Springing Ahead With New Music
Liner Notes: Pink Floyd's Meddle (1971)
Springtime Is Near
They just love the spring air and hearing the birds chirp, the squirrels frolic, and the neighborhood dogs tease them as they walk by… unfortunatly it was only a few days and ‘false spring,’ but it can’t be much longer until the krokus start to bloom and the birds return from their winter travel… just so my cats can chatter and pretend to hunt them from the window sill on the inside of the screen. And with the fresh air and open windows returning soon, so will the Bossanova and Latin jazz on my turntable to celebrate the new season.
Liner Notes
Sharing stories about albums in my collection. My mission is simple: one record and one story at a time. Since I bought my first record in 1982, I’ve been obsessed with the stories hidden in the grooves. This is a sanctuary for the music nerds, and the audibly curious, dedicated to records and the liner notes that keep them alive.
Pink Floyd Meddle (EMI / Capitol)
There’s a copy of Meddle that I’ve had for years, and I still think about the first time I heard Echoes... Nothing can really prepare you for that opening “ping.”
I actually bought this record on CD first, sometime in the early 90s, while in college. The LP came later, maybe 15 years ago? Rick Wright sent that single keyboard note through a Leslie rotating speaker, and what came out was arguably one of the most recognizable single notes in the entire Pink Floyd catalog. It kicks off “Echoes,” a 23-minute piece that fills the entire second side and takes the listener on a cosmic ride. No gaps, no interruptions. You just ride it out!
But don’t sleep on side one, because it’s just as good in its own way. “One of These Days” opens the record with a bassline that grabs you immediately, but it’s Nick Mason’s voice that delivers the only lyric that is both menacing, funny, and unexpected.
“One of these days I’m going to cut you into little pieces.”
Their label, EMI, at the time had only eight-track multitrack recording facilities, which the band didn’t like, so they moved to 16-track tape at a smaller London studio. Those extra tracks gave them more room to breathe and experiment.
“Meddle is really the album where all four of us were finding our feet, the way we wanted Pink Floyd to be.” - David Gilmour
I’ll admit, I have a soft spot for “Fearless” that probably has nothing to do with Pink Floyd. The track closes out with a field recording of Liverpool FC’s Kop choir singing “You’ll Never Walk Alone,” and it fades out in a wash of reverb. As a huge Liverpool and football fan, hearing that crowd on that song gives me chills every time.
It’s one of those moments where sport and music collide in the best possible way, and the fact that it ended up on a Pink Floyd record still feels like a lovely accident. ⚽️ 🎶
Playlist
Click the link above to listen on Apple Music.
I think this playlist has a great feel to it and flows pretty well. Give it a shot!
Kim Gordon Not Today
Flea Traffic Lights (feat. Thom Yorke)
Les Imprimés Next Summer Fading Forward
Harry Styles Dance No More
Kölsch Get Lost
Thundercat & Lil Yachty I Did This To Myself (feat. Flying Lotus)
James Blake I Had a Dream
Pat Metheny Don’t Look Down
Flying Lotus CAPTAIN KERNEL
Robyn Talk To Me
New Music This Week!
Here are a few new pieces of music that ended up on my desk this week…
Bill Frisell In My Dreams (Blue Note Records) 2026
From Blue Note Records:
“Bill Frisell’s In My Dreams is a family reunion of sorts, which brings some of the acclaimed guitarist’s closest friends together into a unique sextet featuring Jenny Scheinman on violin, Eyvind Kang on viola, Hank Roberts on cello, Thomas Morgan on bass, and Rudy Royston on drums. Their deep musical history goes back decades, though never before in this particular configuration, and together they travel wide expanses of American music, including Frisell originals as well as Jazz and Americana staples.”
George Duke I Love the Blues, She Heard My Cry (MPS) 1975
I just got a bunch of CDs in the mail from MPS, including some hot Jean-Luc Ponty records, but this was also in the mix, and it was a fun listen! Not recommended for those who only want to hear Duke as an instrumentalist, though it's enjoyable if you like rock, soul, and blues alongside your fusion.
Trust me, you’ll like it. 😀
Gregory Uhlmann Extra Stars (International Anthem) 2026
“The compositions and production techniques here reflect Uhlmann’s musicality perfectly, surely the result of him being as much a seasoned practitioner as he is an avid listener. If there is a middle ground between Cluster & Eno, Terry Riley’s Shri Camel, and Yo La Tengo’s There’s a Riot Going On, it’s somewhere nearby.”
- International Anthem
Thanks once again for reading. Until next time! - JB