Learning to fly

Can't keep my eyes from the circling sky

What a great song! It was the first song by Pink Floyd without Roger Waters I really enjoyed. It is something really catchy about it, and it makes me smile everytime. I remember the first time I got to see the music video on tv. It is many years ago, and I remember it was me and my dad in the livingroom and vh1 was on in the background. And suddenly.. The wonderful music came out of the tv. (all norwegian Floyd fans know that Pink Floyd is rarely shown on the tv or played on the radio), so it was quite big for me!
There I saw the music video, and I was so facinated by it, cause it had some of the good old Floyd craziness in it. Ever since that day, I've been hoping to see it everytime I put on a music chanel. But it rarely happens, and that might be cause I rarely watch tv.

David Gilmour

Very well!
The song is from the album "A momentary lapse of reason" and the album was released in 1987. The song is mostly written by David Gilmour, but he had a little help from his friends Bob Ezrin (The trial!!), Jon Carin (play keyboard with Roger) and Anthony Moore (who has been helping David before and he's also been writing texts with Richard Wright on one of his solo albums). The song is sung by David Gilmour. He's got the most wonderful song.

Nick Mason

The song is basicly about the thrill about learning to fly (both David and Nick has a flight certificate, or whatever it is called). Since this was the band first single after Roger left, it is also seen as how David took the lead in the band and how he could do it. He was learning something new, like learning to fly. It is about the bands 'new' life.

Richard Wright

I will end todays blog as I always do; here's the song and the music video that amazed me many years ago. And it still does! 

Shine on!

Into the distance, a ribbon of black 
Stretched to the point of no turning back 
Flight of fancy on a windswept field 
Standing alone, my senses reel 
Fatal attraction that's holding me fast 
Now, can't escape this irresistible grasp 
Can't keep my eyes from the circling sky 
Tongue-tied and twisted; just an earth-bound misfit, I 
Ice is forming on the tips of my wings 
Unheeded warnings, I thought I thought of everything 
No navigator to find my way home 
Unladen, empty, and turned to stone 
A soul in tension that's learning to fly 
Condition: grounded - determined to try 
Can't keep my eyes from the circling skies 
Tongue-tied and twisted; just an earth-bound misfit, I 
Above the planet on a wing and a prayer, 
My grubby halo, a vapour trail in the empty air, 
Across the clouds I see my shadow fly 
Out of the corner of my watering eye 
A dream unthreatened by the morning light 
Could blow this soul right through the roof of the night 
There's no sensation to compare with this 
Suspended animation - a state of bliss 
Can't keep my mind from the circling sky 
Tongue-tied and twisted just an earth-bound misfit, I

Shine on Richard Wright

I know I'm a day late when I say that Richard Wright passed away this day (yesterday) in 2008. I should be writing it yesterday but due to work and social gatherings, I had no time. So I will write a few words about it today, and hope that's ok with all of you.

Richard Wright 1943-2008

But wow.. It's been 4 years already.. Feels like yesterday that my dad called me and gave me the bad news. I spent the rest of that day in front of the computer finding clips on youtube, listened to my cd's where he has one or more songs and cruising through pictures of him on the internet. It was such a sad day. I've always been facinated by this man. He is a genious, and I know that the music wouldt be the same without him!

I've been writing about this before (last year), so I wont get to deep into it, but I was a really big fan of this man, and I'm so sad that I never got the chance to see him performe live! In every interview I watch, he seems soooo nice, calm and just wonderful. Everytime he smiles, you just start smiling yourself, since the smile is so kind and so real. What a sad, sad day, both today (since I'm writing about it and all the feeling come back) and yesterday (since that's the day he died).

David said this about his friend after he passed away:

"No-one can replace Richard Wright – he was my musical partner and my friend.In the welter of arguments about who or what was Pink Floyd, Rick's enormous input was frequently forgotten. He was gentle, unassuming and private but his soulful voice and playing were vital, magical components of our most recognised Pink Floyd sound. Like Rick, I don't find it easy to express my feelings in words, but I loved him and will miss him enormously. I have never played with anyone quite like him."

And with these words, I hope Richard is great, wherever he might be, and I'll be enjoying his music today! 

We miss you Richard Wright!!!

Shine on

Amused to death

"The species has amused itself to death"

Today Roger Waters turned 69! Yes it is his birthday, and the best way I found to celebrate this man, was to write a little about him and one of his wonderful song "Amused to death". The song is to be found on the album with the same name. I know I should have celebrating him with a glass of wine and his music on the stereo. But since I'm not feeling too good, I'm gonna skip the wine, but the music will still be playing.

For my birthday this year (in june) I got a happy birthday signed picture of him, and it made me so happy, and I wish I could do something really special for him too! But I reckon he wouldn't appreciate a signed picture of me as much as I did appreciate the picture of him. So that's not a good idea! So I'll just celebrate the day with his music!

