PERFECTLY COHESIVE // Pink Floyd - Time // Composer Reaction & Analysis 

This was the reference album for judging sound quality of hi-fi equipment for SO many years 🙂

The metronome sound, if I'm not mistaken was made with the bass, two strings muted with a pick. This album has quite a few soulful vocal sections as well, and definitely would be a good album to check out as a whole, I believe anyone with an interest in music should experience this album at some point, to me is like the history of current music wouldn't be the same without it, being one of the most important albums of all "time". Roger Waters mentioned how it was a shock in his early 20s (instead of much older) to realise that what he was told about being young and "preparing" for life was basically bullshit, life was already happening, from the start.

That "small tempo shift" was a completely different song, "Breath, Reprise." Everybody misses this Well, Pink Floyd doesn't write songs; they do whole albums.

Oh man, that guitar solo always gets me. It's the beauty of Gilmour's style, he's not concerned with showing off, just feeling it. One thing that I would like to mention is that the final section of the song is actually a reprise of Breathe (In the Air), the second track of the album which (together with Speak to Me, the opening "song" - it's a sound collage to be honest) represents birth and childhood (among other things), so it kind of brings the whole idea of this passing of time to a close. I also love the little line "the time is gone, the song is over" because technically Time ends there, and then comes the reprise, so it's a little meta nod. This track is followed by The Great Gig in the Sky which adresses death in a gorgeous manner, with a vocal improvisation by Clare Torry, as ProgPer mentioned in his comment. It's a great way to end the side A of the vinyl too, a full life from beginning to end before dealing with other concepts this album also covers all in side B. Honestly, I'd have recommended the two tracks together if it were for me, but still, getting your insight on this one and watching you enjoy it so much was already a treat. Great analysis as always!

I still think this song's guitar solo is the best example of how to make bluesy bends and slides sound majestic and cathartic in the right context. A "timeless" classic.

The clocks were originally recorded by Alan Parsons for a quadrophonic effects record. As the engineer for the sessions, he offered these recordings as a nice segue. The rototom part in the beginning came about because they were around at Abbey Road at the time and caught Nick Mason’s attention. This was the first time they utilised those kind of vocalists and will use them off and on since. Prior to it, they had a full choir in Atom Heart Mother. Definitely listen to the entire album as it is fully rewarding =] And yes, I took a lot of notes from Pink Floyd 😁

One piece of information that may be useful to know is that the album "Dark Side of the Moon" revolves around a central theme that binds each of the songs and which is: (What drives people crazy). (BREATHE); If the performance required in life can drive people crazy. (ON THE RUN); If the frantic rush of life can drive people crazy. (TIME); If the fleeting aspect of passing time can drive people crazy. (THE GREAT GIG IN THE SKY); If the thought of the inevitable end (death), can drive people crazy. (MONEY); If love, or lack of money can drive people crazy. (US AND THEM); If the abusive hierarchy between color, power or wealth between US AND THEM can drive people crazy. (ANY COLOR YOU LIKE); If the illusion of being able to choose can drive people crazy. (BRAIN DAMAGE); If the fear of losing their mind can drive people crazy. (ECLIPSE); If the fact that our life seems to be limited to, (All that you touch - And all that you see...) can drive people crazy.

The whole album is perfectly cohesive. It's a blueprint for the perfect rock album. I really love how the guitar and keyboard are hard-panned like a jazz record making the performances and vamping really stand out.

On David Gilmour's guitar soloing; that's how he does it. Feeling, tone, melody and atmospheres over chops. He's widely considered one of the best guitarists because of that and I do agree. Brilliant solo composer! On the soul singing, they used it quite a bit and later even had back-up "soul vocalists" on stage . There's even a track (Great Gig in the Sky) where it's the main component. The recorded singer finally got credited (after lots of legal battling) for co-composing it since she improvised what would become a legendary core part of the track. Happy that you greatly enjoyed it and you'll probably enjoy the full album as well. It's a masterpiece.

It's worth noting that the last section of the song is a reprise of an earlier track titled "Breathe" and it dovetails perfectly into Time.

This is such a classic album. I love the atmosphere. I had this album on vinyl and used to play it on repeat to go to sleep when I was a teenager. My mom was a huge fan of Pink Floyd and I'm so grateful I got to have their music ingrained in me at a young age.

It's actually 2 songs: 1st Time and 2nd Breathe reprise, hence the tempo and feel change. When you don't have the current tools at hand, you have to be creative. It was a great "time".

You missed the heart beat behind the "metronome". The metronome sound is done on the bass plucking below the bridge. The change near the end is actually the next track on the album.

