So…you may have heard that the Pink Floyd discography (all 14 albums, pictured above) is getting the remastered (or re-remastered or, if you really want to be technical re-re-remastered) treatment.
This time there is a campaign called “Why Pink Floyd?” (of which more later) and I’m equal parts honored and overwhelmed to be tackling the band’s studio output for an upcoming PopMatters feature. I’m doing my best not to turn it into a novella, but it’s difficult to address a career that spanned three decades and at least three major stylistic changes and keep it a one-trip-to-the-toilet endeavor.
While I was awaiting the bounty (all 14 albums, pictured above) to arrive in the mail, I was contacted by a reporter from Época, a weekly magazine published in Brazil. My take on this “Why Pink Floyd?” matter was solicited and I was happy to provide it. Below are my answers (in English) followed by the article, which sadly appears to have only used one quote (unless, understandably, I could not find the full article on the site).
More (much more), coming soon. You’ve been warned. Welcome to the machine.
– Do you think this relaunch of the entire Pink Floyd catalog was necessary? Some people say that is just another way for the band to make some more money. I mean, if you already have those records, you should buy it again?
I think these questions come up fairly regularly, in part because at this point so many famous bands have had their catalogs remastered and revamped so many times. It’s fair to inquire whether or not this is the prototypical cash grab but I think the bottom line is that the consumers always determine if these decisions are wise or foolish. If there is demand for yet another reissue, the sales figures will speak for themselves. Put another way, for fans who are perfectly content with the albums/discs they already own, there is no pressure or obligation to shell out money this time around. On the other hand, certain bands have done an admirable job. The recent remastering of the Jimi Hendrix catalog was, to my mind, done exceptionally well: each album received enhanced audio fidelity, came with a bonus DVD and the price points were incredibly reasonable. Many of these classic rock bands have, at this point, a larger number of greatest hits collections than original albums, so if we get new editions with rare or unreleased tracks, that is usually enough to entice die-hard fans. With any release of existing material there is an implicit –and inevitable– message of Caveat emptor.
– This project can introduce Pink Floyd to a new generation of fans?
Of course it can. And since most of us would agree that Pink Floyd made some of the best and most important music in rock history, the endeavor is totally worthwhile if it introduces the band to a younger group of listeners. I never take for granted that there are possibly tons of people, even those familiar with Pink Floyd, who may not have heard Animals or even Wish You Were Here (not to mention the pre-Dark Side works). If this occasion tempts someone to discover those albums for the first time, it’s a victory all around, and that is much more important than the dollars and cents.
– Among the thousands of bootlegs and never issued music by the band, based in what are going to be released, do you believe it was a good selection?
I can’t comment on bootlegs, since that is such a controversial subject. It’s ultimately in the band’s discretion to decide which unreleased (or unauthorized) material they endorse. I do think the idea of a band opening up the vaults and making old (especially live) recordings available to the fans is a win/win: money can be generated and fans can get otherwise unavailable material that they are happy to pay for.
– In a few words, how can we explain the importance of the band for rock music?
Simply put: pound for pound Pink Floyd’s catalog of music rivals just about anyone else’s in terms of variety, quality and influence. They also made what may be the only flawless rock album in The Dark Side of the Moon.
– Pink Floyd have influenced a lot of artists. In today’s music, in which artists you can clearly identidy Floyd’s influence?
I think any band, whether it’s Grizzly Bear, Fleet Foxes or even Radiohead, who emphasize sound and feeling over accessibility, are in some way carrying the banner Floyd proudly waved during their prime. The key with Floyd is that they made consistently challenging and progressive music that still found an audience; it was seldom indulgent (at least until the end when Roger Waters took greater control of the sound and vision, to the music’s detriment) and never crass or commercial. Consider that, with a few exceptions, the bands’ faces were never on the covers of their albums: this was revolutionary in its way, and Floyd were perhaps the biggest band on the planet who, in their heyday, would not have been recognized in airports. That is the essence of integrity: they did not find an audience; the audience found them. I believe that Floyd was the first truly underground band who cultivated a sound that was too remarkable to remain obscure. They willed themselves to be huge, and their influence is undiminished today.
