SUNDAY SHOWDOWN: Childhood's End vs Free Four

[thespitwasduringmoney]

it’s no question for me, Childhood’s End is soooo good musically, although i do really like Free Four’s lyrics and how catchy it is (and that guitar solo).

I prefer the original album mix of CE over the live one as the song works better in E minor as opposed to F#. plus there’s a neat little bit where you can accidentally hear David scatting during the guitar solo that they muted when remixing it in 2016.

[swanlee]

Childhoods end is a great song with a great theme, it's very much Gilmour exploring a darker side to his lyrics, I really like the song

[beeco]

Childhoods End for me. Great guitar solo. Great lyrics. I love the book the title is based on. Seems to fit the theme of the album.

Free Four while nice just doesn't fit the flow of the album for me. Would hav been great on Meddle instead of Seamus.

[stonytokes]

Great book. Clarke and Asimov were staples of my sci-fi diet when I was a kid.

[Alan Smithee]

Child Hoods End no contest. Free Four sucks. Next.

[buffalofloyd]

Man, Free Four getting shit on, brutal. It's not a bad song at all, it's just subjectively not as good.

[Paul]

Childhoods End. Easy one for me this time.

[Paul]

I'd like to thank Bruce Buffer for announcing this week's contest.

Enjoying these Sunday Show downs.

[stonytokes]

I'm having fun doing them, and enjoy eliciting everyone's opinions.

[TheMoebLoop]

While the composition of Free Four isn't that remarkable, I like the arrangement with the bass synth stabs punctuating things. Lyrically, I find Roger's musings on the music industry a bit indulgent. He's better when he tries to be a bit more universal.

Agree. I used to like "Free Four" because of that dissonant synthesizer drone, but no longer have interest in it. Meanwhile, though a less complex song than "Time", I actually enjoy "Childhood's End" more, perhaps because of its very obscurity; and, like others, am fond of it as a vehicle for improvisation.

[Flat Eggs]

Without a doubt Childhood's End, even just for a fantastic keyboards introduction by Wright fading into the E major chord that extends to overlap the seventh, the thirteenth and the dissonant ninth sharp, magnificent! 🎼🎵🎶🥇😮

[TheMoebLoop]

And some say that there's nothing particularly unusual in his playing, apart from the voicings.

[Son of Nothing]

CE wins for me musically, easily, but I do love FF. The best line goes to FF though "The memories of a man in his old age, are the deeds of a man in his prime." I mean c'mon, thats a great line.

I will agree with you about that opening line. That and the bass synth parts I mentioned are (for me) the memorable parts of that track.

[Demamo]

I'm going with Free Four. Roger makes his point relatively quickly, it's a band track, the guitar solo is great, and its delivery is original. Childhood's End is good, but it has a sci fi/fantasy vibe like the The Narrow Way or Sorrow that I am not fond of. Also, I think the solo is weak (better live). Oh man, go easy on me people. PS - If there was a poll on FF vs Stay vs CE, I would choose Stay.

[YASHA]

Thanks for the idea of these comparisons.

It would be interesting to contrast "One of These Days" and "Echoes"

[stonytokes]

YASHA "I don't do requests..."

[lvri]

Childood's end !

[stonytokes]

Well, it seems that Childhood's End will surely win the week. Frankly, I'm surprised that no-one has commented about how Pigs 3DO is a pretty obvious reworking of Childhood's End. Virtually the same chords, same chugging guitar figure, essentially the same tempo, etcetera, etcetera. Try imagining Rick's opening melody figure from Pigs 3DO over the verse of CE.

Childhood's End also presages the muted bass figure that was used in Time as the ticking of the clock.