Having a Good Time

IT'S SURPRISING for a successful group to go two-and-one-half years without releasing an album. That is, unless the group's last album remained on the record charts for two-and-one-half years. Such was the case with Pink Floyd's March 1973 release, Dark Side of the Moon, which won them a horde of new fans. Fans who purchased the album when it was released probably wondered what became of the group during their lengthy dormancy though, in the end, they seemed content with this one disc.

Dark Side of the Moon was not, after all, a typical rock album that grew stale after repeated listening. It was an album whose appeal was slow but steady. With each playing, different complexities of its electronic make-up were revealed, and, as a result, the more one listened, the more one appreciated. It was the multidimensional quality of their music that enabled Pink Floyd to enjoy a two-and-one-half year period of unproductivity. After all, they were financially secure and probably a bit apprehensive about releasing a follow-up to such an unbelievably successful effort. But although it came pretty close, even the success of Dark Side of the Moon wasn't enough to enable the group to retire, and so, three weeks ago, Pink Floyd released their tenth album, entitled Wish You Were Here.

WHILE THE ELECTRONIC complexities of Dark Side are present in their new album, Pink Floyd has employed a different format from their previous efforts. For instance, instead of being a collection of songs calling to mind a particular impression, Wish You Were Here revolves around a central piece called "Shine on You Crazy Diamond". This twenty-minute ode to the group's former leader, Syd Barrett, which opens the first side of the album, is a biographical piece tracing Barrett's experience as a member of the group and since his departure.

Remember when you were young, you shone like the sun Shine on you crazy diamond

Now there's a look in your eyes, like black holes in the sky. Shine on you crazy diamond.

You were caught on the cross fire of childhood and stardom, blown on the steel breeze.

Come on you target for faraway laughter, come on you stranger, you legend, you martyr, and shine!

Musically this tune features a number of well-executed solos which play off against each other. Also present, as in Dark Side, is atonal background music, the musical equivalent of an astronaut floating aimlessly about in space. Midway through the piece, the soothing vocals enter to offset the rawness caused by the strident solos.

This song leads into a three-minute segment, "Welcome to the Machine", reminiscent of the work of the French composer/musician Pierre Henry. Henry often incorporates "natural sounds" (e.g. the creaking and slamming of a cabin door, or the sound of waves crashing against a sea wall) into his music. These sounds are distorted by means of electronic devices to acheive a series of novel effects. Floyd guitarist Roger Waters uses this same technique in "Welcome to the Machine" to suggest a futuristic machine blaring cacophonosly.

The second side of Wish You Were Here begins with "Have a Cigar", a cut memorable as a satyrical gibe at people who initially failed to appreciate the group's talent.

Come in here, dear boy, have a cigar.

You're gonna go far, fly high.

You're never gonna die,

You're gonna make it if you try;

They're gonna love you.

Well I've always had a deep respect and I mean that most sincerely.

The band is just fantastic, that is really what I think.

Oh by the way, which one is Pink?

The title cut, similar to Dark Side's "Time". though its lyrics are not so compelling, gives way to the conclusion (Parts VI-IX) of "Shine on You Crazy Diamond."

THE ALBUM as a whole is well-conceived, and the majority of Pink Floyd's fans will most likely be satisfied. There is, however, something missing that makes Wish You Were Here a cut below its predecessor. No where on this album is found the grating guitar solo of "Time" or the rasping saxophone of "Money." Even "Welcome to the Machine," with all its electronic wizardry, lacks the sense of urgency conveyed by Water's "On the Run."

In a technical sense, this album is on a par with Dark Side of the Moon. This is hardly surprising, since it is precisely this technical perfection that Pink Floyd has pursued and mastered in the course of their existence. What is lacking above all is the inspiration found throughout Dark Side of the Moon, the quality which transforms a good work into a great one. Whether this inspiration will surface on their next album, one has to wait to see. I suspect the wait this time will be considerably shorter.