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What about The Endless River? Is technically an official release. Also you’ve inspired me I’m gonna give a listen to some of my Floyd’s least frequents again and I’ll be catching up to you and we’ll make some sick rankings.

lovelyritametermaid said

In the Court of the Crimson King — King Crimson (1969) 

A certain Argentinian Forumpudlian mentions and highly praises this album from time to time so I thought I’d give it at spin– I’m blown away so far, It’s terrific and it’s stunning that what I’m hearing was concocted only in the ’60s twilight years. 

See below for Pink Floyd album ranking:

Reveal Spoiler

@Jules

**I’m not going to go into a whole music critique deep dive spiel– I’ll just give some abridged notes. I’m also not including album cover pictures because I’m too lazy for that s**t. 

Welp here we go……

 

15) Ummagumma (1969) 

Even though I appreciate Ummagumma as an important developmental step for post-Syd Floyd, I just can’t bring myself to find interest in it. Side 1 is good, but only because it’s just four live versions of previously-released material. Side 2, however, I just don’t like. The instrumentals are uninteresting and not really up to standard. This quality can be excused by the fact that they are just trying to find a new sound as they continue without Barrett, but that point still doesn’t merit it a higher place in the rankings. The band itself looks back on it in scorn, saying that they were just bullshitting through it all. It’s just a bunch of filler and noodling around– the only aspects of this album to really merit a more-than-never relisten for me are the acoustic nature ballad “Grantchester Meadows” and the 3 parts of Gilmour’s “The Narrow Way.” 

14) A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987)

Don’t get me wrong, AMLOR isn’t bad– it’s just a bit lacking and doesn’t really hold water when compared to the other albums that are above it in this list– thus the second-to-last ranking. Like Ummagumma being a tool for Floyd to find itself after the departure of Barrett, AMLOR is just a tool used by Gilmour in order to find a way to continue on the Floyd legacy without Rog. It’s an enjoyable listen (I love “Learning to Fly”, in fact, and think it’s a great track), it just doesn’t really have any memorable punches, if you catch my drift? The biting quality of Rog’s writing is missing, and while we get to hear some of Gilmour’s wonderful liquid guitar sounds and some noice production, each piece doesn’t really make a whole– and it’s not really Pink Floyd. Tracks standing alone prove to be adequate, but a complete run-through just leaves me saying “meh” in the end as I forget all about what I even listened to. 

13) The Endless River (2014)

While TER gives us some beautiful sounds throughout and is a good listen if you just once some long, instrumental ambiance in the background, its still kind of underwhelming. Nothing really grabs at you– however, despite its failures and the fact that its main purpose is to really serve as fanservice and an official farewell, it has its moments as sort of adventurous piece reminiscent of the post-Barrett, pre-DSOTM days. 

12) The Final Cut (1983) 

I have come to sort of like and sympathize with Rog’s final Floyd album– it’s his farewell, his final hard-hitting, gut-wrenching piece with messages that he just needed to release. However, a lot of it does tend to be forgettable– only listenable under the circumstances that you made a commitment to listen to the album all the way through. The final number, too, is kind of underwhelming– you get all pumped up and thrilled screaming “feck yeah!” during “Not Now John,” and then you just force yourself through “Two Suns in the Sunset” and then oh, it’s over and then you try to process whatever the feck it is that you just put yourself through. The reason why I rank this higher than the other lowly-ranked albums, however, is that it does carry certain feelings of anguish that kind of just sit with you, and Rog does provide some pretty rockin’ and interesting tracks within. But, again, with that said, you really only hear Rogers– any other contribution is just suffocated underneath his intensity. It’s a good Roger Waters solo album, but because of its dysfunction just not a great Floyd album. 

11) More (1969) 

This soundtrack album as given us some pretty good Floyd songs– the pastoral and Taurus-heavy “Green is the Colour” (a favorite of mine and @Beatlebug ‘s), “The Nile Song” (a real rocker that reveals Floyd’s hard rock side), “Cymbaline,” “Cirrus Minor,” “The Crying Song” (well I like it anyway). I find it mostly a particularly enjoyable listen, though really compared to other Floyd work it’s not really that substantial as a whole. The instrumentals, too, don’t really hold shape on their own– they just seem to be the bridges you have to cross over to complete the album, thus its soundtrack-intentions shrinking its overarching prowess. 

