Written in 2008 Rick sadly passed on 15th September 2008.
Tribute!!
Sysyphus
Parts I - IV
Composed
by Richard Wright
Performed
by Richard Wright and Pink Floyd
From
the 1st side of LP One of the Two LP set of
Ummagumma.
What
is Sysyphus? On the album Ummagumma it is an avante garde suite of
songs that have no lyrics, and derive all their energy from Richard
(Rick) Wrights various instruments, and extends to 13.28 minutes.
Wright plays Farfisa Organ, Melletron, Piano, Bass guitar, Timpani
and Percussion on this suite of musical pieces.
There
is a assertion that the name Sysyphus derives from the Greek God of a
similar name, Sisyphus and the pieces mirror the Sisyphean challenge.
This is the purpose of this challenge. Sisyphus was the son of King
Aeolus of Thessaly and Anarete, and the founder of and first king of
Ephra (Corinth). Sisyphus repeatedly broke the laws of hospitality
by killing travellers and guests. He seduced his niece, took his
brothers throne and betrayed Zeus secrets. Zeus then asked Hades to
chain Sisyphus to Tartarus. Anyway, to cut a long story short,
Sisyphus was doomed to the Sisyphean Challenge whereby he was ordered
to roll a rock uphill until he reached the summit, but nearing the
top, the rock always rolled back down to the bottom again. He was
bound to go back down and continue to try and achieve that task. Of
course, he couldn’t meet that task but kept trying. He was doomed
to repeating the task and to this day this challenge is likened to an
act of continued persistence or the sea rising and falling everyday,
the mundane, but persistent. (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia
excerpts intonate that the Sysyphus of Rick Wright is a close
correlation to the challenge, with the pieces ebbing and flowing
accordingly. “Part I consists of featuring a tympani and a
Melletron chords resembling an orchestra” which when I played this
for the first time in eons is exactly the way I felt. “a piano
solo that dissolves into a raucous dissonant performance as Sisyphus
struggles uphill” which makes sense to that part of the song, it’s
almost manic in nature, very un-Rick Wright.
My music knowledge is very limited despite that fact I love music of
all genre. I know what “sounds” good and what “feels” good.
I know I have bitten off a huge chunk of lack of knowledge to tackle
these pieces as far as the music goes. But I feel Echoes is too long
to do a decent attempt of a review, and the others (Shine of you
Crazy Diamond Pts 1 – 9, Interstellar Overdrive, Saucerful of
Secrets, etc) I find very eclectic and I’m not willing to use them.
Sysyphus sounds very different, and I feel worthy of a review.
Besides I have challenged myself to deal with a song that has no
vocals and that’s way out of my depth.
Before starting, one should note that this is a sole Rick Wright
suite of pieces. Apart from accompanying drums and percussion (I
assume Nick) the rest of the pieces are devoid of Bass, Lead Guitar,
and vocals, though there are recorded sound bites in some of the
pieces, no doubt also done by Rick. The reference material for this
review is solely Wikipedia, as searches on the internet failed to
reveal any essays or other writings and Mason and Schaffer didn’t
deal with Sysyphus. So the review is largely personal
interpretation.
Sysyphus Part I
This piece as the intro features Rick on Farfisa Organ playing a very
dramatic piece with low notes, accompanied by what sounds like a
Kettle Drum (Nick maybe) and cymbals. The music, if aligned to the
Sisyphean Challenge, dictates a struggle, and reflects the start of
the challenge (Sisyphus being chained in Hades). This is a short
piece (at 1.08 minutes) and conjures images in the mind as to how and
what is happening to the rest of the pieces. I like the piece, very
orchestral in timbre, and very Pink Floyd in texture, especially
their earlier stuff and just goes to show how much influence Rick had
in the group then.
Sysyphus Part II
This piece opens with a very classical sounding piano. The playing
is superb, the keys fair zinging with Rick’s elegance. I was
surprised by this level of playing, as I hadn’t heard anything
quite like it in the Pink Floyd catalogue till this time. I’m a
great lover of classical piano (avid Concert listener) and Rick
fairly took me on an opus ride with such skill and poise. But as the
piece builds to a crescendo, timpani is heard, and coupled together
the piece dives headlong into a manic state, possibly as intimated in
Wikipedia, the rolling of the rock uphill (piano) and then the
disarray as the rock tumbles back down (the manic phase). The
timpani could quite well serve to personify Sisyphus as he deals with
the rock and it’s foibles.
The manic piano has almost Jazz like qualities, a sound reminiscent
from the Jazz records I have. There is also another sound, a deeper
one, which could be the Melletron, though I suspect it’s more like
a heavy bass tone on the lower piano registers. Nonetheless, the
sound is chaotic. I did, however, read somewhere that the actual
sounds created are with someone belting the piano strings with a
solid object, creating an orgasmic interlude to the piece. What it
does do however is emphasise that struggle Sisyphus is having with
his challenge and no matter how hard he tries, he’s doomed not to
succeed.
This song runs for a shortish 3.30 minutes, but is nonetheless one of
the better constructed songs so far. It’s a strong follow on from
Part 1 and leaves one gasping for more, especially the classical
nature to start with and the jazz infusion towards the end.
Sysyphus Part III
This song is also a short one and runs for 1.49 minutes. It’s a
jazz fusion sound throughout, something Pink Floyd were renowned for
and something that may solely attributable to Rick and his ability to
arrange such material. Maybe there needs to be a deeper significance
to Pink Floyds later work accorded to Rick, such is his input.
I suspect the main instruments in play with this piece are the
Farfisa Organ (the driving sound), the Melletron (Sound Affects),
cymbals and snare drum. I can’t discern any other instruments and
feel that this is the main catalogue for this piece.
How it relates to the Sisyphean challenge. I guess the sounds echo
the running down of the hill of Sisyphus and he then manhandling the
boulder to begin the challenge again. The music is hectic, almost
manic, and very different to what I have endured so far. It’s a
section that serves to echo the pieces that have gone before leading
up to the finale.
Sysyphus Part IV
This song (piece) is the longest of the four tracks at 6.59 minutes.
It’s the last of the four pieces. Once again, this track too starts
with a classical sound. The Farfisa is making what sounds like a
violin sound, leading into the rest of the song. There is also a
woodwind sound, floating in the background. The woodwind sound may
be lower register keys on the Farfisa, the violin upper register.
The song then fades away, and the manic organ takes over, perhaps the
sign that Sisyphus has tried rolling the boulder again and once again
fails. Once again Kettle Drum and cymbals enter the fray, also in a
very classical way for a short interlude, then back to the organ and
a very Pink Floyd sound (Rick’s sound). Sound affects (Melletron)
also enter the piece and the jazz fusion affect takes over as
Sisyphus tackles the boulder once again. The whole affect is
desperate and calls for a lasting ear to continue listening.
Then the piano intro from Part 1 resurfaces, as well as the kettle
drum and a reprise is formed. The sound is very space aged and could
have been used in any science fiction movie. The song then dies out
to the crescendo of Kettle drum and cymbals and the experience that
is the Sisyphus Challenge completes.
In conclusion, the four pieces are Rick Wright stretching himself and
giving birth to the seeds that would follow in later albums. He
derives sound and sense and drives his works as a master of his
craft. The key here is that he not only uses the odd one or two
instruments to get his sound, he’s willing to stretch out a bit and
go further for the sake of the group, even though this was
essentially a solo piece. The music is a delight to the ear, and
should be ready listening to any Pink Floyd fan, and maybe even any
jazz or classical lover.
Overall I was wholly satisfied I had refound this piece. It really
does drive home the point that Rick Wright was a master at his craft,
and an integral part of the Band that was Pink Floyd.
Bibliography
Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sysyphus
Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sisyphus
This review is dedicated to the memory of Richard (Rick)
Wright.
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