Who are you and who am I

Pink Floyd - Obscured by clouds - 1972

I can't even imagine how frustrating it must have been for fans and critics alike back then. To know that this was a band that could do absolutely great things, and to keep on waiting, time and again, for the album that would prove it.
And to keep getting albums like this.
Recorded as yet another soundtrack, this time for Barbet Schroeder's La Vallee, this album was done in a bit of a hurry, and it shows.
Parts of it are great, the first couple of tracks have a sound that really wouldn't be out of place in their next release, and the same could be said about the beautiful "Mudmen". So is "Childhood's End", with the added benefit of having the more mature lyrics that would be so characteristic in the future.
There's also "Free Four", which also has lyrics that are almost, but not quite, as poignant and depressing as those of "Time", but the almost pop-like melody ends up washing away the effect.
The rest of the album can be qualified as either "elevator music" or unnecessarily weird.
This one is considered the "forgotten" Pink Floyd album. Part of it was, most likely, because only a few months later they would release Dark Side of the Moon, and that album would pretty much cancel everything out. I also think that it has a lot to do with it being a bit of a disappointment, after such a great album as Meddle was.
And I am no exception because I always forget about this album. And even though I wasn't too thrilled by it, I am glad I got to listen to it again, because the better tunes are really great.

• The title of "Free Four" actually comes from the typical "one, two, three, four", only that in Cockney pronunciation. 
• There are few indicators of the big change Pink Floyd would go over in the near future, than the fact that "Childhood's End" is the last song David Gilmour would write in its entirety for 15 years, until A Momentary Lapse of Reason, in 1987.
• It wasn't actually easy to choose a song because, as I said, there's quite a few good ones and this album is so little known. I ended up with "Childhood's End", mostly because it's great and I had completely forgotten about it. 

We can't even think of a word that rhymes

Alice Cooper - School's Out - 1972

This one is certainly a bit of a mixed bag. 

It feels to me a lot less cohesive than its predecessor, even though it is a sort of conceptual album dealing with the topic of, well, high school, I presume.
The title track is, of course, one of Alice's most famous ones, and it was the greatest hit he would have in a long time, if not ever. It is also a great song. 

The rest of the album sounds like a cross between Broadway musical and progressive, if such a thing is possible. There are also good moments of straight-forward garage rock here, and I'm not too sure the excessive variety works all the time. Conceptually, it feels a bit juvenile and dated now, but it's Alice Cooper, so it's always fun to listen to. 

Not one of my favourite albums by Alice Cooper, but still a lot of fun to listen to. 

• The original release brought the vinyl wrapped in some paper panties. They were later discontinued because paper panties were found to be flammable. Who would have guessed, right? 
• "Gutter Cats vs. the Jets" is actually about a cat fight. It's probably a metaphor for a sort of West Side Story tale. It is followed by "Street Fight", which is a bit less than a minute of fight noises and, you guessed correctly, meows. 
• Of course, I'm putting "School's Out" here. It's too good not to listen to it. 

And also....

King Crimson - Earthbound - 1972

Live albums are a hit or miss for me, most of the times a miss. The few ones I like, I absolutely love, but for the most part, I'm usually disappointed.

I was curious about this one, because I don't remember listening to it before. 

It's horrible.

It was literally recorded on a cassette tape, from the mixer, in the rain, from the back of a Volkswagen truck. And no, I have no problems with the usage of the word "literally". That's the information in the liner notes. 

It sounds like you might expect, and King Crimson has no business releasing an album that sounds like crap, they're not The Sex Pistols.

It's a shame, because there are some cool tracks there. Get them in the original version, or watch the occasional videos that may appear on YouTube. Most of them sound better.