Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Years Review - The Final Verdict

Hi Everybody and Welcome to the Whisky Paradise,

Monday is a holiday here in Sao Paulo so we are enjoying a nice long Weekend. Tonight and tomorrow night I am going to taste Grant's 12 Y Blended Scotch. I do hope it will be better than The Family Reserve that I tasted earlier this year! Yesterday night I revisited the Balvenie DoubleWood 12 Y Single Malt. I refined the Tasting Notes a little bit here and there but my overall opinion and the final score remained the same. It's a very pleasant easy going whisky that is an excellent starting place for newbies in the whisky world. And given its reasonable price, it's one of my day-to-day drams. You can find the Tasting Notes elsewhere on the site or you can simply click here: The Balvenie DoubleWood.

I was hoping to have finished another Pink Floyd Review but that's not the case. Still working on it. Finally I would like to thank my visitors from all over the world for their interest in Whisky and Classic Rock. During the last 24 hours they came a.o. from Myanmar, the USA, Indonesia, Brazil, the United Arab Emirates, Singapore, the Netherlands, India, the United Kingdom, Serbia, Denmark,Canada, Belgium, the Philippines,  Germany, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Malaysia. I wish you all a very nice weekend, enjoy the reviews and Tasting Notes and feel free to visit us soon again.

Sweet Drams!

Jan

Graham Nash - Wild Tales - Review

Songs: Wild Tales, Hey You (Looking at the Moon), Prison Song, You´ll Never Be the Same, And So It Goes, Grave Concern, Oh Camil (The Winter Soldier), I Miss You, On the Line, Another Sleep Song.

Type of Music: Early Seventies Country/Folk/Pop

Comments:

Graham´s forgotten album. And that´s a Shame!  Wild Tales was recorded in 1973 with the help from buddies David Crosby and Joni Mitchell and some members of Neil Young´s  “ Harvest “  band. It´s almost a country album with some pop and folk thrown in for good measure. All songs were written by Graham and usually his voice fits the songs well like in the heartfelt I Miss You. But just try to imagine what Bob Dylan or Leonard Cohen could have done with the anti War Song Oh Camil (The Winter Soldier) or say the Eagles with You´ll Never Be The Same. The Album is rather short and there´s some filler but after all those years it´s still one of the albums that regularly returns to my CD Player. My favourite songs include the country-pop of Hey You (Looking at the Moon), Prison Song that deals with the differences in the legal systems of the various states in the Union and And so it goes.

The Album missed a Hit-single like “ Chicago” on “ Songs for Beginners” and was overlooked. Sometimes life just isn´t fair! 

Rating: ******** (8 out of 10)

Black = Good Songs

Green = Great Songs

Red = Could Be Better

Who should buy this Record: Anyone who likes the sound of Crosby, Stills & Nash in songs like Teach your Children or Our House should buy this one. May be hard to find though! 

Chieftain's Caol Ila 10 Years Medoc Finish Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Chieftain’s Caol Ila Medoc Finish

Bottled by: Ian Macleod & Comp. Ltd., Edinburgh

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Region: Islay

Age: 10 Years

Alcohol: 43%

Date: 02/07/2012

Colour: Pale Gold

Nose: A mixture of Peat, Smoke, Rubber, Medicinal Alcohol and Sea Water. A bit of Malt, Biscuit and Vanilla in the background. No fruity tones that I’m aware of. It’s not bad but it’s quite uneventful and one-sided.

Taste: Peat, Sugar, Light Spices and unexpected hints of Milk Chocolate.

Finish: Quite long, perhaps even too long with Peat, Rubber, Sugared Herbal Tea and Licorice

With the addition of a few drops of water, the Nose becomes a brick of Peat sprayed with Salty Water. Bit of Malt, Oak and Vanilla and a hint of Red or Rose Wine. On the Palate the dram becomes a bit milder but the Chocolate is gone. The Finish is much shorter and uneventful really. You can certainly experiment with a bit of water. I usually prefer to drink Single Malts neat but in this case a couple of drops are beneficial.

Rating:  76 

Nose: 20 - Taste: 19 – Finish: 18 – Overall: 19

General Remarks: Ian MacLeod is a so-called Independent Bottler. These companies play an important part in today’s whisky industry. They buy casks of (young) spirit from Distilleries, mature them, finish them and bottle them, all at their own discretion and then sell the final product under their own label. This is all very attractive for whisky drinkers who look beyond the standard Distillery offerings. They are often bottled at cask strength and non-chill-filtered. Many times, but not always, Independent Bottlers offer products that are greatly appreciated.

