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Post by kds on Feb 12, 2019 9:32:03 GMT -5
I started a thread on my all time favorite band, Pink Floyd, on the PSF, so I might as well do the same here.
My love of Pink Floyd started almost by accident in the summer of 1996. I was 15, going on 16, when I happened to catch a showing of the movie Pink Floyd The Wall on Vh1. The combination of the great music and the visuals blew me away. For Christmas that year, I got a copy of The Wall on CD, and I listened to it endlessly. I found the album mesmerizing, in fact, I still do.
I was so infatuated with The Wall, that it took me another year to listen to another one of their albums. For Christmas 1997, I got copies of Dark Side of the Moon, and the two post Roger Waters albums for Christmas.
I spend the following year collecting all of Pink Floyd's official releases, and grew to love each and every era of the group. Once I'd done that, I seeked out the David Gilmour and Roger Waters solo albums.
In the summer of 1999, I was over the moon when Roger Waters announced he was ending his 12 year touring hiatus, and actually coming to Baltimore. Hearing a setlist full of mostly Floyd classics was amazing, and I've now seen Waters five times in concert.
While I love all eras of the band, my go to Floyd music is the classic era (from Meddle - Wish You Were Here) and the Waters dominated era (from Animals to The Final Cut). If you throw Atom Heart Mother into the mix, for my money, Floyd could really do no wrong from 1970-1983.
I'm happy that I'll be able to see Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets band this Spring. Now, if only David Gilmour, the guitar and voice of Pink Floyd, would do an extended tour.
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Post by Mikie on Feb 12, 2019 11:26:36 GMT -5
I appreciate Pink Floyd. I have all their albums on vinyl.
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Post by The Cap'n on Feb 12, 2019 11:39:44 GMT -5
I knew and liked The Wall first, having seen the movie as a kid. My older sister had the album, too (I believe). So I mean really early--almost when it came out, with me single-digit years old--I enjoyed that. It was quite dramatic, very engaging for a kid, even if I didn't really know what was going on.
As a teenager I got into everything from the beginning up through The Final Cut, but I turned to them less and less over the years. Honestly now they just fill a part of a shelf of CDs in the basement gathering dust. I still do like some of that '70s stuff, though, even if I don't listen much.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 14, 2019 18:32:16 GMT -5
My first hearing of Pink Floyd was in early 1967. "Arnold Layne" was like nothing I'd ever heard before. The follow-up, "See Emily Play", was trippier than anything coming from the States at the time. I bought Piper at the Gates of Dawn as soon as it was released; it was one of only three UK LPs in my collection. Another was A Saucerful of Secrets, which revealed a noticeable change of tack--why only became apparent later. I heard a welter of their stuff in subsequent years. But no successive album grabbed me as much as Piper, although many individual tracks did. My opinion of their post-Syd stuff continues to fluctuate, the one constant these days being a growing aversion to Roger Waters and The Wall, which may say more about me than about them. My second favourite Floyd album? Wish You Were Here. My favourite Floyd track? "Matilda Mother", a perfect song (in mono, please):
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Post by kds on Feb 15, 2019 8:10:53 GMT -5
My first hearing of Pink Floyd was in early 1967. "Arnold Layne" was like nothing I'd ever heard before. The follow-up, "See Emily Play", was trippier than anything coming from the States at the time. I bought Piper at the Gates of Dawn as soon as it was released; it was one of only three UK LPs in my collection. Another was A Saucerful of Secrets, which revealed a noticeable change of tack--why only became apparent later. I heard a welter of their stuff in subsequent years. But no successive album grabbed me as much as Piper, although many individual tracks did. My opinion of their post-Syd stuff continues to fluctuate, the one constant these days being a growing aversion to Roger Waters and The Wall, which may say more about me than about them. My second favourite Floyd album? Wish You Were Here. My favourite Floyd track? "Matilda Mother", a perfect song (in mono, please): Matilda Mother is one of my favorites from the Syd Barrett era. I think one of the reasons I like it so much is that it's one of the few songs from the Piper album to feature lead vocals from Richard Wright, who I believe was criminally underused as a singer throughout Floyd's entire catalog. I really like the vocal interplay between Wright and Barrett, and the organ solo is one of Wright's best from the early years. To be honest, the Syd era is probably the Floyd era I revisit the least these days. I think there's a lot of good material, but I much prefer both the singing and playing of David Gilmour. I can't really say I'm a huge fan of Syd's guitar playing, which sounds more like noodling around to me.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2019 8:34:29 GMT -5
