Music Arcades: Pink Floyd: Obscured by Clouds

Obscured by Clouds was one of the Pink Floyd albums I bought in the 'splurge' I referred to previously where I explored many of their late '60s and early '70s work. In hindsight, I think there was/is an obnoxious snobbery about the way I reacted to the never-ending Floyd fancying — we thought we'd seen the last of them and their ilk as 1980 arrived — by buying almost everything except the really popular albums.

I first came across this album by accident in the late '70s, and again Richard Smith was involved. He had lent me a tape, and on the other side of the unmarked cassette from whatever was the reason for the loan, was this unknown music that I remember thinking sounded completely alien and otherworldly. When I gave it back, I asked Richard what it was, and he told me: Obscured by Clouds.

About 22 years later I bought the album. It doesn't sound so extraordinary now. I think it must have been the first two tracks and the last one, all instrumentals, that struck me the first time. Because many of the songs are Pink Floyd business-as-usual, the kind of prog-blues dirges that earnt them their reputation for stadium tedium and became the casus belli of punk. Very much the hous sound of the Harvest label at the time, along with Roy Harper and BJH. Stay is the one good song.

Has anyone ever seen La Vallée, the film for which this album was conceived as a soundtrack? Judging from the photos in the CD booklet and the synopsis, it looks like the worst of back-to-nature hippy bollocks.

I noticed in passing how much When You're In sounds like David Gilmour's first solo album.