Richard Wright - Wet Dream

[Hudini]

it does border on muzak

Exactly. And that's one more reason not to like them.

[malusienka]

I've just bought this album - vinyl redcord in a very good condition.
I knew this songs earlier, but now they sounds even better!
I felt in love in "Against all odds".

I thought that "Broken China" is his best album, but I've changed my mind.

[crowman]

I quite like this one. Holiday's a lovely track.

[30yrsydfan]

I tried to like this album, but alas, it sucks.

[oldperfume]

Under rated to say the least. "Holiday" is great & Wright's voice has always been severely under rated. Guitar solos by Snowy White fit where they are suppose to & Reg Isadore does some solid drumming. I will say that It's nothing compared to "Remember A Day", "PaintBox" & "Great Gig in the SKY". Well worth buying though!!

[The Guest]

Is Wet Dream a concept album? It seems to reflect on the sea a lot, including in the album title. I don't know if that's just a coincidence, or if it is a concept album about being at sea.

[Hudini]

If it is a concept album then "Pink's Song" (the only really good song on the album) falls out of that concept.

[Massed Gadgets]

If it is a concept album then "Pink's Song" (the only really good song on the album) falls out of that concept.

I see the concept of the album as being about alienation, separation, loss and loneliness, with the sea used both as a metaphor and as a reality. At the time, Rick's marriage was crumbling, he was being alienated from his band, and he sought solace in sailing (and, well, drugs too). I think in this context, Pink's Song does fit the concept. Although presumed to be an ode to Syd, I think Wright was also comparing himself to Syd, as he descended into his own kind of madness and realized that he was likely to be forced out of the band. I think it's significant that most of the song is written in second person ("Sadly then you lost yourself, so you had to leave"), but then changes to first person ("I must go, be on my way. Let me go, I cannot stay.").

[The Guest]

I know that, Hudini. As well as that I'm not sure if "Mad Yannis Dance" or "Drop In From The Top" are related either, because I don't know what they're about. But I don't think that this one song (Pink's Song) would necesarily cancel the concept, if there is one.

I think that's a likely possibility, Massed Gadgets.

[Hudini]

I've read an interview with Rick in which he stated that "Pink's Song" was dedicated to the babysitter who was keeping eye on Rick's and Juliette's children at the time they were divorcing and the state of mind the poor person was in because of the situation. But that doesn't change the fact it's a song about alienation. If "Wet China" is a concept album, it's a very loose concept, such as "The Division Bell", per instance.

[danielcaux]

Perhaps Wet Dream was intended as a concept album but Rick didn't quite pull it off; you know, like Sgt. Pepper. At least we can agree in that it has a unifying trope overall, the sea.

[Massed Gadgets]

I agree, it's a concept album that's a loose concept...more a collection of thematically related songs. I think it's an album of Rick's expressions of what he was feeling and going through at the time.

[Hudini]

Loose concept album, yes. Actually, when you think of it, a lot of Pink Floyd and its members solo albums feature a loose concept. "Wish You Were Here", "The Final Cut", "The Division Bell", "Broken China", "Amused To Death"...

[Jacek]

Although I've been familiar with Syd and Roger's solo albums for as long as I've been a Pink Floyd fan (a loooong time), it's only this summer that I've ventured to check out Rick and Dave's albums - which is very strange, because I prefer the Gilmour-Wright-Mason Floyd to Roger's solo stuff, so you'd think I'd have looked into their solo efforts long ago...

Anyhow, I think it's great! It's fascinating in the first place to see what kind of music Rick was coming up with right around the time he stopped contributing creatively to Floyd albums. Rick has always been my favorite vocalist, and I think those Floyd tunes attributed solely to him (as well as, of course, ones in which he shares songwriting credit) are all spectacular, with the exception of It Would Be So Nice (fun song, but man, soooo cheesy) and See Saw (good but not great). I do really miss the other Floyd member's instrumental and vocal additions, but that's always the case with solo albums, and their absence has to be taken in stride (and factored into the way one evaluates the music).

I love the way the album is divided between the vocal and instrumental tracks; my favorites, respectively, are Pink's Song and Waves. I didn't like Holiday on my first listen but it's grown on me, so I now enjoy every song, and I love listening to the album all the way through. So much Rick makes for sooooo much great music. The saxophone work is amazing, and the guitarist doesn't seem too shabby either. But the main attraction, of course, is Rick's voice, keys, and songwriting, and it sure doesn't disappoint.

It's also quite the lovely album in terms of mood - I agree with the comment about feeling like you're out on the sea with Rick in his yacht, trying to escape the travails of ordinary living... great stuff.

4/5

[J Ed]

The saxophone work is amazing, and the guitarist doesn't seem too shabby either.

looking above, I dont think anybodys made note of who these two musicians are:
the saxophone is Mel Collins, of early King Crimson and much session work (eg Miss You), who would later appear on the Pros & Cons tour & the Radio KAOS album and tour (EDIT: Mel's also on When the Wind Blows)
the guitarist is Floyd & Roger touring sideman Snowy White, I think this is his only actual studio work with any of the Floyd