As an unfortunate soul subscribing for free, I can only imagine that "Breath" by Pearl Jam makes an appearance on your playlist. Not super obscure, but it pops into my mind as readily as Pink Floyd. Oddly, my song of the day today is "STILL BREATHING" by HEALTH and EKKSTACY. I know this wasn't posted today, so the serendipitous song titles/themes are only apparent for me, but couldn't help mentioning nonetheless.
You poor, unfortunate soul....:) The poor part is that you have a Pearl Jam song stuck in your head. I think I've written about it before, but I don't really ever mention bands that I've been unable to get into very often for fear of offending a reader whose favorite band I just said was somnambulistic (unnecessary big word, which is my jam).
I have never been able to listen to Pearl Jam, despite my loving so many other bands in their ilk. I had always thought it was Eddie Vedder's voice that rubbed me wrong, but when the soundtrack to Into the Wild came out, I friggin' loved it. And I liked Earthlink a fair bit. So clearly I need to see the rock doc to diagnosis this.
I will check out "Still Breathing" by HEALTH and EKKSTACY and see if I would have had it replace any of my choices.
And even though you didn't ask, I'll gift you a behind-the-curtain pass so you can see the whole playlist and comment! I just have to figure out how to do it! It took me forever to figure out how to do the preview function!
The playlist was posted today so the serendipity is apt. Don't question it, just let it try di seep in. (I wanted that to be "try to seep in" but I was using only the letters of "serendipity" which amazingly almost can be respelled as "try seep in" but the "d" and "i" have nowhere to fit). Yes, I got very little sleep last night.
Completely on the same page about not covering bands I can't flatter; I'm into music appreciation, not criticism.
I got pretty heavy into Pearl Jam for their first couple albums... they were the first band I saw with friends freshly anointed with driver's licenses, so they have a nice, unique shape they fill in my heart. But I can totally relate when it comes to older material; it just never pulled at me. Love the Into the Wild sdtrck as well tho!!
I so enjoy reading your posts because they are so much more than mere posts (or comments). So many quirky tangents and games and references which I love trying to spot. I'd be willing to bet that you take the time to hide Easter Eggs too, just in case some devoted reader scrutinizes closely enough to find them! I've hidden some eggs in my posts but I expect they'll never be found!
Thanks for the generosity with the playlist, should you figure it out. I'd be delighted to hear your choices.
Thanks for sharing your playlist. I enjoyed it as I baked (bread) yesterday. A lot of great songs that conjured great memories, plus some that were new to me. Loooooooooved The Temporal Beat of Breath!!
Aww, thanks for the kind words! I often feel like when I make obscure references and delve into satire (like this Pink Floyd piece — which I probably should have labeled as such), it doesn’t land right on most readers. I quickly move on, but I often make the false presumption that everyone can follow my tangents and know when I’m making a joke.
Wow, I had no idea about half of the stuff you mentioned, so thanks a lot for that! I always thought "Breathe" was a metaphor for the beginning of life. That first breath we take when we are born. As the album chronicles one's journey through life, I always thought it fitting that Breathe was the first track. But the entire album is so full of obscure metaphors and innuendos, and there have been so many different interpretations throughout the years, that we'll never find out the "definitive" intended meaning (as is often the case with this level of symbolism, there is never one right answer, one-size fits all). Very interesting read!
Fun stuff, Steve! I must say you look good in long-form! Lots of deep stuff I didn't know about not my fave prog band (that distinction has always gone to Genesis since a couple years before "DSotM"). I also must cop to my bad self being completely sans allergies. Not to brag; you (and others) have my sympathies.
I even live in a city (Austin, central TX) that's located in, apparently, a cedar tree conclave, so much, if not all of the year, folks are suffering from cedar fever (as it's called)....sniffing, sneezing, scratchy throat. Not I.
Local TV weather forecasts even have the allergy alert forecasts for about four common allergens: mold, pollen, cedar, and oak, I think. Apparently, there are no such forecasts for those suffering from peanut, chocolate, or even shrimp allergies. I guess they're just being shellfish.
In fact, so allergy-free am I that, when I used to teach 4th grade math, I'd tell the chilluns that I'd never really been a fan of math, myself.....I was allergic to digits, I'd say. Only to hear the obligatory several "Really?"s that would inevitably follow!
Ha - long-form? Is that a clothing style? I hadn't intended to write a satirical behind-the-music allergy history of Pink Floyd, but my brain just does what it wants. I am gonna try and focus on the next one and keep to my personal allergy story. preview: I'm titling it "How I Beat The Snot Out of Myself." Thought you'd like that one.
You do you, is all I've gotta say! That's when you're at your best. You mixed chuckles with a relatable malady with rock history. Can't imagine anyone else on the 'Stack could even conjure that, much less make it entertaining! As for your proposed title....I'd suggest an accompanying song: "Boogie Oogie Oogie"!
The first song that came to mind was "The Air That I Breathe" by The Hollies. Not in a quest for street cred- though, I am repeat offender. It just was. Pink Floyd wouldn't have made the list- literally didn't know the name of this song until 5 minutes ago.
I'm sure I've heard it a million times (and recognized it as soon as I clicked play), but PF is a bit of a blind spot for me; I never got too into them, and really only have a surface level knowledge of their songs.
What I do know about are busted noses and allergies. I'm an SME in both, and can tell you neither are fun. Mostly, I'm grateful that this season hasn't been too bad...yet. Hopefully it stays that way. Turns out I really like being able to breathe.
Your last line reminds me of a joke (more like a one-liner) my wife's grandfather used to say when she was a kid: "Air -- kind of overrated."
Maybe it was me writing about "The Air That I Breathe" last month that put that song at the front of your brain? I do like to think I have that level of influence...:)
Pink Floyd is a tricky band to get into after the fact as they changed their sound pretty drastically over the years. But as a music obsessive/historian/critic/journalist/appreciator (I think you are all of these) you do owe it to yourself to give them a deep dive one day when you have a spare month or two!
Thanks for the kind words! Your article could've been it. I'm pretty susceptible to the power of suggestion. Somewhere on here I wrote about "Wish You Were here, " and tied it into how much I miss all my coworkers that hit the exits during COVID. Other than that, "Dirty Woman" and "Learning to Fly" are 2 favorites.
It's one of the best albums of all time. Hands down. There are other great ones - my God, there are so many great ones - and some that might even be better, but Dark Side was/is a remarkable achievement by any measure. I've loved it since I first listened to it on one of those nights when I was hanging out with some friends in early high school - vinyl was still the medium, so there was anticipatory album scratching at the start, beanbags barely supporting us as we slouched reverentially in near darkness, and then ... damn. Are those ... heartbeats? For a number of reasons, the next 40 minutes seemed to stretch into forever. And while, yes, this scene is full of what today would be considered stereotypes of the time, that doesn't diminish its importance. And it's a definitive moment in my life.
But as for my favourite Floyd album, the one that always comes to mind when that question is asked is Atom Heart Mother. Meddle is excellent, Obscured by Clouds has some great cuts and 'Cymbeline' off of More is one of my favourites ... but Atom Heart Mother is psychedelia done right.
Thanks for this particular series - and thanks also for the pops at Roger. Great lyricist, bassist, etc. - but fundamentally a dick.
Yeah, Atom Heart Mother is a great one as well. Strangely, it was Ummagumma that was my first exposure to Pink Floyd. Or maybe I had heard "Bike" somewhere before then, but didn't know who sang it. Either way, they were my true entryway to psychedelia.
And thanks for recognizing the pops at Roger. I do think the idea for this satirical piece was reading yet another insane thing he said about the war in Ukraine. I do love his first solo album, The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking though and seeing it performed live was one of the best concerts I'd ever attended.
Not sure I agree that it’s one of the greatest. But I’m a Pink Floyd fan either, save a few of their really popular ones and even then I wouldn’t favorite them! So we can agree to disagree here. However I just watched the Netflix WHAM movie which was produced with heavy participation by Andrew Ridgely. I forgot how many songs they wrote, sang and Michaels produced before he went onto his solo career. It’s been really good to rediscover his music.
I'll keep you company, Beth! We're all alone in the end zone, I'm afraid, as I'm not compelled to drool all over "DSOtM," either. Had to play it, of course, during my mid-'70s FM radio run (I'm compliant to a fault.............apparently), and was astounded at how the album still flew out the door during my late '70s foray at two different record store chains in two different states!
But, my prog, long-form band of choice (since about '71) has been Genesis. And, would you believe.....send in your wrinkled clothes.....I'm pulling down the irony board: In fall of '71, I actually bought "Meddle" in a store! It was one of my first albums to buy, too....I was 16, and must've had some spare dough. I had no idea what it/they sounded like at the time, but I thought the cover was pretty!
Regular FR&B readers will know that from the mid-'60s thru the early '80s, I lived off of promo LPs....ones my dad brought home from the radio station he worked at, and mid-
70s on, the ones I got from my radio tenure and record store experiences! So, I bought precious few records myself. But, like I said, I liked the cover, and probably went, "Huh?" when I got it home to play!
Mad props to PF and Capitol, though, for setting such impressive chart-longevity records!
Clearly both of you didn't do enough drugs in your youth. (Brad, I know already that you hadn't!) There was definitely a correlation between getting stoned and maybe taking psychedelics and PInk Floyd music.
Another issue with PF for a lot of people is that their sound changed quite drastically through the years. I personally loved that, but I've talked with people who only like The Wall and maybe Wish You Were Here, but not much else.
I even had a musical dentist who, sans novocaine, would perform wisdom teeth surgery by playing "Comfortably Numb" on a loop. Certainly put ME to sleep. On another PF personal note, when "The Wall" was released (Nov '79), I was at the large Cactus Records in Houston (on Shepherd for all your Bayou City readers.....whoop-whoop!!), and the CBS rep dropped by hundreds of flats (single, one-sided re-creations of the front cover artwork) for us to build...you guessed it....a wall of "The Wall" albums (so, flats and many dozens of the LPs creating our "Wall" wall)! I wanted to ask the guy, "How long did it take you to think of THIS display?"
BTW, did you know (no, cuz it didn't happen....but, will that stop me?) that Michael Jackson was slated to guest on "The Wall," but busily recording his new album that summer precluded his participation. Turns out he was off "The Wall" cuz of his "Off the Wall." Who knew?🤷♂️Both CBS Records, btw....MJ: Epic, PF: Columbia. Can you imagine the CBS ledger sheet for '79? Execs must've been bouncing...............say it with me: "Off the Wall"!
I have that Wham! documentary saved in my “to watch” list, so glad to hear it is worth the 90 minutes!
I’m imagining this break from the usual earworm-style post to something more satirical and insider-y will garner fewer views, but I had to follow my muse who kept putting off my personal allergy story...
I wanted to laugh but was too congested and ended up coughing instead. 🫣🫣
And yes, one of the greatest albums of all time. I also think, among individual songs, "Great Gig in the Sky" is one of perhaps a dozen actual masterpieces in rock history.
Sorry to hear that you are under the weather 🤢. Though maybe you are making an allergy joke? I’m still in vacation mode and even with a satirical piece like this I’m slow on the wit uptake today... I think the piece was a reaction to the crazy stuff Roger Waters has been saying and then reading the back and forth Twitter spat.
'Twas indeed an allergy joke, though it comes from a place of direct experience. Re. Waters, I can't begin to understand what makes billionaire celebrities get into catfights with each other. Musk and Zuck cage match coming next!
No, I'm sure they aren't (McCartney is just a tad over 1B) but, you know, poetic license. And yes, money changes everything. Seems to make some people crazy.
As an unfortunate soul subscribing for free, I can only imagine that "Breath" by Pearl Jam makes an appearance on your playlist. Not super obscure, but it pops into my mind as readily as Pink Floyd. Oddly, my song of the day today is "STILL BREATHING" by HEALTH and EKKSTACY. I know this wasn't posted today, so the serendipitous song titles/themes are only apparent for me, but couldn't help mentioning nonetheless.
You poor, unfortunate soul....:) The poor part is that you have a Pearl Jam song stuck in your head. I think I've written about it before, but I don't really ever mention bands that I've been unable to get into very often for fear of offending a reader whose favorite band I just said was somnambulistic (unnecessary big word, which is my jam).
I have never been able to listen to Pearl Jam, despite my loving so many other bands in their ilk. I had always thought it was Eddie Vedder's voice that rubbed me wrong, but when the soundtrack to Into the Wild came out, I friggin' loved it. And I liked Earthlink a fair bit. So clearly I need to see the rock doc to diagnosis this.
I will check out "Still Breathing" by HEALTH and EKKSTACY and see if I would have had it replace any of my choices.
And even though you didn't ask, I'll gift you a behind-the-curtain pass so you can see the whole playlist and comment! I just have to figure out how to do it! It took me forever to figure out how to do the preview function!
The playlist was posted today so the serendipity is apt. Don't question it, just let it try di seep in. (I wanted that to be "try to seep in" but I was using only the letters of "serendipity" which amazingly almost can be respelled as "try seep in" but the "d" and "i" have nowhere to fit). Yes, I got very little sleep last night.
Completely on the same page about not covering bands I can't flatter; I'm into music appreciation, not criticism.
I got pretty heavy into Pearl Jam for their first couple albums... they were the first band I saw with friends freshly anointed with driver's licenses, so they have a nice, unique shape they fill in my heart. But I can totally relate when it comes to older material; it just never pulled at me. Love the Into the Wild sdtrck as well tho!!
I so enjoy reading your posts because they are so much more than mere posts (or comments). So many quirky tangents and games and references which I love trying to spot. I'd be willing to bet that you take the time to hide Easter Eggs too, just in case some devoted reader scrutinizes closely enough to find them! I've hidden some eggs in my posts but I expect they'll never be found!
Thanks for the generosity with the playlist, should you figure it out. I'd be delighted to hear your choices.
https://open.spotify.com/playlist/3rUep8qVyFNenIXM46vwB2?si=WWsQweQ9T2WUsyoykZ5lZQ
Thanks for sharing your playlist. I enjoyed it as I baked (bread) yesterday. A lot of great songs that conjured great memories, plus some that were new to me. Loooooooooved The Temporal Beat of Breath!!
Aww, thanks for the kind words! I often feel like when I make obscure references and delve into satire (like this Pink Floyd piece — which I probably should have labeled as such), it doesn’t land right on most readers. I quickly move on, but I often make the false presumption that everyone can follow my tangents and know when I’m making a joke.
Stay tuned on the full access.
In the meantime, here’s the Spotify playlist.
Wow, I had no idea about half of the stuff you mentioned, so thanks a lot for that! I always thought "Breathe" was a metaphor for the beginning of life. That first breath we take when we are born. As the album chronicles one's journey through life, I always thought it fitting that Breathe was the first track. But the entire album is so full of obscure metaphors and innuendos, and there have been so many different interpretations throughout the years, that we'll never find out the "definitive" intended meaning (as is often the case with this level of symbolism, there is never one right answer, one-size fits all). Very interesting read!
Fun stuff, Steve! I must say you look good in long-form! Lots of deep stuff I didn't know about not my fave prog band (that distinction has always gone to Genesis since a couple years before "DSotM"). I also must cop to my bad self being completely sans allergies. Not to brag; you (and others) have my sympathies.
I even live in a city (Austin, central TX) that's located in, apparently, a cedar tree conclave, so much, if not all of the year, folks are suffering from cedar fever (as it's called)....sniffing, sneezing, scratchy throat. Not I.
Local TV weather forecasts even have the allergy alert forecasts for about four common allergens: mold, pollen, cedar, and oak, I think. Apparently, there are no such forecasts for those suffering from peanut, chocolate, or even shrimp allergies. I guess they're just being shellfish.
In fact, so allergy-free am I that, when I used to teach 4th grade math, I'd tell the chilluns that I'd never really been a fan of math, myself.....I was allergic to digits, I'd say. Only to hear the obligatory several "Really?"s that would inevitably follow!
Ha - long-form? Is that a clothing style? I hadn't intended to write a satirical behind-the-music allergy history of Pink Floyd, but my brain just does what it wants. I am gonna try and focus on the next one and keep to my personal allergy story. preview: I'm titling it "How I Beat The Snot Out of Myself." Thought you'd like that one.
You do you, is all I've gotta say! That's when you're at your best. You mixed chuckles with a relatable malady with rock history. Can't imagine anyone else on the 'Stack could even conjure that, much less make it entertaining! As for your proposed title....I'd suggest an accompanying song: "Boogie Oogie Oogie"!
Excellent choice! But the song has been chosen. Although yours is way more earwormy.
The first song that came to mind was "The Air That I Breathe" by The Hollies. Not in a quest for street cred- though, I am repeat offender. It just was. Pink Floyd wouldn't have made the list- literally didn't know the name of this song until 5 minutes ago.
I'm sure I've heard it a million times (and recognized it as soon as I clicked play), but PF is a bit of a blind spot for me; I never got too into them, and really only have a surface level knowledge of their songs.
What I do know about are busted noses and allergies. I'm an SME in both, and can tell you neither are fun. Mostly, I'm grateful that this season hasn't been too bad...yet. Hopefully it stays that way. Turns out I really like being able to breathe.
Your last line reminds me of a joke (more like a one-liner) my wife's grandfather used to say when she was a kid: "Air -- kind of overrated."
Maybe it was me writing about "The Air That I Breathe" last month that put that song at the front of your brain? I do like to think I have that level of influence...:)
Pink Floyd is a tricky band to get into after the fact as they changed their sound pretty drastically over the years. But as a music obsessive/historian/critic/journalist/appreciator (I think you are all of these) you do owe it to yourself to give them a deep dive one day when you have a spare month or two!
Thanks for the kind words! Your article could've been it. I'm pretty susceptible to the power of suggestion. Somewhere on here I wrote about "Wish You Were here, " and tied it into how much I miss all my coworkers that hit the exits during COVID. Other than that, "Dirty Woman" and "Learning to Fly" are 2 favorites.
It's one of the best albums of all time. Hands down. There are other great ones - my God, there are so many great ones - and some that might even be better, but Dark Side was/is a remarkable achievement by any measure. I've loved it since I first listened to it on one of those nights when I was hanging out with some friends in early high school - vinyl was still the medium, so there was anticipatory album scratching at the start, beanbags barely supporting us as we slouched reverentially in near darkness, and then ... damn. Are those ... heartbeats? For a number of reasons, the next 40 minutes seemed to stretch into forever. And while, yes, this scene is full of what today would be considered stereotypes of the time, that doesn't diminish its importance. And it's a definitive moment in my life.
But as for my favourite Floyd album, the one that always comes to mind when that question is asked is Atom Heart Mother. Meddle is excellent, Obscured by Clouds has some great cuts and 'Cymbeline' off of More is one of my favourites ... but Atom Heart Mother is psychedelia done right.
Thanks for this particular series - and thanks also for the pops at Roger. Great lyricist, bassist, etc. - but fundamentally a dick.
Yeah, Atom Heart Mother is a great one as well. Strangely, it was Ummagumma that was my first exposure to Pink Floyd. Or maybe I had heard "Bike" somewhere before then, but didn't know who sang it. Either way, they were my true entryway to psychedelia.
And thanks for recognizing the pops at Roger. I do think the idea for this satirical piece was reading yet another insane thing he said about the war in Ukraine. I do love his first solo album, The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking though and seeing it performed live was one of the best concerts I'd ever attended.
Not sure I agree that it’s one of the greatest. But I’m a Pink Floyd fan either, save a few of their really popular ones and even then I wouldn’t favorite them! So we can agree to disagree here. However I just watched the Netflix WHAM movie which was produced with heavy participation by Andrew Ridgely. I forgot how many songs they wrote, sang and Michaels produced before he went onto his solo career. It’s been really good to rediscover his music.
I'll keep you company, Beth! We're all alone in the end zone, I'm afraid, as I'm not compelled to drool all over "DSOtM," either. Had to play it, of course, during my mid-'70s FM radio run (I'm compliant to a fault.............apparently), and was astounded at how the album still flew out the door during my late '70s foray at two different record store chains in two different states!
But, my prog, long-form band of choice (since about '71) has been Genesis. And, would you believe.....send in your wrinkled clothes.....I'm pulling down the irony board: In fall of '71, I actually bought "Meddle" in a store! It was one of my first albums to buy, too....I was 16, and must've had some spare dough. I had no idea what it/they sounded like at the time, but I thought the cover was pretty!
Regular FR&B readers will know that from the mid-'60s thru the early '80s, I lived off of promo LPs....ones my dad brought home from the radio station he worked at, and mid-
70s on, the ones I got from my radio tenure and record store experiences! So, I bought precious few records myself. But, like I said, I liked the cover, and probably went, "Huh?" when I got it home to play!
Mad props to PF and Capitol, though, for setting such impressive chart-longevity records!
Clearly both of you didn't do enough drugs in your youth. (Brad, I know already that you hadn't!) There was definitely a correlation between getting stoned and maybe taking psychedelics and PInk Floyd music.
Another issue with PF for a lot of people is that their sound changed quite drastically through the years. I personally loved that, but I've talked with people who only like The Wall and maybe Wish You Were Here, but not much else.
I even had a musical dentist who, sans novocaine, would perform wisdom teeth surgery by playing "Comfortably Numb" on a loop. Certainly put ME to sleep. On another PF personal note, when "The Wall" was released (Nov '79), I was at the large Cactus Records in Houston (on Shepherd for all your Bayou City readers.....whoop-whoop!!), and the CBS rep dropped by hundreds of flats (single, one-sided re-creations of the front cover artwork) for us to build...you guessed it....a wall of "The Wall" albums (so, flats and many dozens of the LPs creating our "Wall" wall)! I wanted to ask the guy, "How long did it take you to think of THIS display?"
BTW, did you know (no, cuz it didn't happen....but, will that stop me?) that Michael Jackson was slated to guest on "The Wall," but busily recording his new album that summer precluded his participation. Turns out he was off "The Wall" cuz of his "Off the Wall." Who knew?🤷♂️Both CBS Records, btw....MJ: Epic, PF: Columbia. Can you imagine the CBS ledger sheet for '79? Execs must've been bouncing...............say it with me: "Off the Wall"!
Brad it's just wrong for you to torture my friend Beth like that!:)
🤣🤣🤣❗
Oh yeah. I was a nerd. I studied, played piano and rarely did anything else.
I have that Wham! documentary saved in my “to watch” list, so glad to hear it is worth the 90 minutes!
I’m imagining this break from the usual earworm-style post to something more satirical and insider-y will garner fewer views, but I had to follow my muse who kept putting off my personal allergy story...
I wanted to laugh but was too congested and ended up coughing instead. 🫣🫣
And yes, one of the greatest albums of all time. I also think, among individual songs, "Great Gig in the Sky" is one of perhaps a dozen actual masterpieces in rock history.
Sorry to hear that you are under the weather 🤢. Though maybe you are making an allergy joke? I’m still in vacation mode and even with a satirical piece like this I’m slow on the wit uptake today... I think the piece was a reaction to the crazy stuff Roger Waters has been saying and then reading the back and forth Twitter spat.
'Twas indeed an allergy joke, though it comes from a place of direct experience. Re. Waters, I can't begin to understand what makes billionaire celebrities get into catfights with each other. Musk and Zuck cage match coming next!
Not sure if he's a billionaire (Waters or Gilmour) but like Cyndi Lauper once sang (in a cover of The Brains), "Money changes everything."
No, I'm sure they aren't (McCartney is just a tad over 1B) but, you know, poetic license. And yes, money changes everything. Seems to make some people crazy.
Thanks for reading, Lynn! I appreciate it!