Double X

Hi this is my first post

Personally I like the Syd Barrett's catalog over later Pink Floyd (but Animals + WYWH is fricking genius). To me his lyrics just touch me in a weird way. Listening to him singing is either a trip in its self or a raving of a madman. Its too cool.

I think Gilmour is a little underwhelming. His singing seems to be a little forced sometimes and other times his voice is too limited to stun you. His guitar playing is technically very sound, but he is not very strong at making riffs (Run Like Hell and In The Flesh excluded) even for a progressive rock band.

Roger Waters...ah well, I play bass almost every day and I can tell his lines are often quite simple. Gilmour was a better bassist than him . However, he had oodles of songwriting skills and essentially wrote the majority of the songs in their successful 70s catalog. His voice was distinct and on albums like The Wall (not a fan of the album though) and Animals it sounds amazing.

I know I consider talent as making catchy and well made music, which would probably put Syd Barrett as the most 'talented' artist but from a technical skill standpoint, I pick Roger Waters.

Syd Barrett is still my favorite though.

boo boo

I love his soft vocals, it makes a great contrast to Waters vocals. Gilmour and Wright are my favorite vocalists in the group.

I wouldn't call his style technical, most of his solos are simple pentatonic blues, but like Satana he knows how to hit those really long notes, and he has one of the best ears of any guitarist I've ever heard, his tone is amazing too.

Animals has some great riffing, Have a Cigar and Wish You Were Here are pretty sweet riffs too.

It's not that he can't riff. He's just more of a lead player than a rhythm player, everyone else handles rhythm perfectly fine and Pink Floyd just aren't a guitar riff band.

Simple dosen't = bad. It's true he's not that great technically, but he comes up with some pretty good if simple basslines. Money, Have a Cigar. and Let There Be Light all have some pretty damn good basslines.

Gilmour is a better bassist though, and he did play most of the bass on Animals and The Wall.

Waters is my favorite lyricist.

IMO Pink Floyd have been way better song crafters post Syd, I can't stress that enough.

But Waters the most skilled? Nah, that would be Gilmour, then Wright.

My preference goes like so.

Gilmour... The best musician overall, and my favorite singer in the group. His solo stuff is actually pretty good. And he may very well be my favorite guitarist.
Waters... IMO the best songwriter, and his concepts have been a big part of the bands success.
Wright... One of my favorite rock keyboardists, and I actually like his voice more than Waters. His songwriting is underrated too, poor lyricist but great melodist.
Barrett... Pipers and Madcap are both excellent, but I still think he is very overrated as a songwriter.
Mason... ONE OF THESE DAYS I'M GOING TO CUT YOU INTO LITTLE PIECES.

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It's only knock n' knowall, but I like it

http://www.last.fm/user/kingboobs

Double X

I love his soft vocals, it makes a great contrast to Waters vocals. Gilmour and Wright are my favorite vocalists in the group.


That's cool, each to his own. Some people like certain sounds, but Gilmour just plain doesn't cut it for me. He is a plus backing vocals and sometimes lead, but his voice can really drag on sometimes.

I wouldn't call his style technical, most of his solos are simple pentatonic blues, but like Satana he knows how to hit those really long notes, and he has one of the best ears of any guitarist I've ever heard, his tone is amazing too.

I meant as in technically, like skillfully. But as a guitarist I have no big problem.

Animals has some great riffing, Have a Cigar and Wish You Were Here are pretty sweet riffs too.

It's not that he can't riff. He's just more of a lead player than a rhythm player, everyone else handles rhythm perfectly fine and Pink Floyd just aren't a guitar riff band.

This can show sometimes though - when Wright and Waters do not stabilize the song (a bunch on The Wall and perhaps other areas), Gilmour's lack of rhythm can make the song fall apart sometimes.

Simple dosen't = bad. It's true he's not that great technically, but he comes up with some pretty good if simple basslines. Money, Have a Cigar. and Let There Be Light all have some pretty damn good basslines.

Gilmour is a better bassist though, and he did play most of the bass on Animals and The Wall.

I know, i.e. Arnold Layne is a great and simple bass line (and a great song) but he could have done much more innovative things if he was that skilled at bass.

Waters is my favorite lyricist.

Definitely not a bad one

IMO Pink Floyd have been way better song crafters post Syd, I can't stress that enough.

