Hidden Track

It is one of the great debates in rock music. Any self respecting music fan holds an opinion. Nobody likes to make the choice, but you have to side with one or the other. Who is your favorite member of Pink Floyd: Roger Waters or David Gilmour?

I hadn’t thought about this for ages, but somehow I stumbled upon a Rolling Stone review from 1984 of Roger Waters’ Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking album today by none other than Kurt Loder. Don’t get me wrong, Kurt Loder can write a mean review (super witty double entendre intended), but man was he way off the mark here. Loder not only berated the album, but he crossed into the hot zone.

Throughout the entire review, Loder offers up a savage beat down of ol’ Rog, but here’s the crux of his stance:

“The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking suggests several things. First, that the most important musical component of Pink Floyd is actually guitarist David Gilmour (whose latest solo album assumes new luster in comparison to this turkey). Second, that Waters should have a long session with his therapist before making any future public utterances about the human condition. And third, that even the most exalted English rock legend shouldn’t try to sell swill to a public that’s demonstrably less piggish than the pop star himself. Think Pink, Roger.”

Well, it might be 18 years late, but I am a Roger Waters man, so I am here to defend. For starters, Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking is an epic masterpiece and Loder should have been fired on the spot for missing the mark so embarrassingly. But more to the point, here’s ten more reasons to aid you in your internal, eternal debate of whether to side with Roger Waters or David Gilmour. Disclaimer: Don’t get me wrong, I love Gilmour too. In fact, I actually bought a butt ugly cherry red Stratocaster in high school because I liked Gilmour’s so much. Nevertheless, I side with the whisperer.

10. Marv Albert – In Amused to Death’s It All Makes Perfect Sense, Marv Albert appears as himself providing in-game (song) commentary of a submarine captain zeroing in and firing missiles on an oil rig. READ ON for more on why Roger wins…

Last night for the second time in a four month span I had a chance to take in a set from Seattle folk-rockers Fleet Foxes. For only their second visit

NYCTaper continues to amaze by getting high quality recordings out to the masses shortly after the band leaves the stage. Last week, one of NYCTaper’s new correspondents shared a killer

We’re ardent supporters of HeadCount and their fantastic efforts to get people to register to vote and out to the polls this November – no matter whom your supporting. So

The first annual Rothbury Festival has come and gone, and by nearly all accounts it was a complete success. If you weren’t able to make it out to Michigan last

If you’re a regular HT reader, you’re probably aware that we’re big time RANA fluffers, so we were thrilled to see this news story over at Jambands.com: [Photo via Rana_The_Band’s

As we told you yesterday the Black Crowes recently completed a three-night stand at Philadelphia’s TLA that included rarities, bust outs and most of their greatest hits. We sent Jake

While the Red Sox may have the edge on the Yankees in the standings, NYC has sure been winning out when it comes to free concerts. But don’t count Beantown

I know I’ve been a little Beatles heavy as of recently, but who could blame me? Members of Phish getting together to play Beatles cover is a pretty big deal. Speaking of which, two weeks ago’s Day Tripper edition is way too close to call, so if you haven’t done so – navigate over there and place a vote if you are so inclined.

I was thinking about doing She Said as a Cover Wars just as soon as Mike Gordon’s new band played it in Northampton last week. Then I heard that Trey and Fish played it with him at Rothbury and THEN I heard that Gov’t Mule played their own rendition of it directly after that – so this could not be more topical.

If you don’t know the inspiration of the song – long story short: During an off week of The Beatles USA tour in 1965…they rent out a house, most of the band is on LSD as is Peter Fonda who is freaking out George Harrison and John Lennon by telling him that he “knows what it’s like to be dead”. Fonda accidentally shot himself at age 10 and apparently his heart stopped 3 times on the operating table. Fonda thought this was a good story to tell people that are tripping face and was even showing people his wounds from it.

You can read some hilarious quotes from the band members regarding that crazy night in a few places around the Internet. Check out: Wikipedia, The Songs of John Lennon: The Beatles Years, and The Beatles Anthology. All links open in new windows.

As always, you must register/login to imeem if you wish to listen to the songs in the playlist in their entirety.

READ ON after the jump for the voting and lots of live She Said video footage…

Last week the Black Crowes returned to Philadelphia for an exceptional three-night stand at the Theater of Living Arts. The Crowes recently kicked off a long summer tour that will