Childhood’s End
Pink Floyd
Pink Floyd
Label: Capitol
Released: 1972
One year before the release of Dark Side Of The Moon, Pink Floyd recorded a far less cohesive and successful album called Obscured By Clouds, the soundtrack for a film directed by Barbet Schroeder called La Vallee. Floyd fanatics will point to a number of tracks on the album as worthy of mention, but the one this Floyd fanatic thinks is the true overlooked gem is today’s DFD song, “Childhood’s End.” Though not nearly as polished as the song “Time” that would follow on Dark Side, “Childhood’s End” exhibits the early seeds of change that would soon reshape the band’s sound and style.
—David Dorn
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November 30th, 2009 at 11:30 am
I love this song. I don’t know why it doesn’t get more air play.
November 30th, 2009 at 11:33 am
Floyd at it’s earliest best. This is such a great song, if you’re a P. Floyd fan. Nice to hear it again. Great choice, DFD!
November 30th, 2009 at 11:35 am
Thanks DFD! A great song from an amazing band!
November 30th, 2009 at 11:36 am
I enjoy PF greatly but was unfamiliar with this effort. I like it and definitely hear the connection to many of their efforts that follow. Solid pick.
November 30th, 2009 at 11:36 am
Just superb. Gilmour’s licks are unbeatable, and the band comes together brilliantly on this one. A perfect taste for what was to come on Dark Side.
November 30th, 2009 at 11:39 am
I like it.
November 30th, 2009 at 11:51 am
In a perfect world, this album would be as highly esteemed as Dark Side Of The Moon; it contains many musical ideas that would also come into play on Dark Side (as this track makes clear). It’s true that Obscured By Clouds isn’t quite as “slick” as Dark Side, and it’s not a “concept album” as such. But it does take you on a journey from start to finish, like all the best Pink Floyd albums do. If you’re a fan of Dark Side, but you’ve played it to death, pick this one up…I don’t think you’ll be disappointed. Nice pick, Mr. Dorn!
November 30th, 2009 at 11:54 am
great track…great band…Guitar Hero needs to do a Pink Floyd version of their game…Gilmour is a rock god!
November 30th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
Although one of their more obscure albums, it is still one of the most requested albums for my Pink Floyd tribute band to play. David B. expressed its strengths very well. Also notable for the early use of electronic drums and the VCS3 synthesizer. Wright’s contributions on Burning Bridges & Mudmen are a high point for me, beautiful chord progressions with stirring guitar solos from Gilmour… and of course Rog’s first song about the death of his father (Free Four), a theme taken to some extreme later on. Thanks DFD!
November 30th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
Had this on Eight-Track tape back in ‘74. We used to sit around and listen to this while, um, smoking. Really quite a good album, lots of unrecognized gems in there!
November 30th, 2009 at 1:14 pm
Ah, thank you Mr. Dorn & DFD for a stellar pick to bust out of the Monday doldrums… Not much to add to the other comments, other than anything David Gilmour plays is pretty damn golden in my book. This one makes me miss Rick Wright all the more, and makes me all the more angry that Waters and Gilmour can’t put aside their differences to see if Pigs can Fly again…of course, without Rick, it wouldn’t be the same.
November 30th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
I love this song and the album it was on. Very good choice on this rainy miserable day.
DFD does it again!
Cheers!
November 30th, 2009 at 2:12 pm
Nice! PF played a couple cuts off of this LP during the DSOTM tour. I remember a fantastic rendering of the title track “Obscured By Clouds” that seemed to go on forever. With the dry ice fog rolling off the front of the stage, it was a stellar moment for a then 17 year old. I do like most of this album, too, but I disagree that the “seeds of change” appeared first on this LP. I think the song Echoes on Meddle is really the place you see the movement from psychedelic jam band to progressive rock Gods. And just listen to Fearless and San Tropez as other examples of a “new” sound from the Floyd… Of course, none of it truly compares to Dark Side, does it?
November 30th, 2009 at 7:55 pm
the floyd boys at there absolute best this is the real stoner rock !!! our aor station in buffalo ,ny plays this almost every day! rock on
November 30th, 2009 at 8:48 pm
Great chioice - nice and obscure. I haven’t listened to this disc in decades…will have to pull it out again. A very cool song for a Monday - or any day for that matter. Can’t add much to all the others have said, but a haerty “Thank You” to DFD for this 4:35 of fun, (hmmm, the song’s longer than 4:20…).
November 30th, 2009 at 9:08 pm
Very nice indeed. Thank you.
December 1st, 2009 at 7:03 am
I can’t remember ever hearing this song before. Like it a lot, especially the heart-beat rhythm.
December 1st, 2009 at 9:37 am
Long time no hear. As much as I like Dark Side, I think I prefer the earlier records. Meddle, Atom Heart Mother, Ummagumma, and of course the first two LPs. But it’s all good……
December 1st, 2009 at 10:23 am
As a fan of Ummagumma I thought I’d own every Pink Floyd album ever issued, but this one just never made it into my wall of vinyl and it became an obscure (sorry) record in the “Should’ve Listened To That” column. The echo effects are wonderful and I can see what others mean about this perhaps being even better than DSotM. Once again, DFD exposes another chink in my musical knowledge and for that I’m grateful.
December 1st, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Nice one, but I mean more toward “Wots…Uh the Deal.”
December 1st, 2009 at 2:03 pm
Definitely a great way to start a Monday. Not a blues mood in this room anymore. Obscured by Clouds is something every PF fan should listen to closely if they haven’t already. I’m going to dig it out of the archives and listen to the entire piece today. thanks for the reminder, DFD!
December 2nd, 2009 at 10:02 am
Brings back 8-track memories in my 1965 Falcon Wagon. I also like Mud Men, from that album.
December 3rd, 2009 at 11:27 am
For some reason I only got 30 sec of this song
December 10th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
Pink Floyd is always putting on a wonderful show,I love this group!!
December 12th, 2009 at 8:33 am
Love this lp. recommend to DFD for another day Free Four from this lp. good stuff