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This article is about the soundtrack. For the film, seeLa Vallée (film).

Obscured by Clouds
Studio album/Soundtrack albumby
Pink Floyd
Released2 June 1972[1]
Recorded23 February – 6 April 1972
Studio
GenreProgressive rock
Length40:08
LabelHarvest
ProducerPink Floyd
Pink Floydchronology
Meddle
(1971) 		Obscured by Clouds
(1972) 		The Dark Side of the Moon
(1973)
SinglesfromObscured by Clouds
  1. "Free Four"
    Released: 10 July 1972 (US)[3]

Obscured by Cloudsis the seventh studio album by the Englishprogressive rockbandPink Floyd,released on 2 June 1972 byHarvestandCapitol Records.It serves as the soundtrack for the French filmLa Vallée,byBarbet Schroeder.It was recorded in two sessions in France, while Pink Floyd were in the midst of touring, and produced by the band.

Obscured by Cloudsis shorter than some of Pink Floyd's previous albums, and makes heavy use of the acoustic guitar. Lyrically, the songs centre around love, a common theme in the film the album was inspired by. The album's only single was "Free Four".Obscured by Cloudshas been seen as a stopgap for the band, who had started work on their next album,The Dark Side of the Moon(1973). The album reached number six in the United Kingdom and number 46 in the United States; retrospective opinions from both fans and critics have been mixed, some critics noting the similarities to their later material.

Background

[edit]

By 1972,Pink Floydhad recorded the soundtracks to the filmsThe Committee(1968) andMore(1969),[4]and part ofZabriskie Point(1970).[5]On the back ofMore's success, its directorBarbet Schroederasked them to record the soundtrack of his next major project.[6]The new film,La Vallée,featured two travellers on a spiritual quest inNew Guinea,and Schroeder thought Pink Floyd would be suitable to provide the music.[7]The group had already started working on another album,The Dark Side of the Moon,including some basic recording and live performances, but took two breaks to Strawberry Studios,Château d'Hérouville,France, just before and after doing a Japanese tour, to write and record music for the film.[8]The album was mixed from 4–6 April atMorgan Sound Studiosin London.[2]

As they had done onMore,the band saw a rough cut of the film and noted certain timings for cues with a stopwatch. From this, they created a number of pieces that they felt could be cross-faded at various points in the final cut of the film. They were not worried about creating complete songs, feeling that any musical piece would be workable without the need for any solos, but nevertheless, under pressure to produce enough material, they managed to create a series of well-structured songs.[4]DrummerNick Masonrecalls that the sessions were very hurried, and the band spent most of the time in Paris locked away in the studio.[6]

During the first recording session in February 1972, the French television stationORTFfilmed a short segment of the band recording the album, including interviews with bassistRoger Watersand guitaristDavid Gilmour.[2]In a snippet of interview footage atAbbey Road Studiosthat appeared in the 1974 theatrical version (later released onVHSandLaserdiscand subsequent "Director's Cut" DVD) ofPink Floyd: Live at Pompeii,Waters said that early UK pressings of the album contained excessivesibilance.[9]

After recording had finished, the band fell out with the film company, prompting them to release the soundtrack album asObscured by Clouds,rather thanLa Vallée.In response, the film was retitledLa Vallée (Obscured by Clouds)on its release.[6]

Songs

[edit]

The songs onObscured by Cloudsare all short and economical, in contrast to the lengthy instrumentals found on other Floyd albums. A strongcountry musicinfluence was present on several tracks, with prominent use of acoustic guitar.[10]The album also featured theVCS 3synthesiser, which Wright had purchased from theBBC Radiophonic Workshop.[7]

The title track makes prominent use of the VCS 3, and features Mason playing electronic drums.[6]The following track, "When You're In" is similar in style; its title came from a phrase said by roadie Chris Adamson.[7]The two pieces were played back-to-back live in late 1972 and on the 1973 tours.[11]They were also part of the set used for the group's collaboration withRoland Petitand theBallet National de Marseilleat the Palais de Sports, Paris, in early 1973.[12]

