#finally caved and bought Led Zeppelin two

[camojacketfag]

Julys vinyl additions

[jiminthestreets-bonesinthesheets]

Mountain High - Ch 1

Title: Mountain High

Fandom: Supernatural

Pairing: Destiel with eventual Sabriel

Rating: Lemon

Tags: kidnapping, smut, and I’ll add more as I go if I need to.

Summary:

    Suddenly taken from his own home and flown god knows where in the dark, Dean Winchester finds himself thrown into something he could never have imagined in his wildest dreams.

AO3 Link 

Masterlist

A/N: So this is a new fic I’ve been working on. Its a wing fic, and I’ve been super into those lately so when I got this idea I was super excited to write it and share it with you guys! And if any of you have any recommendations, even your own wing fics, PLEASE send them my way! <3

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Chapter one

    Home. Dean loved his home, and he was super proud of it. When he first bought it he was twenty-two, out on his own for the first time after just having sent Sammy off to college. It was a small, run down old place, but as soon as he laid eyes on it he knew it was going to be his, and sure enough it was.

    He remembered the pure rush of excitement when he stood beside the for sale sign in the front yard, holding the sold sign in his hands while Sammy snapped a picture. Of course, when Sam saw the place he was none too happy that Dean had bought such an “absolute piece of crap” as he had said back then, but unlike Sam, Dean could see the bigger picture.

    After everything was finalized, papers signed, and Sam officially set up in his Stanford dorm room, Dean started his work. It took him nearly a year to complete the whole project, but by the time he was done the place looked brand new. He had practically ripped out the entire inside of the house and opened it up completely, rebuilt every room, gave himself the kitchen of his dreams, turned the basement into the ultimate Dean cave, did up the master bed room for himself and the spare room for Sammy, while also turning the old office into a guest room for visitors. He had also redone the entire outside of the house, replacing every piece of siding, planting a few nice gardens out front that would make the cover of any magazine in a heartbeat, and installed a beautiful deck equip with a gazebo out back.

    A full year of hard work, but it was well worth it in his eyes. He had turned what everyone had told him was a horrible investment into the best damn thing in his life, aside from Sammy and Baby of course. It was his own little paradise, one thing he had in his life that he worked incredibly hard for and no one could ever take away from him.

    And now that his work was finished, the house fully renovated and Sam flourishing in his school work, Dean had all the free time he could ever want. And all though his weekends had completely opened up, he didn’t spend his time out with friends, but instead his favourite weekend activity was to completely clean the house from top to bottom. Part of the reason for that being because he worked so hard to get it to this point that the last thing he wanted was to let it become a pig sty, but the main reason for this weekly routine was that Dean Winchester loved to sing.

    He would sing anything and everything. If it had a tune and words, he would sing it, and the only time he got to really belt it out was on the weekends when he was alone in his house. Dean would wake up early Saturday morning, and the first thing he would do after bacon and eggs, was open the windows, turn up the radio full blast and dance through his house as he sang his way through cleaning.

    He would vacuum the living room while belting Kansas, scrub the bathrooms to Led Zeppelin, and skid on socked feet across the kitchen to AC/DC. And today was no different.

    It was a Saturday, on a nice warm day in April. He followed his weekend routine and the house was now perfectly spotless. He finished off with the kitchen and was standing in front of the screen door looking out at the backyard and letting the nice cool breeze brush against his skin, thanking his lucky stars that he bought a house that backed on to a forest that always offered a breeze. Perfect, he thought, his life was perfect.

    His phone rang in his pocket, pulling him from his dazed state. The caller ID read “Rapunzel” and he laughed as he answered, “Hey, Sammy, what's going on?”

    “Not too much, Dean, what about you?”

    Dean sighed, “Same old, same old. Works keeping me busy, I just finished cleaning the house, just a typical Saturday night.”

    “Dean, you really should consider maybe going out once in a while.” He could practically hear the scowl on Sam's face, “When was the last time you even had a date?”

    Dean scoffed, “Really, Sammy, a date?”

    “Yeah. What about that girl who lives down the road, what was her name…”

    “Jo?” Dean offered.

    “Yeah, that’s the one,” Dean just shook his head turning towards the fridge for a beer, “the last time I came down for the weekend she seemed pretty into you. Why don’t you ask her out?”

    “Nah,” he popped open his beer and stepped out onto the back porch, taking a seat on the swing to watch the sun set behind the trees and the mountains, “she's not really my type, Sammy, and I guess I'm just not really into the dating thing right now.”

    “So go out with some friends then, go to a bar, get dinner. I don’t care what you do just… leave the house.”

    “I leave the house,” Dean didn’t have to see Sam's eye roll to know it happened.

    “Dean, leaving the house to go to work at Bobby’s where it’s just the two of you, doesn’t count. You need human interaction.”

    “I was pretty sure Bobby was human, last time I checked anyway.”

    “Come on,” Sam chuckled, “he barely counts. And look at him as an example. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love him and he's the best uncle in the world, but do you really wanna end up like him?”

    Dean scrunched his brows and adjusted the phone against his ear, “What do you mean? Bobby’s got a great life.”

    “Locked away in his house, all day every day, alone and surrounded by nothing but old broken down cars? Dean, I don’t want you to turn into a hermit.”

