textfiles/music/PINKFLOYD/faq_jrf.txt

1052 lines
46 KiB
Plaintext

A Pink Floyd Frequently Asked Questions List...
-----------------------------------------------
Floyd Abbreviations:
--------------------
PF : Pink Floyd (!)
PatGoD: Piper at the Gates of Dawn
ASFoS : A Saucerful Of Secrets
AHM : Atom Heart Mother
OBC : Obscured By Clouds
ANP : A Nice Pair
DSOTM : Dark Side Of The Moon
TGGITS: The Great Gig In The Sky
WYWH : Wish You Were Here
MLoR : A Momentary Lapse Of Reason
DSoT : Delicate Sound of Thunder
TAP : The Amazing Pudding (a PF Fanzine)
Eclipse Abbreviations:
----------------------
BTW : by the way
IMO : In my opinion
IMHO : In my humble opinion
:-) : Smiley face, used to denote sarcasm
Floyd LineUps:
--------------
Version Line Up
0.9 Roger Waters, Rick Wright, Nick Mason, Syd Barrett, Bob Close
1.1 Roger Waters, Rick Wright, Nick Mason, Syd Barrett
1.2 Roger Waters, Rick Wright, Nick Mason, Dave Gilmour, Syd Barrett
2.0 Roger Waters, Rick Wright, Nick Mason, Dave Gilmour
2.1 Roger Waters, Nick Mason, Dave Gilmour
3.0 Nick Mason, Dave Gilmour
3.1 Nick Mason, Dave Gilmour, Rick Wright
Who does What, Where and When:
------------------------------
Syd Barrett (Roger Keith Barrett): Chief singer/songwriter/lead guitarist
for the Floyd in the early years, up to including PATGOD. Soon after its
release he was forced to retire from the band due to "illness", but not
before making an appearance on the Floyd's second album ASFoS. He soon
afterwards wrote two solo albums (The Madcap Laughs and Barrett) but due
to his illness, retired from music all together. He apparently now lives
in Cambridge with his mother, with no intention of returning to music.
David (Jon) Gilmour: Joined the band in '68, in order to "support" the ailing
Syd (the idea was, according to Roger Waters, to let Syd carry on writing
songs, but have Dave actually do Syd's part live), but Syd was to soon leave
and so Dave took over as lead guitarist, and also took over some of the
singing. Right up to DSOTM, Dave was also writing his own songs, but from
DSOTM to The Final Cut, Roger Waters took over in the Lyrics department.
Dave, released, perhaps reluctantly of this responsibility, did make up
for it by producing some excellent Guitar, and production work on all
those albums, most notably Shine On You Crazy Diamond (from WYWH) and
Comfortably Numb (from The Wall). He also did a large amount of the vocals,
and it can be argued that he's probably got the best singing voice in the
band. When Roger Waters split after The Final Cut album Dave decided to
continue the band, and has now become the chief singer/songwriter/lead
guitarist. To date, he's made two solo albums (Dave Gilmour and About Face).
Nick Mason (Nicholas Berkley Mason): 'e does drums! The only member of
the Floyd to stay the distance, his chief contribution to Floyd music
is percussion. He has written one song (The Grand Vizier's Garden Party
on Ummagumma) and has pride of place in speaking the words "One of these
days, I'm going to cut you into little pieces" on, well, One Of These
Days (from Meddle). He's released one solo venture (Fictitious Sports)
and one collaboration piece with Rick Fenn (Profiles). He's also
renowned for his love of sports cars, and has very expensive and impressive
collection of them.
Roger Waters (George Roger Waters): His Rogness, has been singer/songwriter
/bassist from the very beginning. After the absence of Syd, he gradually
began to take more control over the Floyd's lyrics, until DSOTM, where
all lyrics are his. This vein continued through WYWH, and ANIMALS,
until The Wall, where he began to take control over the music side of
things too. For The Final Cut, its often been said that this is Roger with
a few famous backing musicians, as the album is almost totally "his own
work". After The Final Cut, Roger left the band, and expected the others
to do likewise, but was surprised to find them wanting to carry it on.
A few law suits were involved, but resulted in Rog getting not as much as
he expected. He continues to pursue his solo career, with two quite
successful solo ventures (The Pro's and Con's Of Hitch Hiking and Radio
KAOS) and recently "revived" The Wall in Berlin for charity. He has done
two collaboration pieces, one with Ron Geesin (Music From The Body) which
dates back to 1970, and one with various other artists, the film
soundtrack to When The Wind Blows. A new solo piece is expected "very
soon".
Rick Wright (Richard William Wright): Keyboards are Mr. Wright's forte
and from PatGoD up to The Wall, you'll find that not only has tickled
the ivories (or plastics), but he's also managed to find time to write
and sing a number of the Floyd's ditties, like TGGITS. However, during
the making of The Wall film, Mr. Wright "went on holiday", never to
return until the MLoR tours, where he once again, became a full paid up
member of the band. Like Mr. Mason, he's written one solo outing (Wet
Dream) and has done one collaboration piece with Dave Harris under
the band name of Zee (Identity).
