Richard Wright - Fired During Recording The Wall Album

[mosespa]

Rick's status ended up where it was because he refused to help the band meet a new deadline.

I understand his reasons and I'm not even going to say that they weren't valid. BUT...that's what got him put out of the band.

It was decided that he wasn't a producer when he sat in the control room doing nothing, expecting to be given a producer credit for doing so. I guess because that's how it had been done before (when the band produced themselves and the credit was split equally,) but these were different times. Different measures were called for.

I'm sure that Roger would have gladly taken in something Wright had written...if it were any good or at least some kind of relevant to the sound the band was making now, versus what they used to sound like.

I can't say for sure as I wasn't there, but that's what all of the information I've taken in about the subject leads me to believe.

Your mileage may vary.

[ZiggyZipgun]

Roger was reluctant to work on the material that Dave brought to the table, which was likely more than *just* "Comfortably Numb" and "Run Like Hell", since he certainly had other music recorded that surfaced later. Rick objected to bringing in Bob Ezrin or any other outside producer, but he put himself in an unusually awkward position by offering to produce the album himself on a trial basis, rather than with the band, which only became worse when they brought in James Guthrie as an engineer - who also thought he was producing the record. Numerous people including Rick have made it clear that he doesn't work well under pressure, and it didn't help that he didn't like the project or the songs.

[mosespa]

So, he should have quit, then. The very minute "The Wall" was chosen, he should have said "right. I'm not doing this, then" and left.

That simple.

[ZiggyZipgun]

Nope, it absolutely should've been a Roger Waters solo album. The moment he chose to make a self-indulgent, semi-autobiographical pop musical where he would need to wield total creative control, he should've said, "right, I'm going to go do this" and left. And as I've speculated in the past, had Dave and Rick worked together on a side project in '78, they would've had the confidence to veto it. Neither of them liked Roger demos, and he didn't want their input anyway. It's ironic that he shot his wad prematurely, releasing his last great work under the Pink Floyd banner when (with Erzin's help) it could've been the beginning of a remarkable solo career that never was. It absolutely should've been a Roger Waters solo album.

[Kerry King]

It absolutely should've been a Roger Waters solo album.

And AMLOR absolutely should have been a Gilmour solo album.

And DB absolutely should have been an Alan Parsons Project album.

releasing his last great work

You're finally admitting the Wall is great?

[ZiggyZipgun]

You're finally admitting the Wall is great?

Mostly due to Erzin's involvement, sure. It's no Wish You Were Here or Atom Heart Mother though.

[Kerry King]

The Wall is great. And AMLOR absolutely should have been a Gilmour solo record. And Alan Parsons should have been a muzak critic. Maybe he was. Why would I know? I try to ignore him as much as possible.

Yes, The Wall is a great pink floyd album. However, it would have been weak as a Roger Waters solo album. Pink Floyd saved it. Even with Ezrin's meddling (Listen to Great Expectations by Kiss if you want to get an idea of just how bad a producer Ezrin is capable of being) (Or check out the end of Lou Reed's The Kids. Ezrin is willing to ruin a great song for the sake of getting his own children on a record) (see also: God Of Thunder). As great as The Wall is, even with horrible Ezrin-damaged crap like The Trial, it can't compare with this outfit...

[Kerry King]

I do enjoy the way Ezrin recycled ideas from Paul Stanley's 1978 solo album for 1979's Hey You.

[ZiggyZipgun]

After the Grateful Dead thing, I'll just take your word for it. Brian Eno jokes about producing Coldplay and U2, and he does whatever he wants with their material because he doesn't particularly care. I can't imagine anyone taking Kiss seriously on any level.

Berlin was Bob Ezrin's idea entirely, and he did it very well. Now imagine it was his idea to make the album, and he then made Lou take a back seat while he brought in a bunch of Velvet Underground fans to try to make every song sound like the Velvet Underground - that's what Nigel Godrich did to Roger's last release.

The Wall would've been weak as a Roger Waters solo album, but it would've been honest. The people involved might have been there because they wanted to be. Bob Ezrin wouldn't have had to take on the additional roles of camp counselor and hostage negotiator.

A Momentary Lapse of Reason would still have done very well as a David Gilmour solo album, because unlike some, he wasn't burning bridges in the music industry left and right, and people really seemed to like hearing those songs on the radio. If people bought it just because it said "Pink Floyd" on the cover, then those same people would also have been tricked into buying The Final Cut.

[Kerry King]

I'd like to see anyone post any specific reference to the coke problem that got Rick kicked out of the band.

I've got a silver spoon on a chain
Got a grand piano to prop up my mortal remains

If only Ezrin's kids could have sung back up on this one...

[ZiggyZipgun]

Another song that was Ezrin's idea.

[Kerry King]

For Nobody Home, Ezrin should have brought in that choir he used with Kiss on Destroyer. Or maybe Mick Ronson to add that cheesy phased out guitar sound he used to make Dylan's Rolling Thunder material sound even less like folk music and more like mainstream 70s arena rock. Snowy could have turned it into a blues solo in concert.
Wright could have probably played some blues on a Prophet 5 with it's delicious plastic sound. It might have saved his job.
I'd like to see anyone post proof that a blues solo on the Prophet 5 during Nobody Home would have failed to save Rick's job. Regardless of whether or not he quit or was fired.

[mosespa]

Snowy could have turned it into a blues solo in concert.

Which is exactly what he did during the Berlin show.

And I think the song is better for it...and "Nobody Home" is already one of my favorite songs on that album.

[ZiggyZipgun]

Ezrin's probably still very upset that Roger's kid got to read the "Look mummy! There's an airplane up in the sky..." line.

[Kerry King]

Snowy could have turned it into a blues solo in concert.

Which is exactly what he did during the Berlin show.

And I think the song is better for it...and "Nobody Home" is already one of my favorite songs on that album.

I should check that out. I never made it past Goodbye Blue Sky. Nobody Home is a great song.