Endless River

Hi Tony,

I agree it's not a proper album, but that's the point. It's surprisingly good considering that's not a proper album.

Keith

I'm curious about what the definition is of a "proper album"? 

It seems in the case of Endless River, the artist had a body of unpublished work, which for whatever reason, they worked into a collection or "album" and issued that for the public to buy. Apparently a number of us did; perhaps unlike U2's latest offering we had a choice about that , but it was our choice.  These days it is often possible to try before you buy if you subscribe to Spotify for example.  Personally, I didn't go down that route on this occasion, but have many times recently.  I gambled £9.98 on it being okay, and for me, it is.

In what way does the expended time, effort and series of decisions and choices that led to many of us owning the issued album define it as not a proper album?

Are there other albums that would be similarly classified?  Classical music is often published by composer:  The record label includes pieces performed by different orchestras, comprising different musicians with different conductors (and hence interpretations) recorded at different times in different locations, then complies these into an album.  That process is just as coherent or disjointed, depending on your view, as that in the subject of this thread and so all those 000's of released albums are potentially not proper albums?  Is that right? 

Maybe I'm just prepared to take things at face value, and judge them on what I experience, and all this is then irrelevant.  Music gets compartmentalised so often in so many different ways.  But if you like it that's great, if you don't then don't listen to it;  I find that more straightforward.  I like this album, I really like many others by many artists over many genres, and my favourites change reasonably often, but a few are always at the core.

Anyway, delivery of The Division Bell, and Joe Bonamassa's Dust Bowl has just come, so off to listen to those...

Oh hell...think I'll go and download it to see what all the fuss is about.

G

Haha, true - while it's not the greatest album, it's a kind of must have for the collection.

I listened to it on Spotify earlier. It's just nothing really. Starts, drones along for a while, stops.

One of the reasons I have no interest in downloaded music is (sound quality notwithstanding), that the vast catalogue of available material is so easily attainable and disposable. I enjoy making the effort to commit to the purchase of physical media, store it, handle it, and give it a chance to musically engage me.

I too would have discounted the new PF album via download.

Illogical? Yup - but that's art for you folks. Downloaded Rembrandt Sir?

John.

 Best P

Coincidentally, I've just downloaded a high-definition copy of "The Night Watch" via my subscription to iArt and it's currently streaming to multiple 4k displays throughout the guest quarters in our west wing.

Unfortunately she died in 1971 when I was 10. Your comment is deeply offensive and very hurtful.

**** off.

Yeah like every one in the world knew that?????

Whether you know it or not, you still don't talk about people's mums using vibrators, do you? It's inappropriate for a Hifi and music forum. I'm surprise that you'd support such comments.

Irrelevant in my view. 

It's a base and uncalled for personal remark.

G

HH, All my respect and support.

Best regards. Erich

Back to PF and TER. Drivel of the worst wallpaper variety and I paid for the LP. First 2 sides played and I really cannot be bothered to listen to the rest. I shall not even undertake the free download.

HH,

I don't agree with your review of 'Endless River', but I'm totally with you on the offensive comment that was targeted at you. Luckily, it looks as though it has been removed. I guess it's possible that the person who made the comment was attempting to be humorous, but it wasn't funny, witty or humorous - just extremely offensive!

But I stall don't agree with your review that the album "drones on for a bit, then stops". I can think of quite a few well known albums and artists at whom I could direct your review, but for me, nothing by Pink Floyd falls into that category. 

Tony originally posted:

"H, I think Ummagumma is a better album than all of the above together.  Meddle only does for me on B side. DS, again, A side, stronger and lyrically more incisive. AHM lacks depth.  Their latest is not a proper record, is it? It must be getting expensive insuring those Ferraris. Lazy bar.....ds!"

Tony,

I think that Umagumma was the 2nd Floyd album I bought after discovering Atom Heart Mother as a school kid. I did like it very much (and still do) - I am on my 2nd (or 3rd - I can't remember) copy of the album on vinyl (student hi-fi systems back in the early to mid 70s weren't the most kind to record collections) and also have it on CD.

Of course, I then went on to buy the earlier albums, rediscovered the Syd Barrett stuff, and then went on to buy everything by them (and the individual band members) up to and including "The Final Cut", which was the first album that kind of really disappointed me. I bought a couple of Roger Waters albums, but then lost interest in both PF & RW for a few years. I have now caught up with quite a bit of the back-catalogue that I missed. But, possibly for sentimental & nostalgic reasons, my favourite albums are still "Atom Heart Mother", "Meddle", "Obscured by Clouds", DSOTM and "Wish you were here".

"Endless River" is very different, but I like it (there's a Dick Emery sketch in there somewhere).

One other thing - I don't think Nick Mason has an room in his garage for another Ferrari! Maybe he's looking to finance a Ferrari and an extension to his garage?      

I still really like a number of PF albums - mainly those I liked when they were first released - Meddle, DSOTM, Wish You Were Here. I quite like Animals and The Wall too. This new one just sounds like a load of the instrumental bits fiddled around with and strung together. Perhaps it's just that familiarity breeds contempt. I have quite a lot of ambient electronica records and I agree that they could be seen to fall into the start/drone/stop mould ('Vibrator Music' maybe!!) but the difference is that they don't sound like a second rate rehash of something that was done much better over 30 years ago. It all seems too much like cynical exploitation of their fans by millionaires whose time was over a long time ago. That's being cynical too, I suppose. Ho hum. 

I agree somewhat with what HH has said.

I didn't like it much on listening to samples, but a friend brought the cd over last night and we listened to it in its entirety. I warmed to it enough to order a copy on cd. I just think they could have gone out with more style if this is to be their final album.

It improves on repeat listens, which is often a good sign.

Lauren Laverne has been playing tracks from it on 6 Music and hearing it in that context made me realise I have become quite fond of it.

I agree with Judge's comments about the meaninglessness of the term "proper album". Who am I or anyone else to decide what is proper. It's just music that someone recorded and released and I decided to buy.

Keith

Ditto Keith, for completeness of my 24/96 Pink Floyd collection I purchased from HDTracks...which the Mu-so plays with gusto.. ;-)

Nice to have DSOTM, Division Bell, Wish you were here and now Endless river in HiRes..

PureHifi originally posted:

"Ditto Keith, for completeness of my 24/96 Pink Floyd collection I purchased from HDTracks...which the Mu-so plays with gusto.. ;-)

Nice to have DSOTM, Division Bell, Wish you were here and now Endless river in HiRes".

How would you rate the quality of "DSOTM" and "Wish you were here" in hi-res over the standard res versions? I haven't used CD Tracks for a while and Qobuz only appear to have 'Division Bell" in hi-res.

I am very impressed by "Division Bell" in hi-res, so would be interested in getting the other two if they are anything like as good in hi-res. 

I'm not sure DSOTM & WYWH are available in Hi-Res (???)   Who has them & how do we know/find out if they are genuine Hi-Res from remastered files & how do we know that they are not just up-sampled 16/44

I have assumed Division Bell is Hi-Res as Qobuz & HDT have it,  but that & Endless River are the only advertised Hi-Res albums I've seen,  and that makes me ask questions over the others.  

Mike, DSOTM and WYWH are available as 96/24 files on a Blu-ray in the Immersion box sets of those albums - nowhere else as far as I can recall. I think they were done especially by Guthrie from the mastertapes.

Ummagumma is my favourite Floyd album, but hardly anyone seems to like it - least of all the band themselves. Glad to see there is some fondness for it round these parts.