The Pink Floyd obsession

The last thing I did yesterday, before I went to bed, was reading for my exams, whilst listening to Pink Floyd. I think it was "Echoes" that was the last song for the evening. Before I started rading for my exams, which starts in a week, I made this list on itunes called 'study buddy'. I did think of putting all different bands in the list, but the songs had to be instrumental or mostly instrumental. Never got that far.. Pink Floyd, Roger Waters and Syd Barrett was more then good enough for me. I did also put in a few songs from 'A momentary lapse of reason', since I've not listened to the album too often, and to be honest, I don't know all the lyrics. So that was my plan, a song list with songs I am unable singing to!

Well, I went to bed, and I slept quite bad actually. Had a mild migraine and I also had a fever, so I did not sleep too much. But for the few hours I did sleep, I was dreaming about Roger Waters. Yeah, I was dreaming he had a gig somewhere that looks like where I'm born and raised. My whole family were there and my best friends. I don't remember much of the gig, because I managed to meet Roger when I was buying something to eat during the show. (Nothing make sense in dreams). Anywho, everyone I went to the gig with, told me to take it easy and be cool. That's like telling a child that it cannot eat the chocolate that is placed on the table, and no one can see you. But after all, I was calm, and we had a great chat, and he told me that I could meet the band and I also got several tickets to other shows.
Too bad it was only a dream.

Since I had that dream, I've been thinking about Pink Floyd a lot. Maybe even more than usual. The first 'The Wall' gig that I have tickets for is in 110 days. I am over-exited and I've been feeling weird all day. Probably because I'm ill, but still! There has been such powerful feelings that I just can't explain! All I do know is that I really want to meet Roger Waters this time. He's meeting so many people all the time, why can't it be me? I've always been thinking that 'dreams might just come true', so I won't stop hoping until all hope is gone.
If I ever meet him, I have no idea of what I will tell him or talk to him about. Well, that's not a problem until it is a problem ;)

This evening I saw a trailer for 'Roger Waters, The Wall, live 2013', and I got so exited! So later on, I put on a documentary about 'Wish you were here'. I've seen it before, but it is just so great! Great interviews, funny comments, and loads of the wonderful music! And all I can think about is that I really want to meet them all. Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason.. There are some other guys I'd love to meet too, but unfortunaly that's not gonna happen.
I am so obsessed with this band, their music and their history. At the moment I am taking a bachelor in pre-school teaching, and I often with that I could take a bachelor degree in Pink Floyd. Get to travel around to places they went, meet the guys for interviews and just do something that I really, really love! I really do like what I am doing now, but I would love to liv my life based on my Pink Floyd knowledge, and I could just use all my time to learn more and new stuff.
High hopes!

Todays blog is a bit weird and it's not actualy about anything, but I just had to write something about all these feelings that I have, and the love that we share for the wonderful music! 

Have a great weekend you all! 

Too much rope

Thought I should write about a song my mom just requested! It's her first request, and when someone ask me to write about a song, of course I will! It is my readers that is keeping me going all the way :)

Very well. Not quite sure where to start about this song. It is a very powerful and 'spot-on' song from the master himself, Roger Waters. The song is track number 8 on his third solo album "Amused to death" from 1992. This album was the first Roger Waters album I 'discovered', and I fell in love. There are so many great songs, and the lyrics are priceless. 

"Too much rope" is not as known as songs like "Amused to death", "Perfect sense" and "What God wants". That is a bit sad, because the song has a great lyric and I will recommand you all to listen to this song just one more time! When I was talking with my mom, I realized that I haven't heard this song in at least a year!

I have been thinking about the lyrics in this song for a very long time, but I can't seem to figure it all out! There is just so much! So I think I'll just jump to it, and feel free to comment if you think that I am wrong, cause this is mostly my own thoughts. 

"Each man has his price Bob. And yours was pretty low". The first thing I thought about, was 'who is Bob?'. It came to me qute fast. It might just be Bob Ezrin, the music producer. He has been co-producing albums like "The Wall", "The division bell" and "A momentary lapse of reason". What did he do that made Roger put in a line in the song about him, in a negative way? Well, there were some problems between these two men when Roger left the band and didn't want the others to still be using the name Pink Floyd and continuing to produce, what Roger think is, false Floyd. Roger felt that Bob was betraying him, since he was up for still produce the albums after Roger left. Fair enough, he was a angry man at this point, and he didn't want Pink Floyd to continue as a band, so when someone like Bob wanted the band to keep up, and mostly because of the money... It's not good! 

