What is your favorite Pink Floyd album and why?
Hmm… I’m a big fan of Wish You Were Here, that’s for sure. And The Final Cut is splendiferous. But then, I pretty much love 'em all…
I’m a much bigger fan of Roger Waters’ solo works Amused to Death and Pros and Cons of Hitch-hiking. Check 'em out.
I have Amused to Death. Bravery of Being Out of Range is a powerful song. I don’t like the way the female voices are used on that album, though. They just sound kind of corny to me. And what’s with Roger Waters singing like a geriatric?
As unpopular as this may be, I think I prefer “The Division Bell” to most of the older albums.
There are individual songs on previous albums that I really love, but as an overall, complete, album experience this is the one for me.
It is just filled with lovely little guitar licks and (sometimes) especially poignant lyrics.
I especially like the songs Wearing the Inside Out and Coming Back to life.
Another Roger Waters fan here. I haven’t cared much for anything Pink Floyd’s done without him. Favorite album: definitely Wish You Were Here. Close second: Animals. A great album, but the mood is so dark I’m hardly ever in a good enough frame of mind to withstand it.
I not sure what my favorite album is without thinking about it, but I’d like to say that when Roger Waters kicked off his first tour in 16 years (I think it was 16 years) I was there to see it in Milwaukee. Awesome show!!
Meddle
Tied for a close second: WYWH and Animals
Why? I dunno. I just really, really, really like these albums and I especially like Meddle.
“Pulse”, if only for the live version of “Dark Side” on the second disc.
If you’re enough of a Pink Floyd geek to have a “Floyd code”, the first thing you’re supposed to choose is whether your preference is for “Syd’s Floyd,” “Roger’s Floyd” or “Dave’s Floyd.” Now Syd’s Floyd obviously ended early on during the Saucerful of Secrets sessions. To my mind, it didn’t then become Roger’s Floyd until Dark Side of the Moon. I’m inclined to prefer the period in between, when Pink Floyd was really a band. My favorite would be a toss-up between Ummagumma and Atom Heart Mother, both of which are Floyd at their most experimental, but also showing a strong pastoral, folky side. It’s a crime that there’s no full-length live album from this period. The live disc from Ummagumma (and the Pompeii video) are a good start, but a full show–particularly one including a long version of “Embryo”–would be terrific.
Atom Heart Mother. The title track is magnificent, and “Summer '68” is probably their best short work.
Biffy, I agree completely. “Dark Side” is a very good album, but it’s a step backward artistically. It was Watered down Floyd for those who couldn’t handle the hard stuff.
Syd-Floyd – Piper. I also love Syd’s second solo album.
Mid-Floyd – (i.e. until DSOTM), Meddle, Ummagumma, AHM.
Roger-Floyd – WYWH
Post Wall - Floyd – Haven’t listened to enough to form an opinion.
The Wall, far and away. Musically, the best album ever by anyone, and the best lyric floyd album.
Runner up, music wise: Obscured by Clouds.
Believe it or not, my third favorite, musically, is The Final Cut.
Lyrically, besides The Wall, I prefer Syd-era floyd, and Syd’s solo stuff.
I’m another fan of ‘The Wall’. I love, love, LOVE it.
Can’t explain why.
Animals for me, by a wide margin. It works really well as an album, and they manage to pull off the “concept album” part of it without sounding pretentious. It also feels like there’s a lot less bombast and guitar wank on Animals compared to the other albums they did at the time, which is also in my book.
I never cared for the Syd Barrett-era stuff, or for anything Pink Floyd did before “Meddle,” really.
My favorite Floyd album is probably “The Wall,” followed closely by “Animals” and “The Division Bell.”
(So sue me- I think Gilmour has made much better music withouit Waters than vice versa.)
“Wish You Were Here”
It’s got all of Roger’s anguish without going over the top like his later stuff. It’s got all of David Gilmour’s guitar licks. The entirety of “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” is a masterpiece.
I find it odd that my favorite Floyd album was apparently drudging work for the group; they were having problems when they recorded it.
When I was in the Service, I once spent several months with a single cassette in my car, alternating between “Wish You Were Here” and “The Dark Side of the Moon”
Unfortunately, I’m kind of burned out on most of their stuff. It’s a shame that you can wear out something so good. Recently I’ve been enjoying some of their more rare concert recordings. The other day I listened to a recording of “Fat Old Sun” that was over ten minutes long. Excellent jam session.
I’d have to say The Wall, followed by The Dark Side Of The Moon.
The Wall had an enormous impact on me, I was just the right age when it came out to be moved by it, and listen to the lyrics with the careful ear of a desparing teenager. Great stuff.
Now as an old old old fellow ( ), I can listen to The Wall and think about the text and subtext. WWII is pretty rich fodder for the more literate in the rock crowd ( Tommy is not slouch work ), and what Roger Waters did with the pieces truly moves beyond music as therapy and well into the realm of genius.
Oh god. I said it. He’s a genius.
Cartooniverse
Wish You Were Here. I’m listening to it right now.
Well, right now as I type this. Possibly not ‘right now’ as you read this.
Two pop to mind
Animals, I used to be able to play “Dogs” in my head all the way through which was 22 minutes out of a car ride.
I think Gilmore’s guitar work really found a balance on that work, I mean it’s All guiitar more or less, but he never launches out into spotlight luminescent transcendent “me-dom”.
The Wall, was ‘too’ much for me in many ways, (by that I mean too appealing to me at the age of 15) and too artisticly powerful yet dark to ignore yet a big fat ass slap in the face of punk rock. Yes music can be art and that doesnt’ make it a big fat puss-ridden target for your ‘punkdom’.
ok got a bit sidetracked
Animals
The Wall
Obscured by Clouds
Syd’s two solo works are a treat if you are silly.
I’ve got a bike you can ride it if you like it’s got a basket and bells and things that make it look good. I’d give it to you if I could but I borrowed it
WYWH will get my vote. It’s been my favorite album since I was seven. DSOTM, Studio-Ummagumma, Obscured By Clouds, Atom Heart Mother, The Wall and Animals are tied for a close second.