As I type this I am listening to my second revolution on the turntable of Pink Floyd's 1971 masterpiece, "Meddle". While nowhere near as commercial as the Wall, Wish You Were Here, or the Dark Side of the Moon, it is every bit as monumental in the development of the group's sound in the early 70s. With the departure of Syd in 1968, Roger became the "surrogate" head of the band, but at this time there was a lot of experimentation going on. The 23 minute, 31 second Opus - Echoes would become a staple of the group's live performances and give them a format to follow in future recordings. In fact, I (as well as many other Floyd afficionados) will tell you that Echoes does in 23 minutes what Dark Side of the Moon Does in 42. The dream-like lyrics are accompanied by soft, mellow, sounds that morph into a jazz-pop rhythm, then into a whale song interlude before returning to the main theme and fading out.
This really wasn't meant to be a record review, however. The above scan shows the remnants of the once proud facade of the Meddle album. The record itself is in a similar state. I bought it at the Valley View flea market in Brookfield Ohio, from a guy named Bob. I was looking through the dollar bin (most records were priced $3.00) and came across it. Meddle is hard to find in ANY condition on vinyl. I didn't care if it would play a note. I took it to the counter, HONORED to take it home in any condition (This is true. Some would argue that I need a life). Bob charged me a quarter (the same denomination that threatened our friend two posts ago!). A GODDAMN quarter for PINK FLOYD's MEDDLE!
Since then I have rinsed, sprayed with Windex, and "scrubbed" with a soft paint brush this album. There is a constant sizzle of static throughout the recording, but the skips are at a bare minimum. Keep in mind this record is scratched beyond recognition. The label on the disc is completely gone. It looks as though this album nearly floated away in a flood.
The introductory photo and this are all that remain of the water damaged sleeve, but GODDAMN if this beat up old piece of vinyl doesn't have a beautiful sound!
While I could leave my thoughts there, the whole idea of this "romantic" post was to lament the closing and DESTRUCTION of the Valley View flea market. The former muse became even more familiar with the afore mentioned Bob than I myself did and I took Mr. Rosenberg to the same location at least once or twice. I fondly recall an older gentleman by the name of Steve who had a European accent and also sold records. I told him of my journey to Branson Missouri and the Mickey Gilley concert I took in with the chief and every time I went back he had several albums reserved for me. I would pay him the couple bucks whether I needed the album or not. I hope to find these gentlemen at similar locations in the future. If not I wish them the best of luck, and I hope they can find an outlet to share their love of recorded sound with others that they shared with me.
4 comments:
Branson was a fantastic time. If you would have said the name "Mickey Gilley" to me before that trip, I would have never believed that now I would remember that concert at his place there in Branson as one of the best I've seen and that I would have nearly all of Gilley's collection on vinyl. Truly a great time and, even though Elgarf was hoping to catch Andy Williams in town (he wasn't), I think even Elgarf was pleased in knowing that the chance to see Andy Williams is still there and he now has his eyes and ears opened to another great artist!
As for the Valley View flea market: Such a shame - there were some great finds at that place and I have a hard time thinking that they are going to demolish the building. Valley View was the Wal-Mart of that area in its heyday - but I have a hunch that less of the items were made in China although I'm probably wrong.
Great post, Elgarf.
I AM A BIG FAN OF THE SO CALLED FLEA MARKET/AUCTION. I ESPECIALLY LIKE THE OUTSIDE VENDORS, WITH ALL THEIR WARES. I AM UPSET WITH THE CLOSING OF THE VALLEY VIEW, BECAUSE I ENJOYED IT. I USED TO BE A BIG WALMART FAN, BUT NOW I DESPISE THE REGULAR WALMARTS, I MEAN THE AVERAGE STORE IS 12 YEARS OLD, AND IT LOOKS OLD. I STILL ENJOY THE SUPERCENTERS, BUT NOT AS MUCH AS I USED TO. I ALSO LIKE YOUR PASSION FOR RECORDS. THIS REMINDS ME OF A BOOB THAT I KNOW WHO IS OBSESSED WITH CDS. NOW YOU TALK ABOUT SPENDING 25 cents FOR A RECORD, BUT THIS BOOB WOULD SPEND $20 BUCKS ON A CD, AND THEN BE CHEAP WITH EVERYTHING ELSE
hi! i found one ("meddle") in porto, portugal, in excellent conditions! of course i brought it home!
Did you get a chance to see any of the
Branson shows?
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