One of the easiest ways to move me or make me cry is the sudden passage of time. Naturally, this song always brings me to tears. That said, I totally agree with you about how both the lyrics and the composition work together to showcase all the different ways that we experience time. In particular, the section of the solo where the organ drops out and it becomes just guitar is so gut wrenching to me because it's simultaneously so relaxed and yet so urgent. On one hand, it sounds like the sudden panic when you realize that so much of your life has passed by, and yet on the other hand time keeps passing on as it always has, unaware that you'd even be thinking about it. It makes me think of when I first really got into pink floyd almost 15 years ago and how my relationship with this song has dramatically changed as I've gotten older. All that's to say, this was a fabulous video and analysis for a fabulous and truly universally themed song!

"I probably should check out this album." Ya think? :D Yeah, it's (no exaggeration) one of the greatest works of sonic and musical art of the 20th century. The entire album is so immaculately engineered and flows so perfectly... even on this track the ending (the part where you noticed the shift) is a reprise of the album's second track called Breathe. It's truly the culmination of the conceptual psychedelic art-rock that The Beatles gave birth to in the late 60s, and it's fun if you go back and listen to early Pink Floyd how they refined that entire genre from the late 60s to early/mid 70s. There are very few albums that manage to create their own little universe for its duration and this is definitely one of them. This track is definitely one of the highlights, but the entire album is full of these highlights. Over time (npi) I think I've come to prefer Us and Them, but part of that may just be because Time was (still is) played non-stop on rock radio. Time does have some of my all time favorite lyrics, though. "You run and you run to catch up with the sun but it's sinking" is such a haunting image.

Listen to the album all the way through , it’s brilliant, how anyone who truly loves music in its purest form can not help but love this album , or Pink Floyd for that matter .

Hey, this is my favorite track of all time. So glad you got to hear it and I got to experience that with you!! Thanks for uploading and teaching me some of why the structure evokes the strong feelings it does. For when you listen to Dark Side of the Moon: there’s one natural break, between Great Gig in the Sky and Money. Think of the album as two 20-minute suites and you’ll have the best vantage to enjoy and review them. All the best, Brian!

Pink Floyd doesn't usually gets represented well by one song from an album. Usually, especially the big 4 albums, should be treated as one huge song. Which makes the album so much more than the sum of its parts. Highly recommend it!

Great reaction, as usual. And i like the idea of going into “critically acclaimed” music. I will say, it seems you come from the perspective that “all art is completely subjective”, and try to argue for and maintain that. I respect and appreciate that. But I believe there is at least an element or two of objectivity in art, at least in relation to particular cultures. And contrary to some beliefs, its not arrogance at all, its a desire for connection. As Kerouac said, “i want to fish down as deep as possible, with the belief that that far down, we are all the same.” The point being, there are very few works of art as acclaimed as Dark Side of the Moon, for decades, and spanning generations. And I believe it’s because there is a certain objective quality to it. It speaks to us on a fundamental level that most music does not.

Seeing you smile excitedly at the meta tempo warmed my heart. I love stuff like that

If you have the time (pun not intended!) I think you’ll enjoy the Classic Albums documentary about how this album was made. As a taster, the clocks in this song are all done on quarter inch tape loops with physical cues for when each member of the band should press play to get all the tape loops in time.

now this is one good song. the song that got me hooked into prog. forever memorable

Dude you nailed it. It's pretty straight forward but it is MAGICAL, what a magical song. A shame you didn't listen the follow up song, "the great gig in the sky". No lyrics, just ambience and a beautiful voice lamenting, it's one of the dark side of men (moon) loosing someone you love and not being able to cope with the loss, also divided in two sections, pain / grieve and acceptance / depression. Cheers

clicking at the beginning is the plucking of the bass

I'm sure somebody has mentioned this already, but the outro, starting with "home. home again. I like to be hear when I can" is referencing the first track on the album, speak to me/breath. which is one more way in which this song celebrates the idea of things being cyclical, but in somewhat of a roller coaster way. Like, suddenly we're home again. ok. let's roll with it I guess (in my opinion this reprise comes back waaaaayyyyy too soon in the album cuz time is an early track, but maybe that allows for it to feel less expected, yet another way of messing with our sense of time)

Treat yourself to the next track on the album, The Great Gig in the Sky. Next level.

yeah you should definitely do this entire albu . . . in a pitch black room with 2 tabs of lucy

Gilmour's guitar tells a story. It reaches deep into your soul. It takes you on incredible journeys all on it's own. In many cases, no need for words. Pink Floyd is the greatest band ever, imho. And David Gilmour is one of the greatest guitarists ever. Period. My all time favorite for sure. I've been a die hard Pink Floyd fan since 1973, when I was a young teenager of 13. They are, simply the best.