Books:
------
"The Work Of Hipgnosis - Walk Away Rene" published by Paper Tiger
ISBN 0-905895088
"Pink Floyd Lyric Book" published by Chappel Music Ltd
ISBN 0 71371 280 5
"Pink Floyd: A Visual Documentary by Miles" published by Omnibus Press
ISBN 0-7119-1444-3
"Saucerful Of Secrets: The Pink Floyd Odyssey" by Nicholas Schaffner
published by Harmony Books
"Pink Floyd: Bricks In The Wall" by Karl Dallas published by Shaposky Publishers
"The Pros & Cons of Hitch Hiking (songbook)" by Roger Waters
ISBN 0-7119-1959-3
"Pink Floyd: Anthology" published by Hal Leonard Publishing Corp.
ISBN 0-88188-445-6
"Crazy Diamond - Syd Barrett & the Dawn of Pink Floyd" by Mike Watkinson & Pete
Anderson published by Omnibus Press ISBN 0-7119-2397-3
Fanzines:
---------
The Amazing Pudding:
For details, write, including an SASE, to
In The UK: In USA: Rest Of The Planet:
Dave & Carole Walker Ken Langford Andy Mabbett
81 Fossdale Moss 16385 West 8th Avenue 61 Meynell House
Leyland Golden Browns Green
Preston Colorado 80401 Birmingham
PR5 3WS B20 1BE
(TEL: 0772 456508) England
Brain Damage:
For details write, including an SASE, to
In UK/Australia/NZ/ In Europe/ Eire: In USA/ Canada/ S. America:
Japan/Hong Kong/
South Africa:
Glenn Povey Michael Perricone Hip Cat Records
9 Pollard Avenue Witikonerstasse 460 1089 W. Dundee Road
Denham CH 8053 Wheeling
Uxbridge Zurich Illinois
Middlesex Switzerland 60090 - 3908
UB9 5JN USA
England (TEL: (708) 537 0066)
(TEL: 0895 833413)
Things That Are Hidden:
-----------------------
Ummagumma:
LP cover:
In the mirror on the wall, the last reflection is of the LP cover for 'ASFoS'
Meddle:
Spoken Words:
"One of these days I'm gunna cut you into little pieces" spoken by Nick
Mason.
Hidden Tunes:
One Of These Days: during a "quieter" section, you can apparently hear
Mr Wright, playing a few bars of the Dr Who theme tune.
Fearless: Crowd at the end are singing "You'll never walk alone", which
is actually from a Rogers & Hammerstein musical, but was recorded here at
a Liverpool football (soccer) match. The chant at the end is "Liverpool".
Echoes: The screeching noises in the middle, are made by Dave using a
bottleneck on his fender.
Live At Pompeii:
Things to look out for:
Nick Mason breaking a drum stick during 'One Of These Days...'
The Dog in Madmoiselle Nobs, keeping its eyes on the camera.
DSOTM:
Spoken words:
Speak To Me:
"I've been mad for fucking years, absolutely years, been
over the edge for yonks, been working me buns off for bands..."
"I've always been mad, I know I've been mad, like the
most of us...very hard to explain why you're mad, even
if you're not mad..."
On The Run:
[female announcer, announcing flights at airport, including 'Rome']
"Live for today, gone tomorrow, that's me, HaHaHaaaaaa!"
TGGITS:
"And I am not frightened of dying, any time will do, I
don't mind. Why should I be frightened of dying?
There's no reason for it, you've gotta go sometime."
"I never said I was frightened of dying"
Money/ Us & Them:
"HuHuh! I was in the right!"
"Yes, absolutely in the right!"
"I certainly was in the right!"
"You was definitely in the right. That geezer was cruising for a
bruising!"
"Yeah!"
"Why does anyone do anything?"
"I don't know, I was really drunk at the time!"
"I was just telling him, he couldn't get into number 2. He was asking
why he wasn't coming up on freely(?) 11, after I was yelling and
screaming and telling him why he wasn't coming up on freely(?) 11.
It came as a heavy blow, but we sorted the matter out"
Us & Them:
"I mean, they're not gunna kill ya, so if you give 'em a quick short,
sharp, shock, they won't do it again. Dig it? I mean he get off
lightly, 'cos I would've given him a thrashing - I only hit him once!
It was only a difference of opinion, but really...I mean good manners
don't cost nothing do they, eh?"
Brain Damage:
"HuHuHuHu! I can't think of anything to say except, HuHuHuHu! I think
it's marvellous! HaHaHa!"
Eclipse:
"There is no dark side of the moon really. Matter of fact
it's all dark."
Hidden Tunes:
Specifically on the CD versions of the album, there is supposedly some
music as the heartbeat fades away at the end of Eclipse fades. You basically
have to turn the volume right the way up at this point, and hopefully you
will hear a faint jingle being played "as if someone left a radio on in the
studio". There's some opinion that it might be The Beatles performing Ticket
To Ride in the studio next door (highly unlikely, as they'd disbanded a
couple of years before!)
ANP:
LP cover:
The phrases that are represented by the pictures on the cover
'A Frog In The Throught'
'A Fork In The Road'
'A Kettle Of Fish'
'Laughing All The Way To The Bank'
'A Nip In The Air'
'...'
WYWH:
LP cover:
The Pictures on the various sides of the cover and inner sleeve,
are there to help display the theme of absence in the Album. In its original
form, the LP is covered in a black shrink-wrap with the famous shaking hands
logo - making the cover picture 'absent'. The shaking hands represents a
false gesture of presence. The Front cover of the album, has two men shaking
hands, one of whom is on fire - represents someone 'getting burnt' ("Like
falling in love, and then suddenly being jilted"). The back cover shows a
Pink Floyd salesman, who is "selling his soul" - he has no wrists, no ankles,
and no facial features. On the front of the inner-sleeve, you see a man
diving into the water, but not making a splash - he has presence, but an
absence of trace. Finally on the back of the inner sleeve, there's the red
veil - a way of hiding the face. Behind the veil a (nude) figure can be seen.
