Roger Waters - Radio K.A.O.S (KAOS)

Discussions about Pink Floyd and Solo Official Album CDs and DVDs.

Rate this album

5 - Best
11
15%
4
16
22%
3
15
20%
2
12
16%
1 - Worst
20
27%
 
Total votes: 74

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space triangle
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Re: Roger Waters - Radio K.A.O.S (KAOS)

Post by space triangle »

Annoying Twit wrote: Mon Aug 17, 2020 8:43 pm
According to https://www.officialcharts.com/artist/2 ... er-waters/, Radio Waves got to No. 74, and The Tide is Turning got to No. 54. By 'hit' I meant a bit higher in the charts. The album did better getting to No. 25, but again I meant a better chart placing than that. All his subsequent original albums did much better.
You are absolutely right, but those were rather different times. A radio stations played songs from a new albums completely on their own. By their own choice. Many songs were never realized as singles at all, but they were constantly played on the meny different radio stations and become hits. It was similar with music TV channels, especially MTV. What's more, many songs would first become popular on the MTV, and only after then be released as a singles. I remember that Radio Waves and Learning To Fly from AMLOR aired on MTV every day. Especially Learning To Fly. Every two hours.
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Re: Roger Waters - Radio K.A.O.S (KAOS)

Post by ZiggyZipgun »

"Payola" has been around since the 1930s and is still in practice today. Record companies did it with MTV as well, which had been around for six years at that point. If "Learning to Fly" and "Radio Waves" were getting equal airtime, it certainly wasn't based on sales.
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Re: Roger Waters - Radio K.A.O.S (KAOS)

Post by space triangle »

ZiggyZipgun wrote: Tue Aug 18, 2020 3:15 am If "Learning to Fly" and "Radio Waves" were getting equal airtime, it certainly wasn't based on sales.
A lot of songs played frequent at the time had nothing to do with sales or chart positions. If I'm not mistaken MTV was running 24 hours a day. What stuck in my mind the most was Peter Gabriel's video and his song 'Sledgehammer', and 'Learning to Fly' by Pink Floyd. Radio Waves aired often a couple of months before the release of AMLOR, but less frequently thereafter.,
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Re: Roger Waters - Radio K.A.O.S (KAOS)

Post by ZiggyZipgun »

"I accepted halfway through the record that as a narrative form, the album was doomed to failure. You just get a taste of the narrative. I made the decision to go with it anyway and allow the project to develop if it was going or stop if it was not." - 1987

"We tried too hard to make it sound modern. Also, the part where Billy pretends that he's just started the Third World War I now find faintly embarrassing. And I dislike the backing vocals on 'The Tide Is Turning.'" - 1992

"God knows where that came from. It's such a strange story. But I love "The Tide is Turning," the version we did at the Wall concert in Berlin. I prefer that version to the one on the record. I always wanted to do it as a big anthemic rock thing. To do it with some of those voices was terrific." - 1999
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Re: Roger Waters - Radio K.A.O.S (KAOS)

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Re: Roger Waters - Radio K.A.O.S (KAOS)

Post by battra »

ZiggyZipgun wrote: Wed Mar 03, 2021 1:13 pm "I accepted halfway through the record that as a narrative form, the album was doomed to failure. You just get a taste of the narrative. I made the decision to go with it anyway and allow the project to develop if it was going or stop if it was not." - 1987

"We tried too hard to make it sound modern. Also, the part where Billy pretends that he's just started the Third World War I now find faintly embarrassing. And I dislike the backing vocals on 'The Tide Is Turning.'" - 1992

"God knows where that came from. It's such a strange story. But I love "The Tide is Turning," the version we did at the Wall concert in Berlin. I prefer that version to the one on the record. I always wanted to do it as a big anthemic rock thing. To do it with some of those voices was terrific." - 1999
I'll agree with the man himself here.

There were lots of mistakes made on this album.