Matilda Mother is one of my favorites from the Syd Barrett era. I think one of the reasons I like it so much is that it's one of the few songs from the Piper album to feature lead vocals from Richard Wright, who I believe was criminally underused as a singer throughout Floyd's entire catalog. I really like the vocal interplay between Wright and Barrett, and the organ solo is one of Wright's best from the early years. I didn't know that! I never even considered the possibility that someone other than Syd sang in those days (except for the Waters song "Stethoscope") So Syd is singing "Why'd'ya have to leave me there..." I see Richard also sang on "Astronomy Domine". Thanks, kds--I learned something new today. I understand the appeal of David's playing (his stuff with Kate Bush is epic) but Syd was the more adventurous of the two and wasn't afraid of getting into really weird shit if the moment called for it. It's not an age thing (ask @iluvleniloud ) but the whole mid '60s to early '70s "progressive" scene was more willing to experiment and take risks, even if the sound quality suffered as a result.
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Post by kds on Feb 15, 2019 8:39:56 GMT -5
Matilda Mother is one of my favorites from the Syd Barrett era. I think one of the reasons I like it so much is that it's one of the few songs from the Piper album to feature lead vocals from Richard Wright, who I believe was criminally underused as a singer throughout Floyd's entire catalog. I really like the vocal interplay between Wright and Barrett, and the organ solo is one of Wright's best from the early years. I didn't know that! I never even considered the possibility that someone other than Syd sang in those days (except for the Waters song "Stethoscope") So Syd is singing "Why'd'ya have to leave me there..." I see Richard also sang on "Astronomy Domine". Thanks, kds--I learned something new today. I understand the appeal of David's playing (his stuff with Kate Bush is epic) but Syd was the more adventurous of the two and wasn't afraid of getting into really weird shit if the moment called for it. It's not an age thing (ask @iluvleniloud ) but the whole mid '60s to early '70s "progressive" scene was more willing to experiment and take risks, even if the sound quality suffered as a result. Yeah, Syd and Richard sang harmonies on the verses of Astronomy Domine. Wright sings the opening line of verses one and two of Matilda ("There was a king, who ruled the land....etc). Wright also sings the higher vocals on Arnold Layne. I'm more of a fan of good melodies than weird experimentation. I think the Gilmour version of Floyd took risks and experimented without middling around with weird noises. For example, I can listen to the title track for Atom Heart Mother, all 23 and a half minutes over and over. But, I find it tough to get through the studio version of Interstellar Overdrive, which is just over nine minutes. I even think the title track to A Saucerful of Secrets is great, but I feel it's got a little more structure with the four distinct parts.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 15, 2019 20:54:38 GMT -5
I enjoy Pink Floyd. I'm a big Syd Barrett fan and my favorite album is easily The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn. The album is universally praised and scores high on most "greatest albums" polls, but I can't help but think how great that album would've been with "Arnold Layne" and "See Emily Play" included. After Piper I guess I'm mostly a greatest hits fan, but I do like every song on Dark Side Of the Moon. I never got around to buying all of their albums. I think "Comfortably Numb" is an all-timer in several categories; I love that one, especially Gilmour's guitar at the end. I really enjoyed their performance at Live 8 in 2005, and I was holding out hope for a reunion. They still might, but without Syd and now Rick, it wouldn't be nearly as meaningful. The only solo albums I have are all of Syd's. There's some good stuff there but you have to be very selective IMO.
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Post by kds on Feb 15, 2019 22:38:10 GMT -5
I remember watching the Live 8 performance, hoping it would lead to a reunion tour. Sadly, it wasn't to be. I also remember the broadcast interupted Gilmour's solo on Comfortably Numb!!!
