1. Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2 vs. Up the Khyber
It's hard not to be bored with Brick 2, right? But I'll gladly take it over this brief but annoying throwaway from More. I skip Khyber every time it comes up. Brick it is.
2. Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast vs. Embryo
Embryo was a late entry. I had "Come In Number 51, Your Time Is Up" here but then I remembered it's just "Careful With That Axe, Eugene" under a different title. So I scrambled for a replacement. I couldn't believe I'd overlooked Embryo. A song that was played live a lot, but never appeared on an album, except for the compilation Works and a Harvest Records sampler. The first book of sheet music I ever owned was a Pink Floyd book, and it had this song in it, so I know it really well. I really love it, it would right in on Meddle or Obscured. As for APB, it's got some great parts but it never really comes together. It's never stuck with me (I couldn't hum a single part from memory) and frankly the "breakfast" noises kind of ruin it for me. Easy vote for Embryo
3. A Saucerful of Secrets vs. Pow R. Toc H.
Pow R starts out fantastic but it just breaks down into obnoxiousness. To be honest, I'm not a huge fan of the first 8-9 minutes of Saucerful, but that ending is just stunningly gorgeous. The live version from Pompeii (or the one off Ummagumma) is better, but the studio version is great too. This is tough because each of these is pretty much half an excellent song and half wankery. But Saucerful is more engrossing in general.
4. Arnold Layne vs. Mudmen
Mudmen is nice, but it's just an instrumental take on Burning Bridges. And Burning Bridges is already in round 2, so this is an easy vote for Arnold Layne, a supremely catchy Syd pop song about a perv.
5. Have a Cigar vs. The Gunner's Dream
I'm a big Roy Harper fan. Have a Cigar turned me on to him, and I think he's wonderful. And I like this song but it's the weakest on WYWH for me. Which isn't saying much, because there aren't a lot of songs on that album and they're all pretty damn good. Gunner's Dream though!! Those lyrics are amazing, and that sax solo, and I get goosebumps when I listen to it. It'll probably lose this matchup, but my heart is with Gunner.
6. Vera vs. Fat Old Sun
The Wall was the first record I ever bought (not counting a K-Tel compilation or two). 12-year-old me hated that whole Vera/Bring the Boys part. It felt like dumb filler. But now I think it's great. Vera is incredibly short but it's just lovely and heartbreaking. "Does anybody else in here feel the way I do?" has such a haunting ring to it. But boy, I also really enjoy Fat Old Sun. Another tough matchup. Argh.... I guess Vera but I'd love to pick both.
7. The Trial vs. Southampton Dock
The Trial is the opposite story from Vera. I used to loooove it and now I've kind of soured on it. It just grates me. But well.... I dunno, listening to it right now I don't dislike it as much as I thought I did. I appreciate the artistry and the theater of it, and I know it like the back of my hand. And I'm finding I don't love Southhampton Dock as much as I thought I did. It's great as a preamble to the title track, but on its own it's only okay. No, it's more than okay, but still I'm finding these two tracks on pretty equal footing when I thought it would be a slam dunk for me. I can't believe I'm doing this, but I'm voting for The Trial. Ouch, that one hurt.
8. Careful with That Axe, Eugene vs. It Would Be So Nice
Jeez, another difficult choice. IWBSN is, like Paintbox, a superb Rick Wright track with a lot of delightful little ornate touches. And in the other corner, Eugene is so badass and huge. What do I prefer, the band jamming and exploring space as a tight unit, or crafting great pop ditties? I don't wanna choose, why did I do this to myself? Okay, okay... umm... gonna go with Nice mostly because it seems like the underdog to me and I want it to get at least one vote.