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"Overhead the albatross" is basically Dave Gilmour's position in the group. Pink Floyd were originally called the "Architectural Ad-dabs" as Rick Wright, Nick Mason and Roger Waters were architecture students at Regent Street Polytechnic in central London but met Syd Barrett from Camberwell College of Art and like most Art School students in the 60s (Lennon, Townsend, Richards, Clapton) was more experimental and Floyd began as a jamming house band at London Free School and then the first psychedelic club UFO along with the wonderful Soft Machine. When Syd tripped and blanked out Dave Gilmour came in and over a few albums, culminating with this one Meddle, basically re-tooled Floyd as sonic architects, over which his guitar did soar. I bought the early Floyd singles and albums and saw them live in 1968 and 1970 and I always thought that this was the album when they finally found their musical identity by finally building a superb sonic architecture... Incidentally Soft Machine released the double album THIRD in 1970 which was just 4 tracks each around 20 minutes, so they continued to influence Floyd long after they played together at UFO. It's a great album and resulted in Soft Machine being the first group invited to play at the annual Proms at the Royal Albert Hall.
Hi Guys I've been listening to Meddle since it was first released, when you consider the lyrics "Overhead the albatross Hangs motionless upon the air And deep beneath the rolling waves In labyrinths of coral caves" my friends and i have always considered the middle section of echoes as whales communicating.
For me this song is about life emerging all by itself from the deep of the ocean, and the liberating thought that no-one is guiding your life other than you and your relationship to others/loved ones.
You MUST listen to the live versions of Echoes. Live in Pompeji is great but as well Gilmours version from Gdansk. Don't miss Gdansk. It was the last performance of Echoes as Wright died and Gilmour will not perform it without Wright. As well, in the Gdansk version you get a pure magical 5 minutes when Wright and Gilmour go into a deep musical conversation that moves emotions arround. Especially when you know that Wright will die soon after Gdansk.
I was lucky to see Gilmour, Wright, and Mason, perform the full Echoes in London in 2006. That was a dream for me as a fan of the band since the 1970s.
I was introduced to Pink Floyd when DSoTM was released, loved it. Shortly after I purchased their previous album(which I still have). I have never tired of the "Meddle" album and especially the song "Echoes". "Atom Heart Mother" is another early song you should check out, It will affect you in the same way. I've been on this journey for 50+ years, and never regretted it. They are the greatest band, IMO. What they did in the '70's when they were in their 20's will never be matched, 5 straight masterpieces in a row. Life changing.
When you said " this is creepy.....even with the lights on "...... This is the music and echoes so perfect for the Roman ampitheatre at Pompeii. You can hear the tortured souls of the gladiators and christians who perished here........more than 80 years before the Coliseum was built in Rome.
I was 14 when I bought Meddle in 1971. I wore the album out especially side 2. sitting in the dark listening to Echoes. Its stilla classic and stands the test of time and then of course DSOTM followed.
Mike, you are right that Richard Wright was playing the ping through a Leslie if I recall correctly, and Dev brought up 2001 A Space Odyssey which there is a video on You tube that Echoes is synced up with the final sequence of the movie. I highly suggest checking it out. You can find it here: (th-cam.com/video/rn7MmS3vazU/w-d-xo.html). The Pompei version is very good although split in two parts, but my favorite is the David Gilmour version from Gdansk, Poland in 2006. It is so much more emotional. It is the last time David played it in concert because it was the last time it was played with Richard who passed away two years later. From the 20:00 minute mark till the end is unbelievable. The call and response between David Gilmour and Richard Wright is phenomenal.
I was also reclining but due to my age and state of refreshment I fell asleep during the creepy forest section and woke up when you were both discussing the funky jam section ffs. This is the song /album where David Gilmour establishes his signature “spacey” sound. I first heard “ Echoes” live at Liverpool Empire Theatre in November 1974, from 6 rows back. I couldn’t actually see anything due to the amount of dry ice being blown from the stage and the hash smoke being blown from the audience. Personally I think it’s a few minutes too long but it very much sets a characteristic “ Pink Floyd” cinematic aural experience that became their forte. Loved your discussion at the end guys. I’ll watch it all again tomorrow. Best wishes from England 🏴.
This song is on Dutch (national) Radio 2 at least once a year in it's entirety during the annual (public voted) Top2000 which runs from December 25th 0:00 through to December 31st 0:00. (Bohemian Rhapsody is usually nr. 1.)
Awesome reaction guys!! You’re really going to love the live version at Pompeii. I was lucky to see the movie twice during the initial theatrical release in the early 70s with Quad sound. You were right on about the HAL -9000 reference. I visualize key parts of 2001 A Space Odyssey to go along with the different movements of Echoes, especially the mid-section jam. Meddle has always been my favorite PF album, and Echoes Live at Pompeii is my favorite music video, period. ✌️❤️🔥
Reflecting a spiritual journey, crow-like screams from de-carnet spirits come for your soul. However the sun rises, ("a billion bright ambassadors or morning") REDEEM you with the power of light , in the reprise.This, my friends is where it really all began for FLOYD.😀
Yes... the first place that I heard this song was on FM Radio. We changed Radio to meet our desires. There were many artists with 15 - 20 minute songs and they played them all. Before our generation, Radio was almost like today... 3 minutes of music and then ads, but we just wouldn't put up with it and we broke their back & soon they were playing songs like this... all the way through!