As far as the solo material goes, I tend to go for Gilmour and Waters.
As far as consistency, I think David Gilmour is the best. He's released four very enjoyable solo albums. My favorite, and probably my favorite Floyd solo album, is 2006's On an Island. That album was released during a difficult patch in my life and the soothing songs on the album brought me a lot of peace, particularly the title track and A Pocketful of Stones.
Waters also has four albums to his credit. The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking and Amused to Death are both very good. Radio KAOS has its moments. The most recent entry of any Floyd member, 2017's Is This the Life We All Want is pretty awful.
Less consistent are Barrett and Wright. Some of the songs on Syd's albums probably never should've been released, as they make it clear Syd wasn't really well. Between The Madcap Laughs and Barrett, there's an album's worth of good songs.
Richard Wright's 1978 Wet Dream album is decent and kinda has a yacht rock charm, but there's not a lot that's overly memorable. Broken China from 1996 is ok at best.
I've never checked out any of Nick Mason's non Floyd projects.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2019 1:42:35 GMT -5
I love Pink Floyd, though admittedly I haven't heard anything after the Wall or between Saucerful and Dark Side. One of these days, I will. (The last few years Ive been making an effort to fill in the gaps of my fave bands' discographies.)
As I've said elsewhere, Syd Barrett is tied with Brian as my all-time favorite artist. I first checked out Piper at the Gates of Dawn in my sophomore year of college, then read the biography A Very Irregular Head a month or so later. I was obsessed with Syd that year--I just thought he was the coolest, most thought provoking public figure I'd ever known. It got to be where one book didn't satisfy me, so I also picked up Crazy Diamond. I remember talking to one of my long-distance friends from high school on the phone and telling her how I'd like to be more like pre-breakdown Syd going forward in my life. Out of all the acid casualties or premature deaths of the counterculture I consider his fall the most tragic since he was such a romantic, personable, talented and creative person before it happened.
Anyway, Piper blew me away to a degree no other body of music ever has except SMiLE. (The United States of America, and all other albums I ranked higher than Piper on my top ten albums were either more of a slow burn for me to fully appreciate them or they're more consistent if lacking that "wow" factor.) The only significant flaws of Piper which keep it from being my top favorite (not counting the SMiLE material) are the middle section. It's no coincidence the only two tracks that were more Waters' brainchild than Syd (Pow R & Stethescope) are by far the weakest, unfortunately to the point they drag the whole album down a notch. Everything else is just perfect--the pinnacle of psychedelic rock. Now, looking back, my sophomore year of college was by far the best, so Piper holds a special place in my heart as it instantly transports me back to those carefree days smoking weed with some of the coolest friends I ever had and discovering all this new music from the counterculture.
Saucerful of Secrets is not something I consider a worthy followup. They left out the two big songs Syd had masterminded from that period, Scream Thy Last Scream and Vegetable Man, which blow everything on the album away if you ask me. The other big Syd composition from those sessions, Jugband Blues, is a fantastic sendoff both for the album and Syd himself from the band. Besides that, I really like See Saw. Everything else on Saucerful feels like the poorman's Piper, just rehashing all the beats of that earlier album to try to recapture that glory.
Dark Side of the Moon feels like the rest of them finally getting into a new groove and developing their own artistic voice as opposed to aping Syd. It's debatably the best Progressive Rock album ever made (though personally I give the edge to Just a Poke and In the Court of the Crimson King.) It feels like one continuous body of music AND cohesive artistic statement, both of which are my criteria for what makes a really fantastic album.
I don't have as much to say about them, but Wish You Were Here and Animals are also great. Not reaching the heights of Dark Side, but close.
The Wall has never done anything for me. I've tried to get into 3 separate times now, but it's just not for me. I find it to be too loud/metal sounding, too self-indulgent and somewhat tastelessly exploitive of Syd's life and condition. I'm sure no offense was meant but I dislike the way Rogers sometimes used Syd's story for artistic gain. With Shine On You Crazy Diamond it at least felt like a tribute, but with the Wall it feels like profiting off another man's tragedy. That's just my opinion and for whatever it's worth, that's far from the only reason I don't like the Wall. There are some great tracks though.
