Why has DG solo out-sold RW solo in total?

[Ashes andDiamonds07]

I took it as one. There's no way anyone could ever praise A New Machine

I'm the resident AMLoR defender here, but even I can't stand by "A New Machine". Utterly bizarre pair of tracks, can't imagine what they were thinking.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love AMLoR, but there's a few tracks that I can't sand, A New Machine 1 and 2 being two of them. I'm not a fan of Round And Round or Dogs Of War either.

[Ashes andDiamonds07]

This is surely a joke?

it is, of course, and I hope I continue considering it a joke in the future

Phewww, you had me worried there. Never do that again!

[Eclips]

it is, of course, and I hope I continue considering it a joke in the future

Phewww, you had me worried there. Never do that again!

I was serious about Shakira in that General Music Discussion thread I've opened, though

Anyway, another reason I believe Dave has outsold Rog is that he was attached to the Pink Floyd name for much longer than Roger, especially due to those 80's and 90's PF tours, for example the PULSE one. Especially since those were still pre-internet days.

Roger was more "in the background", even though he was still releasing solo stuff, and had some tours like the Radio KAOS one and the live Wall show in Berlin. But in pre-youtube days (80's and early 90's) his exposition was certainly much smaller than David's, who was still hugely active in Pink Floyd releases.

[azza200]

Very true and the fact David was cleaver enough to use business and the brand to get live footage out from those 2 tours kept the name Pink Floyd alive and kept him as guitar player for other artists during the 80's and 90's.

Then on top of that the home video market of the releases of DSOT & Pulse kept and the TV broadcasts from both tours kept David and PF in the public eye more the Roger who only did The Berlin Wall TV broadcast and VHS release during that era. Also David understood earlier enough after all the lessons learned from the 70's to document concerts and release them.

David is far more business minded then Roger who has shot loads of concerts over the decades and never releases them he is sitting on The Wall 80-81 footage which is gathering dust in his vault. Remember back in 2000 during the release of the live album David said in an interview he would of released the live footage at the same time as the live album but because Roger owns all the rights he can't, Roger was the one against the live album release & his son Harry had to change his mind.

David releases far more stuff then Roger does

[Ashes andDiamonds07]

Phewww, you had me worried there. Never do that again!

I was serious about Shakira in that General Music Discussion thread I've opened, though

Anyway, another reason I believe Dave has outsold Rog is that he was attached to the Pink Floyd name for much longer than Roger, especially due to those 80's and 90's PF tours, for example the PULSE one. Especially since those were still pre-internet days.

Roger was more "in the background", even though he was still releasing solo stuff, and had some tours like the Radio KAOS one and the live Wall show in Berlin. But in pre-youtube days (80's and early 90's) his exposition was certainly much smaller than David's, who was still hugely active in Pink Floyd releases.

I read somewhere - I think it was 'Motherless Child', an Eric Clapton biography - that during the 'Pro's And Con's Of Hitch-Hiking' tour, Waters wanted no use of the Pink Floyd name. This, of course, had to change due to poor sales.

In saying that, I would've killed to see that tour. I feel that Pro's And Con's had some of Roger's best lyrics and Eric's best guitar work since Derek And The Dominoes.

[Division Animals]

I've heard people call Momentary Lapse of Reason a Gilmour album. It sold 10 million copies worldwide.

Add that to the totals and see where they end up. LOL!!

[theaussiefloydian]

I was a long time AMLOR defender, but this album didn't grow well with me. Even Division Bell is not the same for me anymore, but i still enjoy it.

On the other hand, albums like More, Piper, Ummagumma have gotten more and more of my attention and love as years has passed - especially after I have discovered more of the early era through that Early Years box.

Perfectly fair. I stand by AMLoR and The Division Bell steadfastly - I found them in high school, which was not a happy go lucky fun time for me - but I fully understand why many don't. It is my opinion that a lot of AMLoR's problems are fixed by the 2019 remix though

[Ashes andDiamonds07]

I was a long time AMLOR defender, but this album didn't grow well with me. Even Division Bell is not the same for me anymore, but i still enjoy it.

On the other hand, albums like More, Piper, Ummagumma have gotten more and more of my attention and love as years has passed - especially after I have discovered more of the early era through that Early Years box.

It is my opinion that a lot of AMLoR's problems are fixed by the 2019 remix though

I have to agree completely on that, the sound isn't so 80's polished like on the original '87 album.

[Morty]

One simple reason. Gilmour has the Pink Floyd platform to promote himself.

[cigar73]

I'm the resident AMLoR defender here, but even I can't stand by "A New Machine". Utterly bizarre pair of tracks, can't imagine what they were thinking.

I was a long time AMLOR defender, but this album didn't grow well with me. Even Division Bell is not the same for me anymore, but i still enjoy it.

On the other hand, albums like More, Piper, Ummagumma have gotten more and more of my attention and love as years has passed - especially after I have discovered more of the early era through that Early Years box.

Much the same for me. AMLOR got me into Floyd but the older I got the less I liked it and when I understood what it really was I couldn’t listen to it any longer. Also the involvement, rightly or wrongly, of Gilmour’s wife in Division Bell never sat right with me. I enjoyed the music of it though, the lyrics not so much.

[Neil]

After reading @theaussiefloydian's post. I had a relisten to 'Watching TV'. The track works for me, as a country interlude on the album. Musically it isn't sophisticated, but for me PF music (including solo) doesn't have to be. But, perhaps it would have worked better on a Don Henley solo album than on a RW one. The line 'And I grieve for my sister' could have taken the song somewhere different, but the country song returns too quickly. A pity, but overall I still like the song musically. Though, I'm a little unsure of the lyrics nowadays for various reasons.

You make many a good point here.
And having a quick re-read of the lyrics... oh dear. I get what he's trying to go for, that a lot of activism is exceedingly shallow and based on what is seen on TV. But it's utterly graceless and occasionally a little bit offensive. (A gripe I actually have with a lot of Amused to Death - a slur against East Asians appears quite a bit on that album for no apparent reason other than shock value, and it grinds my gears something awful.)
That might also be a difference between Waters and Gilmour that's led to Gilmour selling better. Waters is on the whole a lot more abrasive, which might be a turn off for larger audiences.

I think there’s a lot to be said for this PoV.

Personally, I genuinely think Waters is genuinely a genius when it comes to lyrics. It’s a word that’s bandied around far too often and easily, but I do think it applies to him. ‘Time’, for example; what an incredible song, for the lyrics alone. And to have written that at 29 years old was it? Incredible, to have such a profound grasp of the human condition at such a young age, and to then be able to distill the thoughts and feelings of your common British person into a 7 minute song… it’s just remarkable.

That being said, as he has gotten older, Waters has morphed from being a lyricist to an activist; and inevitably, when you take up one side of any particular cause, there will be another side that opposes you; I’m certain he will have lost a lot of listeners on the basis of his activism alone. Also, sometimes I think people just don’t want to be hit with overtly politicised lyrics which compel them to think about the issues of the day; rather, they prefer to listen to music to escape from the negatives of their day, and simply relax. You can’t relax listening to Waters’ output, when he’s urging you to think about weighty issues.

Gilmour on the other hand, produces music that doesn’t require quite so much thought. It’s there to evoke a feeling or a mood. Sometimes he does touch open the weightier issues of the day, but in a much gentler way, I’d suggest. And, more obviously, with Gilmour you go to hear to music, and enjoy the way it sounds he creates engage your emotions.

I’d say it’s no surprise Gilmour has enjoyed greater sales post Floyd; but I’d say each are diminished without the other.