I know this is going be a contentious topic and open to opinion more than fact, but in your opinion what was the best recording to come out from a member of, former member of, or from Pink Floyd since Roger Waters left the band?
Everyone in the band has recorded solo LPs and Pink Floyd released two studio efforts... what did you like best?
I think The Division Bell sounds more like Pink Floyd than anything Waters has done on his own.
I agree. "Momentary Lapse" too. I like Waters' solo stuff a lot but don't think it's at all like Pink Floyd. When I bought Division Bell in the early '90's, I didn't realize Waters wasn't on it until about 6 months later (I was too busy with work and family thru the 80's and paid no attention to music news.
Amused to Death is the best recorded "rock" album I have heard (IMHO). Not saying the music is the best although I like it. Many folks think it is too weird and depressing. I like the arrangements and fidelity. I honestly cannot stand Roger Waters as a person. Total socialist and liberal (to the extreme) and he hates the USA (govt) -- and he is a prick. I almost walked out of two of his shows because of his political posturing during the shows (equating Bush to Bin Laden and other bullshit). Funny, he is a total capitalist when it comes to taking money from fans for tours & albums (the Wall tix cost me $275 -- face value). Ironically, both shows were in the top 3 I have ever seen (the recent Wall Tour and the DSOM tour in 05). Gilmour's first solo album is fabulous although the CD was not close to LP in sonics (IMO). Momentary Lapse of Reason is excellent too.
Rcrerar, there are some inaccuracies on your post. While it is true that Roger Waters contacted Bob Ezrin about co-producing his upcoming work, there was no agreement between them. Waters didn't want to go to California to work and Ezrin's wife refused to uproot their children and move them to the UK. You are correct that the rift remains between Roger and Bob to this day though.
Bob Ezrin has never had anything to do with 'the Pink Floyd sound.' I think that has a lot more to do with the guys that Roger referred to as the muffins than anything Ezrin ever brought to the table. Rick Wright is way underrated when it comes to the source of the Pink Floyd sound.
The Pink Floyd sound is due to the band not Roger Waters lyrics. He is incontestably the better lyricist in, or out of the group, but I would disagree that Pink Floyd without Roger Waters is not Pink Floyd. The best recordings they made were group efforts. The worst recordings were things that Roger jammed down the throats of the rest of the band.
In regard to cohesiveness, I think The Division Bell sounds more like Pink Floyd than anything Waters has done on his own. FWIW I was listening to Amused To Death (on vinyl of course) while I posed this question. It was really the first time I thought about how recycled most of it sounded. His themes don't tend to wander too far from home. Most of the sound effects were done before, and the theme is a rehash of The Wall, and The Wall II (or The Final Cut). I think the imaging and effects on Amused to Death are one of the biggest reasons for its popularity among audiophiles.
I love to see the thoughts that people have, and there can't be a wrong answer when it comes to likes and dislikes...
Solo material would be Roger Waters effort Breaking China and for post Water's work it would be A Momentary Lapse of Reason. Breaking China for me is as close to a Floyd album in regards to solo work.
I will admit that Amused To Death is a fantastic record and in all likelihood Rogers best solo effort, but there is just something about Radio Kaos that I really like, which makes it my favourite post Waters Pink Floyd era recording. Roger's songs really groove on this record and there is a continuity to the songs that his other records don't have, including Amused, in my opinion. David Gilmour is a superior musician and singer, Roger is the first to admit this, but Waters is by far the better song writer, and this I think trumps the playing and the singing. I love the two post Waters Floyd albums but let's face it they aren't really Pink Floyd records. They stand up well on their own, but they don't sound like Pink Floyd albums, they sound like David Gilmour albums trying to sound like Pink Floyd. There was a story circulating back around the time of Momentary s release that claimed the band had finished recording the record but wasn't happy with it and had to bring in Bob Ezerin,who by the way backed out of a contract he had with Roger at the time to produce his next solo record, causing a rift between the two that continues to this day, to help them make it more Pink Floyd sounding. Supposedly Ezrin played the new recording for his son and asked him what he thought. He son asked him who it was, and Bob told him it was the new Pink Floyd album. His son said that it was great but it wasn't Pink Floyd sounding at all.
It just has to be Amused to Death. Such a sad and stirring record. The recording is just amazing. Jeff Beck puts down some of his best licks ever. I'd have to opine that Jeff Beck is about the only guitar God worthy of walking in Gilmours foot print.
When I want to hear spectacular smooth melodies, I go no further than those written by Gilmour. But Amused To Death is one incredibly enjoyable piece of work. The Live at Gdansk DVD concert is outstanding too. Just saw Waters on The Wall concert late last year......SPECTACULAR. It was as enjoyable as the original tour here in L.A. back in 1980.
I've always been partial to the two Pink Floyd albums - "Division Bell" and "Momentary Lapse . . .". Hard to chose which I like better, but I like both better than the latter PF w/RW albums (eg "The Final Cut")
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