Obscured by Clouds

- Obscured by Clouds

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Manufacturer: Capitol
Release Date: 1996-09-03

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Review
Commissioned as the soundtrack for Barbet Schroeder's 1972 film The Valley, Obscured By Clouds actually holds up rather well on its own terms. The title track is a trippy, cinematic instrumental that features some searing guitar work from David Gilmour, but full-fledged songs like "Free Four" (which sounds like a morbid inversion of Norman Greenbaum's "Spirit in the Sky"), and the folksy "Wot's...Uh the Deal" are the real highlights of the set. Essentially a transitional work, Obscured By Clouds has long been dwarfed by Dark Side of the Moon, the album which came immediately after it. In fact, the funky "Childhood's End" and the ethereal "Burning Bridges" could well be dry runs for the Dark Side tracks "Time" and "Breathe," respectively. In all, it's a priceless snapshot of a band on the verge of immortality. --Dan Epstein

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Customer Reviews
Summary: Very Happy Customer Overall Rating: Comment: I was very happy with the item but the communication and delivery were really outstanding. I was very happy with my experience and would feel very good about buying again. The price was outstanding but I was shocked to see it in my mail box so fast. The packaging was top notch and just a very professional transaction and can't say enough how pleased I was. Summary: there best Overall Rating: Comment: This cd is truelly this band's best, I wish they had migrated to Africa's BushBush after this, the world would have been a better Place. Bridges burning, mudman, the gold its in the, wots the deal, absolutely curtains all songs are among my favorites as they out shine the ugly Side of the moon album and the atrocious animals and the wall/ Denise Whitlock, aged 11 Summary: there best Overall Rating: Comment: This cd is truelly this band's best, I wish they had migrated to Africa's BushBush after this, the world would have been a better Place. Bridges burning, mudman, the gold its in the, wots the deal, absolutely curtains all songs are among my favorites as they out shine the ugly Side of the moon album and the atrocious animals and the wall/ Ignace Denner, aged 10 Summary: there best Overall Rating: Comment: This cd is truelly this band's best, I wish they had migrated to Africa's BushBush after this, the world would have been a better Place. Bridges burning, mudman, the gold its in the, wots the deal, absolutely curtains all songs are among my favorites as they out shine the ugly Side of the moon album and the atrocious animals and the wall/ Ignace Denner, aged 10 Summary: Amazing Soundtrack Album From Pink Floyd Overall Rating: Comment: The music contained on this album was made for the French movie La Vallée. I haven't seen the movie but all I know, is that the ten songs that make up this LP are fantastic! It was recorded in March, 1972 at the Château d'Herouville and it finally came out in June of the same year. The line-up featured is the classic one: Roger Waters on vocals/bass, David Gilmour on guitar, Rick Wright on keyboards/vocals, and Nick Mason on drums. I still remember when I decided to buy the first Pink Floyd album, it was in early 1999. I went to the music store and as I was glancing at all the albums that they had on the shelf, I just couldn't decide which one to pick. Eventually I chose "Obscured By Clouds" mostly for it's cover! It really caught my attention with those strange colored circles against that bluish background...It turned out to be very enjoyable! There are four instrumentals included and the first song, the title track, is one. It's an atmospheric piece thanks to Wright's usage of an early synthesizer, his newly acquired VCS 3 that makes a thick sound. Mason keeps a steady drum beat while Gilmour throws some moody slide guitar fills until the fade out. Quickly, the second number (also an instrumental) comes in and it's called "When You're In". It's the shortest song on the album clocking in at two minutes and a half. A pair of catchy hard rock riffs are repeated throughout until it slowly begins to fade out. Now it's time for "Burning Bridges", the first song to feature vocals. It goes in a prog-rock direction with inventive chord progressions plus a melodic slide guitar solo from Gilmour. The album takes a quick turn in "The Gold It's In The..." as it is a pure hard rock number! One of the very few songs they done in this style. It's one of my favorites! As expected, killer rhythm and lead guitar is showcased and the verses and chorus are catchy as well. "Wot's...Uh The Deal?" is one of the few popular songs off this record. Definitely, an album highlight that seems to go in a folk direction. Wright's piano sounds very good here. For the verses, a descending chord progression is employed, but the chorus stands out too while Gilmour manages to squeeze a cool solo that uses his trademark slide playing. The third instrumental "Mudmen" follows and it's a reprise of "Burning Bridges", therefore it follows the same chord structure. The difference is in the sound of the instruments, notably the keyboards. The soloing from Gilmour has a much more prominent sound too, as opposed to the earlier version. An hypnotic hammond organ wall of sound introduces the next song "Childhood's End". However, it quickly changes and the main body of the songs turns out to be a mid-tempo funky number that happens to be a favorite of mine! "Free Four" is another folky song that managed to gain some radio airplay back in the day. The melodies and the singing are quite catchy but the arrangement also makes room for Gilmour to play some killer lead guitar parts. After it's fade out comes the Wright-sung ballad "Stay". One of the most overlooked songs from their catalog! The dominant instrument is the piano, but I liked Gilmour's guitar sound here, filtered through a wah wah pedal. The final song "Absolutely Curtains" is the longest cut almost reaching the six minute mark and without a doubt, the most unusual on the album. It also starts with an hypnotic hammond organ sound that gradually gives way to the final section: a tribal chant! Quite an experiment to say the least! This is a highly recommended album if you like rock with an experimental edge and prog-rock. It also includes some touches of hard rock and folk as well. Well worth checking out! Thanks for taking the time to read! Later...

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