Would love to see you do Pink Floyd "Echoes" Part 1 live at Pompeii 1972

Pink Floyd was very experimental and for a few years before Dark Side of the Moon attempted to structure their concerts to tell a story. The story included songs to represent different aspects of a life, with musical segues connecting the individual songs and visuals, all presented as a multimedia performance. This re-purposing of earlier works eventually was abandoned as Dark Side of the Moon was written to tell a more cohesive story. Though Pink Floyd had some measure of fame before DSOTM the success of this album was unprecedented. It was quite possibly the most successful concept album ever and spent hundreds of weeks on the Billboard charts. The sound engineering was so good that it became a standard for showing off high-end sound systems. People repurchased the album as they upgraded their equipment, and it was released on vinyl and tape, analog and eventually digital, in stereo, quadrophonic, and theatric versions. When new technology appeared, Dark Side of the Moon was always one of the first albums represented, one that simply had to be included.

First of all, this is the best analysis I've heard of this song. As familiar as I am with this material, (been listening to it for 40 years now) you've pointed out things I hadn't noticed before. For that I am thankful. Hearing this song at 13 is not the same as hearing it at 25. Sure as hell is not the same as hearing it at 45. As your understanding of what time really is develops, you get to appreciate this song in different ways. Frank Sinatra's "It Was a very Good Year", which I first heard when I was 21, does the same trick for me. Last thing. You mention not knowing where your last decade went. First time I had that feeling was when I was 22 or 23, and I remember not being able to recall anything that I did on my 19th year of life. It was a truly wasted year, something I promised myself not to do again.

You should always listen to the text carefully when it comes to Pink Floyd...

I can't believe you haven't heard the entire album.

According to an interview Nick Mason gave, it was a roto tom? that was left in the studio

Thx keep on listening PF, there's a lot to discover.

There IS a sense of mortality in it, and death is frequently mentioned in the album's voice samples.

Its the heart beat for me

There's a traveling Pink Floyd exhibit that I believe is currently in Toronto. The exhibit features a ton of different instruments they used in production (whether the actual instrument or a replica), amongst a lot of other content. If you ever have a chance to see it, it's worth it.

The metronome sound represents the ticking of a wind up clock.

This track was our first encounter with the female background singers, which became a staple of their sound

Even the guitar solo starts off bright and young before slipping into a melancholic middle / old age.

would be so cool if you did a video on the Floyd's Animals album!

Pink Floyd is the cerebral band of Rock! Never recorded a love song, always had something to say.

I don't expect lyrics and music to correlate so closely that the music alone can predict lyrical content, so I am always surprised when that works out for you so accurately. (Granted, you may be picking up some of the lyrics while you are listening. But you rarely seem to focus on them much at that point.) It's hard for me to imagine someone in this country never having heard this song before. It was such a staple of classic rock radio in the 70's and 80's (although I didn't listen to classic rock radio much in the 80's), and I assume it has remained that way. But it's easier to avoid mainstream radio these days, with so many options. My siblings (both older) didn't own this album, but when I finally got around to listening to the whole things, I realized I had heard all, or almost all of it, already. I would say the tone of the vocals seems less "laidback" than depressed, but maybe that's because I have already heard the song so many times, and remember lines like, "Hanging on in quiet desperation is the English way." And this is one type of guitar soloing I tend to like.

the alarms at the start are to tell us to 'WAKE UP AND TAKE NOTICE'

Muted bass string created the “metronome” sound

My first metronome was wooden and sounded just like that :)

Awesome! Now do R.E.M. - Leave

It's not a click track or a metronome, it is the bass guitar with muted strings. And beneath that is a heartbeat with the bass drum. And it's a Fender Rhodes electric piano, not an organ.... And you really must listen to the entire album from start to finish. There is a reason this is one of THE highest selling albums of all time! It is a complete work not unlike a symphony with movements, not a collection of "songs". Example the track before this was about a nightmare and the clocks chiming wakes you up from the nightmare of being in a plane crash..... And the closing words here "and the old man dies"... This leads into Great Gig in the Sky which is about the 5 stages of facing death.... with a perfectly smooth transition, and no break at all. All the tracks do that.

You should really watch a live performance to see what an amazing band they were even in the early days. I've provided a link to Pink Floyd "Echoes Pt. 1" Live in Pompeii (1971). "Echoes" is regarded as their first "masterpiece", post Syd, and remained a staple of their live shows until the death of Richard Wright, (R.I.P.), after which David Gilmour wouldn't perform the song again. The band are all in their 20's here and each member is at the top of his game, Roger Waters is still in the band, a good few years before things took a nasty turn between him and David, Richard and Nick. I won't go into why they played in the ancient Roman ampitheatre in Pompeii, or why there was no audience, they simply set up their full stage rig and just...played. Various songs were filmed over a few days with the final film, by the French film director Adrian Maben, out on cinema release. This video is a clip from that film. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-y-E7_VHLvkE.html

Is Gilmore playing slide guitar in the solo?