"Burning Bridges"was one of two songwriting collaborations on the album between keyboardistRichard Wright(who wrote the music) and Waters (who wrote the lyrics).[11]"Wot's... Uh the Deal?"was a straightforward acoustic piece. It was never performed live by Pink Floyd, but Gilmour resurrected the piece for his solo tour in 2006.[13]One of these performances features on Gilmour's 2007 DVDRemember That Nightand the vinyl version of his 2008 live album,Live in Gdańsk.[14][15]"Mudmen" was an instrumental adaptation of "Burning Bridges" in a different time signature, and one of the few tracks from this era to be credited to just Wright and Gilmour.[16]

"Childhood's End"was the last song Pink Floyd released to have lyrics written by Gilmour until the release ofA Momentary Lapse of Reasonin 1987. The title may have been derived from theArthur C. Clarkenovelof the same name.It was performed live at a few gigs in late 1972 and early the following year; the drum pattern opening the track was recycled for "Time" onThe Dark Side of the Moon.[17]

"Free Four"was the first Pink Floyd song since"See Emily Play"to attract significant airplay in the US,[18]and the second (after "Corporal Clegg"fromA Saucerful of Secrets)[19]to refer to the death of Waters' father during World War II.[18][20]The title is derived from the count-in "One, two, 'free, four!", spoken in aCockneyaccent.[21]The track was released as a single in the US, as the band felt it was suitable forAM radio.[22]

"Stay" was written and sung by Wright, with lyrics by Waters. It is superficially a love song, except the protagonist cannot remember the girl's name, suggesting that she might have been agroupie.[21]"Absolutely Curtains", the closing instrumental on the album, is primarily based around Wright's keyboards.[23]It ends with a recording of the Mapuga tribe chanting, as seen in the film.[8]

Cover

[edit]

The album's cover was, like several other Pink Floyd albums, designed byStorm ThorgersonandAubrey PowellofHipgnosis.The cover is a still from a workprint ofLa Valléedepicting a man (Jean-Pierre Kalfonas Gaëtan) sitting in a tree, reaching out to pick the fruit from one of its branches.[24][25]The still is out of focus to the point of complete distortion. Hipgnosis viewed a number of stills from the film on a 35mm projector and liked the visual effect when the slide jammed. Schroeder later said the band did not want to make the cover particularly good asThe Dark Side of the Moonwould have to compete with it, but Thorgerson insisted it was given proper consideration like any other Floyd album.[22][26]

Release and reception

[edit]
Professional ratings
Review scores
SourceRating
AllMusic[27]
Christgau's Record GuideC[28]
The Daily Telegraph[29]
Encyclopedia of Popular Music[30]
Paste7.0/10[31]
The Rolling Stone Album Guide[32]
Tom HullB−[33]

Obscured by Cloudswas released in the UK on 2 June 1972 and then in the United States on 15 June 1972, both onHarvest.The album reached number one in France,[34]number six on the UK Albums Chart,[35]and number 46[36]on the US albums chart (where it was certified Gold by theRIAAin 1997).[37]In 1986, the album was released on CD. A digitally remastered CD was released in March 1996 in the UK and August 1996 in the US. It was remixed in 2016 for theEarly Yearsbox set, and released individually the following year.[38]

Even among fans, it is not one of Pink Floyd's more popular albums, though Mason has said it is one of his favourite Floyd albums.[39]Retrospective critical reception has been mixed;The Daily Telegraphsaid "its elegant instrumentals point the way toDark Side",[29]whileRolling Stonesaid it was a "dull film soundtrack".[32]

