Blast From The Past: Meddle

By Parker Otto

Pink Floyd is well known for their early efforts such as 1967’s “The Piper at the Gates of Dawn” and their commercially successful years of the 70s but between these two periods came an album that is not only underrated but also saw the band’s first steps into the progressive rock that would take them to fame and fortune. That album was 1971’s “Meddle.”

The album’s A-side was comprised of several songs including the instrumental “One of These Days” and the canine centered “Seamus” but the main track from the album is “Echoes.” At 23 minutes long, “Echoes” encoumpasses everything that would make Pink Floyd famous in later years including lyrics of simple demeanor carrying complex ideas such as “and I am you and what I see is me.” The track was so long that it takes up the entire B-side when the album was released on vinyl.

The entire album saw Pink Floyd leave behind their psychedelic roots and become a band centered on long instrumental sections, powerful lyrics and laser light shows which would engulf the audience in a musical experience. All future albums including “The Dark Side of the Moon,” “Wish You Were Here,” “Animals” and “The Wall” owe their state to “Meddle” and the experimental music created by the Floyd.