Meddle is the sixth studio album by English progressive rock group Pink Floyd, released 30 October 1971 on Harvest Records. It was produced between the band's touring commitments, from January to August 1971. The album was recorded at a series of locations around London, including Abbey Road Studios and Morgan Studios.
With no material to work with and no clear idea of the album's direction, the band devised a series of novel experiments which eventually inspired the album's signature track, "Echoes". Although many of the group's later albums would be unified by a central theme with lyrics written mainly by Roger Waters, Meddle was a group effort with lyrical contributions from each member. The cover, containing a close-up shot of an ear underwater, was, as with several previous albums, designed by Hipgnosis, though Storm Thorgerson was unhappy with the final result.
The album was well received by music critics upon its release. However, despite being commercially successful in the United Kingdom, lacklustre publicity on the part of their United States-based label led to poor sales there.