"Meddle" Album Description:
In the world of music history, certain albums stand as pivotal creations that transcend time and space. Pink Floyd's "Meddle," released in Canada in 1971, is undoubtedly one such masterpiece that has left an indelible mark on the sonic landscape.
Production Prowess: Crafting a Sonic Tapestry
The album's production, helmed by the iconic Pink Floyd themselves, attests to the band's commitment to sonic excellence. Recorded at Air Studios, EMI Abbey Road, and Morgan Studios in London, "Meddle" bears witness to the expertise of sound engineers Peter Bown, John Lackie, Rob Black, and Roger Quested. Their meticulous work at these renowned studios contributed to the album's rich and immersive auditory experience.
A Visual Feast: The Artistry of Sleeve Design
Beyond its musical prowess, "Meddle" captivates the listener visually. The gatefold cover design, a hallmark of the vinyl era, unfolds like a narrative, revealing a portrait photo of Pink Floyd's band members on the inside pages. The sleeve, intricately designed by the band, serves as a visual gateway into the sonic odyssey that awaits the listener.
Capturing the Essence: Photography by Bob Dowling and Hipgnosis
The album's outer sleeve is adorned with captivating photographs that add a layer of mystique to the overall presentation. Bob Dowling's lens captures the essence of Pink Floyd's aura, providing a visual prelude to the sonic journey within. Meanwhile, the inside photo by the legendary design team Hipgnosis adds a dimension of artistry, seamlessly blending with the music it accompanies.
A Canadian Release: Navigating the Musical Landscape
"Meddle" found its way to Canadian audiences in 1971, echoing across the vast landscapes of the country. The Capitol/Harvest release with the catalognr SMAS-832 brought Pink Floyd's innovative soundscapes to the shores of Canada, contributing to the band's global impact.
Music Genre:
Prog Rock, Psych, Acid |
Album Production Information:
Produced by Pink Floyd
Sleeve Designed by Pink Floyd
Recorded at Air Studios, EMI Abbey Road and Morgan Studios London 1971.
Sound Engineers: Peter Bown, John Leckie, at Air and EMI
Sound Engineers:
Rob Black, Roger Quested.
at Morgan
Outer Sleeve Photos by
Bob Dowling
Inside Photo by Hipgnosis
Hipgnosis – British album cover art design groupHipgnosis is my favorite proof that a record sleeve can be a full-on mind game, not just a band photo with better lighting. Read more... Hipgnosis is the legendary London-based art design group that turned rock sleeves into visual myths. The core duo, Storm Thorgerson and Aubrey "Po" Powell, were childhood friends of the Pink Floyd inner circle in Cambridge—a connection that allowed them to bypass the stiff mandates of EMI’s in-house design department in 1968. Their debut, "A Saucerful of Secrets," was only the second time in EMI history (after The Beatles) that an outside firm was granted creative control. The very name "Hipgnosis" was a piece of found art; Syd Barrett, during one of his more enigmatic phases, scrawled the word in ballpoint pen on the door of the South Kensington flat he shared with the duo. Thorgerson loved the linguistic friction of it: the "Hip" for the new and groovy, and "Gnosis" for the ancient, hidden knowledge. While Peter Christopherson later joined as a third partner in 1974, that initial Barrett-endorsed moniker defined a decade of surrealist mastery for bands like Led Zeppelin, Genesis, and 10cc, before the group dissolved in 1983. |
Record Label & Catalognr:
Capitol / Harvest SMAS-832 |
Album Packaging:
Gatefold/FOC (Fold Open Cover) Album Cover Design with portrait photo of the Pink Floyd band-members on the inside pages.