Im glad to see the Syd-Era get some love on this thread. My college peers who also loved Floyd tended to ignore the early years. A lot of music which has gone on to be some of my favorite I discovered from those friends, but a few significant ones I found on my own, and Syd was the biggest of them.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 16, 2019 6:28:51 GMT -5
Saucerful of Secrets is not something I consider a worthy followup. They left out the two big songs Syd had masterminded from that period, Scream Thy Last Scream and Vegetable Man, which blow everything on the album away if you ask me. The other big Syd composition from those sessions, Jugband Blues, is a fantastic sendoff both for the album and Syd himself from the band. Besides that, I really like See Saw. Everything else on Saucerful feels like the poorman's Piper, just rehashing all the beats of that earlier album to try to recapture that glory. Me too. There's something inherently romantic about this Richard Wright song--not something one generally associates with Pink Floyd. Maybe it's the Syd-like ambience that does it:
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Post by kds on Feb 16, 2019 14:39:24 GMT -5
Its refreshing to see some love for See Saw. Even the band themselves don't care for the whimsical Wright song, but I've always thought it was an early Floyd gem.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 17, 2019 0:06:31 GMT -5
I appreciate all iterations of Pink Floyd.
I was probably first aware of them via The Wall album. There's no way to truly convey just how huge that album was unless you were around at the time. I didn't own it but I didn't need to. It seemed like everyone else did.
After that I didn't think much about them until I got into high school, which neatly dovetailed into a kind of Syd-mania that was happening in the 80's with BBC sessions and outtakes coming out...and then....boom!....the Gilmour led version puts out an album and them tours behind it. I saw Pink Floyd on the Momentary Lapse of Reason tour only a few weeks after seeing a midnight showing of "The Wall" film. There was just a lot of Pink Floyd in the air at that time.
While I have the whole catalog, I passed on the big collectors box that came out a while ago. Truth be told I don't listen to them very much these days, so I doubt I would ever set aside the time to go through it all. I appreciate them more as relics (pun intended) from my youth that I can't quite get into the same way as I once did but still have a soft spot for.
If I had to pick a favorite period it would probably be More up through Meddle, with Atom Heart Mother and Ummagumma being my two favorite albums.
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Post by kds on Feb 19, 2019 11:07:24 GMT -5
Since I gave brief rundowns of the Floyd solo catalog, I might as well log my opinions on the Pink Floyd albums....
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (1967) - A fine debut, but IMO, not really indicative of the greatness that would follow. I like a lot of the Syd Barrett stuff, but I'm really not a huge fan of his guitar work. Musician wise, I think Richard Wright is really the star of the show on the debut. But, a lot of good songs here, from the opening Astronomy Domine to Lucifer Sam, Matilda Mother, The Scarecrow, and Flaming. The instrumental numbers are less convincing, as I think Pow R Toc H and Instellar Overdrive each manage to outstay their welcomes.
A Saucerful of Secrets (1968) - A bit of a novelty as it's the only Floyd album to album all five primary members. Syd was on the way out, and David Gilmour was on the way in. Even though this is very much a transitional album, I actually prefer it to the Piper debut. I just think the album overall is stronger. The opening Let There Be More Light gives up Gilmour's vocal debut on a Floyd LP. While his superior guitar playing really wouldn't turn up for another couple years, I think his vocals here are already superior to Syd's. Plus, there are three solid songs from Roger Waters and two from Richard Wright. The title track is far more focused than the instrumentals on Piper also.
More (1969) - While it includes Floyd classic Cymbaline, and some other highlights like Cirrus Minor, The Nile Song, and Green is the Colour, it's an overall pretty weak affair. Some interesting moments, but not really an album I revisit much.
Ummagumma (1969) - One has to wonder why a band just trying to reestablish itself would devote an entire album of five solo compositions and such varying quality. The live half of this double album is great, particularly the version of A Saucerful of Secrets, and the definitive version of Careful With That Axe, Eugene. The studio half is OK at best, with decent offerings from Roger (Granchester Meadows) and David (The Narrow Way).
