*Review* Pink Floyd - The Endless River

Many people on the audiophile board I post on really dig this record (and some don't) but out on the wider internet a lot of people are bitching, saying it's boring, that is consists of rejects that should have remained unreleased and it's not a real Pink Floyd album,  etc.  Reviews from the mainstream rock media are just as clueless and condescending as expected.  The real corker was one review stating "a reminder of why Punk killed off this crap in the first place'.  Classy. Anyway, since Pink Floyd has been my favorite band since 1979 and will probably remain so until I shuffle off I figured I would take a stab at reviewing it...

Is it a great album?  Probably not, but it's a damn good one, damn good.
Is it a classic Pink Floyd album?  No.  But it really wasn't intended to be or realistically expected to be.  It's a tribute to the late Rick Wright and in that purpose it exceeds marvelously.  

It's also technically not "rejects".  When Pink Floyd was recording The Division Bell they planned on recording a companion instrumental album because they had a surplus of material to work with and they were inspired.  However, for a myriad of reasons that didn't come to fruition and the tracks that they recorded have been waiting in the vaults for 20 years.  According to the liner notes 60% of The Endless River comes from those sessions, with new overdubs happening in 2013 to complete them.  They also used some solo recordings Wright did playing the organ at the Royal Albert Hall, those solo organ pieces have been incorporated and new compositions have been written around them (you can hear one of these in the track Summer '68 which is used as a bridge section for the tracks Allons).  

Now that we've covered what it isn't, let's discuss what it is.  

It's a beautiful album of instrumental rock music (and one vocal track) from a band known for a catalog of great instrumental rock.  It is a collection of short instrumental pieces that have been mixed together seamlessly to create a cohesive experience. It's an album in the classic sense, listen all the way through without distraction.  Preferably with headphones or the 5.1 surround mix on the blu-ray.

Really, it's a soundtrack album, but not to a film or a TV show, but of a musical career.  It's a loving testament to the interplay between David Gilmour, Nick Mason and the departed Richard Wright.  Wright left us with some beautiful performances here, whether on piano, organ or synth, again reminding me of how integral he was to the sound of Pink Floyd.  Wright was not a flashy soloist, but his taste was immaculate, he was able to choose just the right sound to complement Gilmour and Waters compositions.  That mastery of sounds is on fine display throughout The Endless River.

The material is like an audio travelogue through a large section of Pink Floyd's career.  There are moments that would work on Obscured By Clouds, there is a semi-tribute to Shine On in the track "It's What We Do", the song Allons could fit comfortably along with material from The Wall and there are many other little moments, little reminders of songs from the past, kind of like old friends dropping by to say hello.  

Gilmour utilizes his mind-boggling array of guitar sounds to expectedly great results, not a lot of guitar "solos" (though some is on display) but tasteful, emotional playing throughout.

I wish it was a little longer, many of these short pieces could have been developed into longer compositions, but still, as a pastiche and a tribute it's a loving one.

One final thought. This album actually sounds more Pink Floyd than either A Momentary Lapse of Reason or The Division Bell.  I think without vocals, with just their wonderful sound to concentrate on it really reminds me of the reason I became a Pink Floyd fan in the first place.  The first thing that fascinated me about Pink Floyd was not the songs, what struck me was the SOUND.  That combination of players and the instrumental tone choices they made, it was like hearing something truly magical. That's the way I felt when I was kid first discovering them, that's still the same way I feel now 35 years later.  Most of the instrumentation on The Endless River lacks the layers and layers of overdubs that were added to both of the previous Gilmour-led Pink Floyd albums, making it a more stripped down and direct affair.  That's just fine with me.  

A fitting epilogue to the career of one of the best bands of all-time.

R.I.P. Rick.

Even as a big fan of punk, I find that 'punk killed prog' think hilarious! In 1979, right after punk killed all of the old dinosaur bands, Pink Floyd released The Wall which to date has sold a paltry 33 million copies!

I wish that punk would kill my career too! I could do with the cash!

As for The Endless river. The radio station that we listen to at work a lot had been playing the vocal track a lot and I'm starting to love it. Going to Spotify the album later.

Nice review.