Track listing

[edit]
Side one
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Obscured by Clouds"David Gilmour,Roger WatersInstrumental3:03
2."When You're In"Gilmour, Waters,Richard Wright,Nick MasonInstrumental2:18
3."Burning Bridges"Wright, WatersGilmour, Wright3:29
4."The Gold It's in the..."Gilmour, WatersGilmour3:07
5."Wot's... Uh the Deal?"Gilmour, WatersGilmour5:08
6."Mudmen"Wright, GilmourInstrumental4:20
Total length:21:25
Side two
No.TitleWriter(s)Lead vocalsLength
1."Childhood's End"GilmourGilmour4:31
2."Free Four"WatersWaters4:15
3."Stay"Wright, WatersWright4:05
4."Absolutely Curtains"Gilmour, Waters, Wright, MasonInstrumental5:52
Total length:18:43

Personnel

[edit]

All personnel are uncredited on the original sleeve.

Pink Floyd

Additional personnel

Charts

[edit]
Chart performance forObscured by Clouds
Chart (1972) Peak
position
Australian Albums (Kent Music Report)[40] 44
Canada Top Albums/CDs (RPM)[41] 32
Danish Albums (Tracklisten)[42] 3
Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)[43] 3
German Albums (Offizielle Top 100)[44] 19
Italian Albums (Musica e Dischi)[45] 5
UK Albums(OCC)[35] 6
USBillboard200[36] 46

Certifications and sales

[edit]
Certifications and sales forObscured by Clouds
Region Certification Certified units/sales
Germany (BVMI)[46] Gold 250,000^
United Kingdom (BPI)[47] Silver 60,000^
United States (RIAA)[37] Gold 500,000^

^Shipments figures based on certification alone.

References

[edit]