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: This is my first dram of Caol Ila and I’m sure there are a lot of better expressions around. 

This 10 Y Medoc Finish suffers from a lack of fruit. I would love to try a Distillery expression that was(partially) matured in fine Sherry casks. I’m sure that would provide a better balance for the Peat, Smoke and Medicinal Tones. As it is, I find this whisky too monotonous. It also possesses a rubbery off-note that I find unpleasant, particularly in the (overly) long Finish.   

Jan van den Ende                                                                 July 2012

Black & White Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Black & White

Bottled by James Buchanan & Co., Glasgow

Type: Blended Whisky

Age: NAS

Alcohol: 40%

Colour: Pale Gold

Nose: Medium Sweet, Oak, Biscuits, Rather Sharp Grain Alcohol, Vinegar, Touch of Peat.

Taste: Rough and Tough. Grain Alcohol and some Sugared Dried Fruits. Bit of Oak and Pepper.

Finish: Short. Sharp Grain Alcohol and a little Oak and Vanilla. Hint of Honey.

When adding a couple of drops of water you get rid of most of the Alcohol on the Nose and get more Grain, Straw and a little Malt. It completely waters down the Palate however and the Finish becomes even shorter with a Licorice note right at the end. So while water certainly benefits the Nose, it does not have a positive effect on Palate and Finish.

Rating: 73 

Nose: 18 – Taste: 19.5 – Finish: 17 – Overall: 18.5

General Remarks: James Buchanan created this Blend in 1884 and gave it its current name in 1904. It was originally sold in a Black Bottle with a White Label, hence the name. It contains 35 Grain – and Malt Whiskies with a 60-65% Grain Whisky content, a/o from Port Dundas and Cameronbridge. The main Malt component is produced by the Dalwhinnie Distillery(Highland). Above you see a picture of this Distillery.

The Blend is now owned by the Diageo Group. Main markets for this Blend are South Africa, Canada and Italy.

Drinking Experience Neat: Regular

Drinking Experience On The Rocks: Regular

Conclusion: The rather young tasting Grain Whiskies dominate this Blend. There’s not much room for anything else. Some sweetness, Oak and hints of Peat and Honey. It’s certainly not expensive but it offers too little to consider buying it again.

Jan van den Ende                                                                   June 30, 2012

Who Am I and How Did I Get Interested In Writing About Whisky

Hello Everybody,

My name is Jan van den Ende and I was born in Rotterdam in The Netherlands in 1952. Since 1994 I live and worked in Sao Paulo in Brazil. In the meantime I'm retired.

My hobbies include Rock Music from the 60's and 70's, Wine, Beer and Fine Spirits. I suppose that I, probably like most of you, started drinking beer when I was a teenager. After that there was the inevitable Cuba Libre during the holidays in Spain. But as life goes on you become interested in other alcoholic beverages and normally wine is the first step in becoming more aware of actual flavors rather than just drinking for the drinking if you know what I mean. Usually the white wines and the rose wines come first and after that you start exploring the red wines.

Around 40 you start to appreciate a good Brandy after dinner and maybe even smoke a (small) cigar with it. Or maybe even try a whisky! Blended of course and On the Rocks. Good chance your first whisky on the Rocks was Johnny Walker Red Label! Or Jack Daniels or Jim Beam if you live in the States and would probably be exposed to Bourbon or rye whiskey before exploring Scotch whiskies.

And then after years of drinking Red and Black and Ballantine's and Chivas on the Rocks you return from your holidays, enter into the Free Shop and suddenly become aware that there are a lot of different whiskies available. They are Single Malts and will include the usual suspects such as Glenlivet, Glenfiddich, Dalmore, the Balvenie and the Irish Jameson. You give one of them or a couple of them  a chance and if you like them you probably want to know more about them. And then you buy a book or two, start surfing the net and find out that there is more to whisky than you thought!

Actually, this is more or less what happened to me. But I'm sure a lot of you malt lovers will recognise at least some part of the journey. 

One of the books I bought was Jim Murray's Whisky Bible 2011. This guy is highly recognised as a whisky writer and connoisseur and, after all, it's not called a Bible for nothing. However when I started tasting some whiskies for fun I found out that I almost never agreed with the opinions I found in the Bible. 

Naturally I thought that the problem was me as I just started while Jim is doing this for 35 years or so. But when I started looking around the net it became clear quite rapidly that I'm not the only one who questions the Whisky Bible.

