where to begin.. Been a big PF fan since I was 12..
my intro into PF was The Wall.. and I still reckon its one of the best (if not the _definitive_) concept albums of all time..
But any PF works up to where Waters left are brilliant.. (I even saw them in Sydney in 1988!! Unreal!).. the best I can do is probably my fav. 3 (complete) Albums..
1. Wish You Were Here
2. Dark Side Moon
3. The Wall
.. but the Pompeii concert is awesome too.. (man Wolfmuther ripped the look and feel off that one).. I love how its basically recorded live.. so you really do see them actually performing.. not just miming..
.. and lest not forget Roger Waters solo work.. IMHO lyrically as good as PF.. not as good musically .. but a must for any PF fans..
If you can get your hands on it, somehow, get a copy of one of the concerts from the In The Flesh tour of 1978. I can't even begin to explain how awesome the music is; Dogs played live.
I used to be part of several online bootleg trading rings for Led Zeppelin concerts in the 90s (back when trading was done on Maxell Type II metal tapes and Kodak gold CD-Rs were just coming on the scene -- the purist collectors argued vehemently against MP3 trading -- and rightfully so).
Led Zeppelin were one of the most bootlegged bands of all time, followed closely by Pink Floyd. I have amassed a fair quantity of Led Zeppelin concerts and was thinking of joining the Pink Floyd trading circles but decided against it as it was driving me broke, being a poor university student and all. Nowadays, you can torrent the entire lot in one hit.
Anyway, once again, Animals is where it's at. The double-tracked guitar solo in Dogs and Sheep's outro, are well worth the price of admission alone.
It has to be "The Dark Side Of the Moon". I remember buying the cassette in 1974 during my first year of teaching in Canberra, I played it to death it my newly purchased Mazda RX2 Rotary, what a great combination. When I saw this thread I rummaged through all my old cassettes and record albums and sure enough there it was, the scuffed cassette case containing my much used and treasured TDSOTM. Well, I stuck it in my old cassette player and would you believe it, the cassette played flawlessly right through both sides. After 35 years who would have thought, maybe it's time to buy the CD and keep the old cassette as a keepsake. As a matter of fact I think this album was responsible for for me getting married in 1975 as I can remember many a night in the car playing it and you know the rest. Still happily married after all this time by the way.
I have attached some pics of the old PF cassette as a matter of interest.
I've only just joined this site but couldn't miss an opportunity to reflect on Floyd. They are my favourite band by some margin. I am surprised by the lack of support for wish you were here as favourite album or song. Wish you were here the song and comfortably numb oscillate in my mind as favourite singles. The cheeky Arnold Layne is an under rated classic.
Album wise I feel wish you were here is the most musically complete, dark side of the moon the most thought provoking and animals the most addictive in that i keep want to listening to it more than the others (usually). Meddle for me just has some flat spots but really took them from an interesting band, original, experimental and passionate to the masters of mood and conscience. Each return listen remains a joy.
Wish You Were Here - One of My Favourite Album's Too
I have lots of Pink Floyd stuff that I almost forgotten I had. This mainly is with the Wish You Were Here album of 1975. One of the most interesting here is the 88 page music score and general book of the album, which has lots of pictures and some of the alternative ones they never used. I.e. The man on fire running off to have the flames extinguished, and the man diving into the .
I also still have the original postcard that came with the vinyl album and even the three stickers that are shaped like those on the old tourist suitcases.
One of the classics is the two long interviews made by Nick Sedgewick of Roger Waters and Dave Gilmour.
Waters is insane. For example, when asked about when he wrote "Shine On (You Crazy Diamond)", he said;
"...we'd just come of an American tour when I wrote that, and I have been exposed to the boogaloo..."
The interviewer interupts him an says;
"No Roger... you must have written it after the English tour, because "Have a Cigar" was included in "Shine On" during the American Tour in '75."
Waters then replies;
"Oh Yes! Right... I can't do that can I? This interview. My mind a scrambled egg, mate. I can't answer these questions. I'll have to go home and study some more. I'm going to have to think about this and that. God Peter (the Floyd publicist). I'm sorry. I wanted to do this interview. I wanted it to be good, coherent, friendly interview for the punters, but my my mind's scrambled.... no my mind's not scrambled, I just can't get my mind round all that &#@% nonsense!"
This is where Waters was at in 1975. It is amazing they made "Wish You Were Here" at all!
I have attached some scans of images for the reference in the earlier post.