Atom Heart Mother (1970) - With the epic title track, we're getting much closer to the classic Floyd sound on this album. The three shorter songs in the middle are all very good too. However, Alan's Pyschadelic Breakfast is simply a waste of 13 minutes, and mars an otherwise very good album.
Meddle (1971) - Often cited as the start of the classic Floyd era, Meddle is probably the best sounding Floyd album to date, and probably for the first time, we really hear Gilmour's signature guitar sound, particularly on the epic Echoes. Fearless is another true gem here, but the album does feature some filler with San Tropez and Seamus.
Obscured by Clouds (1972) - My pick for most underrate Floyd album. Caught in between Meddle and Dark Side of the Moon, this has some great songs like Burning Bridges, Wot's Uh the Deal, Childhood's End, Free Four, and Stay. By the time of its release, the band were already performing their next album on tour.
Dark Side of the Moon (1973) - The first of five straight albums of pure conception album perfection. Floyd perfected this piece on the road in 1972 before recording it, and releasing one of the all time great rock albums in 1973. The universal theme of madness makes it the most relatable of Roger Waters' concept albums.
Wish You Were Here (1975) - Bookended by the two part Shine On You Crazy Diamond, this is my pick for best Pink Floyd album. There is a certain haunting atmosphere on the album. And it's also worth noting that this is probably the last true team collaboration from Waters, Gilmour, Wright, and Mason.
Animals (1977) - Instead of one epic bookending three shorter songs, here one short song bookends three epics. Unfortunately, the length of the classics Dogs, Pigs (Three Different Ones), and Sheep likely hindered any chances of getting songs on FM radio, and it's one of the reasons why this album doesn't really feature in classic rock formatting. This is the first of three albums that would be dominated by Roger Waters. David Gilmour does contribute to the 17 minute Dogs. Another great album, despite the overall lack of keyboard touches by Wright.
The Wall (1979) - Roger Waters's masterpiece got a lot of help from producer Bob Ezrin. David Gilmour also contributes mightily to the album's signature song Comfortably Numb. It's believed that Richard Wright and Nick Mason's musical contributions were very minimal. However, this is one of the great double albums in rock history, and still stands up 40 years later despite the often dark and dire subject material.
The Final Cut (1983) - Pretty much a Floyd album in name only. Wright was out of the band. The album is singlehandedly written by Roger Waters. David Gilmour contributes a few solos, and some vocals to standout track Not Now John. However, despite the solo nature of the album, it's a brilliant follow up / sequel to The Wall. Songs like Your Possible Pasts, The Gunner's Dream, The Fletcher Memorial Home, and the title track are all beautiful songs.
A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987) - Also a Floyd album in name only, though this time, it's David Gilmour. Roger Waters decided that Floyd was over in 1985. He didn't count on Gilmour and Mason resurrecting the band (eventually added Wright to legitimize their claim to the Pink Floyd name). Gilmour and a host of session musicians release an album full of Floyd trademarks, most notably a healthy dose of Gilmour guitar solos and his signature vocals. Patchy at times, but songs like Learning to Fly, Sorrow, and On the Turning Away proved that Floyd overcame the loss of their chief songwriter once, and could do it again.
The Division Bell (1994) - The Floyd's last proper album saw the most team oriented album since Wish You Were Here. Richard Wright is again a full contributing member, even signing lead on Wearing the Inside Out. This is a stellar album that really captures the sound of classic Floyd better than any album since WYWH. The closer High Hopes offers a classic career ending song.
The Endless River (2014) - Cobbled together from the Division Bell sessions, this mostly instrumental album was released in 2014 to effectively close the book on the Pink Floyd saga. At it's best, it reminds the listener of some of the great moments of Floyd's past. But, overall, it's not very memorable. Only the closing Louder Than Words contains lyrics, and the opening line (We bitch and we fight / diss each other on sight) might be the worst lyric in Floyd's catalog.
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Post by Jason (The Real Beach Boy) on Feb 19, 2019 18:14:14 GMT -5
Pink Floyd is definitely among my favorite bands. I grew up with The Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall, which my father played endlessly on these little shiny discs that made rainbows under the light.