I'll probably put this one out there for my family as a "suggestion" for Christmas. Probably not something I'd listen to allot, but if the mood is right, it'll hit the spot.

I really loved The Endless River. Sure it might be not as touching as Marooned or the final notes of High Hopes, but overall it is a truly magnificient sonic experience, and a good way to end the legacy.

S.D. wrote:

The first thing that fascinated me about Pink Floyd was not the songs, what struck me was the SOUND.  That combination of players and the instrumental tone choices they made, it was like hearing something truly magical.

Can't agree more.
This album felt for me as the soundtrack to a close friend leaving.

I like the new album as background music

Anyone have this on vinyl? The reason I ask is because i saw it as a 2 record set. I am currently playing it on spotify and it has the "sides" listed and none of the songs are very log. It looks as if Side one is less than 13 minutes, side 2 is the same way, side 3 is around 11 and side 4 is less than 20. I am just wondering why it is a double album if the sides are so short, with the exception of side 4. I wonder if they could have done this as a single LP. Or maybe it was because 3 sides was too little so they stretched it out to make 4 sides.

For optimum sound quality a single side should not be longer than 19 minutes. If you did it as a single LP then each side would be over 20 minutes. People also don't like 3-sided LPs with silence on the 4th side, thus the tracks are split over the 4 sides.

S.D. wrote:

For optimum sound quality a single side should not be longer than 19 minutes.  If you did it as a single LP then each side would be over 20 minutes.  People also don't like 3-sided LPs with silence on the 4th side, thus the tracks are split over the 4 sides.

Makes sense, that is what I figured. Long ago I had an album set and side 4 was blank. Was kind of cool looking.

A Very good review

I got this used for 10 bucks so I felt like it was a heck of a bargain for me. Its definitly something different but its also made me appreciate what a great keyboardist Rick Wright was I normally spin this on my way into work as I find it helps relax and gets me ready for the day. I love this album not my #1 Pink Floyd album but its good in its own right

I'm still a bit torn on this release. Personally, I would have preferred a two-disc "highlights" type album of the extended HOURS of jam session that were supposedly in the can. This release feels a little over-produced for what it is and I could definitely do without the vocal track at the end.

This may be a release that grows on me and I don't dislike it enough to wing it out the window of a moving vehicle at a nearby homeless person, but it definitely didn't live up to the "OMG FINAL FLOYD ALBUM" vibe. It would have been better as some kind of archival release.

Runicen wrote:

it definitely didn't live up to the "OMG FINAL FLOYD ALBUM" vibe.  It would have been better as some kind of archival release.

I hear ya, my wife who is a Floyd fan doesnt like this album, I do but I agree it doesnt have that vibe of it being the last. I think this was more of a tribute to Rick Wright than anything.

Speaking of Wright has anyone heard any of the solo albums he's done and if so how are they?

You need to get "Wet Dream" his solo album from 1978. It's about 3/4 instrumental and is lovely stuff. He put together an excellent band including Mel Collins on saxophone (King Crimson, Camel), Snowy White on guitar (Pink Floyd, Thin Lizzy) and Reg Isodore on drums (Robin Trower).

It makes a nice companion record with the first David Gilmour solo album, also released in 1978.

Phew. The price of a physical copy of "Wet Dream" has come down a bit. Back in '08 or '09, I sold my copy for close to $80. Weird that ANY CD could get that out of print.

It's a nice listen, but requires the right mood. I find it breezy and, in some headspaces, it's a little TOO breezy. In some ways, that's my complaint with the first Gilmour album as well. It has great moments, but doesn't hold my interest so much as an album. I should give it another spin though. I'm about due for one.

On the total flipside, you have Broken China, which is a lovely album, but it can be oppressive. It's a concept album he wrote about his wife's bouts with clinical depression and eventual recovery. It's more about her, but there's also a lot about what it does to the people around the one doing the suffering as well. Musically, it's a close cousin to the Division Bell without the lighter moments of DB.

If I reach for a Wright album, it's probably Broken China first.

And, if you're REALLY into some fun, try to track down the Zee: Identity album he did. It's straight 80s electronic rock with a guy who sounds like a low rent David Bowie singing. Personally, I love it, but I also got it as a boot via the same ROIO circles back in the day and felt like I'd found buried treasure, so I like it as much for the memories as I do the music itself.