Spoken Words:
Wish You Were Here:
"...and diciplinary remains, mercifully"
"Yes, yes. Now with you Derek, this star nonsense..."
"Yes, yes."
"Now which is it ..."
"... I'm sure of it ..."
[NB. on the WYWH tour, they used to use bits from the local broadcasts of
the city they were in]
Animals:
UK/ Rest Of The World Crossover:
The line "Hey you Whitehouse", doesn't actually mean *THE* Whitehouse in
Washington, but rather Mrs Mary Whitehouse, UK head of the National Viewers
and Listeners Association, which campaign for what they consider to be moral
standards (e.g. no sex on TV, etc.)
LP cover:
As much as a painting as it may look, the cover is a photograph of the
famous London landmark, Battersea Power Station, and, yes, they really did
float that pig above the chimney stacks. (It got away, but that's another
story)
Spoken Words:
Sheep:
"THE LORD IS MY SHEPERD, I SHALL NOT WANT
HE MAKES ME DOWN TO LIE
THROUGH PASTURES GREEN HE LEADETH ME THE SILENT WATERS BY.
WITH BRIGHT KNIVES HE RELEASETH MY SOUL.
HE MAKETH ME TO HANG ON HOOKS IN HIGH PLACES.
HE CONVERTETH ME TO LAMB CUTLETS.
FOR LO, HE HATH GREAT POWER, AND GREAT HUNGER.
WHEN COMETH THE DAY WE LOWLY ONES,
THROUGH QUIET REFLECTION, AND GREAT DEDICATION,
MASTER THE ART OF KARATE.
LO, WE SHALL RISE UP,
AND THEN WE'LL MAKE THE BUGGERS EYES WATER."
The Wall:
Spoken Words:
In The Flesh?: At the end of the song, Roger Screams
* "Lights! Turn on the sound effects! Action!"
* "Drop it, drop it on 'em! Drop it on them!!!!!"
Another Brick In The Wall part 1:
"You! Yes, you! Stand still laddy!"
The Happiest Days Of Our Lives: After "...hurt the children anyway they
could...", you can hear an "OOF!" of someone being hit in the
background.
Another Brick In The Wall part 2:
"Wrong, Do it again!"
"If you don't eat yer meat, you can't have any pudding. How can you
have any pudding if you don't eat yer meat?"
"You! Yes, you behind the bikesheds, stand still laddy!"
Goodbye Blue Sky:
"Look mummy, there's an aeroplane up in the sky"
"The 11:15 from Newcastle is now approaching"
* "The 11:18 arrival...."
Empty Spaces: The everso infamous secret message:
"Congratulations, You have just discovered the secret message.
Please send your answer to 'Old Pink',
Care of the funny farm, Chalfont..." - Spoken By Roger
[...interrupted...]
"Roger, Caroline's on the phone..." - Unknown Voice
Young Lust:
[Phone rings..Clunk of receiver being lifted]
"Hello..?"
* "Yes, a collect call for Mrs Floyd from Mr Floyd.
* Will you accept the charges from United States?"
[clunk! of phone being put down]
"Oh, He hung up! That's your residence, right? I wonder why he hung up?
Is there supposed to be someone else there besides your wife there to
answer?"
[Phone rings again...clunk of receiver being picked up]
"Hello?"
"This is united states calling, are we reaching...
[interrupted by phone being put down]
"See he keeps hanging up, and it's a man answering."
[whirr of connection being closed]
On Of My Turns:
"Oh my God! What a fabulous room! Are all these your guitars?
[Film in background: "I'm sorry sir, I didn't mean to startle you!]
"This place is bigger than our apartment!
[Film: "Let me know when you're entering a room"
"Yes sir!"]
"erm, Can I get a drink of water?
[Film: "I was wondering about ..."]
"You want some, huh?"
[Film: "Yes"]
"Oh wow, look at this tub? Do you wanna take baaaath?"
[Film: "I'll have to find out from Mrs. Bancroft what time she wants to
meet us, for her main ..."]
"What are watching?"
[Film: "If you'll just let me know as soon as you can ... Mrs Bancroft"
"Mrs Bancroft ..."]
"Hello?"
[Film: "I don't understand ..."]
"Are you feeling okay?..."
Another Brick In The Wall part 3:
[Sound of many TV's coming on, all on different channels]
"The Bulls are already out there"
Pink: "Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrrgh!"
"This Roman Meal bakery thought you'd like to know."
Hey You / Is There Anybody Out There?:
[Click of TV being turned on]
"Well, only got an hour of daylight left. Better get started"
"Isnt it unsafe to travel at night?"
"It'll be a lot less safe to stay here. You're father's gunna pick up
our trail before long"
* "Can Loca ride?"
* "Yeah, I can ride... Magaret, time to go! Maigret, thank you for
everything"
"Goodbye Chenga"
"Goodbye miss ..."
"I'll be back"
Nobody Home:
"Alright, I'll take care of them part of the time, but there's somebody
else that needs taking care of in Washington"
"Who's that?"
"Rose Pilchitt!"
