Good CD recordings of Floyd albums?

Kevin,

I have Meddle on MFSL gold CD and wondered if it was worth getting the Discovery CD.

From what you are saying above I guess not?

Howard, there's not a HUGE difference but I think the Discovery Meddle is better than the MFSL. A Discovery will cost you around a tenner - whether you think it's worth a punt is up to you!

Or since the MFSL version of Meddle is seemingly so expensive (new one advertised on Amazon for £312) you could sell it, buy the Discovery version and have lots of cash left over! 

You did indeed WW. Thanks for the tip.

Now there's a plan!

However, just because it's priced that high, doesn't mean it will sell, or even that it's worth that much.

According to that CD's sales history on Discogs (which measures items actually sold) the highest price commanded for that CD was £41.49, the lowest £14.94, with the average being £34.35 - a tenth of that joker's price on Amazon.

You would of course get a lot more for a sealed copy, especially if it's in MFSL's plastic longbox.

This has been a really useful thread: thank you. Now I'd like to ask for some advice:

The Floyd albums I know and enjoy are: DSOTM, Meddle, Animals, Final Cut, Momentary Lapse, Pulse, Delicate Sound.

The Floyd albums I know but have never really enjoyed are: The Wall, Division Bell

[Yes, I know the list above is not terribly 'orthodox', but there it is]

I know there's some good stuff still waiting for me to discover, and with the Discovery editions being easy to get and getting good recommends from the assembled company, I'd like a few opinions on what three Floyd albums I should buy next (bearing in mind my taste so far, even if you disagree with it).

Let's see if we can get another consensus!

Thanks,

Mark

Mark, from your list it looks like you don't have WYWH. You deffo need that.

I would suggest Ummagumma and The Piper at the Gates of Dawn after that.

+1 for The Piper. I'd say give The Wall a dedicated late-night listen start to finish. Surprising you don't enjoy it, given your list. And it's excellent SQ in any format.

Thanks for those starters, chaps.

I know that I 'should' like The Wall, but I've tried and failed. Perhaps it's because I first came across it in its film incarnation, where it seemed to be just the sort of overblown, self-indulgent, whining rock-operatics that I've never really got on with (and I was an overblown self-indulgent whining teenager at the time). All the odder, because I didn't/don't think that of the Final Cut where such accusations might be more justified. There's no accounting for taste, eh?

Oh, and another thing: are any of the solo albums by Floyd's members any cop? Dave Gilmour's in particular have always intrigued me.

Mark

Gilmour's eponymous solo debut is excellent in all aspects, esp on original vinyl. His second, About Face, is good. I'm still trying to get my hands on a vinyl copy of On An Island; it is highly regarded here.

Mark - I've always had mixed feelings about The Wall as well, and sometimes wondered what I was missed as many others regard it as a classic. No such doubts about WYWH, though. As Kevin says, that's a must have Floyd album, and I'm now wondering whether I should get a Discovery version of that.  I also enjoy Division Bell but it's not quite up there with DSOTM, WYWH etc. 

MDS

Mark, they are VERY variable.

BARRETT

The Madcap Laughs (1970) - Partly made with the help of Gilmour and Waters, but most un-Floydian, this is a remarkable record, but doesn't always make for comfortable listening: parts of it are a raw portrait of a disintegrating mind. Buy.

Barrett (1970) - Produced by Gilmour, slicker and poppier than the first album, but with moments of real darkness. Again, not very Floydian. Buy.

Opel (1988) - An after-the-fact collection of previously unreleased ditties, including the remarkable title track. Approach with caution.

GILMOUR

David Gilmour (1978) - excellent, esp on vinyl. Sounds like a stripped-down Floyd. Buy.

About Face (1984) - overblown and very 1980s, with some awful cod-reggae and some terrible lyrics. Avoid.

On An Island (2006) - could do with a bit more grit occasionally, but a very decent album with a stellar supporting cast (Crosby & Nash, Robert Wyatt, Georgie Famie, Rick Wright, etc). Sounds amazing on both vinyl and CD. Buy.

Live In Gdansk (2008) - Record of the final date on Dave's 2006 tour. A mix of classic Floyd tunes (including Echoes) and tracks from On An Island. Great sound and performance. Buy.

MASON

Fictitious Sports (1981) - Mason only plays drums and produces this record, which is really by the great Carla Bley (he wrote none of the material). It's playful, fantastically played has superb and witty lyrics written by Bley and sung by Robert Wyatt. Quite hard to find but worth tracking down. Buy.

