with different percussion sounds coming in and out as well as a Moog playing a short and simple solo. Jon's vocals come in at the end of the synth solo, singing nicely. This continues for another few minutes, until the whole band comes in, with a sharp difference in chord progression. This section only lasts for a few seconds though, as Jon comes in with a harmonizing chorus that lasts for a short while, until going into the next section, a slow, orchestrated part, with everyone slowing down to half speed. Rick Wakeman leads the pack with another synth solo played on Moog and Mellotron. Jon sings a short verse that leads into the third section which reprises the intro riff played on twelve string, but this time Steve plays a different riff at the ending. Rick plays a little more synth before Jon comes back in with his singing as he sings another verse. This verse ends with the full band coming in, following most of the structure in the previous verse. Chris and Steve both seem to play the lead parts, with them seemingly taking turns in front. Rick ends it with a keyboard and synth solo which leads into a verse sung by Chris, Jon, and Steve with a beautiful harmony. This reprises a melody found earlier in the song's first section. Once the harmonies end, the band comes back in with the half speed slow section as Rick creates synth noises that sound like shooting stars. The song ends with the soft chorus found at the beginning of the song, with just Jon singing and Steve playing acoustic. This song is wonderful and is definitely the softest on the album. Also, it features some excellent musicianship from each of the members, with each section feeling refreshing and new, even the reprises.

The third and final track on the album is the nine minute "Siberian Khatru". This track is also opened with Steve Howe playing a riff, but this time, though, it is more of a rocker. Steve plays the riff twice through with the whole band coming in at the end. Rick plays some organ chords with Chris playing lead for a few bars until Steve comes back in with the main riff of the song. Steve plays the simple 4 note riff in three different octaves (four when he plays it live) and it just builds up tension as it leads into the verse. I like this main riff because the time signature is pretty cool as there are two bars of 4/4 and then one of 7/4 (or three of 4/4 and one of 3/4 if you like) which is a snazzy structure as Bruford catches the guitar's rhythm by accenting certain beats. The verse features a different riff which is a much funkier affair. Steve and Rick play the riff together with Chris holding up the rhythm section along with Bill Bruford. The verse ends as it leads into the short chorus. The guitar part of the chorus reminds me of something Hendrix would have done, granted that it is a lot faster that Hendrix would play most of the time. Jon sings his lyrics and ends the chorus with harmonizations with the other members. Steve plays a slower and softer version of the main riff along with Chris accenting some points a few times before launching back into the harmonious voices of the second verse. The verse is basically the same as before, as well as the following chorus. There are several odd time signatures, as Bruford often plays a 4/4 beat while the guitar plays in 6/8, which is a cool idea that is well executed. Steve gets a solo on sitar after the second chorus as well as an interchange between keyboards and guitar that leads back into his introductory guitar riff. This time though, the intro riff leads into a softer verse sung by John that leads into the third and final verse. This time, however, Jon ends the verse with random two syllable words that build up tension as orchestration and drum rolls get louder and louder with Chris playing a steady riff. This all leads back into the final reprisal of the main riff that lasts until the end of the song. A few bars in, Jon sings wordless vocals overtop, which again lead into the main riff, which features a wonderful guitar solo by Steve. Steve plays a clean guitar overtop of the rest of the band, with each member contributing their own style to make a big sound. This lasts until the end of the song as the band fades out, ending a wonderful album wonderfully. This is another favorite of mine; in fact, every song on this album is a favorite of mine, with "Close to the Edge" being my all time favorite Yes song.

All in all, this is, in the view of me and many others, Yes's greatest work! I find each song to be a journey in and of themselves, never getting stale or boring. I give this album a 10 out of 10.

This is a live version of "Close to the Edge"

Pink Floyd- Obscured by Clouds

In 1972, Pink Floyd had already begun work on their follow up to their 1971 album Meddle. In the middle of their writing, though, they were approached by French film maker Barbet Schroeder to score his film La Vallée (The Valley in English), which follows a woman and a group of explorers who search through a forest to find a paradise which is marked "Obscured by Clouds" on a map (this is where the album gets the title). The band was experienced with scoring movies as they had done the soundtrack to the film, also by Schroeder, More in 1969 and a few other songs for the film Zabriskie Point.

Their soundtrack to the film, entitled Obscured by Clouds, was released in June, a month before the movie was released. The album spawned a somewhat successful single, "Free Four", which was the first Floyd song that got much airplay in the US. Even with the success of that single, though, the whole album and prior years of their career would be eclipsed by their following album which they were already working on and performing regularly live.

The album opens with the first of four instrumental tracks on the album, the title track "Obscured by Clouds". The song opens with one synthesizer note that acts like a persistent drone followed by a steady drum beat. The rest of the song features guitarist David Gilmour playing a solo over the drums and synthesizer. This eventually fades out and segues right into the next track, "When You're In", another instrumental. This one is a bit faster than the title cut and is also more jammy sounding. Gilmour plays lead over a steady drum beat and bass line. Occasionally, Rick Wright's organ plays a fill when the guitar  takes a break. This whole sequence is repeated until the end of the song which fades out over a long period of time. I feel that these two tracks would have been better if they were extended, but then again, they had to fit in certain time spans for the film.