"Rose Pilchitt? Who's that?"
[Kid screams in background. foreground: "Shut Up!"]
"36-24-36 [laughter] does that answer your question?"
[foreground: "Oi! I've got a little black book with me poems in!"]
"Who's she?"
"She was in the 5th armoured division in 1951 ... " (?)
...
After second 'OOH Babe!, When I pick up the phone...' you can hear:
"Surprise, surprise, surprise..." (from Gomer Pyle show)
At end of song:
"Where the hell are you?"
"Over 47 german planes were destroyed with the loss of only 15 of our
own aircraft"
"Where the hell are you Simon?"
[Machine gun sound, followed by plane crashing]
Bring The Boys Back Home:
"Wrong! Do it again!"
"Time to go! [knock, knock, knock, knock]
"Are you feeling okay?"
"There's a man answering, but he keeps hanging up!"
Is there anybody out there?
Run Like Hell:
"Pink Floyd, Pink Floyd"
"Hammer, Hammer"
"Hey, open up! HaHaHaHaHaaaaaaaaaa!
[sound of car skidding, followed by loud scream]
Waiting For The Worms: Pink on megaphone:
"Einse, svei, drei, alle!"
We're {waiting to succeed} and going to convene outside Brixton
Town Hall where we're going to be...
WAITING...
to cut out the...(etc)
The Worms will convene outside Brixton Bus Station. We'll be moving
along at about 12 o'clock down Stockwell Road {....
......} {Abbot's Road } {.....} twelve minutes
to three we'll be moving along Lambeth Road towards Vauxhall Bridge.
Now when we get to the other side of Vauxhall Bridge we're in
Westminster {Borough } area. It's quite possible we may encounter
some {.....} by the way we go. {... ..}."
Outside The Wall / In The Flesh?: The quite famous tape loop! At the end of
Outside The Wall can be heard the words "Isn't this Where..." and at the
beginning of In the Flesh? the words "...we came in?".
The Wall: The Film:
Things to look out for:
That film in the background:
The Dambusters.
The change in song order: Order runs:
The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot (sung by Vera Lynn)
When The Tigers Broke Free (part one)
In The Flesh? (sung by Bob Geldof)
The Thin Ice
Another Brick In The Wall (part one)
When The Tigers Broke Free (part two)
Goodbye Blue Sky
The Happiest Days Of our Lives
Another Brick In The Wall (part two)
Mother
What Shall We Do Now?
Young Lust
One Of My Turns
Don't Leave Me Know
Another Brick In The Wall (part three)
Goodbye Cruel World
Is There Anybody Out There?
Nobody Home
Vera
Bring The Boys Back Home (extended)
Comfortably Numb
In The Flesh (sung by Bob Geldof)
Run Like Hell
Waiting For The Worms
Stop (sung/spoken by Bob Geldof)
The Trial
Outside The Wall (extended)
The Happiest Days Of Our Lives: The teacher reads a poem from Pink's "Little
Black Book", and they're actually lyrics from Money from DSOTM, thus:
"Money, get back, I'm alright jack, keep your hands off my stack.
New car, caviar, four star day dream, think I'll buy me a football team"
Stop: contains different lyrics, some of which made their way onto The
Final Cut, and others onto The Pros And Cons Of Hitch-Hiking, thus:
"Stooooooooooooooooooooooooooop!!!
Do you remember me? - Now on Your Possible
The way we used to be? - Pasts, on The Final Cut
Do you think we should have been closer? -
I put out my hand, just to touch your soft hair - Now on 5:11am
To make sure in the darkness, that you were still there - (The Moment
And I have to admit I was just a little afraid - of Clarity)
on Pro's & Cons
Of the ones within under their dirty old macs - ?
and the ones who were pointing the guns in their backs - ?
Stop, Stop, I wanna go home...(etc)"
Goofs:
When we see the close up of Pink's Mickey Mouse watch, it's on the wrong
way round...
...
The Final Cut:
Spoken Words:
The Post War Dream:
[Car sound, switching on of car radio]
"...announced plans to build a nuclear fallout shelter at Peterborough
in Cambridgeshire..."
[phzzt! of retuning]
"...three high court judges have cleared the way..."
[phzzt!]
"...It was announced today, that the replacement for the Atlantic
Conveyor the container ship lost in the Falklands conflict would be
built in Japan, a spokesman for..."
[phzzt!]
"...moving in. They say the third world countries, like Bolivia, which
produce the drug are suffering from rising violence...[fades]"
Your Possible pasts:
[Cattle truck noises]
"Ranks! Fire!"
The Gunner Dream:
"Oi! A real one ..."
Paranoid Eyes:
"I'll tell you what, I'll give you three blacks, and play you for five
..."
"Ta! You was unlucky there son"
"Time gentleman!"
"Oi!"
Get Your Filthy Hands Off My Desert:
"Oi...Get your filthy hands off my desert!"
"What did he say?"
The Fletcher Memorial Home:
"Hello Maggie!"
"Who's the bald chap?"
"Goodbye!"
The Final Cut:
"Hello? Listen, I think I've got it. Okay, listen its a HaHa!"
Not Now John:
"s'cusi dove il bar
(What?)
se para collo pou eine toe bar
s'il vous plait ou est le bar
(...say it in English!...)
oi, where's the fucking bar John?
(Oh, now you're talking!)"
Oh! Rule Britannia! Britannia rules the day
Down!