Thinking about this there were a number of thoughts that crossed my mind. Apparently various people can taste the same whisky under similar conditions and reach a completely different opinion. That's Fun! But it could also be that there are writers out there who are too close to the industry for whatever reason to be able to reach an objective opinion. 

I remembered my youth when I had to go and buy oranges. My mother always instructed me to ask the guy in the shop if the oranges were sweet. Of course the guy always confirmed that they were lovely and sweet. 

When surfing the net i found that a lot of people felt the same about this problem and started independent blogs with whisky reviews. Some are quite excellent and have reached levels that i will never touch upon. 

Still I decided to give it a try and I learnt about the basic flavors that can be detected on the nose and on the palate when tasting whisky. So before starting to nose the whisky I started sniffing and tasting fresh and dried fruits, marmalade, honey, sherry, beer, spices like pepper, cinnamon and cloves, lemon and orange zests, coffee, tea, corn syrup, toffee, cake, fresh bread and chocolate. After that I learnt about the different regions of productions and I started to nose ashes and leather and salt. When I had to go to the port of Santos for my work I even went for a walk around the quays sniffing cables, fish,brine etc. 

Of course it was impossible to remember all these impressions during my first tasting sessions but after some 10 different whiskys including Single Malts, Blended whiskies and Bourbons I began making progress.

I've tasted over 1000 whiskies now and since end November 2011 I share my thoughts through this blog. 

So welcome to Best Shot Whisky Reviews. I do hope you like the Tasting Notes and Reviews but always remember they don't represent the absolute truth. They merely express my opinion. Have Fun!

Jan

Deanston 12 Years Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Deanston

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Region: Highland

Age: 12 Years

Alcohol: 46,3%

Colour: Pale Straw 

Nose: Medium-Light and Dry. Grassy and Floral tones, Oak, Apples, Apple-Vinegar, Orange or Apricot Marmalade, Malt and Toast, Very Light Peat. Only light Alcohol despite the 46,3%.

Taste: Much sweeter than I expected after the dry nose. Very smooth with only a light Alcohol bite. Honey, Malt, Light Spices (Ginger and Cinnamon), Lemon Zest, Green Apples and a bit of Salt.

Finish: Short and dry. Grassy and Herbs. Nuts, Lemon, Oak. Touch of Honey.

With a couple of drops of water you will get more Fruit and also Honey and a bit of Toffee or Butterscotch on the Nose. The Palate does not change a whole lot but the Finish gets Sweeter and the Honey and Salty tones last a bit longer. This Single Malt accepts some water.

Rating: 81.5  

Nose 21– Taste 21 – Finish 19 – Overall 20.5

General Remarks: The Deanston Distillery looks more like a school building or army barracks but in fact it’s an old Cotton Mill. It’s located close to the city of Doune and started operations in the 1960’s. It is owned by Burn Stewart Distillers Ltd that also owns Bunnahabhain and Tobermory. Its main market is the USA. A lot of the Deanston production is destined for the blend Scottish Leader. Before bottling the casks that carry the Deanston 12 are married together for a couple of weeks extra in fresh Oak to increase sweetness. The Deanston 12 I’m reviewing here is Un-Chill filtered and bottled at 46,3%. This is the policy of the Distillery since 2009. Before that this Single Malt was chill filtered and bottled at 40%.

Drinking Experience Straight: Good

Conclusion: The Deanston 12 is a relatively light dram despite its 46,3%. Almost a Lowland whisky. I can see this as a very nice aperitif on a beautiful day in spring. Maybe even with a little ice. It’s too light perhaps for considering it as one of my day-to-day sipping whiskies. I do believe however that Deanston is going in the right direction and hope they will maintain or even improve their Un-Chill filtered high proof expressions. 

Jan van den Ende                                                             June 25, 2012

Led Zeppelin - Houses of the Holy - Review

Songs: The Song Remains the Same, The Rain Song, Over the Hills and Far Away, The Crunge, Dancing Days, D'yer Maker, No Quarter, The Ocean.

Review:

End 1972/Begin 1973 the band discussed the plans for their new (fifth) Album. I feel they might have entertained a.o. the following thoughts: First of all, their Album IV had been a huge success so it would be wise to maintain a similar structure. On the other hand the band had grown as song writers, musicians and producers and was eager to try new roads. And thirdly, I think they just wanted to make a fun album. As a result, Houses of the Holy was launched on March 28, 1973. It is the first album of the band with only original material. It features lots of layered guitar riffs but is mostly driven by the rhythm section of the band. The lyrics are more mature and the album is extremely diverse with Rock, Prog-Rock, Folk, Reggae, Funk, Blues and Doo-Wop. And above all, it's got a Feel Good atmosphere. If I would have a point of criticism, it would be the way Robert Plant's voice is produced. Because in all honesty he sounds like a nervous chipmunk from time to time. I don't know why this was done as Live Albums show that Robert could master the songs in a normal matter. But then again, nothing is perfect isn't it!

