Your favorite Pink Floyd album BEFORE Dark Side of the Moon

[Dark Side 0]

What is your favorite Pink Floyd album BEFORE Dark Side of the Moon? Mine is Atom Heart Mother.

[The Seeker 0]

I'm not sure altogether whether this should really be in the concerts thread...

Mine is Piper at the Gates of Dawn, in any case.

[Danielj 1]

Good thread, Obscured By Clouds

[Dazed_and_Confused 0]

I'd have to agree with the Seeker, Piper at the Gates of Dawn.

[edna 6]

Atom Heart Mother.

Didn´t I post this already somewhere?

[c_s_1987 0]

I can't really comment, but I'll still say Meddle, simply because of Echoes.

[Kevin 3]

Hmm . Since I heard "Wish You Were Here " and " The Wall " before said album , does that count in any way ?! ( It does if you are 'Lost ' )...

[johnnyguitar 0]

Deffo...Obscured by Clouds...followed quickly by Relics...'cos it was cheap....and had some great music on it. (I was poor...a student at the time...cheap was good!)

[TheLizard 1]

I think I actually prefer Floyd's pre-DSOTM stuff. My favorite is probably Meddle (mainly because Echoes is one of the greatest songs ever) but A Saucerful of Secrets and Piper at the Gates of Dawn are great too. Ummagumma is just weird.

[moonhunter 0]

Dark Side of the Moon was the moment when everything came together, when the Floyd's superior musical style truly reached its zenith. And the world responded -- the album was on the charts for YEARS longer than any other in history. Before DSOTM, the band put out numerous records, all of them good, all of them full of fresh experimentation. They were trying stuff out, and in a way I like that better than their later albums.

Meddle is probably the closest to Dark Side -- though surprisingly bluesy in style -- and also probably wins my vote (mostly for Echoes). Saucerful and Piper are both amazing as well, if very different. Syd Barrett was a genius....

[idler 0]

I'd say their first album "Piper At The Gates Of Dawn" is not only their best, but one of my top 10 favourites by anyone. It really holds up well, Syd Barrett's quirkiness made them ahead of their time.

[Wyld Card 5]

Without a doubt "Ummagumma", it goes without saying, that this was a progressive rock first, alongside Yes's self titled debut. Astronomy Domine is one of their legendary masterpieces & Gilmour's initial trademarks, along with Nick Mason's signature percussion performance, that featured a significant source of musicial accord, diverse from expectations placed at the time of release. In comparison, far better off from Barrett's genius.

Ummagumma was even my screen name on this website for a while; with the cover art displayed as avatar.

Ummagumma is just weird.

You gotta give this one album, quite a few listens, and adjust to get the lyrical diversity / harmony it's fair chance, man. On first listen, I had doubts about it's priority amongst Pink Floyd's catalog, eventually it grew on me apart from the others. But then again, it's special in it's own way, apart from the others, it hides in it's own shadows.

[TheLizard 1]

Will do, MindCrime. Any idea where I can find it? I don't think I've ever heard it in it's entirety, which may be why I had that opinion of it. Pink Floyd albums are meant to be heard from beginning to end.

[Wyld Card 5]

Too true lizard; about the "beginning to end" remark. There's a website where you can preview music, to see if it's what you're looking for or have an ideal interest in. I would have to research for the link though, not sure where it's about at the moment.

[idler 0]

Without a doubt "Ummagumma", it goes without saying, that this was a progressive rock first, alongside Yes's self titled debut.

Yup, a great album that made a real progression on previous psychedelic sounds. I'd include King Crimson's "In The Court Of The Crimson King", The Moody Blues "Days Of Future Past" and Procol Harum's self titled debut as other groundbreaking early progressive rock albums.

Does anyone know which order these five came out?

[edna 6]

1967

Procol Harum, "Procol Harum"

Moody Blues, "Days Of Future Past"

1969

Pink Floyd, "Ummagumma"

Yes, "Yes"

King Crimson, "In the Court of the Crimson King"

I still believe "Atom Heart Mother" was the real revolution in rock music.

[Wyld Card 5]

Thank you Idler for that interesting follow-up, I agree about all of those bands & their distinctive place in the roots of progressive rock.

King Crimson is often overlooked as being one of the true beginners of the genre, they perform like an obscured melody in the shadows.

Edna, that's interesting; I didn't know that Procol Harum's debut release came out in '67. I guess we learn something new each day.

[edna 6]

I didn't know that Procol Harum's debut release came out in '67. I guess we learn something new each day.

Me neither... I also learn a lot by searching...