Go, Maggie!
Hammer, Hammer, Hammer, Hammer, now!
Two Suns:
"Oh no!"
"[scream] Daddy, Daddy!"
"...and now the weather. Tomorrow will be cloudy with scattered showers
spreading from the east ... with an expected high of 4000 degrees
celsius..."
Pro's And Con's:
"THE PROS AND CONS OF HITCH-HIKING
(A brief explanation) <- presumably written by Waters
4:30 AM SCENE I
(A suburban bedroom somewhere near London)
"Shane" plays on the TV.
An Englishman, struggling with a nightmare wakes
his American wife.
She speaks.
Wife: "Wake up, you're dreaming"
Man: "What?"
Wife: "You're dreaming"
The man mumbles disjointedly about his dream.
His wife soothes him back to sleep.
4:31 AM SCENE II
The man returns to his dream.
He and his wife are driving through continental
Europe. There is a vague feeling of threat.
The European psyche still shrinks from memories
of The Jackboot. Borders are dangerous places.
The law is a fickle friend.
They pick up two hitch-hikers, a beautiful girl
and a hooded terrorist...
Lust conquers fear, the man courts the girl. His
sensible family sedan metamorphosis into a mettalic
green Lamborghini.
The girl is impressed.
They go for a drive.
He is about to seduce her when... Fear conquers lust.
4:37 AM SCENE III
Paralysed by fear, he is whisked back to suburbia
and attacked in his own home by a gang of Arab
Terrorists.
He rages in his impotence.
4:38 AM SCENE IV
(A small Hotel overlooking the Rhine)
The man and the girl eat dinner.
He takes her upstairs and orders breakfast.
He locks the door.
He reaches out for her...
4:40 AM SCENE V
Reaching out in his dream he wakes his wife again.
She is not a pleased woman.
He is horny.
She rejects him and goes back to sleep.
He lies in bed, brittle and angry.
"Bloody toast crumbs"
He silently rants.
"Hey girl, take out the dagger and let's have a
stab at the sexual revolution."
He falls asleep again and dreams of a geographical
solution to his marital problems - They will return
to his wife's native land and live off it.
She will be fulfilled.
They will be happy.
4:50 AM SCENE VI
(A cabin in Wyoming)
The experiment fails. Through the trials and
tribulations of self-reliance the couple polarise.
She falls in love with a "friend from the East".
They part.
4:56 AM SCENE VII
(The edge of a highway - somewhere in the States)
The man is now alone.
He is the hitch-hiker.
A truck pulls up.
"Hey kid, you looking for a lift?... Get on up here."
He climbs in and whines to the truck driver. The
truck driver, happy to join in the battle of the sexes,
commiserates for a while.
Then, realising that our hero is about to vomit all over
his highly polished cowboy boots, he throws him out
of the rig.
5:01 AM SCENE VIII
(The Gutter)
Things go from bad to worse.
5:06 AM SCENE IX
(A truckstop)
A waitress with a heart of gold sympathizes with our
hero reaffirming his basic belief in life and love.
He wakes.
5:10 AM SCENE X
(Back in Suburbia)
As he awakes our hero experiences a moment of clarity.
He feels at one with the world.
He has the answer? <- N.B. the question mark is Rog's, not mine
5:11 AM SCENE XI
(The bedroom - One minute later.)
The moment fades.
The man is afraid.
He reaches out and touches his wife's hair.
She is awake.
He loves her..."
Radio K.A.O.S:
Spoken Words:
Beginning (just as morse code starts up):
"Talk to me Gilmour"
End (as morse code ends):
"That's it!"
Morse Code at beginning:
Just random letters.
Morse Code at end:
"Now the past is over but you are not alone
Together we'll fight Sylvester Stallone
We will not be dragged down in his South China Sea
of macho bullshit and mediocrity"
The Story:
"Radio KAOS by Roger Waters:
Benny is a welsh coal miner. He is a radio ham. He is 23 years old,
married to Molly. They have a son, young Ben aged 4, and a new baby.
They look after Benny's twin brother Billy, who is apparently a
vegetable. The mine is closed by the market forces. The Male Voice
Choir stops singing, the village is dying.
One night Benny takes Billy on a pub crawl. Drunk in a brightly-lit
shopping mall, Benny vents his anger on a shop window full of multiple
TV images of Margaret Thatcher's mocking condescension. In defiance,
he steals a cordless 'phone. Later that night, Benny cavorts
dangerously on the parapet of a motorway footbridge, in theatrical
protest at the tabloid press. That same night, a cab driver is killed
by a concrete block dropped off a similar bridge. The police come to
question Benny; he hides the cordless 'phone under the cushion of
Billy's wheelchair.
Billy is different, he can receive radio waves directly without the
aid of a tuner; he explores the cordless 'phone, recognising its
radioness.
Benny is sent to prison. Billy feels as if half of him has been cut
off. He misses Benny's nightly conversations with radio hams in
foreign parts. Molly, unable to cope, sends Billy to stay with his
great uncle David, who had emigrated to the USA during the war. Much
as Billy likes Uncle David and the sunshine and all the new radio in
LA, he cannot adjust to the cultural upheaval and the loss of Benny,
who for him is "home". Uncle David, now an old man, is haunted by
having worked on the Manhattan project during World War II, designing
the Atom Bomb, and seeks to atone. He also is a radio ham; he often
talks to other hams about the Black Hills of his youth, the Male
Voice Choir, about home. He is saddened by the use of telecommunication
to trivialise important issues, the soap opera state. However, Live
Aid has decynicised him to an extent. Billy listens to David and hears
the truth the old man speaks.
Billy experiments with his cordless 'phone, he learns to make calls.
He accesses computers and speech synthesizers, he learns to speak.
Billy makes contact with Jim, a DJ at Radio KAOS, a renegade rock
station fighting a lone rear guard action against format radio. Billy
perceives this as an act of political "entertainment" fireworks to
focus attention away from problems at "home".
Billy has developed his expertise with the cordless 'phone to the
point where he can now control the most powerful computers in the
world. He plans an "entertainment" of his own. He simulates nuclear
attacks everywhere, but de-activates the military capabilities of "the
powers that be" to retaliate.
In extremes, perceptions change. Panic, comedy, compassion. In a SAC
bunker, a soldier in a white cravat turns a key to launch the counter
attack. Nothing happens; impotently he kicks the console, hurting his
foot. He watches the approaching blips on the radar screen. As impact
approaches, he thinks of his wife and kids, he puts his fingers in his
ears.
Silence. White out. Black Out. Lights out. It didn't happen, we're
still alive. Billy has drained the earth of power to create his
illusion.
All over the dark side of the earth, candles are lit. In the pub in
Billy's home village in Wales one man starts to sing; the other men
join in.
The Tide is Turning.
Billy is home."
The Script:
"Jim: This is K.A.O.S. You and I are listening to KAOS in Los Angeles.
Let's go to the telephone now and take a request.
Billy: Hello, I'm Billy.
Jim: Yes?
Billy: I hear radio waves in my head.
Jim: You hear Radio waves in your head? Ah! Is there a request that
you have tonight for KAOS?"
Radio Waves
"Jim: Alright, that's a song called Radio Waves. You are listening to
KAOS in Los Angeles and we've got Billy on the line.
Billy: I'm from the valleys.
Jim: You're from the valley?
Billy: No, Jim you schmuck, the Valleys; male voice choirs, Wales.
Jim: Ah, you're from Wales! Now is this sperm or bluetip?
Billy: Ha, ha, ha, ha. Very funny Jim.
Jim: Sorry.
Billy: Me and Benny went out.
Jim: Who's Benny?"
Who Needs Information
"Jim: Um.
(Jim light's a cigarette)
Jim: So you brother's in jail?"
Me Or Him
"Welsh Policeman: Mobile One Two to Central.
Welsh Policeman: We have a multiple on the A465.
Welsh Policeman: Ambulance, over.
Welsh Policeman: Roger Central, over and out."
"Radio announcer: Do you think Iranian terrorists would have taken
Americans hostage if Ronald Regan were president? Do you really think
the Russians would have invaded Afghanistan if Ronald Regan were
president? Do you really think third-rate military dictators would
laugh at America and burn out flag in contempt if Ronald Regan were
president?
Concerned Citizen: Well it might work!
Hostage: We as a group do most importantly want to beseech President
Regan and our fellow Americas to refrain from any form of military or
violent means as an attempt, no matter how noble or heroic, to secure
our freedom.
Concerned Citizen: Sure! Only it's going to be mighty dangerous for
you, Cassidy.
Hoppy's faithful sidekick: Guess you don't know Hopalong Cassidy,
Mister. Adventure's his bread, excitement's his butter and danger, why
to him that's like Strawberry Jam to top it off.
Jim: This is some live rock and roll at KAOS, where rock and roll comes
out of chaos and a song called "The Powers That Be"..."
The Powers That Be
"Billy: Goodnight Jim.
Jim: Goodnight, Billy.
Uncle David's Great Dane: Woof, woof, woof!"
The canyon - daytime. Billy plays with Great Uncle David's Great Dane.
Paraquat Kelly: Bull heads, three red snapper, one pink snapper and
your Pacific coastal trench hosemonster fish.
Cynthia Fox: Ohhh! At Sky Davids juke joint of joy reports, forty under
the console giggle stick ling cod, twenty three purple perches four
sledgehammerhead sharks, and what a surprise eightyfour crabs and no
red snappers.
Paraquat Kelly: Hey and that'll do for the triumphant return of the
fish report with a beat.
Jim: We think of it as mainstreet, but to the rest of the country it's
Sunset Strip. You're listening to KAOS in Los Angeles."
Sunset Strip
"Californian Wierdo: I don't like fish, marine fish.
Jim: You are listening to KAOS in Los Angeles.
Californian Wierdo: I don't like fish.
Jim: Yes, we've established that. Ah! Do you have a request?
Californian Wierdo: Shell fish, guppy, salmon, shrimp and crap and
lobster, flounder, I hate fish, but I think most of all I hate fresh
fish,like trout, I hate fresh trout. My least-hated, favourite fish
would be sole. That way you don't have to see the eyes. Soul has no
eyes.
Jim: Oh no!
Californian Wierdo: I'd like to be home with my monkey and my dog.
Jim: Thank You.
Californian Wierdo: I'd like to be home with my monkey and my dog.
I'd like to be home with my monkey and my dog. I'd like to be home
with my monkey...
Jim: They don't care. Shut Up. Play the record."
Home
"Jim: Oh God!"
Four Minutes
"Billy: Four minutes and counting.
Jim: O.K.
Billy: They pressed the button, Jim.
Jim: They pressed the button Billy, what button?
Billy: The big red one.
Jim: You mean *the* button?
Billy: Goodbye, Jim.
Jim: Goodbye! Oh yes. This ain't au revoir, it's goodbye! Ha! Ha!
This is KAOS. It's beautiful balmy Southern California summer day.
It's 80 degrees...I said balmy...I could say bomby...Ha! Ha!...O.K.
I'm Jim and this is Radio KAOS and with only four minutes left
to us, let's use this as wisely as possible.
Molly: Everybody's got someone they call home.
Jim: Out at Dodger Stadium. It's the bottom of the seventh, the Dodgers
are leading three to nothing over the Giants, and for those of you
who are looking to go surfing tomorrow, too bad.
('Phone rings.)
Jim: I'm kinda lost in here to tell you the truth...
O.K. good. Ladies and gentlemen, if the reports that we are getting
are correct, this could be it. Billy, if your're listening,
please call now."
"Jim: Billy, if your're listening, please call.
Californian Wierdo: Soul has no eyes.
Molly: Goodbye, little spy in the sky. They say that camera don't lie.
Am I happy, am I sad, am I good, am I bad?
Jim: Billy, if your're listening, please call.
Californian Wierdo: Soul has no eyes. Soul has no eyes.
Billy: Ten, nine, eight, seven...
Margaret Thatcher: Our own independent nuclear deterrent has helped to
keep the peace.
Billy: Six, five, four, three...
Ordinary Person: ...you've got a job...
Billy: Two, one...
Margaret Thatcher: For nearly forty years.
Jim: Goodbye Billy."
The Tide Is Turning"
MLoR:
Spoken Words:
Signs Of Life:
"In the child like view (?) of the world went, nothing requested,
nothing requested, nothing request..."
"Other people requested it"
"I do not find be a satin (???) nothing replaced it
(hard to distinguish the next bit due to multiple voices)
I do not like being,
Someone who knows what's right,
I do not like being..."
Learning To Fly:
"Pilot: (garbled but, it sounds like 'mixture')
Copilot: set; mixtures, rich.
Pilot: propellers (garbled) forward.
Copilot: flaps, set (garbled) 10 degrees
lots of garbled with the occasional 'check' audible
Pilot: (garbled but, sounds like 'altimeter' ????) on
Copilot: strobes on
Tower #1: confirm (garbled but, I think it's the planes ID) when your
ready for departure
Pilot: I want to hear this and, I want (garbled but, I think it's
'to know how strong the wind is')
Tower #1?: (some strange code words)
Tower #2: (garbled) for take off, winds blowing at 10 knots
DSoT: The video:
Things to look out for:
During the titles at the end of the video, you will see that the words
"Original Pig Concept: R. Waters"
This was because, when the current Floyd line up went out on the road, they
used the (infamous) inflatable pig, to float above the audience during the
song 'One Of These Days...'. Mr Waters, however, brought (yet another) law
suit against them, stating that the pig was all his idea. So to comply with
this, they credited him with it, as well as changing the pigs gender!
The Wall: Live In Berlin: (The Video)
The 'touch up work':
'The last few thousand of the quarter million toiling out of the Potsdamer
Platz, Berlin,20 minutes after the end of 'The Wall' were transfixed to hear
the whole extravaganza starting up again behind them. Because of substantial
technical hitches which afflicted the early part of the performance -
including an expanse of dead silence at one point - and the requirements of a
live album due for genuine "rush" release within weeks, Roger Waters and the
producers had decided they should go straight back out and fill in the
blanks. A few days later, with a candour unusual, veering towards the unique,
in the history of the live album, Waters headed sceptics off at the pass by
revealing the exact extent of the "retouching" involved. The unofficial
after-midnight performance provided The Thin Ice (with Ute Lemper). Another
Brick In The Wall part 1 and The Band's parts on Mother (Sinead O'Connors
vocal, interrupted on the night,was taken from the dress rehearsal). Bryan
Adams went into the studio to debug his version of Young Lust, Cyndi Lauper
did likewise for Another Brick part 2, and they both added some
extracurricular work on The Tide Is Turning, the entire cast encore. All the
proceeds from the record are, of course, going to Leonard Cheshire's
International Fund For Disaster Relief.'
From 'Q' Magazine
The song order: Again, different from the original album. The differences:
starts with When The Tigers Broke Free, remains true to the original until
after Goodbye Blue Sky, where instead of Empty Spaces, we have What Shall
We Do Now, ( which is the same as the film version). There's an extra 'jam'
at the end of Another Brick 3, and the whole of The Show Must Go On is
excluded. To rap it up, Waters adds his 1987 Radio K.A.O.S 'hit' single
The Tide Is Turning, after The Trial.
FAQ:
---
Is there supposed to be a 'Twist' in the sound at the end of "The Great Gig In
The Sky" on DSOTM?
Well its not the fault of your equipment! The 'Twist' is definitely present on
recording of the album, it is safe to assume that it isnt. PF are real
perfectionists when it comes to album making, so they'd have re-recorded it
if wasn't supposed to be there.
How do I tell whether a copy of DSOTM is Quadrophonic?
The catalogue number begins with Q4SHVL
What's so good about the gold (MFSL) PF CDs?