    “Sam,” he sighed over his beer bottle, “I'm not a hermit and I'm not going to turn into one. I'm just… I dunno, not really good at the whole making friends with your neighbours, back yard barbeques, apple pie kind of lifestyle. I don’t really know how to talk to people. I mean, I'm great once you get to know me, but it’s the part leading up to that, that I'm no good at.”

    “What if I came down for a bit? I know you’ve been living there for a while now, but it’s never too late to introduce yourself to your neighbours. I could come with you and help move the conversations along if you get stuck.”

    Dean couldn’t help but smile. Even miles away his little brother was still worried about him. “Sammy, I appreciate it but you’ve got school, and exams are coming up soon right?”

    “Yeah… but-”

    “But nothing,” Dean put on his mom voice, “you need to be studying and not worrying about me.”

    “But I do, you know, a lot.”

    “I know,” he smiled, “but you shouldn’t. And soon enough you'll be home for the summer right? We can work on breaking me out of my hermit shell then as long as you promise to focus on school until after you're finished with exams, deal?”

    “Deal!” Sam exclaimed, seeming satisfied with that compromise.

    “So,” Dean said, “why don’t you tell me about school instead. What's new? Any new friends, interesting developments, juicy gossip… girls?” he teased.

    Same laughed, “No girls, Dean.”

    “Why not? Its college, Sammy, is your campus not swimming with hot chicks?”

    “Well, yeah,” he began, “but I just… I dunno, I’m not attracted to any I guess.”

    “Fair enough,” Dean shrugged, “but when the right girl does comes along, you'll know. She’ll fly in and sweep you right off your feet, there won’t be a doubt in the world.”

    Sam nearly choked, “And you're an expert all of a sudden?”

    “Course I am, Sammy,” Dean laughed as he continued, “I'm the older brother and therefore I am an expert in everything. It’s the rules, you know this.”

    He couldn’t see it but he was sure that Sam was shaking his head at him.

    “Well, if there’s no girls then what about something else? There’s gotta be something new and exciting in your life.”

    “I'm going to be taking entrance exams for Harvard soon. Does that count?”

    Dean nearly jumped out of his seat and spilled his beer, “Of course that counts, Sammy! That’s great news!” Dean knew Sam wanted to go to law school, but Sam was always back and forth, never really sure if he wanted to jump into it so quickly, but obviously the kid had finally made up his mind. And though Dean was slightly disappointed that he wouldn’t have Sam home for a full year between Stanford and Harvard law school, he was proud of his little brother for following his dreams.

    “Its no big deal, really,” he could hear the blush in Sam's voice, “but if I get good enough scores on the entrance exams then I have a chance at a full ride next year.”

    Dean couldn’t hold back his excitement, “Sam, that’s amazing!”

    “I'm kind of nervous, what if I don’t get the scholarship?”

    “Don’t be nervous. I know you'll do great on your entrance exams, you’re a hell of a smart kid, Sammy,” he took another swing of his beer before continuing, “and if you don’t get the scholarship then we’ll figure something out, like we always do. If you wanna go to Harvard then I’ll make sure you go to Harvard. Simple as that.”

    “Dean… you can’t afford to send me to Harvard, not on a mechanic’s salary.”

    “Look, wait and see what happens after the entrance exams, okay? Then we’ll go from there once we know if you have the scholarship or not.”

    “Yeah, I guess you're right.”

    “Course I am,” he snorted a laugh, “and I'm also right when I say it’s late and you should probably be getting to bed, Sammy.”

    Sam let go a yawn on the other side of the phone, “Yeah, I'm tired, and I plan on studying all day tomorrow, so I should turn in. But I promise I’ll call again next week sometime, after exams are over and I can breathe again.”

    “You better call,” he smiled, “I want to know how all your exams go next week, and Sam?”

    “Yeah, Dean?”

    “I just want you to know that no matter what happens with your exams or the Harvard scholarship, that I'm proud of you, Sammy.”

    There was a long moment of silence between them before Sam answered in a choked voice, “Thanks, Dean, that means a lot. But I'm gunna turn in now, and don’t forget what I said, a night out here and there wouldn’t hurt.”

    “I said we’d work on it when you're home for the summer, which is very soon, I promise.”

    “And I'm gunna hold you to that,” Dean chuckled, “good night, Dean.”

    “Night, Sammy.”

    He hung up the phone and looked up at the sky. It was dark now, he and Sam had been talking for a long time and he hadn’t even noticed that the stars had made an appearance, but he would never get tired of looking at them. He still had about half his beer left and decided to stay out on the porch and finish it while thinking over Sam's words. Maybe he was right, maybe Dean did spend too much time alone in his house. He may not be ready to jump into the dating scene but there was the guy across the street, Benny he was pretty sure was his name. He seemed alright so far. They hadn’t exchanged much more then a few words in passing, but maybe he was a good place to start.

    After finishing his beer and deciding that tomorrow he would head across the street and see if Benny wanted to go for wings and beer tomorrow night, Dean peeled himself off the porch swing and turned to head back inside. He was only able to get the patio door open a crack before someone grabbed him from behind, wrapping unnaturally strong arms around his waist, and to Dean’s utter shock the ground was being torn away from his feet.