10) The Division Bell (1994)

I consider TDB to be the best of Floyd’s post-Waters album trio– it provides a wonderful atmosphere that a Floyd-fan can really sink their teeth into, even without Waters. Like AMLOR, it still lacks in that the lyrical and thematic elements aren’t as strong as they could be, however, the music itself is still great, partly making up for its cons. Nearly every track is a pretty enjoyable experience, and the album is sort of able to stand up on its own as a whole work. It’s not really anything to enthusiastically write home about, but it’s still rather impressive and has enough pros so as to be a regrettable purchase or waste of time. 

9) Saucerful of Secrets (1968)

Saucerful is another album that we think of as sort of the last hurrah of a particular Floyd member (The Final Cut being Waters swansong, The Endless River being a sort of tribute to Wright as well as overall closure)– in this case, we see the last moments of Barrett’s career with the group, though there’s not really any “hurrah” as Waters starts to take over as Syd declines. ASOS is reminiscent of the psychedelics and weirdness of APATGOD— “Set the Controls….” is eerie with a sort of paranoid feel, where Roger explores a new realm of musical atmosphere; “Corporal Clegg” is a funny, weird, sardonic criticism of war and “war-heroes” complete with a kazoo and some sweeping parts; “Let There Be More Light” is rhythmic and just sets the wonderful vibe of the album; the close “Jugband Blues” is a track that particularly sticks with me– it’s Barrett-weird and has those cool strange elements, yet also kind of sad because it displays Syd’s declining state-of-mind at that time, ending with an acoustic ballad closure that trails off and leaves you feeling sorrowful towards Syd Barrett. As a whole, I really enjoy Saucerful— it truly is a great piece, and it pains that I can’t put it up higher, but sadly there’s not really any room……

8) Atom Heart Mother (1970)

AHM contains two of my favorite Floyd songs– “If” and “Fat Old Sun,” two wonderfully pastoral acoustic songs that I adore that sandwich “Summer ’68,” which I also particularly enjoy. “Atom Heart Mother ” is an enjoyable instrumental, despite being 20-bloody-minutes long, it’s interesting and is able to reel my attention back in if I happen to momentarily zone out. Thus, from “AHM” to “FOS,” I really like the album. It’s no ground-breaking, theatrical, complex spectacle– just a lovely collection of sounds that I appreciate exist and like to have as a Floyd album– the discography wouldn’t be the same without it. However, one slight downfall is the closure instrumental piece, “Alan’s Psychedelic Breakfast”– it’s interesting and weird and kind of cool I guess at times, I just can’t get past the *eating* sounds. One of my biggest pet peeves is the sound of people chewing and eating– I can’t stand it, such sounds are too gross and uncomfortable for me! I’ll take “Alan’s Psychedelic Breakfast” *without* the whole breakfast and eating aspect, thank you!

7) The Piper At The Gates of Dawn (1967)

I feel bad for only having this at #7 because I do love this album, it’s just when it comes to ranking things, one does have to make certain sacrifices that can be soul-wrenching and guilt-tripping. But I have to be honest and judge not just on sentiments but also on content! It’s my duty here as a Pink Floyd-fan-album-ranker-person-thing (I guess?)! Piper is trippy and weird and fantastic for it! It presents to us Floyd’s beginnings with Barrett as its leader and frontman. “Astronomy Domine” is an epic odyssey into a spacey atmosphere, with wonderful sounds and instrumental work. The same can be said for its instrumental partner-in-crime, “Interstellar Overdrive,” a crazy trip to Rock ‘N’ Roll sci-fi psychedelia. The closure “Bike,” is fecking even more weird and unconventional, with Barrett going full, well, Barrett– it’s fun and insane and sort of perfect way to close out such a wonderfully ridiculous album. Of course, in-between these delights are even more cool tracks that really make Piper a trip that I find myself returning to frequently to escape from bland, angsty reality to a place of fantasy and adventure.  