The third track "Burning Bridges" is the first song with the appearance of vocals on this record, and if you are only listening for the lyrics, you'll easily realize that it is worth the wait for the vocals as Gilmour and Wright harmonize beautifully on song's lyrics written by bassist Roger Waters.. Their voices create a certain magical tone to whatever they sing together, as they do in "Echoes"from Meddle. Rick Wright's organ is very prominent, creating the melody.  The beat is nice and slow, similar again to "Echoes. As a side note, I enjoy the drum line by Nick Mason as it adds a new texture to the song. The beat is a standard 6/8, but Mason plays the snare on the third beat instead of the usual fourth beat which creates a seemingly odd time signature as there is 5 beats in between each snare hit. I find these small things interesting, being a drummer and all.

This is followed by a faster song "The Gold It's In The..." which has a boogie feel to it and guitar sounds and soloing similar to the style of Jimmy Page of Led Zeppelin. There is no Rick Wright on the track, which is okay on this track because I think it is aiming to be more like a standard rock song without organ. Gilmour sings the lyrics as a typical rock singer would, but adds his own charm to it which gives the song more feeling.

The fifth track is titled "Wot's... Uh the Deal" and features words written, unsurprisingly, Roger Waters. David Gilmour plays a folky sounding guitar riff which is a nice contrast to the previous, heavier track. Gilmour's vocals are beautiful as normal and sound even better as he harmonizes himself via double tracking. During a bridge section, Rick Wright gets a piano solo, the first appearance of piano on the track, followed by a slide guitar solo by Gilmour. This piece feels like one of the most cohesive and well put together tracks on the album, with the whole band joining in, a good length, and the signature sound of Floyd in general. This is followed by the side close instrumental "Mudmen". The song reprises the theme "Burning Bridges", but plays it in a 4/4 beat, which is a lot different than how it was played on "Burning Bridges". The song is a lot more dynamic than that track and I think of it as similar to "Great Gig in the Sky" from Dark Side of the Moon. As it transfers from soft sounding to loud very quickly and easily. I enjoy the piece because it gets a good balance of guitar and organ along with the other instruments, as the bass carries the rhythm section along well with Nick Mason on drums.

The next side opens with the Gilmour written tune "Childhood's End". The song follows a blues style structure after a fade in intro similar to the first track "Obscured by Clouds", but with a softer edge in the synthesizer sound. Gilmour's guitar sound on the track is similar to "Breathe" and "Time" from Dark Side, which I enjoy quite a bit. The sound is also very similar to Gilmour's solo albums of the future. The tune is quite like "Time", but with a different edge and more prominent organ. Mason keeps a steady 4/4 beat on the drums which locks into a groove. The guitar solo fits very well into the song, maintaining the blues rock sound. This is another very memorable track on the album, although I think that, along with most of the album, the track could have been better if extended a bit. The track ends with a short segment of the synth from the beginning repeated.

The eighth track is the Roger Water's written single "Free Four". It is the only track that he sings on the album, and, even with a poppy tune, the lyrics are rather dark and depressing, dealing with death and reflecting on the deeds in one's life at an old age. The song has a single note on the synthesizer that occurs every couple of bars which I love a lot as it makes the song stand out. Unlike the rest of the songs on the album, I find that this one seems to go on for too long, as it just repeats the same verse structure multiple times and features the same change in key for a guitar solo twice. The song was a small hit in the US and, although it is not my favorite track on the album, it's not too bad. The next track, though is definitely a standout. The Water's written "Stay" is a slow ballad wonderfully sung by Rick Wright. The verses have a somewhat major tune whereas the choruses have a minor tune to them. Gilmour's guitar is prominent and features a wah peddle effect on it. I feel like this is the better tune of the "Free Four" single even though it was only featured as the b-side. I know that "Free Four" was more single sounding, but the loveliness of "Stay" just blows my mind, especially as it is not a well know song.

The closing track "Absolutely Curtains" is one of the most experimental songs on the record and the longest, at 6 minutes long (which is weird for a band used to doing 23 minute epics). The song opens with some soft piano and synthesizer notes as cymbals crash in, creating a dramatic effect. There is no definite tune, but rather just a free floating melody on the keyboards. Eventually, the instrumental fades out as a chant from the tribe in the film comes in. It is a very odd ending to the album, but gives a sense of completeness.

This album is not nearly my favorite album, but does include a few memorable tracks. My major gripe about this album is how short the tracks are. As I said earlier, I know that they had to fit within certain time limits of the scenes in the film, but the short time limits don't give the tunes much room to breathe, which makes things very repetitious and uninteresting at times. I give Obscured by Clouds a 7 out of 10.

The track "Stay" from this album: