Pink Floyd Meddle [Digipak] | CD

Composer: Pink Floyd. Personnel: David Gilmour (vocals, guitar); Richard Wright (vocals, keyboards); Roger Waters (vocals, bass guitar); Nick Mason (percussion). Recording information: Abbey Road (1971); AIR Studios (1971); Emi Studios (1971); Morgan Studios, London (1971). MEDDLE was the first album to hint at the musical identity that would define Pink Floyd in the mid- to late-'70s. Whereas prior releases like UMMAGUMMA and ATOM HEART MOTHER announced the presence of new singer/guitarist/songwriter David Gilmour, MEDDLE represents the band's Gilmour-influenced evolution toward a sleek, epic, spacey sound. In "Echoes," an ambitious 23-minute soundscape, the pinging of a synthesizer greets the listener before Gilmour's warm, open guitar and gentle crooning gives way to a repetitious, workmanlike rhythm. From here, the music fades into an abyss of whale calls and eerie sonic reverberations. Elsewhere, Floyd dabbles with straightforward cocktail-hour jazz ("San Tropez") and a twisted sl