Citations

  1. ^Povey 2006,p. 168.
  2. ^abcPovey 2006,p. 166.
  3. ^"Free Four".
  4. ^abManning 2006,p. 164.
  5. ^Banulescu, Eduard (7 August 2023)."Pink Floyd Albums Ranked: Dreamworld Inc. - Alt77 from Worst to Best".Alt77.Retrieved21 August2023.
  6. ^abcdMason 2004,p. 164.
  7. ^abcBlake 2011,p. 182.
  8. ^abPovey 2006,p. 155.
  9. ^"Obscured by Clouds by Pink Floyd".Classic Rock Review. November 2012.Archivedfrom the original on 26 April 2017.Retrieved25 April2017.
  10. ^Blake 2011,p. 183.
  11. ^abMabbett 2010,p. 114.
  12. ^Povey 2006,p. 173.
  13. ^Mabbett 2010,p. 115.
  14. ^Guesdon & Margotin 2017,p. 309.
  15. ^Mabbett 2010,p. 303.
  16. ^Guesdon & Margotin 2017,p. 311.
  17. ^Mabbett 2010,pp. 117–8.
  18. ^abManning 2006,p. 165.
  19. ^Mabbett, Andy (1995).The Complete Guide to the Music of Pink Floyd.London: Omnibus.ISBN0-7119-4301-X.
  20. ^Mason, Stewart.Song reviewatAllMusic.Retrieved 4 July 2011.
  21. ^abMabbett 2010,p. 118.
  22. ^abBlake 2011,p. 184.
  23. ^Guesdon & Margotin 2017,p. 321.
  24. ^Blake 2011,p. 195.
  25. ^Broackes & Landreth Strong 2017,p. 209.
  26. ^Mabbett 2010,p. 113.
  27. ^Erlewine, Stephen Thomas."Obscured by Clouds– Pink Floyd ".AllMusic.Archivedfrom the original on 2 June 2020.Retrieved21 May2021.
  28. ^Christgau, Robert(1981)."Pink Floyd:Obscured by Clouds".Christgau's Record Guide: Rock Albums of the Seventies.Ticknor & Fields.ISBN0-89919-025-1.Retrieved26 April2017.
  29. ^abMcCormick, Neil (20 May 2014)."Pink Floyd's 14 studio albums rated".The Daily Telegraph.London.Archivedfrom the original on 27 December 2014.Retrieved27 December2014.
  30. ^Larkin, Colin (2011).The Encyclopedia of Popular Music.Omnibus Press.ISBN9780857125958.Archivedfrom the original on 4 November 2019.Retrieved22 May2019.
  31. ^Deusner, Stephen (6 October 2011)."Pink Floyd:Obscured by Clouds('Why Pink Floyd?' Reissue) ".Paste.Archivedfrom the original on 27 April 2017.Retrieved26 April2017.
  32. ^abSheffield, Rob(2 November 2004)."Pink Floyd: Album Guide".Rolling Stone.Wenner Media,Fireside Books.Archived fromthe originalon 17 February 2011.Retrieved27 December2014.
  33. ^Hull, Tom."Grade List: pink floyd".Tom Hull – on the Web.Archivedfrom the original on 12 October 2020.Retrieved11 October2020.
  34. ^Guesdon & Margotin 2017,p. 295.
  35. ^ab"Pink Floyd | Artist | Official Charts".UK Albums Chart.Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  36. ^ab"Pink Floyd Chart History (Billboard200) ".Billboard.Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  37. ^ab"American album certifications – Pink Floyd – Obscured by Clouds".Recording Industry Association of America.Retrieved9 June2016.
  38. ^"Pink Floyd, The Early Years".Sounds Magazine.23 March 2017.Archivedfrom the original on 26 April 2017.Retrieved25 April2017.
  39. ^Andy Mabbett (2010).Pink Floyd: The Music and the Mystery.Omnibus Press. p. 114.ISBN978-0-857-12418-0.Archivedfrom the original on 21 May 2021.Retrieved25 September2020.
  40. ^Kent, David(1993).Australian Chart Book 1970–1992(Illustrated ed.). St. Ives, N.S.W.: Australian Chart Book. p. 233.ISBN0-646-11917-6.
  41. ^"Top RPM Albums: Issue 4171".RPM.Library and Archives Canada.Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  42. ^"LP Top 10, July 3, 1972".Archivedfrom the original on 9 April 2016.Retrieved30 March2016.
  43. ^"Dutchcharts.nl – Pink Floyd – Obscured by Clouds"(in Dutch). Hung Medien. Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  44. ^"Offiziellecharts.de – Pink Floyd – Obscured by Clouds"(in German).GfK Entertainment Charts.Retrieved 9 June 2016.
  45. ^"Classifiche".Musica e Dischi(in Italian).Retrieved30 May2022.Set "Tipo" on "Album". Then, in the "Titolo" field, search "Obscured by clouds".
  46. ^"In The Pink With Gold"(PDF).Cash Box.23 December 1972. p. 36.Archived(PDF)from the original on 21 May 2021.Retrieved3 December2019– via American Radio History.
  47. ^"British album certifications – Pink Floyd – Obscured by Clouds".British Phonographic Industry.Retrieved9 June2016.

Sources

  • Blake, Mark (2011).Pigs Might Fly: The Inside Story of Pink Floyd.Arum Press.ISBN978-1-845-13748-9.
  • Broackes, Victoria; Landreth Strong, Anna, eds. (2017).Pink Floyd: Their Mortal Remains.Victoria & Albert Museum.ISBN978-1-851-77932-1.
  • Guesdon, Jean-Michel; Margotin, Philippe (2017).Pink Floyd All the Songs – The Story Behind Every Track.Running Press.ISBN978-0-316-43923-7.
  • Mabbett, Andy (2010).Pink Floyd: The Music and the Mystery.Omnibus Press.ISBN978-0-857-12418-0.
  • Manning, Toby (2006). "The Albums".The Rough Guide to Pink Floyd(1st ed.). London: Rough Guides.ISBN1-84353-575-0.
  • Mason, Nick (2004). "There Is No Dark Side".Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd(New ed.). Widenfeld & Nicolson.ISBN0-297-84387-7.
  • Povey, Glenn (2006). "Playing Different Tunes 1972–1973".Echoes: The Complete History of Pink Floyd(New ed.). Mind Head Publishing.ISBN978-0-9554624-0-5.
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