The Album starts off with the fast, furious, thundering The Song Remains the Same, followed without pause by the beautiful, moody and almost acoustic The Rain Song. Robert sounds great here for most of the time. It's one of my favorite Led songs. It is followed by the driving rocker Over the Hills and Far Away that is another good example of the bands trade mark songs that combine acoustic beauty with Power Rock. The Crunge is a highly funky and funny James Brown pastiche and it shows the band from their most easy going and fun side. Dancing Days is one of their Classic Hard Rockers with a nice slide guitar and synthesizers. It's almost impossible to sit still while listening to this song. A lot of people have issues with D'yer Maker (Jamaica) but to me it's just a happy reggae ditty. Quite inoffensive really. Great drums by the way. It is followed by my personal all time favorite Led song, the jazzy, bluesy No Quarters. It's a so called Nordic epic about Viking warriors and the death and fear they brought wherever they roamed. It sounds very realistic and the combination of Jimmy's spooky riff, John Paul's icy keyboards and Robert's depressive vocals literally make me shiver every time I hear the song. This is pure Rock Heaven for me! I would have wished the album to stop after No Quarter but we still get The Ocean that seems a bit out of place. It's not bad as such and it swings in a sufficient way, but I don't know. Maybe it should have been programmed between Over the Hills and Far Away and The Crunge. 

So, while Houses of the Holy is not the band's best album in my opinion, it has a very high entertainment value and it gets lots of spins on my CD player, if only for No Quarter!

Rating: ********* (9 out of 10)

Black = Good Songs

Green = Great Songs

Red = Could Be Better

Who should buy this Record:  Everybody!!  Led Zeppelin’s Most Fun Album and one of the Classic Rock Albums of All Time. 

   

Glenfiddich 12 Years Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Glenfiddich

Type: Single Malt Whisky

Region: Speyside

Age: 12 Years

ABV: 40%

Chill-Filtration: Yes

Colour: Light Gold/Sunlight (Artificially Coloured)

Nose: Mainly Sweet but with some Sour - and Mineral notes as well. I find Toasted Cereals, Sweet Barley, Buttered Toast, Brown Sugar, Honey, Caramel, Vanilla, Floral tones, Red Apples, Pear, Green Grape, Apple Vinegar, Lemon, Milk Chocolate, Grass, Dusty Road and Oak Shavings. The Alcohol is present but does not interfere with the Nosing procedures. It's clear that this Spirit was mainly matured in Ex-Bourbon casks. The Sherry influence is quite light.

Taste: Sweet and Thin. I find Malted Barley, Vanilla, Toffee, Honey, Caramel, Brown Sugar, Green Grapes, Red Apples, light Spices, Oak, Floral Perfume, Citrus and Nuts.

Finish: Short, Clean and Sweet with Toasted Cereals, Vanilla, Toffee, Caramel, Honey, Oak, Pear, Apple, Nuts, Grapes, Cinnamon and Ginger. 

With a couple of drops of water, Pear, Apple, Malt, Honey, Apple Vinegar, Citrus and the slightest hint of Peat become more evident on the Nose. On the Palate there’s not too much difference but the Ginger in the Finish becomes clearer. You can definitively play with a bit of water here. But as always, be careful not to overdo it!

Rating: 81.5  

Nose: 21– Taste:  20 – Finish: 20 – Overall: 20.5

General Remarks: It was Glenfiddich that initiated the Single Malt business back in the sixties. Glenfiddich means Valley of the Deer and many of you will remember having seen the famous stag on the Packaging of this Single Malt at least once in your life! It’s one of the best selling Single Malt in the world. At a price of around US$ 40, it’s relatively inexpensive. It ages in Ex-Sherry and Ex-Bourbon Casks. The Distillery was founded in 1886 and is located in Dufftown and is still family owned by William Grant & Sons Ltd. It’s the biggest Distillery in Scotland with an annual capacity of around 10 million litres.

