I got a text recently from Corwin: “I’m assuming your favorite Pink Floyd album is Ummagumma, but what is your second favorite?”

He’s right about Ummagumma but his question had me stumped. Floyd’s albums usually have great songs mixed in with some real dogs. There are a number of their tunes that I really like but I’m stuck to find a second-best album.

I sat down with iTunes in one hand and a blog in the other to review what I had. As soon as I saw the list, I’d see an unfamiliar title, think to myself “Ooh! What’s this?” and click play. As I’d listen to that I’d notice another song that needed listening to and play that one. I wound up listening to 30-60 seconds of each song and accomplished nothing. I tried again later and had more success.

I was always more partial to the longer, more mesmerizing tunes such as A Saucerful of Secrets and Dogs. I also liked their very early lyrical songs like Bike and See Emily Play – mainly because they were silly and weird. I wasn’t interested in their later lyrics because they were trying to be meaningful. There is no correlation between musical skills and worthwhile political philosophy. In this case, Pink Floyd’s political philosophies are trite and awful.

I never did find a second favorite album. Going by percentage of good songs on the album, I’d say that it was a either Animals or Dark Side of the Moon. I could easily change my mind though.

For those who care, and those who don’t, I’ve summarized my views of the albums. Feel free to disagree.

The Piper at the Gates of Dawn:
This is from the Syd Barrett period. Some of the great lyrical works are Lucifer Sam, Flaming, Matilda Mother, Chapter 24, and Bike. Astronomy Domine is one of their standard, mind-bending instrumental works. Interstellar Overdrive has kick-tush guitar work at the start and end with a really odd middle. I’ve mentioned that some of the songs are weird. The middle of Interstellar Overdrive takes the weirdness up to eleven.

A Saucerful of Secrets:
The worthwhile lyrical songs are Let there be More Light, and  Remember a Day. The good instrumental works are Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun, and A Saucerful of Secrets.

More:
This is definitely a lesser work. Someone listened to Pink Floyd and said “I’ve gotta have this for my movie soundtrack!” After all, it was the 60s. Only Cyrus Minor and The Nile Song are worth listening to.

Ummagumma:
As I mentioned above, this is my favorite album. This came in 2 discs. Disc 1 was a live album. Disc 2 was a studio recording. My favorite track is the live A Saucerful of Secrets. This is followed by the other 3 live tracks: Astronomy Domine, Careful with that Axe Eugene (with complimentary blood-curdling scream), and Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun.
Of the ‘dead’ tracks, Sysyphus, The Narrow Way, and the Grand Vizier’s Garden Party are the best.
Although it’s not my favorite, Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict deserves an honorable mention.

In “Saucerful of Secrets: The Pink Floyd Odyssey” by Nicholas Schaffner, Dave Gilmour said that he’d bullshitted his way through for his The Narrow Way and Rick Wright called his Sysyphus pretentious. I don’t care, I like them anyway.

(I also discuss Ummagumma here)

Atom Heart Mother:
The title track takes up the first half of the album and is mostly the work of non-Floyd member Ron Geesin. This is one of the few works to combine a motorbike with an orchestra. Summer ’68 is one of my top 3 Floyd tunes. Alan’s Psychedelic Breakfast is a recording of someone, possibly Alan, preparing breakfast with occasional music involved. He apparently likes marmalade.

Relics:
This is a collection of earlier singles. See Emily Play, and Arnold Layne, Julia Dream weren’t available on earlier albums but are favorites.

Meddle:
Echoes is another long, winding, mesmerizing instrumental piece that’s probably in my top 10. One of These Days and Fearless are also worthwhile.

Obscured by Clouds:
Someone else listened to Pink Floyd and said “I’ve gotta have this for my movie soundtrack!” This one worked out better though. Good tracks are Burning Bridges, Wot’s…Uh the Deal, Mudmen, and Stay, 

Dark Side of the Moon:
I could listen to The Great Gig in the Sky all day. I always thought that the moaning of the female vocalist was because she was having a really good time, if you know what I mean. It turns out that she was supposed to have been agonizing about death or something. Other good tracks are Speak to Me/Breathe, Time, Us and Them, Any Color You Like, Brain Damage, Eclipse. I guess that’s pretty much all of them except for On the Run and Money

Wish You Were Here:
Shine on You Crazy Diamond, all parts, is a great (mostly) instrumental piece. Wish You Were Here is one on the only danceable Pink Floyd tunes.

Animals:
I really like Dogs and Pigs. Sheep is pretty good. Pigs on the Wing, both parts, are good. I guess I like everything on this album.

The Wall:
“When we grew up and went to school
There were certain teachers who would
Hurt the children any way they could
By pouring their derision
Upon anything we did
Exposing every weakness
However carefully hidden by the kids” – Roger Waters
Yeah, The Happiest Days of Our Lives brings back memories of my school days in England. For whatever reason, this song means more to me than the one that it leads into: Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2. Comfortably Numb is the favorite.

The Final Cut:
I don’t know what’s on it and don’t give a sh*t. Every 10 years or so, I worry that I’ve been too hard on on it and listen to it again. It’s ducking awful. It has no redeeming virtues.

A Momentary Lapse of Reason, The Division Bell, and The Endless River:
Meh. These had an occasional flash of something worthwhile but never had anything that I felt that I wanted to listen to again.