A constructive view

[David Smith]

Ok, this is a consturctive view on AMLOR because it occured to me that i've never done one. When you've read this or whatever how about doing some of your own, not necessarly on this album.


A Momentary Lapse Of reason:

The sound of the boat paddling through water (oh, this could also be a reference to roger WATERS and how the new floyd will rise from the pit he created, but probably not) signifies signs of life approaching us (signs of life in Pink Floyd hence the name) and slowly builds up to a very traditional piece of music.

Loud drums kick in, we're Learning To Fly. A strangely tragic song that explores the theme of unmet ambition and the sad irnoy is that the character can only watch people fly and will never himself manage to do it. However, rather than using this bittersweet irony the song is instead more for the period and mainstream 1980's rock. It's a feelgood song, but not a traditional floyd song.

Dogs of war is the next song and is truely awful on my opinion.

The start of One Slip is a reference towards the song Time and is one of the highlights of the album. The chorus is swinging and almost sounds like a totally different band. The drums beat off a steady congo rythm and Gilmours vocals certainly haven't suffered.

On The Turning Away is also a highlight. By this point Dogs Of war is almost forgotten and the song that sounds almost scotish (Wild mountain tyne for anyone wondering) rocks like the finest stadium rock before exploding in to a fine riff that unlike others isn't cut short by a twist in the concept.

Ok, what the hell is round and around? It takes to long and delays the start off the song Not Another Movie. A surprisingly avergage song. The lyrics are nice but the song goes nowhere and has no chorus to fit in with the rest of the albums feel good sort of music.

The New Machine's next, well atleast it's short.

Terminal Frost is like Sings of life because aside from being an instrumental it doesn't sound purely for the period. The album has a distingt 80's feel to it, something the instrumentals dont have which is a good thing.

The New Machine 2 is just awful.

Sorrow is for many the highlight of the album. I guess the main reason people say this is because of the start where Dave Gilmour sounds lie "the man" with his guitar. However, the song sounds uninspired to say the least. The last song on an album should be like a statement of the album or be a sensation so the album ends on a good note. However, i feel sorrow is ruined by Dogs Of War already being over 10 minutes, it stops the song from sounding so special.

It lacks a memorable closer to and although the lyrics are really good it seems a bit bland and pointless. This is probably the Gilmour song held in the highest regards and i feel it's sad that this will be the defining song for Gilmour's Floyd because it just seems like the 10 minute job could have been just as good if done in 5 minutes.

In conclusion, the album has it's high moments but it's really quite unremerkable. It's probably because it bears the pink floyd name, but i can't like it that much. The album sounds to uninspired and periodic, unoriginal an flat. Also, there's to many guitar riffs on it which is all very well for the odd song, but a pink floyd riff should be something limited to a few songs to make them that bit more special (e.g Comfortably Numb) rather than filling every single song.

It doesn't sound much like pink floyd, more like a mainstream glam rock band trying to be pink floyd and for this reason it loses points. At times it's impressive but it has little depth and doesn't create an atmosphere like the old albums could, basically all the old things that made DSOTM onwards Pink Floyd so good are missing on this album and whereas some songs stand alone it has to be asked why they bothered.

[Real Pink in the Inside]

"It stinks!"

Thank you, Jay Sherman

[Keith Jordan]

After reading your post, David, I listened to AMLOR no less than 3 times back to back and I rather enjoyed it. It is quite a soothing album but has an interesting narrative from the beginning of the album to the end. Enjoyable.

[Stiggs]

Props to RPITI...the critic's one of my fave cartoons.


And for AMLOR...it tries to be a concept album, it really does try. But now that Dave and the gang lost the edge, they tried to keep a concept up...but noooo....

As for "AMLOR has that 80s sound"...well duh, it came out in the 80s.

[Keith Jordan]

As for "AMLOR has that 80s sound"...well duh, it came out in the 80s.