6) Obscured By Clouds (1972)

OBC is Floyd’s return to a more traditional, lyrical album with tracks at a standard length. While we do miss out on long-ass instrumentals, we get our fair share of wonderful songs before they breach into masterpiece territory with DSOTM. “Wot’s…Uh the Deal?” is another high-ranked favorite of mine– a gorgeous acoustic Gilmour-Waters collab that I can’t get enough of like ever (I swear I play it on my guitar every single day lmao) about growing old that evokes sweet feelings of nostalgia and sentiment– just gold. Other great songs are “Childhood’s End,” “Free Four,” “The Gold It’s In the…..” The instrumentals, while shorter, are still very wonderful and dreamy, crafting the perfect vibe for the overall greatness of this album. “Absolutely Curtains” is especially dreamy, ending with what I assume to be spiritual chants that lead you away feeling a bit satisfied with the overall listen. While it may be a bit weaker compared to the other greats– it still holds a solid place in my image of the Pink Floyd that I enjoy and love. 

5) Meddle (1971)

Personally, I didn’t really expect Meddle to break to my top 5– but after reflection and relistening, here it is! We open with “One of These Days,” a rocker that gives us a windy atmosphere and soaring guitar and uplifting elements. The dreamy and soft Gilmour-Waters “A Pillow of Winds” displays wonderful storytelling lyrics full of Waters’ poetry– a wonderful song to just sit and listen to with your eyes closed and the world tuned out. “Fearless” follows, carrying the same vibe and terrific lyrics and amplifying it to an even better song that I love! “San Tropez” gives us sort of a standard, granny-music vibe with a beat and more wonderful liquid guitar-playing. “Seamus” is a Floyd take on the blues, a parody if you will complete with dog sound effects that remind you that Floyd still has room to incorporate their mark of weirdness and really make it their own. It all ends with “Echoes,” another long-ass instrumental that kicks ass by just continuing the gorgeous dreamy Meddle vibe and serves a whole ‘nother atmosphere that one can just sit down in, before bringing itself to a close with Waters’ gorgeous lyrical work and psychedelic vocals that give more reasons for one to adore it. 

4) Animals (1977)

Ah, the final four– we all know what albums are gonna be here, and honestly depending on my mood the rank of the final four can and will shift from time to time, for me they’re not set in stone. Each one is a masterpiece in its own right, each deserves the #1 spot, but y’all, unfortunately, that’s not really how rankings work *deep sigh* anyhoo….

While arguably Waters-choked, Animals still holds up as a great album. Its an album not meant for commercial success, an album that paints a portrait for humanity taking inspiration from the novel Animal Farm. Floyd, mostly Waters, dips their/his toes into politics and societal commentary. The acoustic guitar is a prevalent instrument, the opening and closer neatly wrapping the album together with more wonderful lyricism and a more down-to-earth kind of vibe than its predecessors DSOTM and WYWH. The lead guitar solos and parts of “Dogs” are incredible and oh-my-god amazing, expressing Gilmour’s inept talent. There may be no kooky sound effects or weird experimentation, but such just proves that at their core, Floyd can produce a substantial masterpiece of an album with just their own songwriting and playing talents alone. Filled overall with beautiful aggression and literature that just is one long lovely jam that you can never get enough of. 

3) The Wall (1979) 

I’ve seen Wall often criticized for being just Waters’ self-absorbed, angsty plight, but I find that these qualities are just misunderstood– the Wall is a personal, emotion-ridden masterpiece with a great concept and theme that is executed perfectly. It’s one of the greatest rock operas of all time, one that would bring sink Floyd after its triumph, but such a thing is sometimes meant to happen. The whole hour-and-a-half of this shebang is wonderfully crafted– content that flows into each other to create one long overarching storyline that one gets invested in. It’s complete with extended metaphors and exposition and elements that really make it a literature of a tragic hero complete with a rise, fall, and revelation. The production is fabulous, and the theatrical wonderfulness of such a composition is something that I can’t really express in concise words without just blabbering on and on– the only way I can truly convey its greatness is if you stop reading it and just take an hour-and-a-half out of your life to just listen to it (or relisten to it or whatever, y’know). I always always always get chills every time I hear the “Another Brick in the Wall” riff– it’s so gritty and tangible and leaden with iconic ethos. 

2) The Dark Side of the Moon (1973)

It’s a rock masterpiece, and of course, most of you know that!! It has it all– gorgeous production and overall instrumental work, terrific lyricism crafted expertly by Waters. “Breathe” brings us into a dreamy atmosphere with Gilmour leading us along with great, haunting vocals.”On the Run” is a paranoid instrumental experimenting with sci-fi, futuristic sounds that move you along into this musical experience crafted for us by Floyd. “Time” is a groovy rocker with even more excellent production and vocal work, leading you into a sort of existential scape that you don’t want to leave because goddamn that fecking guitar is fantastic! “The Great Gig in the Sky” features a guest vocalist that uses purely her voice along with Floyd’s vibing keyboards, drums, and guitar to bring us to new heights from which we still don’t want to leave. “Money” is a freaking iconic piece of sardonic criticism on materialism– with the sound effects leading us into the terrific fecking funky bassline and then the fecking staggering guitar and Jesus, Mary, and Joseph this a fabulous and one of the greatest songs of all time !!!!!!!! It transitions smoothly into “Us & Them,” where again tune out and float away to a land of dreamy soundscapes and echoes. “Any Colour You Like” is another breath-taking instrumental work. “Brain Damage” presents us with beautiful and flowing guitar reminiscent of “Dear Prudence ,” but with a differing theme of course– another astounding tribute to former-bandmate Syd Barrett that explores the deep trenches of psychosis in its lyrics yet maintains the same cool, hazy, smooth DSOTM vibe– a real trip complete with ‘insane laughter’ SFX in the latter verse. And we end with “Eclipse” that just brings everything to an astounding incredibly magnificent close that leaves you perfectly satisfied yet wanting desperately to restart the album and listen to it again and again. Perfect. *chef’s kiss*

1) Wish You Were Here (1975)

Now, after raving on about DSOTM, how could I possibly praise WYWH to the extent at which it is presented as worthy competition and deserving of spot numero uno??? Welp, the reason why I rank this first is pure just emotional, and sentimental value. It’s especially emotion-evoking, a direct message and tribute to Syd Barrett that leaves me in actual tears, forcing me to reflect and treasure. It ages well, feeling new and refreshing to me even after multiple listens and multiple years. It’s deep and progressive and fabulous and each song is something I hold dear and give my full attention to. It leaves me at a loss for words.  “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” is fecking magnificent and epic and a heartbreaking tribute to Barrett that makes me cry each time. “Welcome to the Machine” is also epic and incredible, breath-taking and leaving you to just reflect as you sit there surrounded by its awesomeness. “Have A Cigar” is funky with wonderfully executed instrumentals and great production, that take you along and sucks you into its grooving atmosphere as Waters paints a critical picture of the music industry– the lyrics and vocals are rhythmic and cool and just the song overall is freaking amazing!!! And then my god “Wish You Were Here”– how could I even begin? A terrific fecking absolutely stunning ballad that escalates into a beautiful production that just fkajdajoiejirjiejifjfijvajeiekf…..sorry, I just love it so much oof…… Purely poetic and meaningful lyric that project to new planes of pathos and nostalgia and love– “Runnin’ over the same old ground / What have we found? / The same old fears / Wish you were here…..” Damn~~

 

Okay I’m going to bed now……..finally, after spending two hours on this oof…..

  

Pretty balanced list, as far as Floyd rankings go. My only change would be putting “The Division Bell” at 7th place and pushing the other three down, but that’s about it, personally.

Speaking of Dylan:

Post-edit note: Thank you for correcting my mistake Jules, I much appreciate it. Perhaps spending two months in lockdown has deprived me of some mathematical sense.