Albums Revisited: Pink Floyd’s Obscured By Clouds

I’ve been into music longer than there have been MP3s, which has left me with hundreds of compact discs gathering dust on a closet shelf. The time has come to clean them out – but which ones are worth keeping and which are best left to the Donation box? Let’s take ‘em one by one:

Obscured By Clouds
Pink Floyd

A soundtrack squeezed out in the midst of production for Dark Side Of The Moon, Obscured By Clouds is largely considered successful yet second tier Floyd. Nonetheless the album contains many important advancements for their later sound, notably the incorporation of synthesizers.

So how does it stack up today? The production is a bit dated but fans of Space Rock, Chill, Lounge and the more retro corners of Brooklyn will fondly recognize the sounds. In fact, much of Obscured By Clouds would slot nicely in the modern indie scene. Any question about the debt Air owe to early Floyd is easily settled with “Mudmen” and “When You’re In,” clear precursors to Moon Safari and Love 2. Straight up: tracks like “The Gold It’s In The . . .,” standard rock fare of the day, are a bit hokey for today’s audiences, but the beautiful “Wot’s . . . Uh The Deal” still shines.

Amusing how the attitude towards soundtracks has changed so much. For well known bands today, soundtracks are a dumping ground for outtakes and b-sides. None of that nonsense here – this is a strong collection of quality tracks. While the production may have aged, the songwriting and playing has not.

Overall it’s an album which is still being made today, just by other bands who aren’t as good at it.

Worth the revisit? Yes

Tags: pink floyd