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10 10. Pink Floyd The Piper at the Gates of Dawn

Matilda Mother



Though Piper at the Gates of Dawn is far from Pink Floyd's best album, and is even farther from being their most cohesive or least choppy, it has its gems. "Astronomy Domine" comes to mind, having been played as an opener throughout much of Pink Floyd's Division Bell-era touring, but it's "Matilda Mother," with its harmonies and organ solo that tops this album. It's a short song with a far heavier emphasis on psychedelia than many Pink Floyd fans are comfortable with, but it is cohesive, fluid, and is a fun listen.

Matilda Mother



Though Piper at the Gates of Dawn is far from Pink Floyd's best album, and is even farther from being their most cohesive or least choppy, it has its gems. "Astronomy Domine" comes to mind, having been played as an opener throughout much of Pink Floyd's Division Bell-era touring, but it's "Matilda Mother," with its harmonies and organ solo that tops this album. It's a short song with a far heavier emphasis on psychedelia than many Pink Floyd fans are comfortable with, but it is cohesive, fluid, and is a fun listen.

9 9. Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon

Any Colour You Like



As critical as I am of synthesizers, it's hard to fault Pink Floyd for using them when they have such a masterful aptitude for musical innovation and successful sonic experimentation. Dark Side of the Moon boasts the greatest ending sequence of any album, going from the soft-spoken yet rambunctious "Us and Them" to the grand finale, "Brain Damage/Eclipse." The oft-underrated connector between these two (or three, depending on who you ask) tracks, however, is none other than "Any Colour You Like." In this song, David Gilmour intermixes his effects-heavy, distorted guitar with the late Richard Wright's mind-bending synthesizer progression to craft an airy (yet, thanks to Nick Mason, without gaps), elastic track that never sounds exactly the same, no matter how many times you listen to it.

Any Colour You Like



As critical as I am of synthesizers, it's hard to fault Pink Floyd for using them when they have such a masterful aptitude for musical innovation and successful sonic experimentation. Dark Side of the Moon boasts the greatest ending sequence of any album, going from the soft-spoken yet rambunctious "Us and Them" to the grand finale, "Brain Damage/Eclipse." The oft-underrated connector between these two (or three, depending on who you ask) tracks, however, is none other than "Any Colour You Like." In this song, David Gilmour intermixes his effects-heavy, distorted guitar with the late Richard Wright's mind-bending synthesizer progression to craft an airy (yet, thanks to Nick Mason, without gaps), elastic track that never sounds exactly the same, no matter how many times you listen to it.

8 8. Pink Floyd The Final Cut

When the Tigers Broke Free



Originally an obscure B-side to The Wall, and the opening song to the movie of the same name, "Tigers" was released along with a remix of The Final Cut years after its recording. That said, it was worth the wait. Having only Roger Waters' forlorn mumbling (which becomes a helpless scream of alienation by the end) and a synthesized version of "Taps," it is not for its musical prowess that for which song makes the list, but instead for its autobiographical lyrical significance and its role as a necessary overture to The Wall.

When the Tigers Broke Free



Originally an obscure B-side to The Wall, and the opening song to the movie of the same name, "Tigers" was released along with a remix of The Final Cut years after its recording. That said, it was worth the wait. Having only Roger Waters' forlorn mumbling (which becomes a helpless scream of alienation by the end) and a synthesized version of "Taps," it is not for its musical prowess that for which song makes the list, but instead for its autobiographical lyrical significance and its role as a necessary overture to The Wall.

7 7. Pink Floyd The Wall

In The Flesh



Nick Mason's greatest ever contribution to the band comes from this song. A highly rhythmic introduction with Townshend-esque power chords gives way to Roger Waters' panicked vocals that shout obscenities, symbolizing the mental decline of the album's protagonist. Though never truly famed for its rhythm section– Nick Mason and Roger Waters are at times mediocre musicians at best– the band shows that they are as capable as Led Zepplin or Queen at crafting stadium-vibrating melodies and beats.

In The Flesh



Nick Mason's greatest ever contribution to the band comes from this song. A highly rhythmic introduction with Townshend-esque power chords gives way to Roger Waters' panicked vocals that shout obscenities, symbolizing the mental decline of the album's protagonist. Though never truly famed for its rhythm section– Nick Mason and Roger Waters are at times mediocre musicians at best– the band shows that they are as capable as Led Zepplin or Queen at crafting stadium-vibrating melodies and beats.

6 6. Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon

Time



A classic that has stood the test of time, pun intended, "Time" is a masterpiece that berates English society as well as "Animals," if not better, considering its relative brevity. With a lengthy percussion intro (complete with the sound of alarm clocks) played live by Nick Mason and his roto-toms, no real chorus, Richard Wright's melodic vocals, and a screeching guitar solo, "Time" is one of Dark Side's most memorable tracks.