Pink Floyd: som ainda melhor
O relançamento de The dark side of the moon, o maior clássico do grupo, é um material de grande valor musical.
Houve um tempo, no início dos anos 1990, em que relançar caixas com CDs de artistas famosos, com uma ou duas faixas adicionais, era uma fórmula infalível para ganhar dinheiro à custa da curiosidade dos fãs. Como todo truque, porém, sua eficácia caiu com a repetição. Hoje, com a multiplicação de relançamentos, os fãs passaram a pensar duas ou três vezes antes de comprar álbuns que já possuem.
Em meio a tanta mesmice, o relançamento de The dark side of the moon, da banda inglesa Pink Floyd, destoa por oferecer (finalmente) um material antigo de grande valor musical. O álbum, o maior clássico do grupo, voltará ao mercado em duas versões: a Experience (com dois CDs), que chega ao Brasil nesta semana, e a Immersion (com três CDs, dois DVDs e um Blu-ray), disponível apenas na edição importada. As duas versões dão início a uma trilogia de edições especiais: Wish you were here (em novembro) e The wall (em fevereiro) completarão a série. Os outros 11 álbuns da banda também voltarão às lojas, em versões remasterizadas simples, e também à loja virtual iTunes.
Dois fatores tornam os relançamentos do Pink Floyd diferentes dos anteriores. O primeiro é o apreço que a banda sempre teve pela qualidade do som de seus instrumentos e pela experimentação sonora. A remasterização traz à tona detalhes sonoros que estavam escondidos pela tecnologia disponível ao tempo da gravação original. Com a alta definição sonora permitida pela tecnologia atual, alguns sons serão ouvidos pela primeira vez.
O segundo motivo que faz esse relançamento relevante são as gravações inéditas da banda. As apresentações feitas pelo Pink Floyd durante os anos 1970, em que música e imagens se misturavam em um espetáculo único, nunca foram lançadas oficialmente. Até agora, a única alternativa para quem quisesse ouvir os shows da banda em seu auge eram gravações piratas, cultuadas pelos fãs e distribuídas de mão em mão. A edição Experience do The dark side of the moon traz a primeira gravação oficial de um show desse período: um dos CDs é ocupado pela apresentação no estádio de Wembley, em 1974, quando a banda tocou o disco na íntegra.
The dark side of the moon justifica o culto. Lançado em 1973, o álbum traz a banda no auge da experimentação. O disco foi um sucesso imediato e passou 14 anos entre os mais vendidos da Billboard. “É talvez o único disco perfeito da história do rock”, diz o crítico americano Sean Murphy, do site Popmatters. “Qualquer banda de hoje que se preocupe com a sonoridade e com o sentimento que a música passa carrega a bandeira que o grupo levantou nos anos 1970.” Segundo ele, bandas como o experimental Radiohead e o neofolk Fleet Foxes só existem hoje graças às barreiras que o Pink Floyd derrubou.
A única barreira que nunca deixou de existir foi a criada entre o baixista Roger Waters e o guitarrista David Gilmour. Veterano da banda, Waters liderava o Pink Floyd desde a saída do ex-vocalista e guitarrista Syd Barrett (afastado da banda com a saúde debilitada pelo uso de alucinógenos em 1968). A partir de Animals, de 1977, Gilmour passou a disputar com Waters o controle criativo da banda. A tensão entre os dois se intensificou nas gravações de The wall, de 1979, e culminou na saída de Waters em 1985. A banda seguiu sob o comando de Gilmour e lançou dois discos antes de acabar. Os integrantes lançaram carreira solo e se reuniram para algumas apresentações esporádicas, sem a sintonia de antes. Com a morte do tecladista Richard Wright, em 2008, o relançamento de The dark side of the moon oferece uma possibilidade de ouvir a formação completa do Pink Floyd mais perto de sua harmonia e grandiosidade originais.
