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Nick Mason, speaking about the most recent course of his band, seems to have filed "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" as one of the less successful and more forced chapters of his career. Whether because it was born from particularly uninspired needs, or because it was put together during an obviously not very serene phase, Mason considers this album the offspring of a less artistic and more personal will. And while many may not share his point of view (especially when he judges "The Division Bell" better), I acknowledge that over the long run this work shows many flaws due to the above reasons.
"A Momentary" was supposed to be the album of the great comeback, the most daring commercial gamble, the demonstration that the group, even without Waters, could reach high and maintain its quality unchanged. In fact, it was a Gilmourian creature dedicated to turning the page without betraying or disappointing the audience and fans, armed with as many embellishments as possible to uphold the Floydian tradition: a stunning conceptual cover, new generation sounds, substantial lyrics, and of course, a galactic tour capable of bringing back the multimedia glories of the '70s even to the new generations around the world. And practically speaking, it undoubtedly worked: excellent sales, sold-out concerts, a return to general attention worthy of the times of "The Wall."
However, on a strictly musical level, the varied and abundant tracklist does not at all retain that appeal that other Floyd works have contributed to the history of rock. On the contrary, it traces a path that often has an aftertaste of being calculated, aimed at crafting a formal balance that mediates everyone's needs. It doesn't take an expert to understand that Gilmour - along with more or less new collaborators - had planned the right ingredients and dosages to ensure a safe return to the scene. And so, with the occasional wink, the album flows without any particular creative peaks, without leaving any truly memorable pieces. Suffice it to say that even the decent atmospheres of "On the Turning Away" or "Yet Another Movie" in the global economy of the live show remained submerged by the evocative power of classics like "On the Run" or "One of These Days."
The production effort is impeccable, where the sounds weigh and the experimentation tries to keep pace with the times, albeit largely surpassed by almost a decade of electronic innovations. And in this sense, the most obsolete and tedious parts remain precisely those where Gilmour attempts something different: "A New Machine" is a clear example, with the use of the function that allows the voice to be exactly doubled by a synthesizer (a function assimilated by devices of the time like Roland's VP-70). Therefore, better are the moments when the band moves on the safe grounds of its style, phrasing like on Dark Side or winking at the more classic ballads like "Wish You Were Here."
And that’s when, in agreement with Mason, I say that in the end, the beds on the beach, the dogs of war, Wright's (modest) return were not enough to support a work whose parabola extinguished within the relative world tour. The value was rather that of a moral gesture - more or less obliged, certainly desired - that didn't let the only true survivors of a fundamental season of rock fall into depression. Surely with some regrets that didn't wash away the sensation of aging.
Still bought on vinyl (it was 1987), it is one of the Floydian records I listen to the least overall. And I never listen to it fully, because pieces like "Dogs of War" are really embarrassing, as well as unlistenable.
Tracklist Lyrics Samples and Videos
02 Learning to Fly (04:53)
Into the distance, a ribbon of black
Stretched to the point of no turning back
A flight of fancy on a windswept field
Standing alone my senses reeled
A fatal attraction holding me fast
How can I escape this irresistible grasp?
Can't keep my eyes from the circling skies
Tongue-tied and twisted, just an earth-bound misfit, I
Ice is forming on the tips of my wings
Unheeded warnings, I thought I thought of everything
No navigator to find my way home
Unladened, empty and turned to stone
A soul in tension that's learning to fly
Condition grounded but determined to try
Can't keep my eyes from the circling skies
Tongue-tied and twisted just an earth-bound misfit, I
Above the planet on a wing and a prayer,
My grubby halo, a vapour trail in the empty air,
Across the clouds I see my shadow fly
Out of the corner of my watering eye
A dream unthreatened by the morning light
Could blow this soul right through the roof of the night
There's no sensation to compare with this
Suspended animation, a state of bliss
Can't keep my eyes from the circling skies
Tongue-tied and twisted just an earth-bound misfit, I
10 Sorrow (08:46)
The sweet smell of a great sorrow lies over the land
Plumes of smoke rise and merge into the leaden sky:
A man lies and dreams of green fields and rivers,
But awakes to a morning with no reason for waking
He's haunted by the memory of a lost paradise
In his youth or a dream, he can't be precise
He's chained forever to a world that's departed
It's not enough, it's not enough
His blood has frozen & curdled with fright
His knees have trembled & given way in the night
His hand has weakened at the moment of truth
His step has faltered
One world, one soul
Time pass, the river rolls
And he talks to the river of lost love and dedication
And silent replies that swirl invitation
Flow dark and troubled to an oily sea
A grim intimation of what is to be
There's an unceasing wind that blows through this night
And there's dust in my eyes, that blinds my sight
And silence that speaks so much louder that words,
Of promises broken
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Other reviews
By valeriozappa
When fantasy and inspiration end, a band has an obligation to close shop.
‘Sorrow’ was a fitting title for a song and as a finale for a record, which was a true sorrow for me to listen to.
By primiballi
The album is, in my opinion, beautiful and different, wonderfully played and decidedly well-written.
It deserves it. Because it is the best work of the period without Waters and, above all, because it is beautiful in itself.
By pros12
The "Pink Floyd sound" is David Gilmour.
When listening to an album, one must listen, feel what is there, and not what is not there.
By Joe Cavalli
Done with energy and lightness. Anti-Final Cut to the core deliberately. And more sold.
For that wonderful September 1st, 1987, the release day of the CD and my 20th birthday.
By claudio carpentieri
"Not bad for the new Gilmour management which produces an album that has all the credentials to try, respectfully, to honor the past while respecting the present."
"A Momentary Lapse Of Reason draws the Pink Floydian vision from Gilmour’s viewpoint, who, as the main protagonist, tries in every way (and succeeds) to produce an album with a clearly familiar sound."
