Music Banter - View Single Post - By the way, which one's Pink?-Pink Floyd reviewed

jackhammer · 06-04-2008, 06:01 PM

A MOMENTARY LAPSE OF REASON (1987)

Pink Floyd with Waters ended officially in 1985, soon after The Final Cut. However; Gilmour, along with drummer Nick Mason forged ahead defiantly to keep the PF name. This they were eventually granted with Waters owning certain rights such as the bulk of The Wall material, Animals flying pig etc and the remainder reverting to the original name.

Initially, there was to be another Gilmour solo album but as the material was worked upon, it was deemed good enough to become PF product. Who decided this then? although there are a few great moments, it is barely recognisable from PF of old.

The album has so many outside collaborators on the album that is nearly an insult to call it a PF album. With over six writers involved, it smacks of commercialism. Indeed many of Masons drum parts are performed by session musicians and/or programmed. The inclusion of Richard Wright is merely a token gesture, with his status being no more than a session musician.

Album opener Signs Of Life (apt title) is an ambient piece and a great teaser. Maybe we have a good album after all! Alas-no! Learning To Fly is an embarassing pop rock tune that is so far removed from the Floyd it is laughable. Faux Blues riff follower Dogs of War (despite some great sax work) is yet another nail in the coffin and feels completely manufactured. By the time we get to One Slip, it is time to throw the towel in. This is possibly Floyd's worse tune ever and would stink on a Foreigner album.

Luckily this is where things change slightly. On The Turning Away has echoes of that classic Floyd sound. There is some nice acoustic work and it builds a nice atmosphere. Unfortunately it is spoilt by some completely uneccessary choir backing vocals, that turn it into tune of the week. A first real blast of a Gilmour solo redeems the track a little.

Yet Another Movie stops the rot and emerges as one of the better post-Waters tracks. Excellent sound effects and a slow build up ensures us that Gilmour can still write big atmospheric tunes when he wants to. A solo Gilmour writen track that shows glimpses of where the Floyd could go. Mini-instumental add on Round And Around is a track that I would loved to have heard in a longer form.

The instrumental A Terminal Frost is bookended by a vocoder heavy voice track split into two: A New Machine (1 and 2) and whilst the intention for ANM is admirable. It comes across as heavy handed and A Terminal Frost becomes just another Ambient rock instrumental.

Sorrow is definitely a redeeming feature of the album. Dark, brooding, lyrically apt and full of simple, yet emotive motifs that make up the Floyd's sound. Sorrow could have been a portent of a band willing to travel upon a slightly different plane....

06-04-2008, 06:01 PM	#62 (permalink)
jackhammer Ba and Be. Join Date: May 2007 Location: This Is England Posts: 17,331	A MOMENTARY LAPSE OF REASON (1987) Pink Floyd with Waters ended officially in 1985, soon after The Final Cut. However; Gilmour, along with drummer Nick Mason forged ahead defiantly to keep the PF name. This they were eventually granted with Waters owning certain rights such as the bulk of The Wall material, Animals flying pig etc and the remainder reverting to the original name. Initially, there was to be another Gilmour solo album but as the material was worked upon, it was deemed good enough to become PF product. Who decided this then? although there are a few great moments, it is barely recognisable from PF of old. The album has so many outside collaborators on the album that is nearly an insult to call it a PF album. With over six writers involved, it smacks of commercialism. Indeed many of Masons drum parts are performed by session musicians and/or programmed. The inclusion of Richard Wright is merely a token gesture, with his status being no more than a session musician. Album opener Signs Of Life (apt title) is an ambient piece and a great teaser. Maybe we have a good album after all! Alas-no! Learning To Fly is an embarassing pop rock tune that is so far removed from the Floyd it is laughable. Faux Blues riff follower Dogs of War (despite some great sax work) is yet another nail in the coffin and feels completely manufactured. By the time we get to One Slip, it is time to throw the towel in. This is possibly Floyd's worse tune ever and would stink on a Foreigner album. Luckily this is where things change slightly. On The Turning Away has echoes of that classic Floyd sound. There is some nice acoustic work and it builds a nice atmosphere. Unfortunately it is spoilt by some completely uneccessary choir backing vocals, that turn it into tune of the week. A first real blast of a Gilmour solo redeems the track a little. Yet Another Movie stops the rot and emerges as one of the better post-Waters tracks. Excellent sound effects and a slow build up ensures us that Gilmour can still write big atmospheric tunes when he wants to. A solo Gilmour writen track that shows glimpses of where the Floyd could go. Mini-instumental add on Round And Around is a track that I would loved to have heard in a longer form. The instrumental A Terminal Frost is bookended by a vocoder heavy voice track split into two: A New Machine (1 and 2) and whilst the intention for ANM is admirable. It comes across as heavy handed and A Terminal Frost becomes just another Ambient rock instrumental. Sorrow is definitely a redeeming feature of the album. Dark, brooding, lyrically apt and full of simple, yet emotive motifs that make up the Floyd's sound. Sorrow could have been a portent of a band willing to travel upon a slightly different plane.... __________________ It be my music and film collection. “A cynic by experience, a romantic by inclination and now a hero by necessity.”