See, Syd' made more of the music I like, quick tempo and catchy lyrics and dabbed weird noises in it to make it crazy. His lyrics did not make sense all of the time...but who cares? He was not really trying to make a statement in every song (see: John Lennon). Great Beatles songs like Penny Lane, I Am The Walrus, Maxwell Silver Hammer, etc. have no real meaning but they are still great. Most of Syd's stuff flows great and it sounds awesome. But its very, very easy to hate Syd. I haven't met a single person face to face who liked 'The Madcap Laughs' when they listened to it. I love it though, for the madman lyrics, weird chords, and nifty background sounds in some songs.

But Waters the most skilled? Nah, that would be Gilmour, then Wright.

I believe the title of the thread had talent labeled with songwriting and instrumental.

Gilmour... The best musician overall, and my favorite singer in the group. His solo stuff is actually pretty good. And he may very well be my favorite guitarist.

Waters... IMO the best songwriter, and his concepts have been a big part of the bands success.

Agreed.

Wright... One of my favorite rock keyboardists, and I actually like his voice more than Waters. His songwriting is underrated too, poor lyricist but great melodist.

I'll admit to never hearing Wright sing a song. I do like his keyboard though, especially on Animals (Pigs and Sheep are great) and Pow R. Toc H. has a nice little solo. Water's voice is great though, it can sound very bitter (Run Like Hell, Pigs).

Barrett... Pipers and Madcap are both excellent, but I still think he is very overrated as a songwriter.

Yes to the first point...and a big No to the second point. But his lyrics aren't supposed to touch you, I doubt he wrote any of his solo stuff to touch the general audience. He never advocated for anything, he just wrote for himself. And it sounded pretty good.

Mason... ONE OF THESE DAYS I'M GOING TO CUT YOU INTO LITTLE PIECES.

Yeah, he does very little. He's a drummer though, so he isn't expected to do much. I don't mind him but he definitely doesn't stand out anywhere except in Astronomy Dominé and Bike. I rarely hear him in songs.

boo boo

I wasn't dissing Mason, I just love that line. He is a better drummer than people give him credit for.

I watched this one video of Floyd on Live at Pompeii playing One of These Days, and around the latter part of the song after the drums come in Mason dropped one of his drumsticks but he pulled his spare out so damn fast he didn't even miss a beat, I thought that was rather impressive. I rarely hear him miss a beat on stage. People just give drummers like him a bad time like they do with Meg White, because they're no Neil Peart.

Just because you play very simple stuff dosen't mean you're an incompetent musician.

Anyway about Barrett, I think Indie fans prefer him because they like him for the same reason they love mid 60s Dylan, they love the lyrics that make no damn sense. Add to that PF developed into a prog band and Indie fans aren't really into that.

Most prog fans like myself just tend to prefer 70s Floyd and for the same reason other people prefer Syd, beause 70s Floyd is more polished, prog is basically the more polished younger brother of psychedelia and prog fans love polish.

Floyd were different from most other prog bands at the time because they weren't as technically skilled, but they made up for it with their composing skills and they really knew how to craft some beautiful amazing soundscapes and they did it very professionally for musicians who didn't have as much chops as their peers.

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It's only knock n' knowall, but I like it

http://www.last.fm/user/kingboobs

Double X

Yeah, and to be honest...drum solo's aren't really my favorite. Topper Headon from the Clash or Ringo that provide a steady beat sound the best. I still can rarely hear Mason in the songs though.

And coincidently, I do like mid 60s Dylan. :P

Urban Hat€monger ?

Sorry but I think thats a load of crap. Is it really hard for you to believe that people like the Barrett era for the music?

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Rainard Jalen

Aside from that, the hipsters rate albums like The Wall and DSOTM well. So it's double crap.

jackhammer

I think it is perfectly reasonable for people to like and appreciate both eras of Floyd and find merits in both.

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boo boo

Hahahahahahahahahahaha.

No. I think you're confusing something else with hipsters.

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It's only knock n' knowall, but I like it

http://www.last.fm/user/kingboobs

jackhammer

Animals.
Piper At The Gates Of Dawn.
Obscured By Clouds.
Wish You Were Here.
Meddle.
More.
The Final Cut.
Division Bell.
A Saucerful Of Secrets.
Dark Side Of The Moon.
A Momentary Lapse Of Reason.
Ummagumma.
The Wall.
Atom Heart Mother.

My favourite Floyd albums in order.

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