10 Best Experimental Rock Albums Of All Time
8. Meddle - Pink Floyd
Even though prog rock was still getting born in the late '60s, you could pretty much put Pink Floyd in the psychedelic category. After the loss of Syd Barrett, the sound that Roger Waters and co. were making was still firmly rooted in the zany material that was coming from the Summer of Love. It was a new decade though, and the Floyd had just reached a turning point on Meddle.
On first listen, the first side just feels like a few experimental tracks that they need to get out of their system, like the dog barking on Seamus and the island vibes that you get off of a song like San Tropez. And then you flip over the vinyl and...what the hell? We have Echoes...which goes on for 23 full minutes and completes the rest of the album.
For fairweather rock fans, this was a bit too much to handle, with most people stopping paying attention at the 5 minute mark. Once you took in the full experience, those 23 minutes offer up a look at what Floyd were capable of, and where they would continue to take their music in the next few years on Dark Side of the Moon and Animals. You could call it a bit much, but that's not how they thought. Pink Floyd weren't being self indulgent....they were finding their new identity.