Profiles (1985) - An inconsequential album of bland songs and instrumental doodles made in collaboration with some bloke from 10CC, which even a guest appearance from Gilmour fails to rescue. Avoid.

WATERS

Music from the Body (1970) - A soundtrack album made in collaboration with the avant-garde composer Ron Geesin. A charming period piece. I really like it but it won't be everyone's cup of tea. Approach with caution.

The Pros & Cons of Hitch-Hiking (1984) - A concept album which unfolds in real time - plus Clapton as lead guitarist - makes this an intriguing proposition, but in reality the tunes aren't there and the backing singers grate. Many people love it, I'm not so keen. Approach with caution.

When The Wind Blows (1986) - Waters wrote and his Bleeding Heart Band perform most of the material on this soundtrack album. A couple of songs - Towers of Faith, Folded Flags - are very good. Approach with caution.

Radio KAOS (1987) - Time has not been kind to this baffling album. Although a couple of songs are good, the tunes are generally thin and the 1980s production tricks have dated horribly. Avoid.

The Wall Live in Berlin (1990) - Big Rog and the Bleeding Heart Band, supported by an all-star cast, recreate the classic album in front on 350,000 people in Berlin. Very much a curate's egg. Approach with caution.

Amused to Death (1992). The real deal. The best of all the Floyd solo records with great lyrics, a (for once) coherent concept and (shock!) some super tunes. Astonishing sound quality, especially on vinyl. Buy.

In The Flesh (2000). Live album from Waters' hugely successful 1999-2002 world tour. A mix of classic PF and solo material performed by a great band. Buy.

Flickering Flame (2002) - A compilation which makes for a decent introduction to Mr Waters' solo career along with some previously unreleased material - be warned, in some countries the CDs are copy protected. Buy.

Ca Ira (2005). Rog's opera about the French Revolution. As operas written by rock stars go, it's actually not bad, but approach with caution.

WRIGHT

Wet Dream (1978) - Sadly, a pretty feeble album with Wright way, way off his game. A pity, as there are flickers of a decent record in there somewhere, but it really is, well, a bit wet. Avoid.

Identity (1984). Made with Dave Harris from the group Fashion, under the name Zee, this is a real oddity in that the only instrument on the record is a Fairlight. Everyone concerned has disowned it, and it has never been (legitimately) reissued on CD. Most people who've heard it hate it, but I quite like it. Avoid.

Broken China (1996) Rick's best solo record, dark and atmospheric. Buy.

Excellent post K...... G

Aren't they always Graham?

Of course...  are you around next week for a phone call? G

Yes, should be. Then I go on hols for 8 days starting Easter Sunday...

MDS,

Simple answer - YES, buy it. All the discovery  Floyd CD's I've heard have been superb. I own the discovery WYWH and I can tell you you won't regret buying it .

Have given the Discovery CD version of this a spin now.  I prefer the live album on disc 1 to the esoteric stuff of studio album on disc 2.  I'd forgotten how 'progressive early Floyd was.  Nice recording of the 1969 gig. 

Just given in and ordered WYWH, and while I was at it I couldn't resist ordering a Discovery version of Animals, too. My current version is OK but Animals has a special place in my heart having seen Floyd at Wembley arena when they first released it.  

As Oscar said "The only way to get rid of a temptation is to yield to it"..............

MDS, you will not regret your purchases

I imagine you are referring to Wilde rather than Pistorious, WW! 

I think I was.......  but now I'm not too sure.......................  

Hi Mark,

I really do not care for the movie, but love the album.  I came around to them in the other order -- music first.  I had a visual of what some of the music meant to me, and the movie had NOTHING to do with those visuals.

To me, The Wall is the last of the Roger Waters content that I get along with (save Leaving Beirut, which I heard for the first time when he did it live in the DSOTM concert).  The Wall is on the 'right' side of pretentiousness, but thereafter . . . how much more do I want to hear him go on about his Daddy being in the war, and the bombings, and the innocents dying, blah blah blah.  I GET IT; MAKE MUSIC ABOUT SOMETHING ELSE ALREADY. 

Anyway, that's my views.

+1 Bart. The album 'The Wall' is fabulous. The film pretentious twaddle. IMHO of course

Ebor, please give the album another chance, and forget the film.