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24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Not an Album for Beginners, January 15, 2005
If I had to pick, I would have to say that this is probably my least favorite Pink Floyd album. It is an incredibly languid (almost stagnant in spots), disjointed, half-hearted effort that never quite takes off. At least that's how I'd remembered it. Yes it had been awhile, but I decided to break out the CD again before writing this review. I must admit, I'm glad I did, because it's better than I'd remembered.
To properly assess this recording, a few things should be considered. First, Pink Floyd was still very much a band in search of its sound. To say that More was "kind of experimental" is like saying Dark Side Of The Moon was "kind of successful". Second, this was the band's first effort at composing a full film score, and by all accounts it wasn't a major picnic. This was due in large part to the supervision of director Barbet Schroeder. Third, the entire record was written and recorded in eight days. Even for an immensely talented band like Pink Floyd, this is hardly an ideal timeframe to create. Finally, unlike soundtracks of today where hits of established pop successes are merely compiled together to generate maximum revenue, the Floyd were composing directly to scenes in the movie (ie; moody sounds and incidental music). The result is that there are as many bizarre fragmented moments as there are actual songs.
Considering all the above, one would likely expect a seriously flawed effort. However, despite all the failings of this record, the band managed to capture several moments of kaleidoscopic beauty. Songs range from the gentle acoustic breeze of Green Is The Color to the pounding rock of The Nile Song (and its evil twin, Ibiza Bar). In between there lies oddities of every sort, including a slight taste of blues; a touch of flamenco guitar (complete with comical "drunken Spaniard" ramblings); and the dark musings of Cymbaline (a song that would become a staple of their stage act for the next couple years). The tracks I find most interesting, however, are the three instrumentals: Main Theme, Quicksilver, and Dramatic Theme. Each are strange moody pieces that depend heavily on Rick Wright's keyboard excursions. Percussion, bass, slide guitar, and various instrumental sounds (along with the intelligent use of panning in the mix) round out the sonic picture. What is created in each is a FEEL, if not quite a substantial song. What intrigues me most about them is that you can see where the band was headed. The songs are glimpses of Pink Floyd working towards their sound; something they will find in two years with the spectacular Meddle album. Perhaps not works of genius, but certainly works of curiosity.
More is not a masterpiece. Nor is it a flop. It is merely a snapshot in time of a young band pushing their creative envelope on their way to musical greatness. Like all of their work, how you rate More depends largely on which facet of Pink Floyd you love most. Fans of the Barrett-led Floyd, who plunged the band into the unshakable image of trippy psychedelia, will probably enjoy it. Fans of what Pink Floyd became - soaring guitar solos, melodic music, and high concepts - will likely be disappointed. This is NOT an album for the beginner. If you are just a casual fan, I would suggest passing this up. An understanding of what Pink Floyd was all about and what they were trying to accomplish will probably allow you to appreciate it most. Start with The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, and then move on to A Saucerful Of Secrets. If you find yourself eager to hear more, move on to this album. You may find that it has a pleasant surprise or two waiting for you.
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9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
An overlooked and very experimental Pink Floyd album, November 19, 2006
Based on what I have read, Pink Floyd did this album because they wanted to start making movie scores. Released in 1969, this soundtrack to the counterculture melodrama More (directed by Barbet Schroeder) really is a very nice listen. From the pastoral serenity of the opening track, through the thunderous Nile Song and Ibiza Bar, and into the spacey and experimental instrumental passages, this is a great album that indicates (somewhat) the direction that Pink Floyd would take as they entered the 1970s. I guess it is worth mentioning that Pink Floyd would take the experimental approach of More to an even greater extent on the follow up Ummagumma (1969).