Bob Ezrin

Lines like "The poor man sells his kidneys, in some colonial bazar", Is that your new Ferrari car" and "Closer to the gold" has to be about money and that there are so many desperate people who wants all the money in the world, even if they have to sell their own body parts. I think that it also is about showing how much money a person have. It's a silent competition about having most money and the most expencive things. But money is often the root of a problem, and there are people and/or countries who use loads of money to buy the most powerful machines and weapons. You can easily see the link of how negative money abuse can be. 

He is also singing about different religions, and I am not sure, but he put's it in a way that make me think that he see religions as a joke. That religions separate and control us. Roger is almost mocking humans. I am trying to read between the lines and it is clear that we are intelligent, but maybe too intelligent for our own good. The intelligece is not always used in a good way, and there I see the link to wars. He did loose his father in the war, and the album "Amused to death" is dedicatet to a solider who fought in WWI, William "Bill" Hubbard. He was badly hurt in the battlefield, and there were a fellow solider who were trying to help him, but he was forced to abandon him. The voice of this solider, Alfred Razzel, can be heard in some of the songs on the album. So because of that, I am quite sure that the song is about wars and Rogers point of view about war. Who can blame him though?

"Give any species too much rope, and they'll fuck it up". Here we can again look at the fact that he might be mocking again. I find this line myself very spot-on. "Too much rope" might be a comparing to the intelligence of humans, and that we have too much of it, and are unable to use it in a good way. Maybe he think that humans are developing into a wrong and scary direction where we are unable to show feeling and it is all about money, religions and war.

Well, that was unfortunaly all I could come up with today, but I'll keep trying to figure out a little more about the song, and if I get some eye-opneners, I'll put it in as well. 

Just to have it said, this is just my own thoughs and how I think it can be, but it might be all wrong. I had to give it a go!

As usual, I'll put in the lyrics and a video of the song, and I will recommand that you read trough the lyrics, and if you have anything you'll think I could put in, please leave a comment!

When the sleigh is heavy
And the timber wolves are getting bold
You look at you companions
And test the water of their friendship
With your toe
They significantly edge
Closer to the gold
Each man has his price Bob
And yours was pretty low
History is short the sun is just a minor star
The poor man sells his kidneys
In some colonial bazaar
Que sera sera
Is that your new Ferrari car
Nice but I think I'll wait for the F50
You don't have to be a Jew
To disapprove of murder
Tears burn our eyes
Moslem or Christian Mullah or Pope
Preacher or poet who was it wrote
Give any one species too much rope
And they'll fuck it up
And last night on TV
A Vietnam vet
Takes his beard and his pain
And his alienation twenty years
Back to Asia again
Sees the monsters they made
In formaldehyde floating 'round
Meets a gook on a bike
A good little tyke
A nice enough guy
With the same soldier's eyes
Tears burn my eyes
What does it mean
This tearjerking scene
Beamed into my home
That it moves me so much
Why all the fuss
It's only two humans being
It's only two humans being
Tears burn my eyes
What does it mean
This tender TV
This tearjerking scene
Beamed into my home
You don't have to be a Jew
To disapprove of murder
Tears burn in our eyes
Moslem or Christian Mullah or Pope
Preacher or poet who was it wrote
Give any one species too much rope
And they'll fuck it up

Storm Thorgerson

I am very sad to write this blog today. I didn't plan that I would blog today, but I received the bad news yesterday in the evening. So I decided to write something about this lovely man who left the world yesterday.

I've always been a fan of Storm Elvin Thorgerson's work. He was such a great artist and he designed covers etc for several band. He was a british graphic designer and a music video director, and he is known for creating the greatest album covers of all time. He had something psychedelic about some of his work, but it was also a 'simple' capture of something you see, but never think of as art. But this man did. I will like to bring up the design on the cover for "Dark side of the moon". I've read several places that he had loads of different covers that Pink Floyd would come and check out, and one of the covers would they choose to use on what became their best selling album. The band came into hiw studio, and when they laid eyes on what we know is the cover of "Dark side." they all knew that it was the right cover. So simple, but yet so powerful. I am very proud of my "Dark side of the moon" tattoo. The tattoo will remindme of the great band, the great album and the great man behind the design.

