Obscured by Clouds [Digipak]

Personnel: David Gilmour (vocals, guitar, slide guitar); Richard Wright (vocals, keyboards); Roger Waters (vocals, bass guitar); Nick Mason (vocals, drums).

Photographer: Angus MacRay.

The last in Pink Floyd's series of 1970s film-inspired works, OBSCURED BY CLOUDS, like much of the band's music, has a cinematic feel. In retrospect, however, the album sounds like a warm-up for--or even a collection of high-quality outtakes from--Floyd's next and greatest record, DARK SIDE OF THE MOON. The opening title track is the sort of proto-ambient music that Pink Floyd helped pioneer and, with its spooky slide guitar, sounds uncannily like some of Eno's work with U2. After another instrumental, the album takes a more traditional, song-based turn and the next seven tunes cover a dizzyingly diverse array of styles.

There is stomping, Grand Funk Railroad-style hard rock and gentle ballads like "Stay" and "Burning Bridges" (which recalls Hendrix's "Little Wing"). "Childhood's End," a funky psychedelic number, sounds like a work-in-progress version of DARK SIDE's "Time." David Gilmour, especially, is on top form. Whether creating Robert Fripp-esque soundscapes or blistering Clapton-style blues solos, Gilmour always plays for the song, effortlessly walking the thin line between guitar hero and ensemble musician. Throughout, the band weaves a beautiful, yet decidedly un-flashy, tapestry of sound that makes for a subtle, varied, and ultimately essential Pink Floyd album.