The instrumental pieces are balanced by the vocal pieces on this, the Floyd's third album, and although some have commented that Dave's vocals sound "feeble" I actually think he sounds great (even on Green is the Colour). Dave's spacey guitar playing is also right on track and he uses a great mix of electric and acoustic textures. With respect to the instrumental tracks there are some pieces that reflect Rick Wright's interest in avant-garde composers (like Stockhausen) especially Up the Khyber, which features a "tribal" drum part by Nick Mason (who co-wrote the piece), some atonal playing on the organ and piano, and electronic effects. Other interesting pieces include the completely "out there" track Quicksilver, which is the most experimental and at 7 minutes the longest track on the whole album, along with the short piece Party Sequence, which features some great percussion parts. At the other end of the spectrum is the softer piece Green is the Colour, which features acoustic guitar, acoustic piano, along with a very soft bass part by Roger and a tiny bit of organ by Rick. Another piece in the acoustic vein is the Spanish Piece, which features some excellent flamenco-ish acoustic guitar playing by Dave.
The Floyd even take on the blues with More Blues, although it is the blues as only Pink Floyd could play it - very psychedelic and spacey. The fact that Nick Mason does not play his drum kit all the way through, but rather in "fits and starts" also gives the piece a vaguely experimental feel.
Unfortunately, albums like More, along with all of their pre-Dark Side of the Moon (1973) output and even Animals (1977) tend to fall through the cracks. This really is too bad given that the 1967-1972 timeframe was a very creative period in their career. Not to diminish the significant achievement of Dark Side of the Moon however, which brought progressive rock to an even wider audience and was an extremely significant work, it is just that I love Pink Floyd's late 1960's/early 1970s material. As such More is highly recommended along with Atom Heart Mother (1970), Meddle (1971); and Obscured by Clouds (1972). Although from 1977, Animals is also very highly recommended too.
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38 of 49 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Slightly Puzzling Way To Begin a New Floyd Era, August 29, 2002
"More" is probably the least-noted studio album in Pink Floyd's history. This is not very surprising; these thirteen tracks were written and recorded for Barbet Schroeder's 1969 hippie-film of the same name, which was about--what else?--a junkie couple addicted to heroin. Why Schroeder appointed Pink Floyd--a band relatively inexperienced in film scoring--to create this soundtrack is questionable, but the result isn't really as bad as it would be with lesser bands.
There are as many fine songs on the "More" soundtrack as there are poor ones. Bassist Roger Waters reveals his blossoming songwriting talent with remarkability. This is exceptional when one looks at the strong hold the bassist would have on the band in the years to come. But there are also some wonderful "group tracks," those written by the entire body of Pink Floyd. Such Waters staples as 'Cirrus Minor,' 'The Nile Song,' (probably the only Floyd heavy metal song) and two cult classics, 'Cymbaline' and 'Green is the Color' are good songs that prove music can be psychedelic without the futile use of drugs. Speaking of which, another thing that makes "More" somewhat of a stepping stone for Pink Floyd is that it was their first work in which they were completely rid of Syd Barrett, their former leader whose damaged mental state as the result of drug use forced him out of the band a year earlier. "More" shows how Pink Floyd had taken the absence of their leader and used it as an oppurtunity to create a whole new set of craftworks in which to vent their talent; group compositions like the raw 'Ibiza Bar,' the groovy 'Main Theme,' and the tiring 'Quicksilver' show their ambitions.
The tracks here that do not live up to Pink Floyd's talent however, are 'Crying Song' which starts out fairly but becomes uninspired and repetitive, the pointless 'Up the Kyhber' and most notably, a musical joke 'Spanish Piece' (which was the first song in which guitarist David Gilmour received sole credit).
All that aside, "More" also contains many songs that would later be used in parts of Floyd's live suite "The Man & The Journey" which they performed throughout 1969-70. So it is a supreme studio document of an integral part of the band's history, though some songs are quite drab. But when the listener finds the quality of "More" becoming overwhelmed by some of the less notable songs, they can take comfort in the thought that after all, its purpose was to accompany a hippie film, and not necessarily to make a true "Pink Floyd album."
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by Pink Floyd 
