The Unknown Classic - MORE!

DISCLAIMER:

This is merely my opinion. Feel free to bash/compliment. I don't mind.

Wanky introduction:

Another essay by me - this time, however, I'm not bemoaning the poor quality of overrated PF albums, but championing a record that is so frequently glossed over in the PF catalogue.
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So yeah, MORE. A long-forgotten soundtrack album for a French film that's probably really artsy and pretentious. This is another seemingly directionless LP, but, seemingly, it's the only pre-1971 PF album not to have shades of Syd (PATGOD was basically a Barrett solo record, ASOS was Syd influenced, UmmaGumma had a Barrett song performed live, there are some Syd influences on the second side of AHM).

The opening Cirrus Minor sounds like something that should be played at a funeral. Very quiet and subdued, and incredibly depressed. The first PF song to feature a sample of birds tweeting, and thusly one of the first PF songs to feature proper sound effects. Nile Song is a brainless cock rocker - but it's thoroughly enjoyable. Crying Song features the first lyrical reference to 'the stone', and is thoroughly enigmatic with its happy vocal set to dour lyrics. Green Is The Colour is a beautiful acoustic ditty, and quite possibly the first of its kind. Cymbaline is a tough cookie - what is it? Is it a song about a nightmare? Is it a bleak rock song? Whatever it is, it is an extremely powerful statement, and an early classic for the post-Syd Floyd. Ibiza Bar is similar to Nile Song in arrangement, but is less blundery, and more concise - less heavy handed instrumentation, too.

So, what about the instrumental side? Well, this is where MORE just resorts to flailing about in the dark - trying to sound atmospheric and evil. Up The Khyber is a decidedly pointless little instrument mess. Party Sequence is one minute of bongo playing. More Blues is exactly that - just some bluesy noodling. Quicksilver is absolutely appalling. It's 7 minutes long, and in that time manages to neither accomplish nor add anything of worth whatsoever. Spanish Piece is funny, but really it's only worth listening to Gilmour (?) do his Spaniard impression once.

Dramatic Theme, on the other hand, is an exquisite piece of guitar noodling - and Main Theme is absolutely glorious, sounding like A Saucerful Of Secrets meeting Echoes in a crack lounge. Now, there's a classic PF instrumental you don't hear every day.


So, the final verdict: A brilliant, yet flawed soundtrack album. The soundtrack element may lead people to class this as a non-essential record, but MORE has to be heard - if only just to hear the sounds of a young Floyd firing randomly on the musical shooting range. Some shots miss, but when PF hit the target...they REALLY hit the target.

Keen.

You are wrong there, Granchester Meadows has the first sample of birds tweeting.

Nope, More was released almost 3 months before Ummagumma.

Good work there. I only listened to it for the first time a few months back. I wouldn't call it brilliant, but there is some nice stuff on it.

You lie!

' cirrus minor ' reminds me of barrett's ' golden hair '

I agree, the More album is very good and also underrated. The movie that it was done for is also very good in my opinion. More is a small French movie about herion use. The movie utilizes the soundtrack very well and it is much better than Zabriskie Point and La Valle.

Didn't The Beatles use the first sample of a bird chirping in the song "Blackbird"?

And I wouldn't be suprised either. The Beatles did a lot of things first.

the first was probably roland kirk's ' serenade to a cuckoo '

I never said PF did it first.

I said it was the first instance of the sample in a Floydian song.

Lumiere your ideas about More just changed my entire perspective on the album in a good way. But Cymballine is a bit overrated.

Atually, Dertjer is correct to a degree.


The birds sample used in Cirrus Minor is completely different than the birds sample used on Grantchester Meadows.

The one in grantchester has been recycled in several floyd songs over the years but the most notable example was its use at the beginning and end of "Sheep".


Grantchester was the first, specific, use of THAT sample.


The different sample from Cirrus Minor was never used again by the band.


So, technically, Dertjer is correct.


Oh, and More is better than Ummagumma as a whole, but the 5 middle tracks of Ummagumma beat the whole of MORE on quality.

I prefer Grantchester, Species, and Narrow Way to anything on More.

Species is an experimental load of bollocks.