I've always thought it was weird that on every single streamed version of this and every single reaction to it, Breathe (Reprise) is always tacked onto the end. Makes no sense really outside of the context of the whole album. Time ends with the line "Thought I'd something more to say." You should definitely listen to the whole album in one go - that was how it was intended and how everyone listened to it in the 70s.

Seems you are coming to realize that Pink Floyd don't simply plug into their amps...they plug directly into your soul, mind, and heart. They are the undisputed masters at turning the human condition into sonic and lyrical masterpieces. David Gilmour can do more with a single bend than most can accomplish using the entire neck. Enjoy your journey into PF - they are far more than a 'rabbit hole'. They are, in reality, a mine shaft, with multitudes of amazing side tunnels to explore as well.

It speeds up to emphasize the passing of time

You have to listen to the whole album. It's one of the best. The multi channel mix of this song (and the whole album) on SACD is the best I've heard. Nine Inch Nails The Downward Spiral comes close, but The Dark Side of the Moon is SACD perfection.

A complete listen to Dark Side is the only way! 🎵

TRY LISTENING TO THE LYRICS: the passage of TIME from Birth to Death

Is this the first time you've heard this song? Interesting... This is from the 4th most selling album of all time.

The dark side.. è un opera monumentale. Saluti dall'Italia

The clocks are the beginning of birth aka time then it’s the heartbeat symbolizing being born. The song takes you thru the time span on one’s life from birth to asking God to go to heaven.

YOU CAN"T listen to one track from any Floyd album you need to listen to the whole Especaly Dark side WYWH and The Wall

You forever do yourself a disservice if you do not sit down and listen to the entire album uninterrupted with the lyrics in front of you.

It's muted Bass.

Every year does get shorter... When you are 10 a year is one tenth of your life, when you are 40 a year is one fortieth of your life. 1/10>1/40.

Y EL SONIDO ???? HAAAAAAAAAA

it's not a click track! it's Roger Waters on the bass!

The track's sound level is a LOT lower than your voice level in this YT.. I thought the track was not playing at first... turned the volume way up and then got s shock with your voice over level !!!! not comfortable yo yoing the volume.

Play this song every five years. Compare your life so far with the lyrics and reflect. You’ll probably see that PF was right.😢

It is a shame you didn’t follow on into The Great Gig In The Sky...... while very different musically, the 2 songs belong together as one song, one idea. Dark Side is the most successful Progressive album of all time, and deals with life, OUR life and the band members lives, from start to finnish. Each side tackles life from a different perspective with each side being like a concerto made up of several movements ( songs ). Side 1 starts in the womb ( heartbeat and speak to me.....voices heard through mummies belly ). Then a scream to symbolise BIRTH. On the Run covers schooldays to work..... always on the run with papers to do, exams and then dictates of work ( for the band that is air travel and airports ). Now we have Time...... YOUR life from adolescence to death. Time is life that ends in The Great Gig. Re do Time together with The Great Gig...... preferably the original vinyl or CD version for superior tone , feel and unedited vocals. The remixed versions give better clarity on “The Added Voices” but strip and sterilise the tone and feel...... latter remixes remove the final brilliant vocals altogether.

I'm sorry but its unfathomable to me that you've never listened to dark side of the moon before.

Ah, the Floyd, surely the 2nd biggest and bestest band I’ve never liked very much. Second only to the Beatles for the gap between their reputation and my ability to engage. It’s amazingly skilled rock and roll musicals, album after album. Maybe that impression is the product of my historical exposure to both bands, it’s clearly a subjectively driven derision. If the Haters Gonna Hate theme ever gets selected, my heart will only be broken by the fact that I won’t be able to see it selected again for such treatment :-)

hate reactors who yap over the song! get a note pad and jog down your thoughts and then you can go mad at the end

You’re not listening to the lyrics which are profound!

when Roger is singeing you shut up and listen.

Re: the stretching and rushing of time: "That's probably not what they're trying to do with the music, though. " You apparently didn't listen to the lyrics.

You didn't pay any attention to the lyric did you.

Stop talking or turn off or pause

You aren’t paying any attention to the lyrics…. Like at all.

Too much talking, you're missing the nuances of the lyrics. You really need to listen verrrry carefully!!!!🙄🙄🙄

Are you an Avid Media Composer or a Pro Tools tool?

The clocks were just Alan Parsons saying hello. He did a goodly portion of the engineering work on the album.