Sound

This weekend I listened to the first CD of the "Welcome Back..." live Emerson Lake and Palmer album. Having overlistened to ELP since, literally, early childhood I had taken several long breaks between listenings over the years, and, a bit self consciously, have not let it work its way back into my regular listening routine. And I don't suppose I'm going to change that either. However, that music is still very powerful and impressive to me. On a related topic, I've wasted much time on variations on the silly endeavor of proving objective quality of music, with bands such as ELP as my focus. I've long outgrown the temptation of such arguments. Or have been socially conditioned to pretend I have. Disclaimers attended to, what impressed me this time, though it's nothing new, is just how great the album sounds. Aquatarkus, Toccata and other sections of Tarkus spring to mind.

exit music (for a film) -- OK Computer

This song feels so pre-Dark-Side-of-the-Moon Pink Floyd. It opens with early Roger Waters strumming akin to "If" on Atom Heart Mother. Organ sounds entering on 3rd verse sound like (mellotron?) choir effects. Backwards recordings enter on the next verse. We even get a Nick Mason entry along with an oh-so-good fat bass line when the song starts rocking out ala the break in Echoes prior to it's final verses. The overall arc is somewhat like that of Careful with that Axe Eugene, excepting that there is a real vocal part. The overall feel is so completely Pink Floyd from the writing to the production, to the bleak lyrics that I wonder whether it's a deliberate homage.