When you think this is 1970 or 71, whenever they composed this. U2, Coldplay among others, built their entire careers on this kind of soundscape, that guitar loop/delay. They never approached this level of artistry, but again, these dudes were not only pioneers but masters.
I also think that because none of these guys were “great” musicians, they didn’t get sucked into the pompous over the top symphonic stuff that so many 70s “progs” bands did. They stayed in their lane, they expressed themselves emotionally and emotively, through simplicity. I don’t know if that quite makes sense. How is David Gilmour the best guitarist of all time with his fairly limited technical skills? Because his soul is coming through. All four of them, same deal
They were maybe not great musicians, except for Gilmour, but they sure knew their way around a studio and how to create a live performance and were able to achieve a sound and complexity in their music that's hard to find anywhere else. Their records from the 1960's and '70s are lightyears ahead of anything else at that time. The layers, the insane amount of details. You'll not find that on any record produced today even. But then again, they were allowed by their label to spend a lot of time in the studio. And before recording anything new, they would try out new stuff live.
It's my favorite Pink Floyd song period. But the harder edge of the Pompeii version takes the prize for me. You'll soon see what I mean, lol. The Gdansk show was Gilmour solo with Rick on keys and vocals is fantastic too but there's a few better things on there like Wots Uh The Deal off Obscured By Clouds. Freakin incredible! Even though I'm familiar with the destination, I'm sure having fun taking this trip with you guys.
I was a junior in college when this album was first released. My roommate described the outro as sitting on a frisbee accelerating through the universe. To this day, 53 years later, I don’t think anyone has put it in better context.
I enjoyed your reactions to this great piece of music. Echoes live at Gdansk is by far the best live version. It's a stunning capstone experience after listening to this audio version. David Gilmour, Richard Wright, and friends were on fire that night in Poland. The Pompeii version is also worth watching, but in my opinion it doesn't match what was accomplished in Gdansk. The hauntingly beautiful musical dialogue between David and Richard at Gdansk was one for the ages really, made all the more haunting and poignant by Richard's passing a few years later. David has said he will never perform Echoes again. He said it would feel almost blasphemous without Richard there playing divinely on his keys...
there's a reason why Andrew L Webber is known as the musical plagerist! was nice to see you both listen to it and separately and lying down with headphones cudos!
The song could be considered sort of a requiem on saying goodbye to the way they played before this album and here comes Dark Side of the Moon and the way of playing music from here forward! Echoes by most is the song that people feel where Pink Floyd discovered who they wanted to be! Can't wait for both live versions. Especially the one at Pompeii when you get to see when they were your guys age or slightly younger!!
People want to know who Pink Floyd is need to know where they came from. Meddle and then Dark Side Of The Moon are two of my all time favorite albums. I was fortunate to have seen Pink Floyd do both of these tours.
Ummagumma next?? got one really cool song thats hugely long title .. not the song but its title ... this was fun today ... waiting for the other versions you woll also react to.
You're reacting to Echoes !?!? I'm so excited !!! 😊 Gonna check out your video tonight. Yeah, baby !! Probably mentioned this before, but the closed captioning is a good idea.
As a 14-year-old, I was confused and fascinated by the original film from Pompeii in 1971 in the amphitheater at the Vesus volcano near Naples with the recorded landscape images at the same time (Volcanic Tragedy 79 AD). This event was organized for Pink Floyd as a change from the long-running Dark Side studio recordings, which appeared almost at the same time. Only then did I find out that Echoes is a whole side on the Meddle album. Happy New Year to all of you!
The opening 'ping' was played on a Hammond, fed through a Leslie (rotating) speaker. You ask where would you ever hear that if you did not own the album . . . well . . . it was used IN FULL in the film Crystal Voyager. Might I suggest you watch this? Also, submarines do not ping, as you said - that is the sound of the echo ranger (ASDIC) on the ship looking for them! As for 'who ripped off whom' the answer is nobody. The sequence in question is just a 'down and up' of the scale, played on bass - and is a very common motif.
Ahh Echoes. The panorama of Floyd memories stands before me like distant twinkling lights in the fog. I was on a camping trip with my lady in southern Cornwall, we had a little stereo I lay there all night in the middle of nowhere watching shooting stars listening to this album, it was incredible. Lol @ Dev, states of mind almost as beautiful as you my love. Just watched it to the end, hope you guys are good remember Love and above all communication. Okay didn't think I was gonna be told to grow up tbh. Click on this and get told to stop being so childish forget your memories and the 2hrs in your day you have off you're not working hard enough jesus.
Great reaction, guys, to a great song. During that "creepy forest" section the "seagull" or "whale" sound you heard was from one of David's pedals that a roadie wired backwards! David loved the sound so much that he kept messing around with it.
Personally my favourite Floyd track My first trip back in the 70s Have had to spark a little one up, just to get the full benefit! A very chilled reaction guys, looks like you enjoyed it !!....
Nice association with 2001! As another comment mentioned, Echoes meshes perfectly to the "Stargate" sequence at the end. Its eery and definitely worth a reaction! I consider PF one of the greatest bands ever producing timeless music. To me the essential PF are 3 albums bookended with Echoes and Comfortably Numb: Echoes Dark Side WYWH Animals Comfortably Numb I can't pick a favorite amongst those 3 albums.
Mike As you and Dev react both Gilmour's and PF's live events at Pompeii. Both are the 1st since 79AD: Pink Floyd at Pompeii was 1st live event since 79AD, year that Mount Vesuvius erupted and killed thousands in Pompeii and nearby areas where victims mummified with ash and lava frozen in time. Mike, David Gilmour's concert at Pompeii was in 2016. His concert over 45 years later since Pink Floyd played at ancient coliseum but with an audience. You know that Pink Floyd and then Gilmour had to follow strict Italian rules of Ancient Antiquities especially with an audience.
