Guy Berger

Well, I'm no pianist (or "penist" as they like to call them), But I never heard anything from him that really made me think he was great. Although, to be completely fair, something that is simple but brilliantly played and completely complimentary to the overall piece should have it's own merit. What about the synthesizer playing on "Shine on You Crazy Diamond"? Not flashy by any means, but the song wouldn't be the same without it. Also, check out some live recordings of "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" -- he usually had some cool soundscapes in the middle section. I'm not sure I agree with you here. My favorite Floyd album is Wish You Were Here. I think that is one of the most brilliant albums, beginning to end, ever put together. By anyone. Yes. Yeah, that's probably true. (Not sure about awesome from beginning to end -- "Pigs" is somewhat annoying, though it gets some props as the Floyd song most heavily featuring the cowbell.) But the music is a bit pedestrian compared to some of their earlier albums, without that experimental edge or "cosmic feeling" that made them so great in the first place. I find it more listenable than The Wall, which has a stupid story/concept and too much filler. And it's much much better than what I've heard of Waters's AWFUL solo work. The Final Cut has its moments, like "The Fletcher Memorial Home", "The Final Cut" and "Two Suns in the Sunset". ("Not Now John" really sucks, though.) I always thought it was ironic that fans of this album lambast the post-Waters Floyd. Most underrated/underappreciated -- probably Atom Heart Mother, maybe A Saucerful of Secrets if the cow has become too trendy. Guy

Today I was grocery shopping and saw a t-shirt that said "I can only please one person a day -- good luck!" Maybe this is old news to the rest of you but I was very amused. Guy

I've listened to this five or six times so far, and the music hasn't clicked with me yet. Looking forward to when it does. Guy

I've always felt David Gilmour was the only strong musician in the band. I disagree -- Wright was definitely a strong musician. It's hard to imagine the classic Pink Floyd sound ('67-'75) without him. Eh. Animals is pretty good, but it has too much of Waters's whining and not enough of Wright's contributions. Their previous four or five albums (w/exception of Obscured by Clouds) were all better. Dave, I agree about Nick Mason sounding much better on the earlier Floyd stuff. The guy was never a technical wizard but he wasn't boring, at least in the beginning. Guy

RIP, Mr. Chapin. You made some great music. I'll give Sky Piece and Night Bird Song a spin this weekend. Guy

I love the part in the film were David Gilmour insists Floyd is NOT a drug-oriented band. Guy

I saw Pink Floyd Live in Pompeii last night -- fantastic!!! "Saucerful of Secrets" was especially amazing. Guy

Not sure about that. Wasn't he just a scorer and not much more? Guy

There's no way Vince Carter will win MVP. He doesn't deserve it, his team sucks. Guy

In my experience motorcyclists don't drive any faster than cars. Maybe southern FL is a special place. Guy

FWIW, I think that us youngins probably underrate many of the players we've never seen and overrate some of those that play today. If you haven't watched someone it's hard to comprehend their importance. Guy

Dip, Since I am guessing that by now you have thoroughly explored the Embryo catalogue, do you think I would enjoy their music? If so, which album should I start with? Guy

I was listening to this gig yesterday. Fan-fucking-tastic. I like some stuff by the post-'76 band but it doesn't even come close to this. However, I don't think the above setlist is correct. Guy

If I was going to pick up an album by these guys, would one of these be a good start? Which one? There's also an earlier, less expensive issue of Brotherhood of Breath on the Repertoire label. Which is better? Guy

Isn't she just a corny novelty singer from the 60s? Guy

I recently got my cd-rom drive replaced. All of a sudden, Itunes is ripping my cds at 11-14X rather than 5-7X. I am still using error correction. Is this too good to be true? I hope I don't hear a bunch of clicks and pops on my ipod tomorrow. Guy

Noj, I was kidding. Guy

All this Laker fan self-pity is giving me a headache. Guy

This month: Lonnie Smith, Think Next month: Lee Morgan, The Gigolo

I think winning this game was a big mistake. It will be harder to get a good lottery pick unless they keep losing. Noj, I don't think the Lakers will miss the playoffs -- the teams contending for the bottom 2 playoff spots are too weak. Guy

It's going to plunge to the mid 20s for most of the week. It's supposed to be March!

Agreed there. The Caravan albums up through 'Cunning Stunts' have some amazing tracks on them. I only have two Caravan albums. One of them (In the Land of the Grey and Pink) is excellent, but I am less excited about the other (For Girls Who Grow Plump in the Night). Who came up with those album titles? One of my favorite Canterbury albums is the first Hatfield and the North album. The second one (The Rotters' Club) isn't quite as good. I used to love National Health but I recently listened to their albums and didn't like them nearly as much. Guy

Anybody heard this? Worth picking up? I'm a little wary of another slow-tempo introspective piano-centered disc on ECM, but supposedly this was recorded by Anat Fort on her own initiative before ECM got their hands on it. Plus the presence of Robinson could add some sparks. Guy

Definitely. Good to have you back, Shrdlu. Guy

Dallas (50-9) is now two games ahead of where Detroit (48-11) was at the same point last season. Guy