PINK FLOYD ECHOES

THE HISTORY MEANING AND REVIEW.

 Pink Floyd Echoes

Echoes by Pink Floyd is a classic rock tune by the group. It is instantly recognizable by the “Ping” at the beginning. This “Ping” was invented or composed by Richard Wright the keyboard player with Pink Floyd. He was playing around looking for a chord when he just kept on playing this ping. David Gilmour asked where it came from and thus began the writing of the composition which would become know as Echoes.

 The first title it was given was A Son of Nothing. Then it became known as Return of the Son of Nothing when it was being performed live during tours before Meddle was released.

While being recorded the track became known as Son of Nothing parts 1 - 24.

 In those days of 1968 computers were not used and Pink Floyd were always experimenting on sound and electronics to create music. It was while David Gilmour was experimenting that one of his guitars was plugged in the wrong way by their roadie and from this came the “Seagull” sound in the middle of Echoes.

So in the studio all members of Pink Floyd were working together in composing Echoes, with its feed back, experimental sounds using normal instruments, guitar, piano, bass.

  When Echoes starts with the ping and the music begins to build up straightaway the track causes an atmosphere.

The middle is a spooky atmosphere and the end is just a great climax to a song that lasts 23 min31 seconds.

 Echoes appears originally on the album Meddle          

 and later on Pompeii DVD. It is the title of a Best of CD.

 Interesting Facts

1   Among the bits and pieces of music that came out of Meddle that were not used on the album, was Roger's 'Brain Damage'-originally titled 'Dark Side of the Moon'.

2    Underwater oceanologist Jacques Cousteau played this during his Caribbean escapades.

3    The cover is a picture of a persons ear.

4    The famous ping was devised by Richard Wright when playing around with his piano and amplifier.

5     David Gilmour said what a great sound and the music was then built around it. When they went to play it live they couldnt recreate this sound so the original demo was used.

6 Before the final edit the whole of Echoes was in 36 fragments of music it was then edited down to 8. This was then tried out live 22 April 1971

7 It wasnt untill September 1971 while playing live at the BBC the group change the name from Son of Nothing to Echoes

8 Surf with Pink Floyd. Well you can if you watch Crystal Voyager. It uses Echoes and is very effective seeing the huge surf while Echoes is playing.

Echoes

Overhead the albatross hangs motionless upon the air
And deep beneath the rolling waves
In labyrinths of coral caves
The echo of a distant tide
Comes willowing across the sand
And everything is green and submarine

And no-one showed us to the land
And no-one knows the where or whys
But something stirs and something tries
And starts to climb towards the light

Strangers passing in the street
By chance two separate glances meet
And I am you and what I see is me
And do I take you by the hand
And lead you through the land
And help me understand the best I can

And no-one calls us to move on
And no-one forces down our eyes
And no-one speaks and no-one tries
And no-one flies around the sun

Cloudless everyday you fall upon my waking eyes
Inviting and inciting me to rise
And through the window in the wall
Come streaming in on sunlight wings
A million bright ambassadors of morning

And no-one sings me lullabies
And no-one makes me close my eyes
And so I throw the windows wide
And call to you across the sky

Music: Mason/Gilmour/Waters/Wright