Credits are printed in the upper right corner of the inside pages (other released have printed the credits in the bottom right corner)
The band's line-up is NOT mentioned in the credits
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Media Format: 12" Vinyl Stereo Gramophone Record
Total Album (Cover+Record) weight: 310 gram |
| Country of Origin
1971 Made in Canada |
Personnel/Band Members and Musicians on: PINK FLOYD - Meddle |
Band-members, Musicians and Performers
- Roger Waters - bass, vocals
- Roger Waters – Bass, vocals, songwriter
Roger Waters is the guy I blame (politely) when a Pink Floyd song stops being “spacey vibes” and starts staring straight through you with lyrics that feel like a courtroom cross-examination. Read more... Roger Waters is, to my ears, Pink Floyd’s razor-edged storyteller: bassist, singer, and the main lyric engine who pushed the band from psychedelic drift into big, human-scale themes. His key band period is Pink Floyd (1965–1985), where he became the dominant writer through the 1970s and early 1980s, before leaving and launching a long solo career (1984–present). After years of public tension, he briefly reunited with Pink Floyd for a one-off performance at Live 8 in London on 2 July 2005—basically the musical equivalent of spotting a comet: rare, bright, and gone again. Since the late 1990s he’s toured extensively under his own name, staging huge concept-driven shows that revisit Floyd classics like "The Dark Side of the Moon" (notably on the 2006–2008 tour) and "The Wall" (2010–2013), because apparently subtlety is not the point when you’ve got something to say.
- Nick Mason - percusssion
- Nick Mason – Drums, percussion
Nick Mason is the steady heartbeat I always come back to in Pink Floyd: the only constant member since the band formed in 1965, quietly holding the whole weird universe together while the rest of the planet argues about everything else. Read more... Nick Mason is Pink Floyd’s drummer, co-founder, and the one guy who never clocked out: his main performing period with Pink Floyd runs from 1965 to the present, and he’s the only member to appear across every Pink Floyd album. Outside the mothership, he’s had a very “I’m not done yet” second act: in 2018 he formed Nick Mason’s Saucerful of Secrets (2018–present) to bring the band’s early psychedelic years back to the stage. He’s also stepped out under his own name with projects like the solo album "Nick Mason’s Fictitious Sports" (released 1981), which is basically him taking a left turn into jazz-rock just to prove he can. And yes, he was part of that blink-and-you-miss-it full-band moment at Live 8 in London in 2005, when the classic lineup briefly reunited and reminded everyone why this band still haunts people.
- Dave Gilmour - Guitar, vocals
- David Gilmour – Guitar, vocals
David Gilmour is the voice-and-fingers combo I hear whenever Pink Floyd turns from “spacey” into straight-up cinematic: he joined in 1967 and basically helped define what “guitar tone with emotions” even means. Read more... David Gilmour is, for me, the calm center of Pink Floyd’s storm: an English guitarist, singer, and songwriter whose playing can feel gentle and devastating in the same bar. His earliest band period worth name-dropping is Jokers Wild (1964–1967), before he stepped into Pink Floyd in 1967 as Syd Barrett’s situation unraveled. From there his main performing era is Pink Floyd (1967–1995), including the post-Roger Waters years where the band continued under his leadership and released "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" (1987) and "The Division Bell" (1994), with a later studio coda in "The Endless River" (2014). Outside Floyd, he’s had a long solo run (1978–present) with albums ranging from "David Gilmour" (1978) to "Luck and Strange" (2024), and he even did a sharp side-quest in 1985 with Pete Townshend’s short-lived supergroup Deep End. And for one historic night, the classic lineup reunited at Live 8 in Hyde Park, London on 2 July 2005—one of those “you had to be there (or at least press play)” moments.
- Rick Wright - keyboards, vocals
- Richard Wright – Keyboards, vocals
Richard Wright is the secret atmosphere machine in Pink Floyd: the guy who can make one chord feel like a whole weather system, and then casually add a vocal harmony that makes it hit even harder. Read more... Richard Wright (born Richard William Wright) is, for me, the understated genius of Pink Floyd: co-founder, keyboardist, and occasional lead vocalist whose textures are basically baked into the band’s DNA. His main performing period with Pink Floyd runs from 1965 to 1981 (including the early albums through the massive arena years), then he returned as a full member again from 1987 to 1994 for the later era tours and albums. In between those chapters, he didn’t just vanish into a fog machine: he released a solo album, "Wet Dream" (1978), and later "Broken China" (1996), and he also had a proper side-project moment with Zee (1983–1984), which produced the album "Identity" (1984). He passed away in 2008, but his playing still feels like the part of Pink Floyd that makes the air shimmer.
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