Time



A classic that has stood the test of time, pun intended, "Time" is a masterpiece that berates English society as well as "Animals," if not better, considering its relative brevity. With a lengthy percussion intro (complete with the sound of alarm clocks) played live by Nick Mason and his roto-toms, no real chorus, Richard Wright's melodic vocals, and a screeching guitar solo, "Time" is one of Dark Side's most memorable tracks.

5 5. Pink Floyd Wish You Were Here

Wish You Were Here



Despite being bookended by what amounts to a half hour of David Gilmour's genius, it's the title cut that seems to be the best on Wish You Were Here, named in memoriam of Syd Barret's sanity. Though one could potentially do without Gilmour's scatting, a momentous bridge and a heart-wrenching acoustic intro prove to be enough to put this cut over the top.

Wish You Were Here



Despite being bookended by what amounts to a half hour of David Gilmour's genius, it's the title cut that seems to be the best on Wish You Were Here, named in memoriam of Syd Barret's sanity. Though one could potentially do without Gilmour's scatting, a momentous bridge and a heart-wrenching acoustic intro prove to be enough to put this cut over the top.

4 4. Pink Floyd Animals

Dogs



Roger Waters' famed critique of a pseudo-caste system that gripped much of postwar England, Animals is a lyrically dense and musically complex album with not one, but three, outstanding songs, each possessing both a lengthy duration and a titular animal whose human counterpart the song serves to castigate. The highlight of these three, however, is Dogs, which incorporates uncharacteristically heavy guitar solos with a lyrical thrashing that amounts to some of the best songwriting, ever.

Dogs



Roger Waters' famed critique of a pseudo-caste system that gripped much of postwar England, Animals is a lyrically dense and musically complex album with not one, but three, outstanding songs, each possessing both a lengthy duration and a titular animal whose human counterpart the song serves to castigate. The highlight of these three, however, is Dogs, which incorporates uncharacteristically heavy guitar solos with a lyrical thrashing that amounts to some of the best songwriting, ever.

3 3. Pink Floyd Meddle

Echoes



Generally known as Pink Floyd's breakthrough album, wherein they abandon a self-indulgent attachment to psychedelic music as schizophrenic as Syd Barret himself in favor of the more well-rounded, perfectly sculpted sound we know and love, Meddle's pivotal track is the twenty-minute opus, "Echoes." Beginning with an odd yet appropriate sonar ping, we are quickly treated to a luscious harmonization by Gimour and Wright. The instrumental sections that follow boast some of the best guitar playing, ever, and some unusually energetic interplay between Waters and Mason.

Echoes



Generally known as Pink Floyd's breakthrough album, wherein they abandon a self-indulgent attachment to psychedelic music as schizophrenic as Syd Barret himself in favor of the more well-rounded, perfectly sculpted sound we know and love, Meddle's pivotal track is the twenty-minute opus, "Echoes." Beginning with an odd yet appropriate sonar ping, we are quickly treated to a luscious harmonization by Gimour and Wright. The instrumental sections that follow boast some of the best guitar playing, ever, and some unusually energetic interplay between Waters and Mason.

2 2. Pink Floyd The Wall

Comfortably Numb



Though, depending on one's mood, Roger Waters' quasi-spoken-word verses can be either mesmerizing or annoying, there is no question that the choruses, sang by David Gilmour, epitomize the elastic airiness of Pink Floyd's sound. The guitar solos that follow the choruses, especially the second one, combine Gilmour's expertise in blues and his signature reverb-heavy sound to produce some of the most mind-boggling and amazing sounds ever to be recorded. Unquestionably, these solos are on the list of the best of all time.

Comfortably Numb



Though, depending on one's mood, Roger Waters' quasi-spoken-word verses can be either mesmerizing or annoying, there is no question that the choruses, sang by David Gilmour, epitomize the elastic airiness of Pink Floyd's sound. The guitar solos that follow the choruses, especially the second one, combine Gilmour's expertise in blues and his signature reverb-heavy sound to produce some of the most mind-boggling and amazing sounds ever to be recorded. Unquestionably, these solos are on the list of the best of all time.

1 1. Pink Floyd Dark Side of the Moon

Brain Damage/Eclipse



Crafted for the schizophrenic genius Syd Barrett, Brain Damage/Eclipse is a seamlessly flowing musical couplet that concludes one of the greatest albums of all time. An integral part of its famed closing sequence that begins with "Us and Them" and "Any Colour You Like," and then concludes by trailing off into Brain Damage's lax rhythmic guitar riff, Brain Damage/Eclipse's crashing, cascading drum intros before each chorus and between the two tracks, the gospel-like backing vocals, and the airy elasticity for which Pink Floyd is famous all are front and center in this song.



Ending with a strange voice murmuring, "There is no dark side of the moon, really. Matter of fact, it's all dark" and fading into the distant heartbeat that commenced the album, the terminus of Dark Side of the Moon comes full circle. Each listen grows more and more invigorating until one finds himself lost in the music.