This track is very very special to me , its the 1st LP of Floyd i got in 1972 my dad bought me it after seeing a film about a surfer , and the last part after the whale sounds the re emergents till the end , my friend at school asked me if i could use it as music to his drama A level practical and he passed
It does more than work brilliantly, it's simply ASTOUNDING. It doesn't just "kinda fit", it's beat-for-beat. It fits thematically and shifts tonally with perfection. The two pieces, when combined, become something very special. Especially considering Dev picked up on this intuitively, I think they HAVE to check it out!
It doesn't matter whether anyone else holds the same views as you. The power of this genre compared to modern music is the simple fact that it makes you stop and think and fosters discussion and introspection.....
Not sure if the vocals are thru the Leslie speakers or not on this recording (if in studio it is possible) as I know David loved those Leslie speakers. I didn't see any Leslie's in the live recording at Pompeii. They do use them in live shows or at least did use them in their live performances. Laying down with headphones is the best way to listen to many of their albums especially Wish You Were Here, Animals and Dark Side of the Moon. Remember that the band was still kinda trying to figure out their style after Syd's departure and you can really see it on Umma Gumma as well as the Meddle album. They didn't have Syd to do the lyrics or arrangements anymore so they experimented a lot especially with sounds, noises and new electronics including the voice box and the Leslie speakers.
Yea that one riff is from phantom of the opera. I wouldn't have thought of it 😮but playing it just before playing echoes it's obvious. So echoes came first before phantom. Interesting. The funky jam section in the middle is my favourite part. My second favourite aspect is the melody and as usual the beautiful vocals.
This song is deceptive on the first listen. It's more cohesive than it appears, which is part of its genius. It appears, at first listen, to have abrupt transitions, but almost every sudden transition is set like a jewel inside a set of more subtle transitions.
That 'Phantom of the Opera' reference is very apt... Waters was not amused but decided not to sue Lloyd Webber. His revenge was served cold many years later on this album 'Amused to death' when he wrote the following lyrics for the song 'It's a miracle' : "We cower in our shelters, with our hands over our ears. Lloyd-Webber's awful stuff runs for years and years and years. An earthquake hits the theatre but the operetta lingers. Then the piano lid comes down and breaks his fucking fingers. It's a miracle. "
The get back from Roger Waters to Andrew Lloyd Webber is on his Amused to death album……We cower in our shelters With our hands over our ears Lloyd-Webber's awful stuff Runs for years and years and years An earthquake hits the theatre But the operetta lingers Then the piano lid comes down And breaks his fucking fingers It's a miracle
this is why you should scroll through the comments before posting. you saved me the time of typing the lyrics myself. until recently i didn't know why roger had a bug up his arse about webber. i see now that the lyrics were well deserved.
I've read that on the last performance of this with David and Richard they were echoing each other on keyboards and guitar. A great performance and you get to watch them play it..
Dev's thoughts at the end really struck home for me. I think she's got the motivation of the lyrics nailed. Also, that groove at the second part may be my favorite piece of music, hands down.
A masterpiece. Of course this came out way before Phantom of the Opera. I suppose it’s possible that Lloyd-Webber may have been influenced by this, after all who wouldn’t be?
Would really love to hear your break down of some Yes. The Album ‘Close to the edge’ (released 1 year after Meddle) should be a must do for you guys and the song ‘Close to the edge ‘ will allow Dev to have another lie down…….
I really enjoyed the reaction and thanks again for some extra background material. Like many others have commented, this work is unique masterpiece in popular rock. It, along with Time/Breath (reprise) are my favorite PF tracks. Maybe it is just me, but I always felt that this was a precursor to Shine On You Crazy Diamond. The lyrics not withstanding, the first 5 minutes of Echoes remind my both structurally and somewhat melodically of SOYCD. I feel the same after the extended middle sequence when the pace picks back up and the staccato guitar part begins. Just my two cents but I think you can draw a line between the two. The lower register ambient sounds during the middle section also sounds like what they would use when they recorded Sheep on the Animals album. Maybe I am the only one hearing that. Thanks
1. I absolutely see the start as being set under water. Sonar ping, "...coral caves" etc. 2. The spooky screaming mid-section is, I believe, whale song. In keeping with under-sea theme. 3. You both should try lying down with dimmed lighting to react to Floyd!
The whale sounds were discovered by plugging the guitar into a wah pedal backwards, with the input/output jacks reversed. I learned about it in high school 25 years ago, from a guitar instructional video that a friend had. Can't remember who did the video. We used to mess around with it when jamming in my old band. It's plugged in backwards, then the sounds are made by turning the volume and tone controls back and forth.
This music was used in a film called Crystal Voyager , I was a photographer and the movie was using specially made high speed cameras attached to surf boards then had them surf into huge "tubes" and then the water dissapating after. A camera at high speed means slo motion on screen. I went for the photographe and got turned on to Pink Floyd in a Huge way, i liked their 2 singles in the 60's but not most of the other stuff, that changed with this music
Pink Floyd had played versions of this for about 2/3 years previously to the album being released at live concerts. Maybe Webber atended one of those concerts and subliminaly used it Webber version of phantom was only in the mid 1980's, so at least 10years plus old for Floyd
We bought it early on not long after release because we had. Ummagumma and already were fans but were unprepared for side 2, especially after a somewhat odd and kinda disappointing end to side 1. Echoes is unreal, saw it live in 1975, we saw David Gilmour sit next to his special effects rack during that ghostly mid section and send us into space. Meddle was a breakthrough album that really established their sound and set the stage for the Greatness to come. Can't wait for your reactions to the live versions, they are both killer and amazingly as great being over 30 years apart. Great stuff, enjoy! 🎵🎸🎤🎹🎶
"...Childhood's end your fantasies merge with harsh realities..." Yes, these themes were on their minds at the time. I think you'll enjoy the album that slots between this and Darkside: "Obscured By Clouds" including the song "Childhood's End" 😉
That album vies to be my favourite of theirs... it and Animals. But then the wind changes and I'm back to WYWH being my favourite. 😅 Obscured though is brilliant and it definitely doesn't get the love its due.
@andrewdavidson665 Couldn't agree more. SOYCD (in it's entirety) is probably my single favorite piece of music, but Animals is my favorite album. However, OBC is my go-to for a Floyd fix more and more these days. It's like having breakfast in your jammies with the band. Relaxed and intimate.
Nice reaction, you are brave! Remember BOTH parts of Echoes live at Pompeii -71, they open and ends the film. FunFloydFact: The eerie sounds in Echoes are adapted from Roger Waters "Several species of small furry animals gathered together in a cave and grooved with a Pict", Ummagumma 1969. Listen to THAT in a dark room and you are even braver!
The eerie whale/dolphin sounds were discovered by accidentally plugging the guitar into the wah pedal backwards, with the input and output jacks reversed. I used to do it 25 years ago jamming with my friends. We learned this trick from an old guitar instructional video tape my friend had. I agree about Several Species...my uncle used to blast it in the car when I was a kid, and we loved it.
You two fell as hard for Pink Floyd as I did back in the late sixties. Of course I had/ have it on LP and 8-track along with many cassettes. Nut depending on where you were at, there were radio stations that would play it quite often. As was the case in Arizona. We're fortunate to have one of the original stations that played classic rock back in the day, still here in the Ozarks. It is Arkansas Rock's. And they played this many times. Or any other Pink Floyd. Or anything else from Frank Zappa to Bread. ✌️ 🤠🏞️🐂
It was written by Gilmour and Wright thats wht Roger doesnt like it, there was also some acrimony about the Royalty fee, This takes up the whole of side 2 and lasts 20+ min. Roger got the same fee for a 2 min clip on side 1
I have to be honest, I edited this song for my own listening pleasure, which I faded it out when it goes into the spacey underwater part, I'm just not able to listen to that part as I once did when I was a stoner. I know that will probably upset some hard core fans, but I love this song, especially when it goes into the jazzy beat, but after that I'd just have to keep skipping it to my next song on the playlist, so why not just edit it, as I did with several of their songs that go off into space mode
![Echoes Live at Pompeii [Pink Floyd Reaction] 2016 mix - First time watching - SEE DESC FOR ORIG. MIX](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/7L0Ry5nlq8I/mqdefault.jpg)
![Echoes Live at Pompeii [Pink Floyd Reaction] 2016 mix - First time watching - SEE DESC FOR ORIG. MIX](/img/tr.png)
![Us and Them/Brain Damage/Eclipse [Pink Floyd Reaction] First time hearing The Dark Side of the Moon](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/_XofN6ljt9w/mqdefault.jpg)
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This song is a trip.
A masterpiece.
Epic! Best way to listen, eyes closed, lying down, headphones on loud.
🎶❤️🎶
"Overhead the albatross" is basically Dave Gilmour's position in the group.
Pink Floyd were originally called the "Architectural Ad-dabs" as Rick Wright, Nick Mason and Roger Waters were architecture students at Regent Street Polytechnic in central London but met Syd Barrett from Camberwell College of Art and like most Art School students in the 60s (Lennon, Townsend, Richards, Clapton) was more experimental and Floyd began as a jamming house band at London Free School and then the first psychedelic club UFO along with the wonderful Soft Machine. When Syd tripped and blanked out Dave Gilmour came in and over a few albums, culminating with this one Meddle, basically re-tooled Floyd as sonic architects, over which his guitar did soar.
I bought the early Floyd singles and albums and saw them live in 1968 and 1970 and I always thought that this was the album when they finally found their musical identity by finally building a superb sonic architecture...
Incidentally Soft Machine released the double album THIRD in 1970 which was just 4 tracks each around 20 minutes, so they continued to influence Floyd long after they played together at UFO. It's a great album and resulted in Soft Machine being the first group invited to play at the annual Proms at the Royal Albert Hall.
I could listen to David and Richard harmonize all day. Their voices complement each other perfectly.
As I recall hearing Roger describe the song's meaning as "being a call out to humanity to be better towards each other".
Dave and Richard have perfect harmonies!
Probably the best song ever written in the history of mankind. The story of Creation!
Thanks for playing the WHOLE song, too many reactors don't do that😊
Definitely tripped out on a few camping trips. In upstate New York listening to this about 40 years ago !
Love Nick Mason's drumming on this one.
ETERNO CAPOLAVORO !!!💞💞💞💞
D'ACCORDO !
I first heard this on 8-track (look it up) and when you'd fall asleep it keeps playing and gives you very interesting dreams.
Hi Guys I've been listening to Meddle since it was first released, when you consider the lyrics "Overhead the albatross
Hangs motionless upon the air And deep beneath the rolling waves In labyrinths of coral caves" my friends and i have always considered the middle section of echoes as whales communicating.
For me this song is about life emerging all by itself from the deep of the ocean, and the liberating thought that no-one is guiding your life other than you and your relationship to others/loved ones.
You MUST listen to the live versions of Echoes. Live in Pompeji is great but as well Gilmours version from Gdansk. Don't miss Gdansk. It was the last performance of Echoes as Wright died and Gilmour will not perform it without Wright. As well, in the Gdansk version you get a pure magical 5 minutes when Wright and Gilmour go into a deep musical conversation that moves emotions arround. Especially when you know that Wright will die soon after Gdansk.
Have you seen the video?
We will be watching both
I was lucky to see Gilmour, Wright, and Mason, perform the full Echoes in London in 2006. That was a dream for me as a fan of the band since the 1970s.
I was introduced to Pink Floyd when DSoTM was released, loved it. Shortly after I purchased their previous album(which I still have). I have never tired of the "Meddle" album and especially the song "Echoes". "Atom Heart Mother" is another early song you should check out, It will affect you in the same way. I've been on this journey for 50+ years, and never regretted it. They are the greatest band, IMO. What they did in the '70's when they were in their 20's will never be matched, 5 straight masterpieces in a row. Life changing.
When you said " this is creepy.....even with the lights on "......
This is the music and echoes so perfect for the Roman ampitheatre at Pompeii.
You can hear the tortured souls of the gladiators and christians who perished here........more than 80 years before the Coliseum was built in Rome.
I love the leadout from the first part with Nick and Roger playing off against each other. Waters is one of the best bassists I ever heard playing.
as usual great reaction
I was 14 when I bought Meddle in 1971. I wore the album out especially side 2. sitting in the dark listening to Echoes. Its stilla classic and stands the test of time and then of course DSOTM followed.
Mike, you are right that Richard Wright was playing the ping through a Leslie if I recall correctly, and Dev brought up 2001 A Space Odyssey which there is a video on You tube that Echoes is synced up with the final sequence of the movie. I highly suggest checking it out. You can find it here: (th-cam.com/video/rn7MmS3vazU/w-d-xo.html). The Pompei version is very good although split in two parts, but my favorite is the David Gilmour version from Gdansk, Poland in 2006. It is so much more emotional. It is the last time David played it in concert because it was the last time it was played with Richard who passed away two years later. From the 20:00 minute mark till the end is unbelievable. The call and response between David Gilmour and Richard Wright is phenomenal.
Absolutely excellent!!!!!!!!
The first time I heard this I was on blotter back in college in NYC in the early ‘90’s.
That was albatross screams. They reference it in the beginning of the song
Late night rock stations still play Echoes, just have to find the right frequency 😍🎸🦋
Absolute masterpiece❤
Gilmour and Wright playing off one another is "Peak" Floyd
Aside from the Live at Pompeii version, try the David Gilmour Remember That Night (2006) one, its incredible. Also Live in Gdansk is pretty good too.
I was also reclining but due to my age and state of refreshment I fell asleep during the creepy forest section and woke up when you were both discussing the funky jam section ffs. This is the song /album where David Gilmour establishes his signature “spacey” sound. I first heard “ Echoes” live at Liverpool Empire Theatre in November 1974, from 6 rows back. I couldn’t actually see anything due to the amount of dry ice being blown from the stage and the hash smoke being blown from the audience. Personally I think it’s a few minutes too long but it very much sets a characteristic “ Pink Floyd” cinematic aural experience that became their forte. Loved your discussion at the end guys. I’ll watch it all again tomorrow. Best wishes from England 🏴.
This song is on Dutch (national) Radio 2 at least once a year in it's entirety during the annual (public voted) Top2000 which runs from December 25th 0:00 through to December 31st 0:00. (Bohemian Rhapsody is usually nr. 1.)
Awesome reaction guys!! You’re really going to love the live version at Pompeii. I was lucky to see the movie twice during the initial theatrical release in the early 70s with Quad sound. You were right on about the HAL -9000 reference. I visualize key parts of 2001 A Space Odyssey to go along with the different movements of Echoes, especially the mid-section jam. Meddle has always been my favorite PF album, and Echoes Live at Pompeii is my favorite music video, period. ✌️❤️🔥
I first heard this tune in my senior year,1976, at the Lazerium at the Seattle Center. Went out the next day and bought the album. I still have it.
Reflecting a spiritual journey, crow-like screams from de-carnet spirits come for your soul. However the sun rises, ("a billion bright ambassadors or morning") REDEEM you with the power of light , in the reprise.This, my friends is where it really all began for FLOYD.😀
Yes... the first place that I heard this song was on FM Radio. We changed Radio to meet our desires. There were many artists with 15 - 20 minute songs and they played them all. Before our generation, Radio was almost like today... 3 minutes of music and then ads, but we just wouldn't put up with it and we broke their back & soon they were playing songs like this... all the way through!
Back in the day, we had FM radio stations that would play long songs like this. I heard it countless times in the early seventies.
When you think this is 1970 or 71, whenever they composed this. U2, Coldplay among others, built their entire careers on this kind of soundscape, that guitar loop/delay. They never approached this level of artistry, but again, these dudes were not only pioneers but masters.
