Shine

From the crowded pigeon loft, I now lean out too after hearing these symphonies... I’m almost a novice with classical music, but starting today I will commit more. Congratulations on yet another gem of a review.

For pros12. Thank you for the compliment and thank you for the passionate defense of a musician I admire so much. I hope to be able to engage in more constructive discussions like those I've had in these days with you and with easycure.

For easycure. You are right in saying that Waters' strong and tormented personality permeates even the collectively written tracks, giving them a haunting allure. For instance, I can't imagine "Careful with that Axe, Eugene" without Waters' agonizing scream. However, Waters' "shadow" is not the only charming element of these pieces... Wright's organ opens ethereal and dreamlike atmospheres... Gilmour's guitar is sweet and vibrant... Gilmour's own voice, warm and evocative... I also think that Waters' influence is significant, but it's wrong to attribute everything to him; I believe we agree on this. When you talk about the group's aesthetic, I remind you that tracks like "Fat Old Sun" or "A Pillow of Winds" easily stand alongside pieces written by Waters such as "Green Is the Colour" and "Grantchester Meadows": these are also tracks that you could label as "sweetened and gentle in their poetics" (an opinion I don't share regarding any of the mentioned songs). As you can see, there is no granite-like aesthetic even during the period of 1968-1973. Another discussion relates to the preference for more feverish and morbid pieces compared to those that are sweeter and more romantic: I love both aspects of Pink Floyd, but in the end, everyone chooses what pleases them most.

You didn’t dig too deep for this review, although you get the idea. As for the album, we’re at stratospheric levels... it’s a shame about the presence of "Seamus" and "San Tropez," two tracks that are definitely below par compared to the rest of the album. I’ve noticed that "A pillow of wind" tends to be undervalued (even by the Floyd themselves): am I the only one who loves this piece viscerally?

For easycure. I believe that interpreting and arranging demos written by others is a form of artistic expression. There is, for example, a huge difference between the early demos of "The Wall" and the final result. And the way Waters interprets the songs originally sung by Gilmour does not convince me at all: too much is lost. As for the creation of music during the period from 1968 to 1973, I want to point out that the song credits do not distinguish between lyricist and composer: if this had been done, Waters' compositional supremacy at a MUSICAL level would have been considerably relativized. During that time, Waters wrote a lot of Music, but less than what the credits might suggest. Moreover, it would be interesting, but virtually impossible, to quantitatively establish the MUSICAL compositional contribution of those pieces credited to the entire band: I suspect, based on everything I've read about them, that during those moments the greater musical contribution came from Gilmour and Wright. Let's think about "One of These Days": the piece is based on a SINGLE note bass riff in the introduction "written" by Waters, upon which beautiful keyboard and guitar parts are laid. Who bears the greater weight? It all depends on the perspective one has... I value Gilmour, but as Gestalt psychology says, "the whole is greater than the sum of its parts," and it is impossible to reconstruct the human dynamics that led to the creation of such incredible pieces.

For easycure. What are the "bullshits said about Waters" by pros12? Is pros12's sin not to tear their clothes over Waters? Or not to have insulted the lead singer of the band from 1968 to 1973? (only in the period after Waters became the lead singer of the band). Is it childish because it highlights factors such as vocal interpretation and arrangements? I would honestly like to understand, also because I, like you, appreciate Robert Smith's magnetic and intense voice and his immense talent as a songwriter.

pros12, you know you’re going to spark a huge controversy with this review, right? Anyway, congratulations for your courage. The article you wrote is excellent, and it reassures me to think that there are people like you who listen without prejudice. I believe that, musically speaking, Gilmour's influence within the band is greater than the credit he’s received for various songs, and a close reading of various texts about the band can confirm this (in this regard, I recommend reading "Uno scrigno di segreti" by Nicholas Schaffner, "Un sogno in technicolor" by Povey & Russell, and "Inside Out" by Nick Mason). I hope people understand that loving Waters does not mean hating Gilmour and vice versa. The union of these two great artists has led to tremendous artistic peaks (who doesn’t get emotional listening to "Shine on you crazy diamond"? This song is the result of the artistry of Gilmour, Waters, and Wright). But even taken individually, both have displayed great abilities: how can one hate "On the turning away" or "Marooned"? Or, conversely, "Four minutes" or "It's a miracle"? Waters and Gilmour are "ingredients" of the same process that led to "Dark side of the moon": with even just one bad ingredient, we would have never reached that miracle. As for the album, giving it 5 stars feels excessive to me... I reserve those for "Dark side of the moon," "Wish you were here," and a few other albums.

An interesting album, especially for the fact that the tracks from "Hot Space" are presented in a more compelling way compared to the studio versions.

I return the esteem pros12. I hope to often meet you on the pages of this site to exchange our opinions. Best regards and see you soon.

Simple, concise, and effective review. Unfortunately, you have the misfortune of having been preceded. As for the rating, I find it too harsh for such an emotional album (as usual, this is just my personal opinion).