However, it's still better than About Face, A Momentary Lapse In Reason, Rattle That Lock, and The Division Bell.
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Re: Roger Waters - Radio K.A.O.S (KAOS)

Post by ZiggyZipgun »

battra wrote: Sun Mar 14, 2021 12:24 amHowever, it's still better than About Face, A Momentary Lapse In Reason, Rattle That Lock, and The Division Bell.
I think you're in a very small minority - not necessarily here, but in the real world. I've personally always liked Pros and Cons and Amused to Death, even though I don't enjoy listening to them more than once every so often...but I actually get annoyed when I try to sit through Radio KAOS. That was time I could've spent listening to my favorite playlist, David Gilmour/Wet Dream (and I'm in a very small minority here, there, and everywhere).
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Re: Roger Waters - Radio K.A.O.S (KAOS)

Post by mosespa »

ZiggyZipgun wrote: Sun Mar 14, 2021 1:37 am (and I'm in a very small minority here, there, and everywhere).
Quoting that turgid piece of poppycock kinda proves it, too. :P
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Re: Roger Waters - Radio K.A.O.S (KAOS)

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mosespa wrote: Sun Mar 14, 2021 2:14 amQuoting that turgid piece of poppycock kinda proves it, too. :P
Roger is his own worst critic.
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Re: Roger Waters - Radio K.A.O.S (KAOS)

Post by mosespa »

I was referring to the McCartney lyric quote.

I hate that fucking song, too! lol
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Re: Roger Waters - Radio K.A.O.S (KAOS)

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Re: Roger Waters - Radio K.A.O.S (KAOS)

Post by mosespa »

Yeah...still a garbage song.

But...that's just, like, my opinion, man. ;)
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Re: Roger Waters - Radio K.A.O.S (KAOS)

Post by ZiggyZipgun »

I agree, I just thought you'd especially dislike that version. :D

McCartney has no shortage of melodies, but his lyrics are mostly crap. Lennon seemed to work harder on the lyrics when he knew he had a good melody, but he wasn't above putting out filler. Harrison was the real deal.

I could tie this into the thread topic by selectively quoting Roger's interviews from the late '80s where he touted his "Lennon instinct" - his bullshit detector, as an artist - but, it's too nice of a day.
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Re: Roger Waters - Radio K.A.O.S (KAOS)

Post by Jimi Dean Barrett »

Well here's the Quebec show. As good as it would to see remastered, I think the reason could be it wasn't just badly filmed (unless this is fan shot) it's more it wasn't recorded on film. So any remastering would still have VHS glare and ghosting.
Of course a CGI animation of a VHS being inserted and ejected at the end of the show would solve a bit of that problem. Would still have to put a disclaimer. But I understand.
We Were there! Well... at least there over the VHS and Digital film will be preserved better than negatives of film negatives debates.

https://youtu.be/NentJAa--G8
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Re: Roger Waters - Radio K.A.O.S (KAOS)

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ZiggyZipgun wrote: Sun Mar 14, 2021 1:37 am
battra wrote: Sun Mar 14, 2021 12:24 amHowever, it's still better than About Face, A Momentary Lapse In Reason, Rattle That Lock, and The Division Bell.
I think you're in a very small minority - not necessarily here, but in the real world. I've personally always liked Pros and Cons and Amused to Death, even though I don't enjoy listening to them more than once every so often...but I actually get annoyed when I try to sit through Radio KAOS. That was time I could've spent listening to my favorite playlist, David Gilmour/Wet Dream (and I'm in a very small minority here, there, and everywhere).
A friend of mine has always made fun of me for enjoying little loved albums. I don't TRY to, but I end up liking them.

I accept that my opinion is typically a minority opinion and I own it.

As for KAOS, it's my least favorite of the four, but I do enjoy it. This is gonna sound bad, but the fact that it's shorter than the succeeding works is something that really helps it.

Had it been a triple sided album like both Amused and Life...yeah...I would probably not like it.

And one of these days I'm going to get a copy of Wet Dream.