These are alternative pics that might interest others that may not have seen them. (I notice the wiki version does not mention this gem of a book at all. Go see; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wish_You_Were_Here_(album)
1) The first was the alternative cover for Wish You Were Here, which is a bit of a giggle. (Didn't fit into the artwork I suppose.)
2) Shows the man in the Sahara sand, but instead of his face being blurred out, you can see his actual face. (this is on the two-sided paged album version)
3) Shows an alternative piece of plastic in the wind (the album versions are red and not white)
4) Shows the images of the alight man shaking hands with an "executive", but instead he is running away to be 'put out'. It was shot at the Warner Brothers Site in the U.S. The multi-sequence shows then whole event from the shaking hands to the fire extinguisher blocking out the whole image.
I should also comment that Remastered CD version of Wish You Were Here (Album) is infinitely better than the older one, which I bought in England in 2000 for a 'song'.
As for the title song, I've always been impressed with is the way "Have a Cigar", about the record industry, changes as if it were changing a radio station, where we catch to the introduction Wish You Were Here (song), which says ;
"...Disciplinary it remains mercifully."
(lady) "Yes, and then... Derek, this star nonsense."
(man ) "Yes, yes."
(lady) "Now which is it?"
(man) "I'm sure of it.""
(I still wonder what it actually means)
The station then changes again, leading into the song proper. Wish You Were here, then goes into the two separate guitars, as if they are speaking to one another. Just Brilliant.
Another incidental thought is the quadraphonic version of "Dark Side of the Moon". When I was a kid one of my friends had such a system, and I vividly remember how startling the sound of the clocks were in the song 'Time'. Such quadraphonic record players probably don't exist anymore.
I wonder if there is some 5.1 surround version available?
A quadraphonic version of Wish You Were Here (album) exists, Never seen it, never heard of it!)
Note: There are several "Wish You Were Here (song)" songs. One I know of is by Incubus, which has the astronomical related lyrics;
"I dig my toes into the sand.
The ocean looks like a thousand diamonds strewn across a blue blanket.
I lean against the wind, pretend that I am weightless and in this moment i am happy.
I wish you were here"
(It also has the great line; "The sky resembles a backlit canopy with holes punched in it.", too.)
Another is Alice Cooper's version, on his concept album "(Alice Cooper) Goes to Hell" It too has the really great lyrics, where he is presumably in Hell;
"Can't get a ticket to get me home, dear
They just don't have too many fights
in the Twlilight zone, dear
So don't forget to feed my cats
Spot and Jerome, dear
...and I'm having a Hell of time, my dear
Wish you were here"
Also on the must have DVD list is the Classic Album series...
"Dark Side of the Moon"
and
"Meddle"
Watched them both last night. DSOTM interviews all the band members. Don't forget to watch the Extras that didn't make it to the TV show.
Meddle isn't all about that album, it makes references to just about all their earlier work.
It's hard to pick an overall "favourite", as mine will change depending on my mood. BUT, in no particular order:
Meddle,
Dark Side of the Moon,
Wish You Were Here
Animals,
The Wall,
The Final Cut
....wait a second, there IS an order there! Can you see it?
On a side note, I started learning guitar around 2 years ago, and David Gilmour is kinda my mentor. His work takes on a whole new dimension when you try to play it! The first song I taught myself was Wish You Were Here.
Then my lovely wife bought me a Fender Stratocaster for Christmas. Now I belt through a pretty poor (but for me very satisfying) version of the solo from "Money". Tonnes of fun to play!
Also on the must have DVD list is the Classic Album series...
"Dark Side of the Moon"
Got that DVD as well, loved the insight into the making of the album and development of the songs like 'On The Run'.
Listening again to 'Us and Them' & 'Great Gig in the Sky', Wright's piano on those tracks are so beautiful, fantastic talent.
Also on the must have DVD list is the Classic Album series...
"Dark Side of the Moon"
and
"Meddle"
Watched them both last night. DSOTM interviews all the band members. Don't forget to watch the Extras that didn't make it to the TV show.
Meddle isn't all about that album, it makes references to just about all their earlier work.
Thanks JJJ, I must get the Meddle one. I have the DSOTM one.
Then my lovely wife bought me a Fender Stratocaster for Christmas. Now I belt through a pretty poor (but for me very satisfying) version of the solo from "Money". Tonnes of fun to play!
or the ANGELS at 4am 
Wish You Were Here - One of My Favourite Album's Too
Presee For the Floydists
Waters / Gilmore Original Interview
Looking pretty cheap in JB HiFi these days.