I also think that because none of these guys were “great” musicians, they didn’t get sucked into the pompous over the top symphonic stuff that so many 70s “progs” bands did. They stayed in their lane, they expressed themselves emotionally and emotively, through simplicity. I don’t know if that quite makes sense. How is David Gilmour the best guitarist of all time with his fairly limited technical skills? Because his soul is coming through. All four of them, same deal
They were maybe not great musicians, except for Gilmour, but they sure knew their way around a studio and how to create a live performance and were able to achieve a sound and complexity in their music that's hard to find anywhere else. Their records from the 1960's and '70s are lightyears ahead of anything else at that time. The layers, the insane amount of details. You'll not find that on any record produced today even. But then again, they were allowed by their label to spend a lot of time in the studio. And before recording anything new, they would try out new stuff live.
You can even pick up in this where The Edge got his sound from...
4:33 LOL.....19:50. That would be a Binson Echorec Delay. KEY to the Floyd Sound.
It's my favorite Pink Floyd song period. But the harder edge of the Pompeii version takes the prize for me. You'll soon see what I mean, lol. The Gdansk show was Gilmour solo with Rick on keys and vocals is fantastic too but there's a few better things on there like Wots Uh The Deal off Obscured By Clouds. Freakin incredible! Even though I'm familiar with the destination, I'm sure having fun taking this trip with you guys.
I was a junior in college when this album was first released. My roommate described the outro as sitting on a frisbee accelerating through the universe. To this day, 53 years later, I don’t think anyone has put it in better context.
I enjoyed your reactions to this great piece of music. Echoes live at Gdansk is by far the best live version. It's a stunning capstone experience after listening to this audio version. David Gilmour, Richard Wright, and friends were on fire that night in Poland. The Pompeii version is also worth watching, but in my opinion it doesn't match what was accomplished in Gdansk. The hauntingly beautiful musical dialogue between David and Richard at Gdansk was one for the ages really, made all the more haunting and poignant by Richard's passing a few years later. David has said he will never perform Echoes again. He said it would feel almost blasphemous without Richard there playing divinely on his keys...
We plan to do both of those versions, so we're excited. 😀
If Dev didn't enjoy some flower first, she's NOT getting the full experience.
Its interesting that you mention the end of childhood as there is a song on their next album Obscured by Clouds literally called Childhood's End!
there's a reason why Andrew L Webber is known as the musical plagerist! was nice to see you both listen to it and separately and lying down with headphones cudos!
The song could be considered sort of a requiem on saying goodbye to the way they played before this album and here comes Dark Side of the Moon and the way of playing music from here forward! Echoes by most is the song that people feel where Pink Floyd discovered who they wanted to be! Can't wait for both live versions. Especially the one at Pompeii when you get to see when they were your guys age or slightly younger!!
Can't wait to see the others two reactions of this song 🙌🏻
People want to know who Pink Floyd is need to know where they came from. Meddle and then Dark Side Of The Moon are two of my all time favorite albums. I was fortunate to have seen Pink Floyd do both of these tours.
j'adore la vérsion live vidéo dans l'arene de pompei👍👍
Nous allons regarder le film !
ok ,mérci thankyou😊👍@@MusicforBusyPeople
Ummagumma next?? got one really cool song thats hugely long title .. not the song but its title ... this was fun today ... waiting for the other versions you woll also react to.
I saw them the1st 4 times they came to SF Uma Gumma to Dark Side. They did this tour @ Winterland. Surround Sound! '71
You're reacting to Echoes !?!?
I'm so excited !!! 😊
Gonna check out your video tonight.
Yeah, baby !!
Probably mentioned this before, but the closed captioning is a good idea.
As a 14-year-old, I was confused and fascinated by the original film from Pompeii in 1971 in the amphitheater at the Vesus volcano near Naples with the recorded landscape images at the same time (Volcanic Tragedy 79 AD). This event was organized for Pink Floyd as a change from the long-running Dark Side studio recordings, which appeared almost at the same time. Only then did I find out that Echoes is a whole side on the Meddle album. Happy New Year to all of you!
The opening 'ping' was played on a Hammond, fed through a Leslie (rotating) speaker. You ask where would you ever hear that if you did not own the album . . . well . . . it was used IN FULL in the film Crystal Voyager. Might I suggest you watch this?
Also, submarines do not ping, as you said - that is the sound of the echo ranger (ASDIC) on the ship looking for them!
As for 'who ripped off whom' the answer is nobody. The sequence in question is just a 'down and up' of the scale, played on bass - and is a very common motif.
Ahh Echoes. The panorama of Floyd memories stands before me like distant twinkling lights in the fog. I was on a camping trip with my lady in southern Cornwall, we had a little stereo I lay there all night in the middle of nowhere watching shooting stars listening to this album, it was incredible. Lol @ Dev, states of mind almost as beautiful as you my love.
Just watched it to the end, hope you guys are good remember Love and above all communication.
Okay didn't think I was gonna be told to grow up tbh. Click on this and get told to stop being so childish forget your memories and the 2hrs in your day you have off you're not working hard enough jesus.
This song is perfection😍
One of my favorite Floyd track❤
Great reaction, guys, to a great song. During that "creepy forest" section the "seagull" or "whale" sound you heard was from one of David's pedals that a roadie wired backwards! David loved the sound so much that he kept messing around with it.
Personally my favourite Floyd track
My first trip back in the 70s
Have had to spark a little one up, just to get the full benefit!
A very chilled reaction guys, looks like you enjoyed it !!....
Nice association with 2001! As another comment mentioned, Echoes meshes perfectly to the "Stargate" sequence at the end. Its eery and definitely worth a reaction!
