We all have that one album that comes along at the right time and rewrites our futures. For many people, Nick Mason was the percussive force behind the presentiment of their own awakened future, but the drummer himself also had his inspirations.
Mason was perfect for Pink Floyd because of the fact that he was keenly attuned to songwriting. He was never set to be the sort of juggaunt who thundered through the otherworldly sound that they were trying to create. His inspirations lay in folk, soul, and jazz, much more than heavy rebellion and blitzkreiging rockers.
In fact, when he was 19 and on the brink of joining his old school buddies in a new psychedelic start-up, he was stirred by Bob Dylan. The folk star’s first masterpiece, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan still remains among Mason’s favourite records of all time, telling Classic Album Sundays, “[Bob Dylan is] still the greatest songwriter in rock music.”
It’s telling that he even views Dylan as a “rock” songwriter given that many would place him in a different category, but that would also rob rock of its potential to contain depth. And Dylan simply showed up on the scene with a spade. Along the way, he inspired everyone from Mason to The Beatles, The Rolling Stones… in fact, it’s easier to say who he didn’t inspire: nobody.
The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan was a major breakthrough in music. It split the atom in terms of what was possible to say in a three minute song. The tracklisting remains a timeless string of absolute classics that not only stand up today, but define a moment in history as a pivot in pop culture.
That, in itself, is pretty rock ‘n’ roll, and Mason is the sort of student who would realise that. In fact, he even looks like a wise old owl behind the Pink Floyd kit, purveying a whirlwind of sound that condensed a catalogue of rock ‘n’ roll writers into one unique sound. While you might not think Dylan was among them, from Syd Barrett onwards, each of the group were huge fans.
Moreover, Mason’s choice among Dylan’s discography defines him as a man of great taste. Freewheelin’ is as important as music gets, but that doesn’t detract for a minute from the magnificent musical experience it delivers. It not only showcases his ingenious lyricism and sagacious wit, but also his grasp on melody is as good as Mozart or whoever wrote bloody ‘Baby Shark’.
So, while its impact on Mason’s drumming might not be immediately apparent, but if the sticksmith is not melodic and thoughtful, then he’s nothing at all.
