waters seems watered down to me...

[Sonic Destruction]

Yeah, theatricality, that's the word I was looking for. Roger isn't a great actor; he's a great director.

[DoctorFloyd]

DoctorFloyd you are right only as far as the "music" is concerned. But is Pink Floyd just music? I certainly would hope not, I think they are much more than just a jam band.

The passion, emotion, and creativity that Waters brought to the table cannot be replaced. I went to DG's show in LA, and it was a very beautiful concert. But I wouldn't call it Pink Floyd by a longshot, yes musically it sounded like PF but without Roger the words simply had no meaning. DG can sing very well, but he can't do what Waters can with the lyrics because by and large they simply aren't his own.

Let's face it, without Waters and DG nothing will ever sound truly like PF and satisfy all fans.

But without David and Rick's very distinctive style, then I am sorry, but the words mean nothing. To me, Pink Floyd are all about the music, and the words and the feelings are simply part of that music as a whole. Davids shows to me will always sound more like Pink Floyd, because of the sound that only he can make. To me, Pink Floyd is not about a stage show, or a lightshow...although it is nice. It is about the sound, and to be fair, Rogers shows, while they may look fantastic, and sound good, they simply don't have the amazing sound that David's guitar and Ricks keyboard bring to a show. I could shut my eyes and listen to David's shows, and it would sound like Pink Floyd, I could not do the same with Rogers, even with all the passion you like.

[davidjay]

when people go to a waters show or listen to one of his solo albums and expect to hear the floyd, they're dissapointed. surprise, surprise. roger waters isn't pink floyd. none of the individual members are. i like roger's solo work, but i don't listen to it as often as i listen to his earlier work with the floyd. an album like atd is very challenging and thought provoking. sometimes i just want to put on animals and jam. it all depends on my headspace at the time. i'm constantly reading that such-and-such album sucks. do they really suck, or are they just not what you were expecting?

[Northerntube]

Here's my take on solo Waters: for one of the finest rock lyricists of all time, he lost his way when he gave himself free reign to do as he pleased. His solo albums are weighed down in verbosity and literal statements with little of the grace, subtlety and SIMPLICITY that made his lyrical contributions to PF so universal. Further, since The Wall he has leaned towards the narrative form solely, leaving precious little to the imagination of the listener. His work has become often heavy handed, self-important and lacking subtlety. Which is not to say there aren't fine fine songs to be found. But it can be a bit of a chore to get to these golden nuggets.

Live, it gets a bit trickier. I for one wish he would present the PF material in a more imaginative way and not believe his audience wants to hear songs performed just as they are on the album, right down to the solos. It ties the hands of the talented people he could get to play with him and results in him just finding the live version of a studio musician: here's your part, play it, shake your hair around and look enthusiastic and there'll be a good pay awaiting you at tours' end. Let's not kid ourselves, the world is not stopping turning at the majesty and innovation of Dave Kilminster. That could be anyone up there, which is a shame.

And no, of course it doesn;t matter what a musician looks like, or is wearing. But it is hard not to find the juxtaposition of a 62 year old man in a sensible blazer playing next to a man in tight snakeskin pants laughable. I just wish Waters could see that too. It's not a very dignified presentation of oneself.

[hsed]

I think what we've seen from Roger over the years is his natural progression to where he ultimately wants to be. I don't believe Roger was ever a true musician at heart like David and Rick were, he was always more interested in the bigger picture and creating work that was thought provoking and inspiring.

This is why his solo work is far more verbose and wordy, and less concerned with the music. But you have to keep in mind Waters never intended to make records that sounded like Pink Floyd after he left the band. Therefore it is a bit unfair to compare the two in the same context.

Roger's shows and David's shows are just different, I wouldn't say either one is "better" than the other.

[Demolition Man]

You know for all the crying I see in this thread about both Roger and David's shows..... I wish I could get to see EITHER one of them. Be lucky to those who are going and yet are bitching about what you are getting. Think about people like me who would CRY A RIVER IN HAPPINESS to get to see Roger and/or David live in the flesh.

[cwta eugene]

[quote]This is why his solo work is far more verbose and wordy, and less concerned with the music. [quote]

I agree whole-heartedly with you on this. Listen to Every Strangers Eyes off PACOHH. Roger tries to squeeze the line "And faces blurred by rubber stamps...I recognize" and it doesn't really follow the music too well. I bet Eric Clapton had a tough time because Roger was trying too hard to make a lyrical statement while focusing less on bars and measures.

I remember David saying once "What we will miss from Roger was his drive, his focus, his lyrical brilliance,... but he was not a great musician, our Rog."

[Sonic Destruction]

That line off "Every Stranger's Eyes" and others like it, I think it shows what a great songwriter Roger can be when he can fit that stuff in. It is like Robert Johnson and John Lee Hooker (or even Syd's solo stuff) where the meter of the music was just adapted to fit in everything those songwriters wanted to say. John Lee Hooker had no trouble laying down a 13, 14 or even 15 bar blues if it meant he could use it to tell the story. Dylan (a Roger hero for obvious reasons) is great at doing this too.

Listen to Roger NINE syllable lead in line on "Mother" - now that is GREAT songwriting.