from the LP Meddle, Harvest Records, 1971This song is the definitive apex of space rock, voyaging free from gravity throughout the universe, traversing the windswept ice deserts of Saturn and trawling the depths of Venus’ dark indigo seas, bathing in dense layers of atmospheric sound which can leave the truly stoned individual who listens to this with headphones on wondering if they have, indeed, momentarily left the Earth---which I have to presume was the ultimate goal of space rock in the first place, right?! Floyd had tread into these waters before, albeit much more briefly (i.e. “Astronomy Domine” or “Interstellar Overdrive”), but never had they created such a mesmerizing opus as this, cinematic in both scope and delivery. It all begins with what sounds like the sonar or radar on a submarine, pinging the depths to let you know just how deep we’re gonna go; the actual noise you hear was generated by patching a friggin’ grand piano into a rotating Leslie amp, typically only done with Hammond organs at that time. The track moves through several suites, giving the listener the impression of motoring around the interplanetary atmos in a small craft, passing through a variety of colors & environments, with not a single dull moment to be found within the entire 23+ minutes of epic madness. This piece made it very clear that Pink Floyd still had a lot to say, and didn’t they go on to prove that assumption right!
