Pink Floyd

The Division Bell

Well, It's Much Better Than "A Momentary Lapse".......

Review Score:

(6/10)
There is an objective fact that every Pink Floyd fan must recognize-- Roger Waters was the songwriter of the band, David Gilmour was the soul, and Wright and Mason were very talented buffers that kept the two egomaniacs from killing each other. On "The Division Bell," the songwriter is gone, supplanted by a battalion of no-names who lack Waters' lyrical talents, and Gilmour has solos that, while technically impressive, are colorless and soulless.... his work on "Animals" and DSotM make the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, it's so good, but here, the solos never seem to click, and some go on FOREVER.

Having said that, there are some great songs on this album. When "Cluster One" gets going, you'd think you were back in 1971.. Gilmour employs plenty of echo effects, and Rick Wright carries on a musical conversation with him on his keyboards. The same goes for the instrumental (and Grammy-winning) "Marooned."
A song I really like is "Wearing the Inside Out," written and sung by Rick Wright. "High Hopes" is a terrific song-- it is unlike any other Floyd song I've ever heard.

Weak points: nearly everywhere else. Gilmour is a somewhat uninspired composer, and "Take It Back" and "Coming Back To Life" are throwbacks to "A Momentary Lapse Of Reason"-- something that nearly every Floyd fan wants to forget. Other songs aren't necessarily bad, just boring, such as "A Great Day For Freedom," and "Keep Talking." The listenter occasionally loses interest.

Overall, only about half of this album is really GOOD (but man, I LOVE "High Hopes.") However, that is enough (in my book) to get it. It's great to see the boys back after the subpar "Momentary Lapse," and we can only hope that there is more to come. Get it to complete your collection and enjoy a few good tracks.

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