    Before he could register what was happening he was watching his small backyard getting further and further away and he was getting higher and higher. Panic swelled in his chest at the thought of being kidnapped from his own backyard, but also at being this far off the ground.

    When he was able to pull himself together just a little, he tried to fight back, tried to call out for help, but no one could hear him at that height. And the arms around him were not budging in the slightest, so the more Dean fought the worse the ride got. Whoever had taken him from his back yard was a terrible flyer and choppy as hell. And what originally started as a fight against his attacker very soon turned into a fight against his own stomach as he battled with all his strength to keep the contents of his stomach where they belonged.

    Dean wasn’t sure how much time had passed with him flying through the sky. He had long since closed his eyes as the fight with his stomach became more and more dire with each dip and lift in the flight. While at the same time he was trying to keep a clear enough head to try and figure out how he could get out of this… maybe call Sam for help. But reaching for his phone in his pocket proved only to piss him off further as he remembered hearing it hit the porch before he was lifted into the air. The shock of being attacked in his own backyard caused him to drop the phone and now he had no way of calling someone for help.

    Before he could dwell on it anymore, Dean felt a shift in their direction, suddenly finding himself being hurdled straight up. When the sudden climb was over he felt them heading straight once more, and before he had time to adjust he was being placed back on his feet. But after the unwanted and uninvited ride, he legs were definitely not ready for standing. So instead his shaking legs gave out and he was sent hurdling forwards and rolling across the floor.

    Eyes still closed, he remained on the ground for a few moments, groaning while trying to calm his still raging stomach. He could hear rustling behind him, then hurried footsteps, and the guy who had kidnapped him saying, “Get my father,” before the footsteps retreated back again.

    When Dean finally felt like he had regained control of his stomach he slowly rolled over to face his attacker, growling out, “Who the hell do you think you are-”

    Dean stared wide eyed at the man behind him, shocked out of words and rooted to the spot as they stared at each other.

    Doors opened somewhere behind him and the hurried footsteps returned, though Dean couldn’t find it in himself to tear his eyes away from the man before him.

    The footsteps stopped and the entire room was engulfed in silence before another voice spoke, “Oh son… what have you done.”

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 A/N: So there is chapter one! Let me know what you guys think and if anyone wants to be tagged for future chapters please let me know <3

[ezrafanfic]

An Unexpected Future

Part 21:

After the night I had going out with everyone from work, I was a bit down in the dumps the next few days.

On the bright side, I had taken my finals and I felt confident that I’d done pretty well. With both work and school out of the way, I didn’t feel the need to leave the apartment much in my depressive mood.

When Ezra and I talked on the phone, he could tell something was up. At first, I insisted that everything was fine, but eventually I caved in and told him about what happened with Aiden. He was pretty angry about it.

“That bastard was always so awful towards you.” He said. “This is really not surprising to hear. I’m so sorry, (Y/N). Forget him. Really, it’s totally not worth stressing over.”

“Yeah, yeah,” I let out a heavy sigh. “I know. It’s just…I worry about us, ya know? What if what he said is true???”

“Why would anything that moron says ever be true?”

“Come on, Ez.” I started. “Is it really unreasonable for me to worry that your music and acting career could make it hard for us to raise a child together???”

“It’s not unreasonable.” He agreed. “And sure, it’ll be hard at times, but we’ll find ways to make it work for our daughter and for each other. Hey, we’re about to go on in 20 minutes, so I better get going. Cheer up babe. Just think, in 2 days I’ll be home. Promise me there will be no stressing out over this. It’s not good for the baby.”

“Yeah, okay.” I sighed. “Sure. No stress. Goodnight and good luck. I love you, Ezra.”

“I love you too.”

*2 Days Later*

It was the early afternoon and Ezra would be home later in the evening. I had kept busy the past 2 days cleaning the apartment. I woke up early that morning and made myself breakfast before going to the grocery store. I planned on making Ezra and I a nice dinner that evening and I bought everything I would need to make spaghetti with homemade meatballs and homemade sauce.

I also did some laundry, mostly baby clothes and blankets that needed washed. After a few loads and some last minute straightening up around the apartment, it was noon and I was exhausted.

At 7 and a half months pregnant, my back was aching after being on my feet too long and my feet were beyond swollen. I found myself changing into something comfortable, Ezra’s old Led Zeppelin t- shirt, something that still fit me although it was a little snug and a pair of sweatpants before turning on the television and relaxing on the couch.

After about an hour or so, I felt my eyes getting heavy, as I tried to stay awake. Looking at the time, it was a little after 1 in the afternoon. Ezra would be home around 6.

At some point, I would have to start dinner, but all I could think about was how comfortable the couch was and the last thing I wanted to do was move. I ended up dozing off, and was awoken by someone gently shaking my arm.

“(Y/N)” I heard a familar voice saying my name gently.

My eyes slowly opened and I saw a pair of warm brown eyes looking down at me.

“Ezra!” I tried to sit up quickly, but forgot that my belly was the size of an enormous beach ball.

He was sitting next to me, an amused look on his face, as I struggled to sit up.

“Easy, tiger.” He laughed, watching me slowly get into an upright position.

“I’m alright.” I said. “You’re home early.”

“Actually, I’ve been home for almost an hour,” he raised his eyebrow still looking amused, “Do you know what time it is?”