Apart from being gold plated (and, therefore, supposedly to last longer than a
normal CD), the pressings are taken from the original master recordings of
their albums, rather than later generations that some of CD releases (namely
The Capitol ones) seem to be taken from. They are, however, more expensive
than the domestic releases (averaging around twice as much). Alternatively,
you might try for the (european) Harvest pressings, or the 'Black' Japanese
ones, as they both sound almost as good as the MFSL ones, and aren't as
expensive.
What MFSL releases are currently available?
For those with unlimited overdraft facilities, you can get hold 24 carat gold
plated version of DSOTM, MEDDLE, and The Wall.
I've seen a cover of ANP with a naked woman with three breasts. Is this rare?
This is actually a bootleg called 'A Great Set', a triple album.
What is "Objects Of Fantasy"?
"Objects Of Fantasy", is an album of floyd music played by the Royal
Philharmonic Orchestra, and arranged by David Palmer [available on RCA records
catalogue no. 7960-2-RC]. As to whether it's any good, all depends on how
much you mind people a) Covering Floyd songs, b) Rearranging them.
Did The current floyd line up originally start their MLoR tour with a different
set?
Yes, they originally had started the set with Echoes, and had Shine On... as
a second encore, but changed it after only a few shows to that of DSoT fame.
(to be accurate, it was played at shows between 9th and 25th September 1987).
Also, for On The Run, they originally used the plane gag, from the original
DSOTM tour. This was replaced by the bed.
What is the song Wish You Were Here about?
"The lyrics which make the most sense to me now, and I'm remembering these
from a long time ago, are the lines:-
And did you exchange
A walk on part in the war
For a lead role in a cage
It was very much suggested to me by my mother, by my whole background that
what life was really about was being an essentially good person, doing good
things for other people, the old notion of being here to be good, and
working towards Utopia, brotherhood of man, all of us living together as
brothers and sisters in a brave new world. The lines are about
relinquishing the sense of needing to be a social worker or a freedom
fighter or whatever. When you exchange the walk on part in the war you give
up your role as a do-gooder, your social role. The lead role in the cage is
"up there", the rock'n roller playing the lead role in the consumer
society. Being a rock'n roller is a dominant image of success in our
society, but it is a cage because the constraints are often just as great
as they ever were. In fact they may even be greater... you've got more
money, but you have more things, you're more involved in the tyranny of
things. You can't buy a feeling that you're alright. You can't buy your way
to peace of mind. You can't buy an illusion that things are getting better.
In a way it's a schizophrenic song. It's directed at my other half if you
like... the battling elements within myself. There's the bit that's
concerned with other people, the bit that one applauds in oneself, then
there's the grasping avaricious, selfish little kid who wants to get his
hands the sweets and have them all. The song slips in and out of both
personi so the bit that always wants to win is feeling upset and
plaintively saying to the other side, "wish you were here". "
Roger Waters 1982
...But of course, it's all a matter of personal opinion, really...
Why is there a blank LP cover on the front cover of some versions of the
Ummagumma album, and a other versions, this is filled in with the cover of the
soundtrack to the musical 'GiGi'?
It appears that US releases of Ummagumma had the 'GiGi' LP blanked out, due
to permission difficulties. All the other versions have it though.
Why did neither Waters or Gilmour sing "Have a Cigar" .
Basically 'cos they both couldn't reach the notes! Roy Harper happened
so they asked him to do it (which he did!). Roger is apparently 'unhappy'
that he didn't sing it.
Bob Ezrin : How did he get acquainted with the band, and what role has he
to played in Pink Floyd in the recent years .
Err, not quite sure how he got acquainted with the band (anyone?), but apart
from co-producing The Wall (on which he also co-wrote The Trial), he's also
co-produced Dave Gilmour's second solo piece, About Face, and todays Floyd's
MLoR album, on which he also co-wrote Signs Of Life and Learning To Fly
I recently picked up a disc by Nick and some guy by the name of Rick Fenn,
titled Profiles ...could anyone help me out on info about it? What's the story
on Fenn?
Rick Fenn, is formerly of 10CC, and I think may have worked with Mike
Oldfield. Most of Profiles (as you've probably found) is instrumental,
with the exception of a couple of tracks, Lie For A Lie and Israel, whose
lyrics were both written by Danny Peyronel. Dave Gilmour sings on Lie For
A Lie. (which was released as single, BTW)
Did Syd turn up during the WYWH sessions?
"During the WYWH sessions a fat, shaven-headed person wearing grey Terylene
trousers, a nylon shirt and string vest wandered into the studio. The band
ignored the visitor and kept on playing and it was the visiting Andrew
King who finally recognised their guest: 'Good God, it's Syd! How did you
get like that?' To which Syd replied, 'I've got a very large fridge at home
and I've been eating a lot of pork chops.' The whole event was slightly
un-nerving since the theme of the album was based on Syd and his subsequent
madness."
Pink Floyd: The Illustrated Discography
Where was DSoT filmed?
At Nassau Coliseum, in Uniondale NY (Long Island), USA (over 2 nights)
When and why did Rick Wright leave the band?
Rick left during the filming of The Wall, which was not confirmed until the
release of The Final Cut. Wright has been quoted in saying that it was Roger
who effectively told the band that if he (Wright) didn't leave, he would scrap
the whole Wall project. Given this pressure Wright, later, just separated
from the band. There's are other rumours, that Wright had been taking mucho
drugs, and was particularly fit to play anyway, and that Dave was also
getting fed up with him too.
Which One's Pink?
Make up you own mind...