Pink Floyd Obscured By Clouds

Working again with director Barbet Schroeder, Pink Floyd created this soundtrack for the film La Vallée over a two-week period in early 1972. It was a relatively quick session for the group, which was also recording The Dark Side of the Moon back in London. To compare it to the soundtrack they had recorded just three years earlier (More) is remarkable—just listen to the tightly arranged, pastoral wonder of “Wot’s ... Uh the Deal” or the nearly glam, folk sing-along “Free Four”. With the dark, paranoia-and-synthesiser-tinged “Childhood’s End”, you can hear the seeds of the music that came to fruition on The Dark Side ... . At this point in their career, Pink Floyd had developed into a distinct and powerful group—veering between stately rock ’n’ roll and wide-eyed wonder at the drop of a hat. All the pieces of the band were in place on this album—lyrical introspection, Gilmour’s soaring guitar work and the loping gait of the rhythm section.