Drinking Experience Straight: Good

Conclusion: I think the Glenfiddich 12 is suffering from its own success. Best selling Single Malt in the world, Obvious choice in a Duty Free - or Travel Retail Shop, Affordable Price Level, Easily available, Everybody knows it, Very Large Distillery. Big Big Big! So, as a result of all this it can’t be good can it? Well I found it to be surprisingly good actually. It’s not overly complicated of course but highly drinkable! Sometimes it reminds me a bit of a Grappa or Eau de Vie. The Nose is crisp, the Palate is easy going and the finish fresh and clean. Maybe a touch too Woody! It will never be one of my favourite Single Malts but I can see why it’s so popular all over the world!

Jan van den Ende                                       June 22, 2012 and March 27,2017

Grand Old Parr 12 Years Review

Country: Scotland

Brand: Grand Old Parr

Bottled by MacDonald Greenlees, Edinburgh

Type: Blended Whisky

Age: 12 Y

Alcohol: 40%

Colour: Golden Amber (Artificially Coloured)

Nose: First impressions are Malt, Oak, Toffee, Orange and a tad (Peat) Smoke. There is a light sour Rubber-like off-note suggesting the use of some Refill Ex- Sherry casks. In the background some Leather, Raisins, Pineapple and spices like Clove and Cinnamon.

Taste: Sweet Cereals, Malt, Brown Sugar, Pepper, Oak, Tobacco and Cinnamon.

Finish: Initially Sweet but Quite Dry in the end. Malt, light Peat, Pepper and a bit of Honey and Lemon. Licorice after a couple of minutes.

When adding a couple of drops of water you get more Malt, Toffee and Peat on the Nose. The Palate gets a little watery. The Finish starts sweet but some Licorice pops up and it ends up dry. You can experiment a bit with a few drops of water.

Rating: 79  

Nose: 20 – Taste: 20 – Finish: 19 – Overall: 20

Cragganmore

General Remarks: This blend is named after Thomas Parr, an Englishman said to have died at the age of 152 years and nine months. Thomas was renowned during his lifetime for his wisdom and maturity. He was interred at Westminster Abbey in the year 1635. The Blend was introduced by the Greenlees brothers in 1871. Today, the two main suppliers of Malt whisky for this Blend are owned by Diageo, namely Cragganmore and Glendullan. The packaging is very retro and the bottle is quite old-fashioned as well. South America has always been one of the main markets for Old Parr. In Western Europe this Blend disappeared in the 80's. The average price is around 35 US Dollars (April 2017)

Drinking Experience Neat: Okay (Score: Parr)

Drinking Experience on the Rocks: Good

Conclusion: Well, I’m afraid you’ve heard and read this story before. It’s not a bad Blend but it’s a bit boring and utterly forgettable. It's quite inoffensive but I can’t really recommend it either. When you get a bottle, best drink it on the Rocks!

Jan van den Ende                                                                   June 17, 2012

Glendullan

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Country: Scotland

Brand: Grand Old Parr

Bottled by MacDonald Greenlees, Edinburgh

Type: Blended Whisky

Age: 12 Y

Alcohol: 43%
Miniature received as a gift from my parents in law. Thanks a lot! According to them it was purchased somewhere in the late 1970's or early 1980's.

Colour: Dark Ember/Copper (Artificially Coloured)

Nose: Barley and Sherry are the main drivers on the Nose. This Old Parr needs a bit of air contact by the way as it only shows its deeper Aromas after a while in the glass. I find Cake baked using first class Butter, Straw, Sweet Cereals, Dried Fruit like Sultanas and Raisins, Caramel, Toffee, Vanilla, Pepper, Clove, Nutmeg, Cinnamon, Toasted Oak and hints of Leather and tinned Pineapple. The Alcohol is not entirely integrated.   

Taste: Sweet, Pleasant and Malty with Toasted Cereals, Caramel, Brown Sugar, Vanilla, Toffee, Dried Fruit (Sultanas, Raisins, Figs), Straw, Honey, Toasted Oak, Orange, Pepper, Cinnamon, Nutmeg and a hint of Tobacco. The ABV of 43% gives it just enough weight.

Finish: Middle-Long. Sweet at first. A little Dry and Oaky towards the end. I find Sweet Barley, Toffee, Dried Fruits, Honey, Orange - and Lemon- Peel, Toasted Oak, Menthol, Pepper, Cinnamon, Nutmeg, Ginger and light Licorice.

This expression does not improve with added Water. Sip it neat. 