I looked at the clock on the wall that read 6:45. “Shit. I didn’t realize I was asleep for so long…I’m sorry. I wanted to surprise you with dinner before you got back…”

“No worries. We stopped and grabbed a bite to eat just outside of town. Are you hungry? I can make you something…”

“In a minute,” I was too happy to see him to worry about food at the moment. “Tell me about the tour. How was it? Did you have fun?”

“It was really great.” He slouched back beside me. “Lots of booze and partying. Too much of both you could say. I still feel hungover. Tons of fun though, but it would have been more fun if you were with me…”

“Yeah, well, I’m not so sure how much fun I’d be considering my condition.” I joked.

“Awe,” He had a smirk on his face. “She’s getting so big.” His eyes were on my belly. I really looked like I was smuggling a watermelon under my shirt.

I smiled, looking down, placing my hand on my bump. “She’s definitely been doing a lot of growing lately.” I winced and let out a soft groan, suddenly feeling several strong jolts inside of me, “And kicking. So much kicking…”

He eagerly reached over, placing his hand on the center of my tummy. The biggest smile was spread across his face as we shared the sensation of our baby girl moving. Each time Ezra had felt her move, he was just as thrilled to bond with his daughter. It was adorable.

I leaned against him, resting my head on his chest, as I looked down, watching him rub my belly. He was very gentle as he moved his hand in soothing circles. The baby responded by kicking several times, making Ezra chuckle. I looked up at his beaming face as he put his other arm around my shoulders, and kissed my forehead.

“It’s good to have you home,” I sighed.

“I’m glad to be home.” He agreed. “I missed you…both of you.” He grinned as the baby kicked again.

I smiled, closing my eyes.

Ezra began to whip together dinner for me. Now that he was home, he wasn’t going to let me lift a finger until the baby arrived.

It was a tad annoying because I hated feeling like a burden and I knew I was plenty capable of taking care of myself. But he insisted on tending to my every need.

While he was away on tour, he called me several times every day just to make sure everything was fine. It was very sweet and I knew he was apprehensive being so far away  while I was so pregnant. I could tell that he was happy and  seemed to be less nerve ridden  now that he was back home.

He made some seasoned chicken and potatoes. He was surprisingly a decent cook for someone who was always too busy to have time to spend in the kitchen.

I ate on the couch and watched tv while Ezra finished unpacking his things and showered.

He walked out of the bedroom after, his hair still damp and tossled from washing it, shirtless and wearing light grey sweatpants.

He sat next to me on the couch, with what appeared to be a letter of some kind in hand and I found myself blushing at his shirtlessness. He had shaggy, unruly hair just above his ears and had been shaving his face regularly. He had also been working on buffing himself up and the hard work was definitely starting to pay off. I tried not to stare too much, but I hadn’t seen him in weeks.

 If I didn’t have a baby constantly doing summer salts in my belly and a sore back, not to mention if I wasn’t so awkwardly huge, I would have maybe attempted to initiate a little fooling around.

Instead I asked about the letter in his hands.

“What’s that?”

“Just an invitation to some film premiere party. It’s in 2 weeks, but I’m not so sure I want to attend.”

“Why not?” I asked.

“I just got back from 2 weeks of touring. I want to take some time off with the baby coming.”

“I’m not due for another 2 months. That’s seems like a lot of time off.”

“It’ll hardly be ‘time off’. There’s so much to do. We have to move in the rest of your things from your apartment. We still need diapers and bottles and a million other things for the baby and her crib still needs put together…Ugh, sometimes I wish I could just get a break…”

I frowned, staring at my hands that were resting on my stomach. He definitely wasn’t going to get a break from much of anything once the baby was here. I imagined that the baby was only adding more onto his plate. I knew I shouldn’t have gotten upset, but as always, the hormonal monster in me suddenly took over.

“Well,” My voice shook as I spoke. “I-I’m sorry that you’re so stressed out…”

He looked over at me, his brow raised. “Huh?”

“Sorry. Just forget it.” I wouldn’t make eye contact as I fought back tears.

He scooted closer to me. “Hey, come on. Talk to me.”

I sniffled, and wiped away the tears that were on my cheeks.

“Did I say something that upset you?” He asked.

“No…Well kind of…”

He sighed. “I didn’t mean to make taking time off sound like a bad thing. I really did miss you.” He pushed a strand of my hair behind my ear. “I’m looking forward to spending a lot more time together. And soon our baby will be here. These are all good things…”

I continued sniffling and the tears kept on coming. “Don’t you think so?” He asked.

“Of course I do. I-I’m just…scared.” I admitted.

“Scared? Of what?”

“Everything.” I laughed, wiping my eyes, realizing how silly it all seemed.

“(Y/N), look at me,” he said, lifting my chin up with his finger so that our faces were close and I was looking him right in the eyes. “ You are an amazing woman, who is carrying my perfect and healthy baby girl and I absolutely adore both of you. I admit, I am anxious and a bit overwhelmed at the moment, but that doesn’t mean I’m not happy. I’m very happy.  Everything’s going to be okay. So stop worrying so much, alright?”

I looked at him with loving eyes and sighed, scooting close to him.

Besides,“ He put his arms around me, holding me close. "I can miss a movie premiere or two. There’s plenty of them and I’ve been to my fair share already. Right now, I just want to focus on the baby.”

