Friday Night Videos

I've been a Pink Floyd fan since my long-ago high school days. I missed the band's late 80s tour for Momentary Lapse of Reason but was fortunate enough to catch the Division Bell tour in 1994, which turned out to be the band's swan song. It was a technically magnificent show, but a bit impersonal (which is understandable, taking place in San Antonio's Alamodome). Now, several decades later, Pink Floyd drummer Nick Mason brought his Saucerful of Secrets group to Austin for a show in Bass Hall, focusing entirely on pre-Dark Side of the Moon material. I hope to do a full writeup in the near future, but let me just say here that it was magnificent. Fun, warm, personal and joyous. It was a marvelous show and amongst the many highlights was a fantastic rendition of "Fearless," which just so happens to be my favorite Pink Floyd song.

Previously on Friday Night Videos... Le Trio Joubran.

Now Playing: Pink Floyd The Journey Suite
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Friday Night Videos

Any time I've ever watched Pink Floyd's The Wall, at some point somebody will walk in, notice what's playing, and ask, "Has Bob Geldof shaved his eyebrows yet?" Such a strange, strange film. Here's "Another Brick in the Wall, part 2."

Previously on Friday Night Videos... Gordon Lightfoot.

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Friday Night Videos

I'm a huge Pink Floyd fan. And probably my favorite Pink Floyd album is Echoes. It's just terrific (except for "Seamus" but I pretend that track doesn't exist). I also love acoustic and flamenco guitar. Now, low and behold, the two have been married in an astonishing cover by a duo I've never heard of before, Rodrigo y Gabriela, who take Pink Floyd's sprawling, fascinating "Echoes" in unexpected, astonishing directions. This is how you cover iconic music, folks. I suspect David Gilmour would approve.

Previously on Friday Night Videos... Piper Jones Band.

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Friday Night Videos

Well, it's no "Wish You Were Here." It's not even "Learning to Fly." Polly Samson is never going to be mistaken for Roger Waters. But "Louder Than Words is the last new Pink Floyd song we're ever likely to get (not counting a handful of early unreleased recordings, including pre- and post-Barrett material), so that's worth celebrating. The album, The Endless River, is apparently not too much like the long-rumored The Big Spliff, even though it repurposes some of that material--notably Rick Wright's keyboard tracks. There are sections that don't quite hold together, and "Talkin' Hawkin'" amounts to table scraps from "What Do You Want From Me." But the album is enjoyable overall, with echoes (see what I did there?) of Dark Side of the Moon, A Momentary Lapse of Reason and Wish You Were Here. It's not a masterpiece, but it's no Final Cut, either. And despite its shortcomings, "Louder Than Words" has its moments--not to mention a video filmed at the Aral Sea. Enjoy.

Previously on Friday Night Videos... The Jacksons.

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Friday Night Videos

I don't normally feature amateur covers on Friday Night Videos, because the sound and video quality is normally crummy (and, hello! Why go with a cover is the original is available?). But then I experienced Thomas Leeb's finger-style acoustic guitar interpretation of Pink Floyd's "Comfortably Numb" and was impressed to a significant degree. Enjoy.

Previously on Friday Night Videos... Paul Lekakis.

Now Playing: Pink Floyd A Momentary Lapse of Reason
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Friday Night Videos

In honor of the 50th anniversary of Doctor Who and all the mayhem that goes along with it, this week's video is Pink Floyd's classic "One of These Days." Why Pink Floyd? Listen carefully around the 2:20 mark.

Previously on Friday Night Videos... Sting.

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Friday Night Videos

I had a different video lined up to feature today, but then I realized my Aggies are playing Arkansas tomorrow at JerryWorld in DFW. How often do I get to feature cool old Pink Floyd video in such context?



Previously on Friday Night Videos... Van Halen.

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