Rating: 83.5  

Nose: 21 – Taste: 21 – Finish: 20.5 – Overall: 21

Drinking Experience Neat: Good

Conclusion: When comparing these two expressions of the Old Parr 12 years I found that the basic Aromas and Flavours are not that different. The older expression benefits from the more adequate ABV of 43%. Still, there is one big difference between the two. The bottle that I bought in 2012 in Brazil is not bad but hopelessly boring and is better enjoyed over Ice. The old Expression that was bottled in the 70's/80's however is perfectly enjoyable when sipped Neat. I am fully convinced that the difference comes from the casks. In the new version I got Rubber and it probably had Sulphur as well but my Nose wasn't quite that experienced back in 2012. The result of indifferent casks. The old expression however probably used good quality 2nd Refill Ex-Bourbon - and Ex-Oloroso casks. As a result this 1970's/1980's Grand Old Parr 12 years is a very pleasant Blend. I've looked at some prices on line and you must expect to pay at least 250 US Dollar for a full bottle (April 2017). That's too expensive for what it offers of course. But without any doubt the Grand Old Parr 12 Years would have been one of my to-go-to Blends in the 70's. My score is 4 under Parr!  I was only drinking Beer and Wine at that time however! Isn't it a pity!

Stills at Cragganmore

Pink Floyd - Meddle - Review

Songs: One Of These Days, A Pillow Of Winds, Fearless, San Tropez, Seamus, Echoes.

Type of Music: Psychedelic Rock with touches of Folk, Jazz and Blues.    

Comments:

Let me start by saying that I love this Album. It relaxes me completely. It's lounge music produced in 1971 when nobody had ever heard of that musical concept. And then to think that the band had no real ideas when they went to the studio(s) from time to time between concerts for their Atom Heart Mother Tour. They just experienced with basic ideas and sound effects. Amazing! 

Without any doubt this is the Floyd´s most consistent Album thus far. Gone is the orchestra from Atom Heart Mother. This is the Pink Floyd that would go on and make Dark Side Of The Moon and other top-class Albums. Listen carefully and you will hear the musical ideas for Shine On You Crazy Diamond developing. Meddle is almost a combination of Atom Heart Mother and More. It has the same structure as Atom Heart Mother with a couple of songs on side 1 and an extensive suite on side 2 and it has the same great atmosphere as More. Actually, Meddle sounds like the soundtrack of a film that unfortunately was never made. 

But the difference lay in the quality of the songs. First of all they fit together very well. You will remember that More included two hard rock songs that were completely out of place on that album. That´s not the case here. It's a very fluent album. And secondly the band is maturing rapidly, both in writing songs and playing their instruments. Listen to the guitar solos in Echoes and you'll know what I mean! 

The album opens with the song everybody knows: One of these Days with its pounding rhythm of organ, (bass)guitars and drums. One of these days I'm going to cut you into little pieces sounds like a follow up to Eugene be careful with that axe.
It´s followed by the gentle love ballad A Pillow of Winds. This could easily have been written by Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel. A simple but very nice melody and a beautiful (acoustic) guitar line. 
Then we have the intriguing Fearless that sounds like a lot of the songs the Floyd would do later in their career. It contains parts of You Never Walk Alone, sung by Liverpool Supporters. A lot of people believe this inclusion to be unnecessary but I think it strengthens the meaning of the song. And sound effects are an important part of the band's music.
San Tropez is a jazzy shuffle about a lazy day in that famous beach resort in Southern France. It is followed by a traditional blues pastiche called Seamus. Seamus is Steve Marriott´s (Small Faces) dog and he makes his debut here. These two songs form a nice contrast with the more serious sound of One Of These Days and Echoes. And while they are different, they don't break the flow of the album.

And, to finish off Meddle, we get Echoes, a suite that occupied the whole of Side 2 of the original vinyl record.  It has everything that makes Pink Floyd such a great band. The main theme is very strong. And it´s still rather pure and not too clearly influenced by commercial drivers. Just close your eyes for 23 minutes and imagine yourself somewhere on the bottom of the ocean studying whales. Or reading one of my album or whisky Reviews.. Or whatever you feel like doing at the bottom of the ocean. I know that a lot of Albums and Sound Tracks about the sea have similar passages and maybe some are even better or more precise. But I don't care! Just enjoy Meddle, another great Pink Floyd Album that will make you feel so much better after having listened to it after one of your stress filled days.

Rating: ********* (9 out of 10)

Black = Good Songs

Green = Great Songs

Red = Could Be Better

Who should buy this Record:  Everybody. This is an Essential Pink Floyd Album.