Wet Dream:



This is the opening track from the Zee album:



And this is probably my favorite track off the Zee album and it has some keyboard heroics on it that sound unmistakably like Wright:



Lastly, this is my favorite track from Broken China as sung by Wright himself (Sinead O'Connor sang the album version):

Here's the thing about Wet Dream and David Gilmour.

You're dealing with two musicians and songwriters that found themselves in a situation where most of their material was no longer welcome in the band they were both members of. Roger Waters had taken control of Pink Floyd with an iron fist and was mostly uninterested in collaborating (except for Gilmour who he allowed to continue singing and writing hits, because Dave had the voice for that). Both of those solo albums were a chance for David and Rick to play the music they wanted to play out from underneath the unrelentingly dark and grim umbrella that Waters was shaping Pink Floyd into at the time. So it's no wonder Wright's albums is "breezy" and some of Gilmour's record is just straight-ahead melodic rock, they couldn't really express those feelings within Pink Floyd any longer. When they would go back to the Pink Floyd camp they would find themselves handed a choice of either recording The Wall or The Pros And Cons of Hitchhiking...those were the only options their supreme dictator would allow.

I'm a little bit of a Waters fanboy, so take my side of it with that rather large grain of salt. I tend to prefer the big concepts rather than the window dressing if one has to be chosen over the others.

When it comes to both Gilmour and Wright, I don't disagree with you at all, but I think both of those solo albums are weaker efforts from both of them when you consider what both of them were bringing to the Floyd at large prior to Waters clamping down on the band efforts. Wright's solo album didn't have much by way of soundscapes or atmosphere to it and was more something you'd expect from Traffic or what have you if Wright was singing for them and even Gilmour's first album sounds like any number of other Clapton-esque lightweight blues rock records from the late 70s.

Both have their place and I've certainly enjoyed both of them, but the idea that they were frustrated musicians whose best efforts were being rejected doesn't really pass muster when you see what they were putting out under their own banners.

That said, I do wonder what Waters' later work with the Floyd could have been if there'd still been a spirit of collaboration in the band. The Wall, for example, I find musically pretty staid and boring with only a few good moments - but I also played the hell out of that in my teens (angst... such a beautiful thing) and may have just worn it out. The Final Cut is a beautiful piece of work, but it's definitely a different animal entirely.

Hell, if the band that did Dark Side and WYWH had gotten its teeth into Pros and Cons, I think that could have been a masterpiece. As it is, I think that's his weakest solo entry. And yes, I'm considering Radio KAOS in that reckoning as well...

The Wet Dream album is quite different than the David Gilmour solo album, especially since it is primarily an instrumental album.  Wet Dream sounds like Wright was in a good mood and created some unapologetically pretty music that would never have worked within the Floyd camp. Neither record is a masterpiece, but they are both quality albums that have their individual stamps on them.  

I completely disagree that the David Gilmour album is the same as something Clapton would be doing at the time. If it was I would hate it.  The only track that is even comparable in style would be "Cry From The Street" because it was a little more blues rock based than the usual Floyd stuff...but it still sounds 100% like Gilmour and nobody else.  Other songs like opening instrumental Mihalis and the track Short & Sweet could have been used in Floyd if Waters was still allowing it.  In fact, you can hear the genesis for Run Like Hell in Short & Sweet.

The other thing Wet Dream and David Gilmour have in common is I actually enjoy listening to those albums to this day...whereas I have no Roger Waters solo albums in my collection and have never really felt a desire to.

S.D. wrote:

The Wet Dream album is quite different than the David Gilmour solo album, especially since it is primarily an instrumental album.  Wet Dream sounds like Wright was in a good mood and created some unapologetically pretty music that would never have worked within the Floyd camp.  Neither record is a masterpiece, but they are both quality albums that have their individual stamps on them.

I'll agree with you fully on that front.

S.D. wrote:

The other thing Wet Dream and David Gilmour have in common is I actually enjoy listening to those albums to this day...whereas I have no Roger Waters solo albums in my collection and have never really felt a desire to.

HERESY!!!