Shine on Storm

Storm Thorgerson was born in Potters bar, Herts, in 1944. He did of course studie Film and tv, but he started his studies in philosophy. His career started when he and Aubrey Powell started a designer group called Hipgnosis. They started of in the late 60's and kept it going til 1983. Then Storm Thorgerson worked with album covers until his death in 2013. Hipgnosis first work was actually for Pink Floyd and the album "A saucerful of secrets" from 1968. Then in 69' it was for the album "More", followed by "Ummagumma" the same year. In 1970 it was time for "Atom heart mother" and the cover of a cow (Lulubelle III) on a field. The same year they also designed the cover for Syd Barrett's solo album "The Madcap laughs".  In 1971 it was time for their cover for the album "Meddle" wich is a close up picture of an ear. In 72' they designed the cover for "Obscured by clouds".

In 1973 Pink Floyd were asking Hipgnosis if they could get a desing for their brand new album. "Reflecting a light through a prism is a common feature in nature, as in a rainbow. I would like to claim it, but unfortunatly it's not mine!" - Storm Thorgerson.
The idea came from Richard Wright. He said he wanted somewhat provocatively. He said "Let's not have one of your photos, we've had your photos before. Can't we have a change? A cool graphic - something smart, tidy, elegant".
And now, that cover is one of the most known cover of all times.

The man and the masterpiece

In 1974 the Hipgnosis made covers for Pink Floyds "A nice pair" and Syd Barrett's "Syd Barrett". In 1975 it was time for "Wish you were here": I've always wanted a tattoo from that album. It's so many wonderful pictures, and they are perfect for a tattoo. Maybe that album will be my next ;)
In 97' Hipgnosis made the cover for the album "Animals". The one with the Power station and the flying pig. AMAZING! In 78' both Richard Wright and David Gilmour made a solo album, which Hipgnosis designed the covers for. David's was "David Gilmour" and Richard's was "Wet dream".
Hipgnosis last work for Pink Floyd were "A collection of great dance songs" in 81', and the same year they made a cover for Nick Mason's solo album "Fictitious sports'. After Hipgnosis were dissolved, he continued designing covers, such as for "Echoes - the best of Pink Floyd", "A momentary lapse of reasons", "Delicate sound of thunder", "Shine on", The division bell", "PULSE", "Relics", "Is there anybody out there" and "Oh, by the way".

Richard Wright & Storm Thorgerson

Two legends

After all these years, he and the members of Pink Floyd became close friends. Storm were, in fact, David Gilmour's best man at his wedding. He seemd like such an amazing man, and the world will miss him and his exellent work. As a Pink Floyd fan, it's been a great run with this man, and he will be remembered for a very, very long time. I will always think of him, everytime I see one of his designed covers. I'm glad I bought his book a few years back, where you'll find his Pink Floyd works. I was looking in it, for the first time in a long time, andI just had to try and honour this man in the best way.

Storm Thorgerson. You will be missed and never forgotten.

The greatest 'Storm' has left the world. 

Rest in peace

Have a look at his amazing work!

A saucerful of secrets

More

Ummagumma

Atom heart mother

Meddle

Obscured by clouds

Dark side of the moon

A nice pair

Wish you were here

Animals

A great collection of great dance songs

The madcap laughs

Syd Barrett

David Gilmour

Wet dream (Richard Wright)

Fictitious sports (Nick Mason)

A momentary lapse of reason

Delicate sound of thunder

Shine on

The division bell

P*U*L*S*E

Relics

Is there anybody out there

Echoes - The best of Pink Floyd

Oh by the way

Ping Floyd

This weekend I went to Bergen with two friends, and we had tickets to a Pink Floyd cover band, called Ping Floyd, on friday. The concert started quite late, so then we had time to walk around and try different pub's.
The local where the band played, were a bit small, and there were not enough chairs for everybody. But that did not bother me. When I'm listening to the wonderful music by Pink Floyd, I like to stand up, dance a bit and just enjoy the amazing moment.