We spent the rest of the night cuddling on the couch and talking more about the tour. He definitely had a good time and I was happy for him, but I was even happier to have him home.

[gregoryjdillerblr]

Ranking all 15 Pink Floyd studio albums, from worst to best.

Those that know me well know Pink Floyd is my all time favorite band. I grew up listening to classic rock, thanks to my parents. My childhood band was Van Halen, and my mother pretty much bought me the entire Van Halen collection, both Roth and Hagar eras. I then went through phases when I was around 12 years old, and I began to listen to a lot Metallica more. And at 15, I began to listen a lot of of more of 80s New Wave, particularly A Flock of Seagulls, which most people in my personal life always picked on me for it, asking “How the hell did you go from Metallica to A Flock of Seagulls?” I’ve always heard Pink Floyd songs, but because my parents were huge fans, that meant I wasn’t a huge fan. I grew up that way: whatever your parents don’t like you don’t like.  

But of course, you find your identity while growing up, naturally liking art that you actually once hated because of your influence. I didn’t really listened to Pink Floyd until I was around 17ish, liking the songs from the Whale (a radio station based in Binghamton, NY) that played classic rock songs. It was here that I’ve heard songs like “Run Like Hell,” “Mother,” “Time,” “Comfortably Numb,” “Learning to Fly,” and the more obscured, underrated PF track “One Slip.” It wasn’t until I was 18 (I was still in high school) when I got home from school that my mother had bought The Wall for me, a more surprised gift. From then, I was really hooked from Pink Floyd, asking my mother to get me The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, and The Division Bell, all on that order. By that time I got The Division Bell, I knew Pink Floyd was becoming my new favorite band. Though I explored bands like Led Zeppelin and The Church and Rush afterwards, Pink Floyd, to this very day, 11 years later, are still my favorite.

They opened the sub rock genre Progressive Rock for me. I explored bands like Yes, Rush and Genesis, despite I’ve heard their songs on the radio and seen some of their videos on VH1 Classic, but never bothered to dig into their catalogue till a few years later after listening to Pink Floyd. 

I’ve listened to all their 15 studio albums, and this list is about the albums that I keep going back to. Please keep in mind this is my personal taste. There is no right or wrong answers to ranking albums. It’s all about opinions and what you like in the end. I know I might piss off other PF fans with my ranking, but, guys, we all have our favorites, don’t we? Every PF fan has their own album rankings, of course. Here is mine.

15. Ummagumma, 1969. Ummagumma is perhaps Pink Floyd’s most experimental album, and one I truly distaste. It’s a double album, with the first disc is a set of live tracks (which, honestly, I barely listen to because of the sound quality) while the second disc is the actual studio album. PF was lost without Syd Barrett, the true original founder of the band. Each band member then produced their own songs without the influence from the other members. What we get is a mess, and some songs are either boring to listen to or just God awful. Most of it is instrumental, but the ones I like are Roger Water’s “Grantchester Meadows” and David Gilmour’s “The Narrow Way, Pt.3,” which happened to be the only two songs on the entire album that have lyrics. Roger’s other track, “Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict” is a bizarre tune that is only done by sound effects by Water’s voice, making chipmunk like noises, and tapping on the microphone at various speeds, with Roger speaking in an exaggerated Scottish burr near the end of the song. The tune is more amusing because it’s rather a funny track to listen to, while Richard Wright’s tracks “Sysyphus (parts 1--4)” and Nick Mason’s “ The Grand Vizier's Garden Party (parts 1--3)” aren’t a joy, just a mess of sounds that I find skipping over and never listen to. 

14. A Saucerful of Secrets, 1968. Pink Floyd’s second album, one that introduced David Gilmour after Syd Barrett was beginning to take too much LSD and became very unpredictable. What we get with this second album are lost musicians without a leader, and the sound often jumps around, from forgettable piano driven tracks to the more washed out, space like organ sounds that really isn’t a joy to listen to, to a very bizarre track full of jazz instruments that Syd Barrett sings his only track at the very end of the album. Roger’s track “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun” (this song is the only one that has all five members playing, according to Gilmour) and “Corporal Clegg” are the two standouts for me, with the latter hinting of what’s to come with Roger’s anti war lyrics, and Gilmour’s choppy, wah guitar effects hints of what’s to come.

13. More, 1969. Yes, Pink Floyd’s 1968 and ‘69 albums don’t really do anything for me. More is a soundtrack to the French film of the same title. However, More hints of a more calibrated work of the group, and despite that some tracks are more over the place than others, what we get with More is a much more standard album than a band trying to experiment. Songs like “The Nile Song” and “Ibiza Bar” are two heavy hitting PF songs while “The Crying Song” and “Green is the Colour” are softer ballads. Perhaps the best known track from this album is “Cymbaline.” “More Blues” and “Dramatic Theme” just scratch the surface of Gilmour’s incredible, Blues inspired guitar playing style. The album can do without the seven minute track “Quicksilver,” which is nothing but Rick Wright coming up with eerie organ soundscapes that are rather boring than they are affective. 

