Pink Floyd

The Division Bell

"The Division Bell" 10 Years Later.

Review Score:

(10/10)
Since its initial release in April of 1994, Pink Floyd's "The Division Bell" has become somewhat of a closet classic in a sense. While the album has been consistantly bashed by critics for not being "Son of Dark Side of The Moon" or "The Wall Part 2", "The Division Bell" has found its place among the very finest of Pink Floyd's work. Roger Waters was long out of the picture by the time this album was released and David Gilmour was fully in charge of steering the band (as he was on 1987's "Momentary Lapse Of Reason", Floyd's first post-Waters project).
Musically, the album continues the band's tradition of combining strong rock musicality with atmospheric instrumentals, Musique Concrete sound effects and an overall conceptual theme. The concept for "The Division Bell" has to do with communication or a lack of it. Tracks such as "What Do You Want From Me", "A Great Day For Freedom", and "Coming Back To Life" are filled with passionate yet wrenching vocals alongside what is arguably David Gilmour's best guitar work to date. "Poles Apart" is an adventerous track with many twists and turns beginning as a solid acoustic tune with a slight Country feel to it. The track then shifts to a collage of fairground noises and an odd keyboard melody before switching back to a beefier rock-oriented variation of its main opening theme. "Wearing The Inside Out" is classic Floyd with its pondering moody theme and affectionate dark vocals from keyboardist Richard Wright who also offers some synth leads reminiscent of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond". "Take It Back" is a simple pop-rock piece that sounds like it could've been lifted from a U2 album while the album's closing track "High Hopes" is an emotion-filled piece with many references to Pink Floyd's past embedded in the lyrics. The two instrumentals "Cluster One" and "Marooned" are both atmospheric in style. The former being more piano-based while the latter features more guitar dominance.
These are just some of the musical highlights of "The Division Bell". Indeed, after several listens, the album can certainly grow on you. While the album is not on par with the band's best known work, "The Division Bell" is still one of Pink Floyd's finest albums. Time has gone on to show that this was also the band's final studio album. Considering the time and effort and flawless musicianship displayed on this album, "The Division Bell" proves that Pink Floyd left us not with a sniffle or a whimper, but a triumphant Bang.
Thanks for the memories!!!

More Reviews: