Pink Floyd

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The album always sounded that way, back before "dynamics" became a four letter word. Nowadays all the quiet parts have to be the same volume as the loud parts...which reduces the amount of drama in the recording. The Final Cut uses those loud instrumental sections as "cathartic release" to break up the quiet, meditative stance of the verse sections.

For a band like Pink Floyd, I get that. I'd expect it from them. Just makes for a difficult listen without head phones. I'll save this for "at home" listening. Stick to ear-shattering, head banging metal for work. Better to keep co-workers at bay.

detuned wrote:

The album always sounded that way, back before "dynamics" became a four letter word.

I agree.

The Final Cut isn't the best choice for work music anyway, it's one of those "pay attention and meditate on it" type of albums.

The only thing that bothers me about that remaster is the inclusion of "When The Tygers Broke Free"...if they had stuck it on the end of the album it would have been alright...but it was never part of the narrative before and I can't get used to hearing it that way.

The Final Cut is my favorite Pink Floyd album but it is definitely one of those albums you have to sit down and listen to.

And Metalguy they did release two singles off this album, 'Not Now John' and the title track, neither of which was well received by rock radio. The album still managed to go platinum, I suppose on the strength of the band's name alone.

They could have taken the song "Two Suns In The Sunset", edited out the horror movie mid-section (Mommy! Mommy!)...and released that as a single.

I always thought Your Possible Pasts would have been a good choice as well.

Not Now John is the only song that has never sounded like it fit with the rest of the record.

I agree that releasing the title track as single was a major mistake, look at the lyrics to the song, it deals with loss and depression, not to mention Roger Water's then pending divorce. He mixes in what he imagines his own father's experiences and feelings were during a war (Waters father died in battle during WWII) and mixes in with his own experiences with his own life.



The Final Cut (Waters)

Through the fish-eyed lens of tear stained eyes
I can barely define the shape of this moment in time
And far from flying high in clear blue skies
I'm spiraling down to the hole in the ground where I hide.

If you negotiate the minefield in the drive
And beat the dogs and cheat the cold electronic eyes
And if you make it past the shotgun in the hall,
Dial the combination, open the priesthole
And if I'm in I'll tell you what's behind the wall.

There's a kid who had a big hallucination
Making love to girls in magazines.
He wonders if you're sleeping with your new found faith.
Could anybody love him
Or is it just a crazy dream?

And if I show you my dark side
Will you still hold me tonight?
And if I open my heart to you
And show you my weak side
What would you do?
Would you sell your story to Rolling Stone?
Would you take the children away
And leave me alone?
And smile in reassurance
As you whisper down the phone?
Would you send me packing?
Or would you take me home?

Thought I oughta bare my naked feelings,
Thought I oughta tear the curtain down.
I held the blade in trembling hands
Prepared to make it but just then the phone rang
I never had the nerve to make the final cut.

We all know that Roger Waters does not write happy songs but to release this to rock radio was a major mistake.

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We all know that Roger Waters does not write happy songs but to release this to rock radio was a major mistake.

Knowing Roger's past problems with the music biz, do you think this was his way of giving them a big middle finger? "You want a single? How's this, ya twats? Let's see 'em play this!"

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Quote :

We all know that Roger Waters does not write happy songs but to release this to rock radio was a major mistake.

Knowing Roger's past problems with the music biz, do you think this was his way of giving them a big middle finger? "You want a single? How's this, ya twats? Let's see 'em play this!"

VERY likely. VERY. I remember seeing a picture of Waters in Rolling Stone magazine around this time...the caption under the photo said "Just another prick in the wall"

i DO!!!!!!

Listening to Atom Heart Mother now...really paying attention (as much as I can at work anyway)...very trippy on that first track.

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

Listening to Atom Heart Mother now...really paying attention (as much as I can at work anyway)...very trippy on that first track.

That opening track is a very cool piece of music. It's a transitional album to be sure, but a damn fine one.

Fat Old Sun is one of my favorite Gilmour tracks.

According to Nick Mason's book, originally the band was going to record this song (or maybe the entire album) using only kitchen utensils and pots, pans.

After the awhile spent time recording, or attempt to record the tune, they thought the entire idea was daft.

manny wrote:

According to Nick Mason's book, originally the band was going to record this song (or maybe the entire album) using only kitchen utensils and pots, pans.

After the awhile spent time recording, or attempt to record the tune, they thought the entire idea was daft.

You can hear some of that used in the background of Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast.

another great headphone endeavor

James B. wrote:

another great headphone endeavor

Oh yeah!

Last night, I caught the last half of 'The Making of Wish You Were Here' on VH-1 Classic. Always makes me sad when I hear the band recount the story of Syd Barrett walking into the studio during the recording and none of his old bandmate recognized him.

Gonna have to play some 'Atom Heart Mother' later thanks to this thread. I'll tell you what record I really love from that period though....'Ummagumma', both discs.

My first PF album that I bought was "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" and it is still my favorite. I have never heard the Syd Barrett stuff but I must confess that I do own "Dark Side of the Moon". I think that Brain Damage and Comfortably Numb are phenomenal songs.

"Comfortably Numb" and "Wish You Were Here" are two of my favorite PF songs, despite the fact that Classic Rock Radio plays them every 10 minutes. I never get tired of either...

Shawn Of Fire wrote:

"Comfortably Numb" and "Wish You Were Here" are two of my favorite PF songs, despite the fact that Classic Rock Radio plays them every 10 minutes. I never get tired of either...

For sure! It was classic rock radio that turned me on to PF in the first place.

I got into Floyd around 1978 or so, I was listening to a local radio station that played the entire Dark Side Of The Moon album one Saturday night. It was like taking a journey to another world! Up to that point my favorite bands were Kiss, Queen, Heart, Boston, The Doobie Brothers and ELO so the experience of DSOTM was a profound one.

I talked my Mother into buying me the LP the day after the radio show and it stayed on my turntable for about 6 months, I was obsessed with it. About a year later "The Wall" came out and I got it shortly thereafter, thus started another obsession...

My next Floyd purchase was the "Collection Of Great Dance Songs" album which came out in 1981. That was the first time I heard songs like One Of These Days, Sheep, Shine On You Crazy Diamond and Wish You Were Here.

I then remember getting Animals, Wish You Were Here, The Final Cut (as a new release) and then Meddle. Eventually I got all their albums.

Pink Floyd was one of the most important bands in my personal musical evolution, they will always be a favorite.

Since I listened to music mostly with headphones in the 70's, Pink Floyd was a staple. It began with "Dark Side...." (a bd gift in '74) The earlier albums came afterwards by various kickdowns from the neighborhood, siblings, and/or their boyfriends/girlfriends. I didn't get "Animals" or "Wish You Were Here" untill after Rush's "2112" came out. That album rekindled my interest in progressive music once again. I had kinda/sorta been stuck in this Zeppelin/UFO/Skynyrd/ and Humble Pie mode and "2112" got me back into Floyd, Yes, and ELP.

I havn't purchased antything after "The Wall"

S.D. wrote:

I got into Floyd around 1978 or so, I was listening to a local radio station that played the entire Dark Side Of The Moon album one Saturday night. It was like taking a journey to another world! Up to that point my favorite bands were Kiss, Queen, Heart, Boston, The Doobie Brothers and ELO so the experience of DSOTM was a profound one.

I talked my Mother into buying me the LP the day after the radio show and it stayed on my turntable for about 6 months, I was obsessed with it. About a year later "The Wall" came out and I got it shortly thereafter, thus started another obsession...

My next Floyd purchase was the "Collection Of Great Dance Songs" album which came out in 1981. That was the first time I heard songs like One Of These Days, Sheep, Shine On You Crazy Diamond and Wish You Were Here.

I then remember getting Animals, Wish You Were Here, The Final Cut (as a new release) and then Meddle. Eventually I got all their albums.

Pink Floyd was one of the most important bands in my personal musical evolution, they will always be a favorite.

My experience was similar, the classic rock radio station was playing exclusively PF for a couple of hours one evening for some such reason. I wanna say, late 2002-03, and they played Learning to Fly, Brain Damage/Eclipse, and Comfortably Numb in a row and I was absolutely blown away by the texture and quality of the music and for some reason Comfortably Numb really moved me. Pretty much all I was listening to at the time was Kiss, Stryper, Poison, etc.. Then again this same radio station did the same with Foreigner, Alice Cooper, and Styx, which is how I really discovered those bands.

James B. wrote:

Since I listened to music mostly with headphones in the 70's, Pink Floyd was a staple. It began with "Dark Side...." (a bd gift in '74) The earlier albums came afterwards by various kickdowns from the neighborhood, siblings, and/or their boyfriends/girlfriends. I didn't get "Animals" or "Wish You Were Here" untill after Rush's "2112" came out. That album rekindled my interest in progressive music once again. I had kinda/sorta been stuck in this Zeppelin/UFO/Skynyrd/ and Humble Pie mode and "2112" got me back into Floyd, Yes, and ELP.

A Momentary Lapse of Reason is my go-to headphone fodder, especially in the summer. Nothing beats laying out in a lounge chair in the back yard, staring at the stars, while David Gilmour's guitar gently weeps (pun intended). That guy can play with more emotion and texture than anyone else I have ever heard. Not very many guitarists even come close. Pulse Live is another fantastic PF album. I love the extended solo's in Comfortably Numb and On the Turning Away.

yeppers, Gilmore can express more with a few notes than alot of other players can do with alot of scales.