I consider PF one of the greatest bands ever producing timeless music. To me the essential PF are 3 albums bookended with Echoes and Comfortably Numb:
Echoes
Dark Side
WYWH
Animals
Comfortably Numb
I can't pick a favorite amongst those 3 albums.
Their greatest song ever of course is 'One Of These Days'! ... :) ;)
Regards. 👍
Mike
As you and Dev react both Gilmour's and PF's live events at Pompeii. Both are the 1st since 79AD: Pink Floyd at Pompeii was 1st live event since 79AD, year that Mount Vesuvius erupted and killed thousands in Pompeii and nearby areas where victims mummified with ash and lava frozen in time. Mike, David Gilmour's concert at Pompeii was in 2016. His concert over 45 years later since Pink Floyd played at ancient coliseum but with an audience. You know that Pink Floyd and then Gilmour had to follow strict Italian rules of Ancient Antiquities especially with an audience.
Roger Waters' Bass riff at the end kicks ass!
This track is very very special to me , its the 1st LP of Floyd i got in 1972 my dad bought me it after seeing a film about a surfer , and the last part after the whale sounds the re emergents till the end , my friend at school asked me if i could use it as music to his drama A level practical and he passed
2001 A Space Odyssey
There's a TH-cam version with Echoes played on the "into infinity" end of the movie and it just works brilliantly!
It does more than work brilliantly, it's simply ASTOUNDING.
It doesn't just "kinda fit", it's beat-for-beat.
It fits thematically and shifts tonally with perfection.
The two pieces, when combined, become something very special.
Especially considering Dev picked up on this intuitively, I think they HAVE to check it out!
It doesn't matter whether anyone else holds the same views as you. The power of this genre compared to modern music is the simple fact that it makes you stop and think and fosters discussion and introspection.....
Not sure if the vocals are thru the Leslie speakers or not on this recording (if in studio it is possible) as I know David loved those Leslie speakers. I didn't see any Leslie's in the live recording at Pompeii. They do use them in live shows or at least did use them in their live performances.
Laying down with headphones is the best way to listen to many of their albums especially Wish You Were Here, Animals and Dark Side of the Moon.
Remember that the band was still kinda trying to figure out their style after Syd's departure and you can really see it on Umma Gumma as well as the Meddle album. They didn't have Syd to do the lyrics or arrangements anymore so they experimented a lot especially with sounds, noises and new electronics including the voice box and the Leslie speakers.
Yea that one riff is from phantom of the opera. I wouldn't have thought of it 😮but playing it just before playing echoes it's obvious.
So echoes came first before phantom. Interesting.
The funky jam section in the middle is my favourite part. My second favourite aspect is the melody and as usual the beautiful vocals.
This song is deceptive on the first listen. It's more cohesive than it appears, which is part of its genius. It appears, at first listen, to have abrupt transitions, but almost every sudden transition is set like a jewel inside a set of more subtle transitions.
That 'Phantom of the Opera' reference is very apt... Waters was not amused but decided not to sue Lloyd Webber. His revenge was served cold many years later on this album 'Amused to death' when he wrote the following lyrics for the song 'It's a miracle' : "We cower in our shelters, with our hands over our ears. Lloyd-Webber's awful stuff runs for years and years and years. An earthquake hits the theatre but the operetta lingers. Then the piano lid comes down and breaks his fucking fingers. It's a miracle. "
I first heard that track in 86' while watching Live at Pompei, It really works well with the camera work in the Amphitheatre. Very atmospheric!
The get back from Roger Waters to Andrew Lloyd Webber is on his Amused to death album……We cower in our shelters
With our hands over our ears
Lloyd-Webber's awful stuff
Runs for years and years and years
An earthquake hits the theatre
But the operetta lingers
Then the piano lid comes down
And breaks his fucking fingers
It's a miracle
this is why you should scroll through the comments before posting. you saved me the time of typing the lyrics myself. until recently i didn't know why roger had a bug up his arse about webber. i see now that the lyrics were well deserved.
I've read that on the last performance of this with David and Richard they were echoing each other on keyboards and guitar. A great performance and you get to watch them play it..
Echoes 'live' in Gdansk is my favorite version. Performedfor the last time before Richard died, with full lights & sound.
We're planning to listen to that one.
You guys need to understand the 1970’s. We all smoked Pot back then,and it made music like this so much more intense.
The album and song that made me a "Floydian" for life.
Dev's thoughts at the end really struck home for me. I think she's got the motivation of the lyrics nailed. Also, that groove at the second part may be my favorite piece of music, hands down.
A masterpiece. Of course this came out way before Phantom of the Opera. I suppose it’s possible that Lloyd-Webber may have been influenced by this, after all who wouldn’t be?
Would really love to hear your break down of some Yes. The Album ‘Close to the edge’ (released 1 year after Meddle) should be a must do for you guys and the song ‘Close to the edge ‘ will allow Dev to have another lie down…….
When you watch it "Live at Pompeii", you get such a visual of how Gilmour gets those sounds from the guitar. It is a must see. Parts 1 & 2.
Love this channel ❤
I really enjoyed the reaction and thanks again for some extra background material. Like many others have commented, this work is unique masterpiece in popular rock. It, along with Time/Breath (reprise) are my favorite PF tracks. Maybe it is just me, but I always felt that this was a precursor to Shine On You Crazy Diamond. The lyrics not withstanding, the first 5 minutes of Echoes remind my both structurally and somewhat melodically of SOYCD. I feel the same after the extended middle sequence when the pace picks back up and the staccato guitar part begins. Just my two cents but I think you can draw a line between the two. The lower register ambient sounds during the middle section also sounds like what they would use when they recorded Sheep on the Animals album. Maybe I am the only one hearing that. Thanks
This did get some radio play, usually late at night. It was one of the 'bathroom' songs- DJ put it on to take a break.
