10 Most Underrated Pink Floyd Songs

Cymbaline – also known as Nightmare – is one of two cuts from the group’s third studio sequence (and first without anything from Barrett), More, to show up on this list. The LP was also their first soundtrack project, as it provided the music for Barbet Schroeder’s debut drama-romance film of the same name.

Obviously, it builds upon the acoustic foundation of Julia Dream with a bit more edge and immediacy. Actually, its biggest draw is the ways in which it oscillates between sedated verses and urgent choruses, all the while finding Gilmour coming into his own as frontman. Plus, its allusion to Marvel’s Doctor Strange and its experimental instrumental break (complete with a scat solo from Gilmour) create a psychedelic vibe that lends itself to the rest of the journey.

Mason’s wife, Lindy, played woodwinds on it, and its incorporations of classical guitar, Farfisa organ, and bongo make it a textural treat. Also, its live rendition featured several changes – a slower pace, a repeated third verse, key changes, added sound effects, and an added electric guitar solo – that allowed Cymbaline to become especially transcendental and enticing.