10.20.2021

Creativity is often born out of constraints. In our expensive city and capitalist country, we have to spend much of our time and resources on more “productive” pursuits than art-making just to stay here. Whether it’s how much you can spend on materials or how much time you have left after your day job, your artworks can reflect the circumstances under which you made them. That’s not to say you can’t learn to love these necessitated creative environments—the constant motion and shifting light of my subway commute seemed to fuel the writing I did during it. After all, I do love a challenge. 

But in rare cases, if you are extremely successful—like transformative British rock band Pink Floyd-level successful—these often-constraining forces can become invested in your artistic output. You get the chance to lock yourself in a studio and just experiment. This total freedom presents its own kind of challenge, and whether it sounds like a dream or a nightmare is up to you. What can all that open space allow for?

In 1971, Pink Floyd produced a series of experimental recordings all titled “Nothing” 1-24. They ended up scrapping these experiments, save for one note. Out of that salvaged note grew Meddle, Pink Floyd’s ambitious and singular sixth studio album, released on October 31st, 1971.

On Meddle’s 50th anniversary, the COPY Music team takes a look back on the album that acts as a bridge between the past and future of Pink Floyd.

I discovered this album through a scene in Richard Linklater’s Everybody Wants Some!! when the stoner character plays “Fearless” and rants about nonsense (a very Linklater scene).

I never really had a Pink Floyd phase, but I would return to this album often. I was frequently reminded of it through my job at a record store where it was a constantly requested album that would rarely remain in stock.

Pink Floyd albums are often filled with heavy tracks that you have to really commit to enjoying. But this one is different—with songs like “Pillow of Winds” and “Fearless,” you can just relax, close your eyes, and drift into the groove. It’s a much more easygoing Pink Floyd record, but no less impressive than their more complex and well-known stuff. I still never picked up that vinyl copy—I gotta find it first.

Favorite Track: “Fearless”

Emory’s Thoughts

The first track is freaky and I liked that. Listening to it kind of felt like we were in a movie where we’re all at prom and then aliens descend from above. So I kept listening, thinking I knew what I was in for: an album about aliens. But Meddle is oh so much more. We’re not always in outer space, but every track is otherworldly.

Favorite Track: “One of These Days”

When I was 10, my friend Liam and I shared songs, posters, and the pride of being into classic rock (unlike any of our classmates). I had printed album covers from all my favorite bands: the Eagles, Chicago, the Who, etc. This particular album I had left behind until I rediscovered it in college while on an acid trip. There are so many layers to this music, and the little bits that are buried in my brain from my childhood listening make it that much more of an emotional experience. The chants at the end of “Fearless” come in and I think of my Dad, I think of Liam’s dad, who introduced us to this music. I can only imagine what memories are conjured for someone that fell in love with it 50 years ago.

Favorite Track: “Fearless”

From the suspense-building guitar of “One of These Days” to the playful barking on “Seamus,” each track on Meddle brings its own unique intrigue. You just have to close your eyes and fall into the album for a dark, conflicted trip that will leave you mystified as the final sounds of “Echoes” fade into oblivion.

Favorite Track: “Pillow of Winds”