I've seen several Pink Floyd cover band, so I had some ideas of what I wanted to hear. I always know that the band will play songs like "Wish you were here", "Comfortably numb" and "Another brick in the wall pt.2", but I am always hoping that the band will play a song that really surprises me! Something original and perhaps something from the earliest albums. I think that it would be great if all cover bands had at least one song that will surprise people, and the song might be a song that's new for some people. Ping Floyd is playing Pink Floyd's song all the way from "Dark side of the moon" to David Gilmours solo project ca.20060

They played "Learning to fly"

Ping Floyd. They surprised me! Not with an old, not-too-familliar-song, but a rather new song. Not a Pink Floyd song, but a David Gilmour song. They played "On an Island". Before the show started, me and my freinds got to see the set list, and I saw that they were supposed to play "On an Island", but I didn't get my hopes up. Set lists can be changed during a show. I was so glad when they started playing this song. I've always been a Roger Waters girl, but I still reckon that David Gilmour is a genious too! When I first listen to the song "On an Island" by Gilmour, I got tears in my eyes. The song is amazing. I don't know why I love it, I just do! So when Ping Floyd started to play.... I felt like floating on a sky!

Ping Floyd

Ping Floyd were playing on a small stage, and there were no animations or films in the background. That is the first time I've seen that. But it didn't matter. The people on the stage were making a great show. The guitar player were showing off when he played the guitar solo's, and it was so amazing to look at, that you did not miss anything in the background. There were 3 ladies on background vocals, and those three ladies had some dance moves almost during the entire show, but what catched my eyes, was that they were smiling and laughing all the time. They were showing the audiece that they had a great time! I felt that most of the band was smiling all the time. And that made me, and probably loads of other people, smile.

We came from Stavanger to see the Ping Floyd show!

Totally worth it!

Ping Floyd have had many shows in Bergen the last years, but I've never been able to go and check it out. So I was thrilled when I finally made it happen! I've been in contack with the bass player & vocalist in the band, so after the show I had to go and say hi! He was so friendly and he actually started thinking about bringing the show to the city where I live. And that is saying somthing about the band! They are listening to their fans! I also got to tell all the three ladies on the stage that I thought they were amazing!

So I had a really great time on the show! They were playing loads of great songs, and they did it good. The only thing I was reacting to, was that the lead vocal seemd to have some trouble with the lyrics. But if you are singing out loud all the way, it's hard to notice. The important thing is that me and my friends had a blast, the band seemd to have a great time, and where you find Pink Floyd music, you will probably find me too.

If YOU will ever be in Bergen whilst this band is having a gig, GO! You will regret it and feel quite stupid if you don't go. It's a great experience, and the band is great :)

Shine on Ping Floyd! And to refere to Vera Lynn: We'll meet again

Bring the boys back home

I will start with an apology! My exams will be starting in a month, and I had easter holiday visiters, so I have my resons for being absent from this blog. I've not been capable of finding enough time. It might be that I'm only able to write here a few times a month, but from june 4th, I'm done with all my exams and I'll be ready to start focus on my biggest interest, music and Pink Floyd.

Today I've been listening to "The Wall", again, and I felt like listening to 'Bring the boys back home' a few times. There is somthing so powerful and amazing about this song! For an untrained Pink Floyd ear, I'm sure it wont be fun listening to, but if you'd seen the movie "The Wall" and maybe atend one of Roger Waters live shows for the last years, the song is getting into a whole new level.

From the movie "The Wall"

You probably all know that this song is from cd 2 on the 1979 album "The Wall". But it is always important to mention if there were some new readers who have just discovered Pink Floyd. This song is one of Waters many masterpieces, and I feel that the entire song is reflecting on that man. Roger Waters lost his father in WWII, and there are lots of conections between Roger and his personal life in this album.

From the movie "The Wall"

Roger Waters in an interview about 'Bring the boys back home':
The central song on the whole album is, Bring the boys back home because it has the most to do with me, because it's partly about not letting people go off and be killed in wars. But it is also partly about not alowing rock and roll, or making cars, or selling soap, or anything become such an important and jolly boy's game that it becomes more important than friends, wives, children, and other people. That is a very, very little vauge song, and that's why I like it.

As a Roger Waters girl (always been, always will), I feel that he has a good point of every song he'd made. That might, of course, be exept the early albums. There is actually hard to find interviews with him about song from the early days, but every interview I've seen, he's been great! Can't wait to see him live in just 4 months! It is quite special on the live show during 'Bring the boys back home'. There are pictures on the wall of poor children and men going to war, and with these pictures, there are words coming up as well. These words were once said by Dwight D.Eisehower:
Every gun that is made, every warship launched, every rocket fired, signifies in the final sense a theft from those who hunger and are not fed, those who are cold and are not clothed.

Well, I'm soon off to uni again, so that'll be all for today. Enjoy the song and have a wonderful day

The original

From a live show

Bring the boys back home

Bring the boys back home

Don't leave the children on their own

Bring the boys back home