1. I absolutely see the start as being set under water. Sonar ping, "...coral caves" etc.
2. The spooky screaming mid-section is, I believe, whale song. In keeping with under-sea theme.
3. You both should try lying down with dimmed lighting to react to Floyd!
The whale sounds were discovered by plugging the guitar into a wah pedal backwards, with the input/output jacks reversed. I learned about it in high school 25 years ago, from a guitar instructional video that a friend had. Can't remember who did the video. We used to mess around with it when jamming in my old band. It's plugged in backwards, then the sounds are made by turning the volume and tone controls back and forth.
Epic masterpiece, and that's an understatement. Makes Phantom look amateurish and simplistic. Great reaction video btw.
You should also look up David at Abbey Road just sort of screwing around and playing the acoustic version…it’s brilliant!
This music was used in a film called Crystal Voyager , I was a photographer and the movie was using specially made high speed cameras attached to surf boards then had them surf into huge "tubes" and then the water dissapating after. A camera at high speed means slo motion on screen. I went for the photographe and got turned on to Pink Floyd in a Huge way, i liked their 2 singles in the 60's but not most of the other stuff, that changed with this music
Pink Floyd had played versions of this for about 2/3 years previously to the album being released at live concerts. Maybe Webber atended one of those concerts and subliminaly used it
Webber version of phantom was only in the mid 1980's, so at least 10years plus old for Floyd
Creepy? We listeners back then did tend to keep our eyes closed and enjoy the images being projected on the back of our eyelids.
And smoke a joint ,kick back and enjoy…!
We bought it early on not long after release because we had. Ummagumma and already were fans but were unprepared for side 2, especially after a somewhat odd and kinda disappointing end to side 1. Echoes is unreal, saw it live in 1975, we saw David Gilmour sit next to his special effects rack during that ghostly mid section and send us into space. Meddle was a breakthrough album that really established their sound and set the stage for the Greatness to come. Can't wait for your reactions to the live versions, they are both killer and amazingly as great being over 30 years apart. Great stuff, enjoy! 🎵🎸🎤🎹🎶
"...Childhood's end your fantasies
merge with harsh realities..."
Yes, these themes were on their minds at the time.
I think you'll enjoy the album that slots between this and Darkside:
"Obscured By Clouds"
including the song "Childhood's End" 😉
That album vies to be my favourite of theirs... it and Animals. But then the wind changes and I'm back to WYWH being my favourite. 😅
Obscured though is brilliant and it definitely doesn't get the love its due.
@andrewdavidson665 Couldn't agree more. SOYCD (in it's entirety) is probably my single favorite piece of music, but Animals is my favorite album. However, OBC is my go-to for a Floyd fix more and more these days.
It's like having breakfast in your jammies with the band.
Relaxed and intimate.
The Gdansk version of this has a great interaction between Gilmour and Wright almost a dueliing banjos play off ,
Nice reaction, you are brave! Remember BOTH parts of Echoes live at Pompeii -71, they open and ends the film.
FunFloydFact: The eerie sounds in Echoes are adapted from Roger Waters "Several species of small furry animals gathered together in a cave and grooved with a Pict", Ummagumma 1969. Listen to THAT in a dark room and you are even braver!
Yes, they need Parts 1 & 2 for sure!
@@vicprovost2561An absolute must.
The eerie whale/dolphin sounds were discovered by accidentally plugging the guitar into the wah pedal backwards, with the input and output jacks reversed. I used to do it 25 years ago jamming with my friends. We learned this trick from an old guitar instructional video tape my friend had.
I agree about Several Species...my uncle used to blast it in the car when I was a kid, and we loved it.
You two just ran into one!
I hear a lot of sounds from their Ummagumma album, which pretty much was just a sound experiment work.
The only thing you need to know about this song is that it was way ahead of it's time
You two fell as hard for Pink Floyd as I did back in the late sixties.
Of course I had/ have it on LP and 8-track along with many cassettes. Nut depending on where you were at, there were radio stations that would play it quite often. As was the case in Arizona.
We're fortunate to have one of the original stations that played classic rock back in the day, still here in the Ozarks. It is Arkansas Rock's. And they played this many times. Or any other Pink Floyd.
Or anything else from Frank Zappa to Bread.
✌️
🤠🏞️🐂
I love how she looks like a scolded girl who was sent to bed early.
There's a reason he's called Andrew Floyd Webber by some.
It was written by Gilmour and Wright thats wht Roger doesnt like it, there was also some acrimony about the Royalty fee, This takes up the whole of side 2 and lasts 20+ min. Roger got the same fee for a 2 min clip on side 1
I have to be honest, I edited this song for my own listening pleasure, which I faded it out when it goes into the spacey underwater part, I'm just not able to listen to that part as I once did when I was a stoner. I know that will probably upset some hard core fans, but I love this song, especially when it goes into the jazzy beat, but after that I'd just have to keep skipping it to my next song on the playlist, so why not just edit it, as I did with several of their songs that go off into space mode
I used to do that when I was a boy/teen with cassette tapes, i.e., a little judicious editing. 🤓
Roger said he only took acid a few times. It must have been really great acid.