The Division Bell, want some opinions...

General discussion about Pink Floyd.
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quicksilver
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Post by quicksilver »

I also like the Division Bell. It's a good blend of different music styles and doesn't seem as forced as AMLOR (which I also Like, for the most part). As David Smith says, it does lack that old Floyd formula but it's not old Floyd, it's new Floyd and it kind of has a sound of it's own. I think Rick Wrights contributions may be underrated a bit because his efforts do give it an old Floyd feel.

I personally have stopped comparing "Dave's Floyd" to "Rogers Floyd" I think TDB can stand alone and it's a great stepping stone for another record if they have it in them.
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Post by shawn59 »

To my mind, Division Bell is quite a good album since it is calm, peaceful. Logica, Pink Flo gets old but the sound is as powerful as severel years before.
I was astonished by the sonh High Hopes. It's one of my best song. It's a little bit sad and disillusioned but it gives also a new hope and let me think that perhaps one day Pink Floyd will get back on stage...

:wink:

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David Smith
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Post by David Smith »

The Division Bell was the last album i listened to, and it's slightly growing on me. However, i can now pinpoint a formula that Gilmour's Floyd have always had.

2 Verses followed by an intermission before a final verse.

Almost every song does this on TDB and AMLOR, and it just seems to much like trying to create the old floyd sound.
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quicksilver
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Post by quicksilver »

David Smith wrote:The Division Bell was the last album i listened to, and it's slightly growing on me. However, i can now pinpoint a formula that Gilmour's Floyd have always had.

2 Verses followed by an intermission before a final verse.

Almost every song does this on TDB and AMLOR, and it just seems to much like trying to create the old floyd sound.
I'm sure that was the intent. Afterall, he was intregal in creating that old Floyd sound so it's not surprising that those 2 albums would follow the same formula to some degree. I think that you could probably go back to "Meddle" which was the first Floyd record to really have Dave's stamp all over it to trace that formula. However, I do feel that it is a bit over done at times, especially on AMLOR.
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David Smith
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Post by David Smith »

Say it was the intention, but i simply don't beleive a band would plan 2 albums where every song followed the same forumula. What TDB did right it did so with great style and an admirable pace, but what it did wrong was refuse to innovate. Although the songs are good in many places, by and large they're to similar.

As a whole i feel the album's underrated though. It was better than AMLOR.
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Post by Spinoza »

Most of the great songs on other Floydalbums, follow that line too, Smith.
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Post by David Smith »

Yeah i know, but that was mostly around Roger's time, the concept didn't have to continue until TDB.

Oh, this is not a roger versus Dave arguemt here. Agreed?
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Post by flashback »

You know some people complain because Pink Floyd wasn't innovative enough after Roger,others because they want every song to be a monster hit.The 2nd song on the TDB tells you what Dave thinks.He feels dammed if he does or if he don't so he's gonna do it the way he wants which is what he knows he should be doing anyway.The cd explains itself if you are willing to listen without putting thoughts on it before it plays.I find the cd has some great music on it.It is not DSOTM but it isn't suppose to be is it, as for complaining about the formula why would you change from 1 that has been successfull in both getting your message across and as a bussiness venture.
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David Smith
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Post by David Smith »

Ok, Syd's floyd can be summed up as doing totally unconventional rock music, roger's as doing 2 verses, intermission and another verse, how can you describe Dave's?

Answer: The same formula Roger's had.
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Post by David Smith »

Actually this is verging to close to a roger versus dave argument, lets just go back to the original topic
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Post by quicksilver »

David Smith wrote:Actually this is verging to close to a roger versus dave argument, lets just go back to the original topic
I don't think it really has to be made into a RvD argument. I just really believe that the formula sprung out of a callaboration of the 2 more than anything.
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Post by Spinoza »

Probably that formula was created during Live Performances, where there was a great improvisation ( a jamming ), and at the end, the first verse was repeated ( eg. Embryo, Fat Old Sun, Green is the colour ).
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David Smith
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Post by David Smith »

What the hell is Embryo and why didn't it get on any albums?
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Post by SomeGhostsStepOut »

David Smith wrote:What the hell is Embryo and why didn't it get on any albums?
It was originally going to be on UmmaGumma, but it was dropped for being too downbeat. It made it on a Harvest Records complilation Entitled "Picnic, A Breath of Fresh Air" Syd'd Terrapin & a Roy Harper song was in that complilation. Embryo is now on the Pink Floyd compiltaion "Works."
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Post by Richter_M. »

TDB is one of my favorite albums, period. I won't go so far as to say it's Floyd's best, but I do think it is well constructed and rather deep. I don't know if everybody here considers it to be a well-woven concept album, but I think it is right up there with Animals and DSotM as far as conceptual depth goes. I like how the theme (Communication Breakdowns, the way I interpret it) is not immediately obvious as Animals's theme is. And can anyone deny that there are quite a few great musical moments in there? I think the solos in Coming Back to Life are among Dave's best, and Marooned is simply fantastic. (That reminds me of a story: I used to play Marooned for people and try to get them to guess the title just from the music and sound effects. A number of them actually got it right, though never on the first try.) Wearing the Inside Out is beautiful and haunting at the same time - plus it's got a great title. I love every song on TDB, and I think the album as a whole holds together musically, lyrically, and thematically better than 99% of the other albums out there, just as most PF albums do.