Live in Oslo 2011

Back to the music! The album "Amused to death" was released in 1992, and it was Rogers third solo studio album. There are a few songs on this album that I loved at once, and this is one of them! My parents had this live dvd "In the flesh" and this song is on that dvd! There is something so powerful and true about this song. It's just wonderful. The album is, like many others, a complaint of the politics, war, all the bad influence you get through the television etc. The song is dedicated to Bill Hubbard, who died in world war 1. At the end of this song, you can hear a voice talking, and that voice is Alf Razzle's. He was in world war 1, and he had to leave a dying Hubbard in the war.

Snowy White and Roger Waters

The song start with the text "Doctor doctor", and that is the same as Rogers very first song "Take up that stetescope and walk". Facinating! 

Very well, here's a video from "In the flesh" where they perform this song (at the end there are clips of Alf Razzle), and the lyrics will apear under the film. Enjoy.

And happy birthday Roger Waters!!! :0)

Doctor Doctor what is wrong with me This supermarket life is getting long What is the heart life of a colour TV What is the shelf life of a teenage queen Ooh western woman Ooh western girl News hound sniffs the air When Jessica Hahn goes down He latches on to that symbol Of detachment Attracted by the peeling away of feeling The celebrity of the abused shell the belle Ooh western woman Ooh western girl And the children of Melrose Strut their stuff Is absolute zero cold enough And out in the valley warm and clean The little ones sit by their TV screens No thoughts to think No tears to cry All sucked dry Down to the very last breath Bartender what is wrong with me Why I am so out of breath The captain said excuse me ma'am This species has amused itself to death Amused itself to death Amused itself to death We watched the tragedy unfold We did as we were told We bought and sold It was the greatest show on earth But then it was over We oohed and aahed We drove our racing cars We ate our last few jars of caviar And somewhere out there in the stars A keen-eyed look-out Spied a flickering light Our last hurrah And when they found our shadows Groups 'round the TV sets They ran down every lead They repeated every test They checked out all the data in their lists And then the alien anthropologists Admitted they were still perplexed But on eliminating every other reason For our sad demise They logged the only explanation left This species has amused itself to death No tears to cry No feelings left This species has amused itself to death Amused itself to death

The Narrow Way

Well, since I've been in a Ummagumma mood lately, here is some more! The song "The Narrow Way" comes in part 1-3. It is David Gilmour's first ever solo composition!! When David tried to call Roger Waters for lyrics, Roger just said 'no', and the resultant recording suffers from Gilmour's lack of confidence in his lyrics. So the song is mostly instrumental! David who came out later to be a great lyricist! But I think that the lyrics on this song is suitable and good! He just needed to get some trust in himself.

The song is performed only by David himself. He had to play all the instruments himself, and I reckon if worked out great! Gilmour is behind the guitar playing, the vocals, the bass, the piano and organs and drums. Multitalent!!  The song has all this funny and weird sounds, and that's one of the many reasons why I love the song. When you listen to the beginning of the song, you almost feel that you are laying on the grass in the summer, close by a pond, and you are just relaxing and enjoying life. And then it turnes in to all the funny sounds, and it almost sounds like some scary soundtracks, and then at the end, he's wonderful voice apear, and everything turnes bright and shiny again. It truly is a great song!

On the album "Ummagumma" all the members in the band had to compose one song each, and this one is David's. "Sysyphus" was Richard Wright's. "The grand vizier's garden part" was Nick Mason's. The rest of the song on the studio album (Several species.... and Grantchester meadows) is composed by Roger Waters. So you might say that this album is quite experimental, and I think that is great! In that way they got to know each other talents. What a great way to do an album!

Wishing you all a wonderful saturday! Shine on

Following the path as it leads toward 
The darkness in the north 
Weary strangers' faces show their sympathy 
They've seen that hope before 

And if you want to stay for a little bit 
Rest your aching limbs for a little bit 
Before you the night is beckoning 
And you know you can't delay 
You hear the night birds calling you
But you can't catch the words they say
Close your aching eyes, be on your way 

Mist is swirling, creatures crawling 
Hear the roar get louder in your ears 
You know the folly was your own 
But the force behind can't conquer all your fears 

And if you want to stay for a little bit 
Rest your aching limbs for a little bit 
Before you the night is beckoning
And you know you can't delay 
You hear the night birds calling you 
But you can't catch the words they say
Close your aging eyes, be on your way 

Throw your thoughts back many years
To the time when there was life with every morning 
Perhaps a day will come when the light will be as clear as on that morning 

And if you want to stay for a little bit 
Rest your aching limbs for a little bit 
Before you the night is beckoning 
And you know you can't delay 
You hear the night birds calling you
But you can't catch the words they say
Close your ancient eyes, be on your way