When I was 16 I got heavily into the band's classic era before moving to the early stuff; my first exposure to The Piper at the Gates of Dawn just blew me away and to this day remains my favorite Floyd record. I go back to the 1967-72 era the most. The meandering on A Saucerful of Secrets, the sheer audacity of Ummagumma, the proto-conceptual greatness of Atom Heart Mother, and the grandeur of Meddle are paralleled by few bands. Some of the solo music is very well done, particularly Barrett's early stuff and much of Gilmour's stuff. Waters' stuff is spotty at best; only Amused to Death really grabs me.
The Early Years box set was a truly wretched affair, though...just underwhelming as all hell.
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Post by Deleted on Feb 20, 2019 4:15:32 GMT -5
No they're not.
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Post by jk on May 11, 2022 7:36:06 GMT -5
Pink Floyd have released a new single in support of the people of Ukraine entitled "Hey Hey Rise Up". The single has been available on all streaming and download platforms since midnight of 7 April. This is the first new original music that they have recorded together as a band since 1994's The Division Bell. The track sees David Gilmour and Nick Mason joined by long-time Pink Floyd bass player Guy Pratt and Nitin Sawhney on keyboards and features an extraordinary vocal performance by Andriy Khlyvnyuk of Ukrainian band Boombox. The track, recorded Wednesday 30th March, uses Andriy's vocals taken from his Instagram post of him singing in Kyiv's Sofiyskaya Square. The song itself, "The Red Viburnum In The Meadow", is a rousing Ukrainian protest song written during the first world war which has been taken up across the world over the past month in protest of the invasion of Ukraine. The title of the Pink Floyd track is taken from the last line of the song which translates as "Hey hey rise up and rejoice". The song's opening choral parts are by Ukrainian VERYOVKA Folk Song and Dance Ensemble. David, who has a Ukrainian daughter-in-law and grandchildren says: "We, like so many, have been feeling the fury and the frustration of this vile act of an independent, peaceful democratic country being invaded and having its people murdered by one of the world's major powers". He explains how he came to know Andriy and his band Boombox. "In 2015, I played a show at Koko in London in support of the Belarus Free Theatre, whose members have been imprisoned. Pussy Riot and the Ukrainian band, Boombox, were also on the bill. They were supposed to do their own set, but their singer Andriy had visa problems, so the rest of the band backed me for my set – we played "Wish You Were Here" for Andriy that night. Recently I read that Andriy had left his American tour with Boombox, had gone back to Ukraine, and joined up with the Territorial Defense. Then I saw this incredible video on Instagram, where he stands in a square in Kyiv with this beautiful gold-domed church and sings in the silence of a city with no traffic or background noise because of the war. It was a powerful moment that made me want to put it to music." While writing the music for the track, David managed to speak with Andriy from his hospital bed in Kyiv where he was recovering from a mortar shrapnel injury. "I played him a little bit of the song down the phone line and he gave me his blessing. We both hope to do something together in person in the future." Speaking about the track David says, "I hope it will receive wide support and publicity. We want to raise funds for humanitarian charities and raise morale. We want to express our support for Ukraine and, in that way, show that most of the world thinks that it is totally wrong for a superpower to invade the independent democratic country that Ukraine has become". The video for "Hey Hey Rise Up" was filmed by acclaimed director Mat Whitecross and shot on the same day as the track was recorded. David Gilmour: "We recorded the track and video in our barn where we did all our Von Trapped Family live streams during lockdown. It's the same room that we did the 'Barn Jams' in with Rick Wright back in 2007. Janina Pedan made the set in a day and we had Andriy singing on the screen while we played, so the four of us had a vocalist, albeit not one who was physically present with us". The artwork for the track features a painting of the national flower of Ukraine, the sunflower, by the Cuban artist, Yosan Leon. The cover of the single is a direct reference to the woman who was seen around the world giving sunflower seeds to Russian soldiers and telling them to carry them in their pockets so that when they die, sunflowers will grow. All proceeds will go towards Ukrainian humanitarian relief. [ Source]
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