12. The Final Cut, 1983. The post Wall album, The Final Cut sees Roger Waters in complete control, who has become a very egocentric, over baring bastard that this album was PF’s most difficult album to record. Roger has kicked Rick Wright out, since he felt Rick wasn’t contributing anything to the band. What we get with The Final Cut is the only PF album without Richard Wright, and a mess of an album that is trying to find its identity after the success of The Wall. In fact, most of these tracks were based of cut out tracks from the previous album, with David Gilmour arguing Roger that these songs weren’t any good at the time, why should they be good now. Gilmour himself only sung one track, the epic, hard hitting “Not Now John” that has the most f-bombs in any PF song, though Roger does take over in certain spots here and there. For me, the best songs on this album are “Your Possible Pasts,” “The Final Cut,” “Not Now John,” and the album closer “Two Suns in the Sunset” (this song was difficult for Nick for its odd timing, and Roger brought in a session drummer to fill in the spot) while the other tracks don’t do anything for me. Roger felt this was the last PF album, but I honestly glad it wasn’t. 

11. The Endless River, 2014. For twenty years, The Division Bell was truly the last PF studio album. However, David and Nick went through their secret vault of recorded but unleashed tracks from The Division Bell. Their focused was to bring Richard Wright’s playing more in the forefront, wanting their audience to hear how important his sound was for the band. David and Nick rerecorded and modernized some parts on these songs, including David adding more guitar and lyrics to their farewell, goodbye song “Louder Than Words,” which I honestly still feel it’s a very underrated track. 99% of this album is instrumental. Majority of this album makes up from one plus minute tracks, which seem more filler than anything. Nevertheless, another song that shines is “It’s What We Do,” which is the most “Shine On You Crazy Diamond” inspired track PF has done in years, and one that brings Wright’s sound to the forefront as Gilmour and Mason intended. 

10. The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, 1967. Pink Floyd’s first album, and the one that only has Syd Barrett as a lead singer and without David Gilmour. This album was recorded at Abbey Road Studios, where The Beatles was recording Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band next door, which Pink Floyd visited, and the two bands influenced each other. Syd Barrett was a much more character driven lyricist, and his songs were more based of fairy tales, hence the title of the album. The album itself is a bit unbalanced, as the later half becomes a folky, acoustic guitar driven album as the first half was a psychedelic rock trip. Most of the songs here was sung by Barrett, while Wright provides some second lead vocals in certain songs. This album showcases that the band is indeed experimenting, playing walls of sounds, but a bit more focused compared to their three follow ups. My favorite tracks are “Astronomy Domine,” “Lucifer Sam,” “Matlida Mother,” “Pow R. Toc H.,” and “Chapter 24.” 

9. Atom Heart Mother, 1970. It is here, in this spot, where it’s difficult for me to rank, as these albums are my personal favorites from the Floyd. However, I feel this album is right for it’s spot, since I find myself drawn to the other top 8 more in the recent years. I still believe this album is underrated and underappreciated. Even the band themselves have stated that they hate this album. Atom Heart Mother’s concept is soundtrack to a film that doesn’t exist. The epic, 23 minute title track sounds exactly like a movie, with full on brass sections and choirs that were composed by Ron Geesin. “If” is a Roger Waters’ ballad with a beautifully haunting slide guitar from Gilmour and slowly becomes a rock driven tune near the end. Richard Wright takes turns to lead in “Summer ‘68,” which is about a one night stand Rick had with a groupie, perhaps haunted by the very act he’s done. The song starts with a piano ballad structure that goes on full horn and funky acoustic chops by Gilmour. Gilmour than leads “Fat Old Sun,” which every instrument was done by Gilmour, including the drums. It’s another acoustic ballad that slowly becomes a rock oriented track, with Gilmour reflecting on summer. The album ends with “Alan’s Psychedelic Breakfast,” which the whole concept centers around Pink Floyd’s roadie, Alan Styles, making breakfast. The middle song of this three part based track, in itself calls “Sunny Side Up,” is my personal favorite part of the entire song, with David overdubbing two beautiful acoustic guitars as well as a another haunting slide guitar work. The whole song was inspired by water dripping out of a faucet. 

8. Obscured By Clouds, 1972. Another soundtrack for a film, Obscured By Clouds is the often forgotten, underrated album that is stuck between ‘71′s Meddle and the most successful PF album, The Dark Side of the Moon. By Meddle, Pink Floyd has found its sound after the downfall of Syd Barrett. Obscured By Clouds showcases Gilmour’s guitar in the forefront. Both Gilmour and Waters become the two leads for the band, though Rick Wright does offer the wah driven, piano balled, “Stay.” “Burning Bridges” is sung by both Gilmour and Wright, who duet in “Echoes” on their previous album but now take turns for the lead, hinting the song “Time” on DSOFTM. “The Gold It’s in the...” is one of the very few PF tracks that doesn’t have Rick Wright playing, as it is a funk, harder driven track sung by Roger. Gilmour offers “Childhood’s End,” which is loosely based off a 1953 science fiction novel of the same name by Arthur C. Clarke. “Free Four” is a “Spirt in the Sky” inspired track with dark undertones. Part of it is an antiwar song, where Roger sings about the death of his father for the first time, an reoccurring theme that will play out in future albums like The Wall and The Final Cut. “Mudmen” is an instrumental track that is very similar to “Burning Bridges,” but here David provides some haunting guitar riffs and slide effects. The album closes with “Absolutely Curtains,” which Roger provides an incoherent shout as the song slowly builds and fades into one of Wright’s most beautiful organ textured sounds. 

7. A Momentary Lapse of Reason, 1987. Some fans will put this as their worst PF album, but it’s honestly one of my absolutely favorites. It was originally going to be David’s third solo album, but with the disappointed sales of his first two, EMI wanted to be a Pink Floyd album. Most of the tracks were pre recorded by the time Gilmour called Mason in. It marks the return of Richard Wright, who Gilmour had to fight for because of the contract that Roger had written he shouldn’t return in the band. Gilmour was also battling Roger Waters, who was fighting to have the name Pink Floyd remove, thinking the band was done for good. Obviously, Roger had lost, and David had the right to use Richard as a “guest” musician and kept the Pink Floyd name. Like I’ve said, most of these songs were already developed. Nick and Richard provide their sounds in rerecordings. David has had admitted he isn’t a lyricist, and though he might not be as good as Waters, he nevertheless provided a couple of radio classics, such as “Learning to Fly” and “On the Turning Away.” “Dogs of War” and “One Slip” are underrated gems, and “Sorrow” became a live favorite for Gilmour’s heavy fuzz guitar riffs in the beginning of the track. While I do agree the overall sound is a bit outdated and heavily influenced by the current 80s music, AMLOR is nevertheless an album, for me at least, that showcases that Gilmour kept the band going full speed ahead. 

6. The Division Bell, 1994. Originally titled as “The Big Spliff,” which was thought to be a near full instrumental double album, Gilmour, Mason and Wright find themselves doing old school ways of how they used to do songs back in the early 70s: by working together. Though other musicians did help the Floyd, the three find themselves coming up riffs that they soon realized it was just too good to be just instrumentals. Polly Samson, a novelist who would become David Gilmour’s wife, provides a lot of lyrics for the album. What we get with The Division bell instead is a reflection of looking back. Not only lyrically but musically, as the Division Bell is full of sounds that PF has done in the past. “Marooned” is a Bluesy guitar driven track that haunts after a listen. “A Great Day of Freedom” is indeed about the collapse of the Berlin Wall, however, one can view that it’s also about David moving on from Roger, suggesting the opening line “On the day the wall came down” may be David singing he feels free from Roger’s toxin influence. “What Do You Want From Me” is the heaviest, Blues inspired track on the album that is about no matter how hard you try to please a certain person, you really can’t, and you have to wonder if Polly wrote this for David on his history with Roger. “Poles Apart” is a beautifully written, DADGAD ballad with slide guitar and a killer solo at the end. Though the song may have a carnival like music in the middle that may drag the song, it’s still nevertheless a brilliant, underrated track. “Take It Back,” “Coming Back to Life” and “Keep Talking” are perhaps the three highlights, back to back, while “Lost For Words” is a “Wish You Were Here” inspired ballad that reflects  past relationships. Of course, the album epic closer “High Hopes” is really about looking into the past and try moving forward, without the consequences of your past haunting you in the near future. Till this day, I still feel this album is underappreciated, as for twenty years it was PF’s last studio effort.

5. The Wall, 1979. My first Pink Floyd album, and one that really got me into the band. To be honest, I have a love and hate relationship with The Wall. It’s a classic album, nonetheless, but I cannot help but feel that without the key classic tracks, The Wall is actually a poor album with a lot of filler. Of course, with classic songs like “Another Brick in the Wall, Pt.2″ “In the Flesh?,” “Mother” “Goodbye Blue Sky,” “Young Lust,” “Hey You,” “Comfortably Numb,” “Run Like Hell” and “Waiting for the Worms” really save this album for me, as I tend to think most of these tracks are filler, practically the under two minute tracks. Nevertheless, I did grow into liking a couple of songs. “The Show Must Go On” is a very underrated track that should have been longer than it is. “The Trial” was a difficult track to listen to for the first time, but over the years I grow to like, somewhat. The Wall isn’t a bad album, but I do agree that the first half is stronger than the second half. Now knowing it tells a story (rather a strange one), it tells the story of Roger Water’s father’s death in WWII, and how the main character, Pink Floyd, becomes a drug addict whose behavior becomes unpredictable, which was based off seeing Syd Barrett’s downfall. The album is full of history, one that is inspired of Roger spitting on a fan after the fan threw beer on him. Roger than wanted to isolate the band from the audience, and the idea of The Wall was born. However, Richard Wright didn’t like the idea of having a wall being built between the band and the audience, Roger grew hatred for Wright, accusing him not to come up with any material, eventually firing him from the band. The Wall is indeed a classic, though I do find certain tracks bring it down while the radio classics really help the Floyd to be one of the biggest bands they are today. 

