Anybody else agree Pink Floyd w/out Waters doesn’t count?
It really irritates me that the remaining members of that band keep releasing albums that are basically retreads of Waters’ music (at least the last stuff I heard from them was).
The last album from Pink Floyd was 1994’s The Division Bell, that was nearly ten years ago. And that album was not a retread of anything Waters ever did, but rather had a difference ambience because David Gilmour is a much different songwriter than Waters.
UnuMondo
I do agree that Waters was the heart of Pink Floyd. Without him…meh. Doesn’t irritate me though. I once hoped they would get back together, but I don’t think it’s going to happen.
Ja, and likewise A Momentary Lapse of Reason was about as Waters-like as The Final Cut is Gilmour-like.
I think what it comes down to, regardless of your musical preferences (and Momentary Lapse is definitely well down my list of favourite Floyd albums), is that there is no reason why one person leaving a band should preclude the rest of the members from continuing on with the same name.
I think the heart of Pink Floyd was the Gilmour/Waters/Wright/Mason team. The best music generally has at least Waters and Gilmour’s name attributed to it. Gilmour can’t match Waters’ lyrics, Waters can’t match Gilmour’s musical sense, Gilmour says that Wright had/has an incredible knack for coming up with nice chord sequences, Mason has a unique, slightly sloppy, vaguely off time, behind-the-beat style of drumming which can be matched by no other.
They are a good example of synergy.
Better together than apart, definitely
Better for the rest of us, had Pink Floyd terminated itself after Waters’ departure.
But who misses Syd Barrett, any more?
Waters is vastly overrated by the fanboys. Pink Floyd was a team, and Mason and Gilmore (and Barrett) were excellent songwriters in their own right.
“Retreads of Waters’ music”??? They’re just doing exactly what they were doing when Waters started taking center stage and started dumbing down the act. Waters didn’t invent the Pink Floyd sound, and has no right to claim so (I doubt he does, but his fans do it for him).
Dumbing down the act?
Oh I don’t know, the Division Bell is one of my favourite albums and Momentary Lapse one of my least favourite. My world is a better place with those albums in it.
By the way…which one’s Pink? - Jinx
There is no Pink, matter of fact they’re all Pink, ha ha hah ahaa haa!
Musically, yes. I love The Wall, but it constantly repeats virtually identical musical sequences throughout the album. The Final Cut barely has any “songs” on it, just a bunch of simple melodies for Waters to sing/rant on top of. His solo albums are even more musically repetetive.
There’s a lot of truth to the assessment I once read that Waters would be happy to construct five songs with different lyrics on the the same piece of music, and Gilmour would be happy constructing five songs with the same lyrics on different pieces of music.
Legally speaking, Waters never had a prayer of preventing his former bandmates from using the name Pink Floyd. Waters withdrew from the partnership and expressly relinquished his rights in the name to the remaining partners. Basically, he dared them to use the name without his participation as self-appointed genius. They took him up on the dare and ended up making some pretty good music for a few more years, not to mention some great concerts (saw 'em three times between '88 and '94).
I still don’t get the dumbing down. Waters had plenty to do with Dark Side and Wish You Were Here, 2 of the best albums ever, by anyone. And if you loved the Wall, isn’t that more important than whether it was “good” enough?
Well, a friend went to see RW in concert post-breakup, and he said that RW was wearing a T-shirt that read: “By the way–which one’s Pink?”
MLoR and DB are very different than anything Waters ever did, I don’t see how they could be considered retreads. FWIW I like DB as much as Dark Side or WYWH. The music seems a lot fresher and less a Waters pity party.
That pretty much sums the issue up for me.
Division Bell equated with Dark Side? One of those things you never thought you’d see.
I liked 'em better when Waters was with them, but they still put out some good music after he had left. Division Bell wasn’t their best work, but it was decent.
I’m sorry, but I consider Dark Side “Pink Floyd Lite.”
My first thought after buying it (the week it was originally released) was that they took their sound and made it “accessible” (as Frank Zappa would say). It was a step downward from “Ummagumma,” “Atom Heart Mother,” and “Meddle.” Good enough, but not up to their previous heights. (“Wish You Were Here” was at least redeemed by “Shine On, You Crazy Diamond,” their last truly great song.)
I’d rather Waters have won? No, not because I think he’s a musical genius or anything, but because he still tends to actually PUT ON CONCERTS! Christ, Pink Floyd. When I saw you in 1994, Gilmour said “See you next time!” to the crowd. That was nine years ago, the longest Pink Floyd break ever. When the hell is next time?