Usually, Floyd albums are not dated with their sound except for half of them!

[David Smith]

Glad you were influened slightly be the review keith.

Now how about someone reviewing the division bell in that way rather than calling it crap? Or the final cut. Or better yet, a properly good album rather than half good (my opinion.)

Actually forbte it, i'll write a final cut one soon.

[Stiggs]

Well...The Division Bell is Dave's "concept of a concept album." As a whole I feel it is good...however it lacks the depth of emotion that it tried to have. Dave's once again trying a theme of breaking up, extended from AMLOR...where crazy stuff happens when there's "A Momentary Lapse Of Reason". The Division Bell is about the lack of proper communication. I do like a few songs on there a lot, ie High Hopes and Poles Apart. They shine better than the rest of the songs...but like I've said before...Dave was just trying too hard. The Division Bell was really a Dave Gimour album, guest starring Nick and Rick. It has its faults, but overall has a good sound. Not great, but not exactly bad.

PS - David Smith...Dogs Of War is now officially my favorite worst Pink Floyd song.

[David Smith]

Stiggs, good to see you've moved from the dark side, although i still hate the new machine more. Why did dogs of war have to be 10 minutes long?

Now people

The Final Cut:

I approached this album first time with a bit of caution, afterall, it's an 80's album, it's meant to be crap and i've never been a large fan of The Fletcher Memorial Home since hearing it on Echoes for the first time. Hmm, cautionary indeed.

And what better a way to begin what is supposedly a totally grim album than to question the death of our supposed savior. "Did i watch to much TV?" Hmm, the lyrics could be tweaked there. Seconds later Roger is going in to a high pitched rant that you can't help but love. The post war dream? How well said. Very idealistic yet realistic. The song ends as it began, quietly. A great start.

Your possible pasts tells stories of whores, soldiers and betrayel complete with the albums first and most memorable chorus. Well it's between this and paranpid eyes so i think i chose the right one there.

One Of The Few, The Hero's Return, The Gunner's Dream and Paranoid Eyes are all told from the same point of view, the teacher from The Wall. Sadly only one of these songs delivers fully, that being the brilliant Gunner's Dream. Roger delivers a fine vocal perfromance here and wails line upon lone of stoach churning ideology. Brilliant.

While The Heroe's Return is surprisingly average, the song Paranoid Eyes is offensive. A very deep and meaningful song, but it lacks tune and template. Pretty awful.

With the sound of a bomb a piano begins and the Fawkland wars have begun. After a nice intro we're introduced to the people that created this war, the sequence is like a dream and we pay a visit to The Fletcher Memorial Home. This song was the song i previously didn't like. Now that i've heard it a lot i can't help but like it, that is apart from that awful riff. This is Roger's best performance on the album and sees him reaching high note after high note while the writing is epic in lyrical content. Pity about the riff.

Southhampton Dock begins nicely with a first verse on guitar before an intermission and the superior second half begins ending on the line "In the bottom of their hearts they found the final cut" Waters cutting your ears with his sharp vocals. Spine tingling stuff.

The Final Cut is the sequel to Compfortably Numb in all but name. Roger again reaches stupidly high notes and can make the listner jump first time with his unexpected bursts. However, i can't help but feel that this song was just a reject from the wall that could have been so much more significant on that album. It seems out of place.

"Fuck all that" shouts David Gilmour ruining the peaceful moment that the band have created before knocking the listner back. The angre is broken by Waters before Dave takes over again. A duet of anger and soul, this is rock 'n' roll the pink floyd way! However, it's also glam rock and you know how i feel about that. Still, it's a nice contrast because of where it's placed on the album.

The final bit of music is the ighlight though. Two Suns In The Desert is a blissful song with so much wonder. This song is a pink floyd classic, and just as you think you've got it in comes Roger doing what he does best... Highpitched rants.

This rant is again a "Ranting Roger" classic that moves the listener backwards. So much force and passion, equally as good as Dave's work on Comfortably Numb. Finally, the song ends on an important message, that we may only be equal when we've reached the grave. Thanks Roger for making the most overly depressing statement ever. The song ends on an acoustic strum as it fades out as if to confirm that this song alone has been a truely great experience. The album ends as it started, with a bunch of news articles.

And there we have it, Roger's tribute to the promising post war dream to tell us years in advance that we've thrown ourselves to much rope and we've fucked it up. Yet this manages to be said without being corny.

This is where the album's chief fault lies, at times it's overly sentimental and during these moments the music quality suffers, but also the guitar riffs are on my opinion awful. Sorry, but it's my opinion.

In conclusion, it's the final brick in the wall and the fianl step to pink floyd on my opinion, what better a way to end a career than with this album. Not essential, but certainly better than i thought it would be, "the poorman's wall" (a quote from my brother) yes, but the statement should be "the poormans WALL." How can you make anything to equal the wall? Well it's very bloody difficult and Pink Floyd have done before (some would argue a few times) but if you expect it off pink floyd all the time then you expect to much.

[mosespa]

This message has been moved to the thread:

For Those Who Think The Final Cut Is Awful...



Feel free to check it out and read it.

[Furious]

that was the best descriptuion i ever read, Mosespa!

you put my thoughts into words.

my very, jaggered and unreadable thoughts.... :p

[mosespa]

Thanks, Furious...I do what I can:)

[Real Pink in the Inside]

Great job, Mos.

I think anyone who feels TFC is crap needs to read your analysis.

[David Smith]

Radio Kaos * (honestly)

Roger MUST have listened to The Who a lot! The concept is off a radio show (The Who Sell Out) that gets called up by disabled kid who will learn valuable things by the end of it ( similar to Tommy.)

Sadly this is where the comparissons end, either of those classic albums can be listned to on countless ocasions, yet i've only heard this album 3 times and onece just to write this review.

It's more like AMLOR in the way that it follws up a dark and haunting album (TFC and TPACOHH) by trying to make an enjoyable listening experience for the buyers and provide them with something different. This is not where the comparissons end, also like AMLOR the album is very much for the period. Radio Kaos COULD NEVER be released outside the 1980s.

This feels strangely out of character and presents one of our problems. Unlike the Pink Floyd albums (including to a degree AMLOR) this album could have been made by anyone and includes none of Roger's standard depth and originality. The only song that stands out is Four Minutes which is a gem, however, nothing else of it can stand up to TPACOHH and ultimatly the album contains to much techno styled music, and although this is to fit the concept, what sort of a concept should rely on bad music?

Next problem, none of the songs except Fpur Minutes are good. I seriously do think A New Machine could have been put on this album and it wouldn't be the worst song. All the songs are uninspired, boring, totally 80's, to repetitive and stick to much to the radio concept rather than actually being good songs. the album no longer carries the concept, the concept now carries the album.

In fact, i know the point in this thread is to do a fair review that states the good things about an album but as i truely think about it i can think of less and less positive things to say about the album. It just makes me think of 80s mainstream music, similar to AMLOR but lacking it's original vision and (i can't beleive i'm saying this) depth.

Really, i ended my AMLOR review by asking why they bothered, now i have to ask "why did he bother?"

Come on, someone say otherwise.

[MoreOrLess]

Pretty much agree with you about AMLOR its hardly a must buy album but like the division bell I think alot of the songs improve live espeically learning to fly and sorrow in 94. Iv always said that anyone looking for a post wall pink floyd album only really NEEDS pulse, you have pretty much all the bands best post waters songs(excpet maybe on turning away) sounding much better than the overproduced studio versions. The versions of darkside isnt that amazing but pretty much all the other classic floyd tracks are done well.

[Feeling Very Pink]

I agree. More or less. The P.u.l.s.e 'Learning to Fly' and 'Sorrow' are without a doubt the definitive versions.