4. The Dark Side of the Moon, 1973. The most well known and successful Pink Floyd album. Dark Side of the Moon was influenced when the band finally found their sound from 1971′s success, Meddle, particularly the 23 minute track “Echoes.” The band then wanted to further explore, with Roger coming up the band’s fully first concept album. The concept itself is about life, with the album starting out with Nick Mason mimicking a heartbeat with the bass drum. “Breathe (In the Air)” is a brief track about existence, while the heavily synth driven “On the Run” deals with fear, often about a man running away from an airplane. “Time” reflects how live itself is short, and you should use your limited time on Earth wisely. “The Great Gig in the Sky” is about death, as Clare Torry sings her finest, wordless roar as a grieving woman. “Money” is about greed and how corporations and governments are always thirsty for money while those that work hard are often struggling to make end’s meet. “Us and Them,” one of my all time favorite Floyd tracks, is another antiwar song that is sung by David in a haunting and beautiful delay effect that makes his voice echo. “Any Colour You Like” is another instrumental that is about existence while Roger takes turns to lead in the closing tracks, “Brain Damage” and “Eclipse,” with the former song about Barrett’s descent into madness and the latter about everything you see, touch, taste, smell, and feel is what you make of life and what life has to offer. This album is a classic, yet I still feel, like The Wall, a bit overrated in PF’s amazing catalogue. 

3. Wish You Were Here, 1975. With the success of The Dark Side of the Moon, Pink Floyd found themselves overwhelmed to come up with a follow up. Originally titled as “Household Objects,”  Roger Waters thought it’d a be a good idea to find household objects to make music noises with. However, the idea soon became too time consuming, and Pink Floyd find themselves back at square one. It was the idea of Gilmour’s now famous guitar riff that spark. Roger recorded Gilmour in a giant empty studio, with Gilmour playing the well known riff in what soon became the classic “Shine On You Crazy Diamond.” It became apparent that, because of the success of DSOTM, Pink Floyd should pay tribute to their original founder, Syd Barrett. Roger also reflected lyrics on the music business as a whole, how their company is forcing them to come up with a successful follow up. “Welcome to the Machine” and “Have A Cigar” reflect on those themes. “Shine You Crazy Diamond” is a tribute to Syd, who, one day, came in the studio, overweight, his hair and eyebrows completely shaven off, and barely unrecognizable. It was David who then saw this stranger was indeed Syd Barrett, and the man quickly left soon afterward, shocking the band. Wish You Were Here met some criticism when it was released, stating that the band didn’t find any new ground. However, it soon gain an occult following. David has stated this is his personal favorite PF album.  

2. Animals, 1977. Another concept album. By this time, it became apparent that Roger was the leading lyricist, and this album shows that Roger was beginning to take over the sound of PF as well, as he leads most of the songs instead of David. Roger saw the punk rock movement, their hatred in Progressive Rock sound, and knew the band should get heavier and grittier. He took this idea and based it off the George Orwell’s classic novel Animal Farm, giving certain types individuals and classes animalistic metaphors. We got the backstabbing businessmen as “Dogs,” a seventeen minute track which Gilmour receives the only other song writer in a Roger Waters driven album. Gilmour in fact sings the first half of the song, providing his only sung lyrics of the entire album. “Pigs (Three Different Ones)” is about the rich men and their greed, an eleven minute Bluesy track with Wright’s eerie keyboard tunes and Gilmour’s haunting guitar-scape sounds, as well as cattle bells from Mason. The most heaviest is the ten minute epic “Sheep,” about the followers who don’t want to lead, how they are mocked by the dogs. Here, Roger gives it all in his delivery while Gilmour provides funk like, edgy guitar chops that explode in the end. The album begins and end with the two parts “Pigs on the Wing,” which Roger strums an acoustic guitar and talking to listeners that we know that both we and him should care about each other, waiting for influencers to arrive, the pigs on the wing. Besides The Wall, Animals is perhaps Pink Floyd at their most “street” sounding album. It is a gritty album compared to the DSOTM and WYWH, hinting of what’s to come. Yet I am more drawn to this album because it is one of the very few PF albums that doesn’t sound like any other Floyd album. Despite I choose Gilmour over Waters, it is in Waters emotions and delivery that are highlights for me for this album, as well as the darker, grittier sound PF has ever put out.

1. Meddle, 1971. Because of their hatred of the previous albums, Pink Floyd find themselves to look for influences around them. What we got is Pink Floyd’s most folky album they ever put out. Meddle is my personal favorite Floyd album for that very reason, yet there are some harder rock stuff in songs like the opening “One of These Days” and in certain sections of “Echoes.” “A Pillow of Winds” is my all time personal favorite Floyd track. A slow acoustic ballad with slide guitar and beautifully textured organ sounds, there’s something about this song that strike it as my all time favorite from the Floyd. It’s a beautiful and a bit eerie track, which is a rare love song for the Floyd. “Fearless” is another great obscured track that is much more folk rock driven with Gilmour’s delivery on guitar riffs near the end that is a highlight for me. “San Tropez” is a Roger Waters driven track that sounds perfect in a California setting. It has that surf vibe for sure. “One of These Days” is one of the best instrumentals the Floyd has put out, with double basses done by both Gilmour and Waters, with Gilmour then kicking it overdrive with the lap steel. “Echoes” is an epic twenty three minute track that put Floyd on the map. An eerie yet beautiful track, “Echoes” is the song that the Floyd found their sound in, and got inspired by, and the rest is history.  “Echoes” provides some funky moments, as well as some hard rock, and an some ambient soundscapes. The real highlight for me is when, within the 18:14 mark, is Gilmour’s most beautifully haunted arpeggio riff. I love it every time it kicks in. While Meddle was the album in which the Floyd found their sound, it is my personal favorite Floyd album, one I still think it’s very underrated in their entire catalogue.