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Dear Gilmour,
do you remember when I told you that Pink Floyd was over?
And do you remember when I told you that the creative vein had run out, that when fantasy and inspiration end, a band has an obligation to close shop?
But you didn’t care, you wanted to do it your way, and yet I warned you, didn’t I? Don't say I didn't. Yes, okay, I admit it: this album of the pseudo Pink Floyd definitely sold much more than mine which came out simultaneously, but that's something anyone can do. So now I will also make an album with the name Pink Floyd and let’s see who comes out on top... But I won’t do it, I didn't do it, and I won't do it... I think.
Okay, but let’s leave it at that and talk about this blessed album, because it's been a burden on my chest for a long time. Yes, when the first track started I was reconsidering a bit: that sound carpet reminded me of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", and even the guitar, delicate, seductive... a good start, really.
But then, when "Learning To Fly" starts... did you really think I'd fall for it?.. Really?.. Ah! Ah!... What's with that fake drum? Is the bass actually played or did you do it with the MIDI?
And then "The Dogs Of War".... You annoyed me so much with the fact that I was obsessed with war: and war here, and war there, and my father's death in the war, and you?... You make a song about war?... Wow, you're consistent, huh?... And above all, original!
But waitwaitwait!... What's this ticking? These little noises in the background? Don't tell me that... Are you doing "Time"? There are even the toms of the drums played the same!...Enough!
Okay, I'll give you the solo in "On The Turning Away" because I must admit it reminds me of the good old days... Do you remember?
No, you don't remember, judging by "Yet Another Movie/Round And Round". When it started, I thought I was listening to "Electric Ladyland" by Jimi Hendrix... you had fun with this track, huh? A little Hendrix here, a little title help from Spandau Ballet there (and don't tell me you didn't know "Round And Round" by Spandau because I'll give you a good smack!).
Ah, this is "A New Machine"...... Bravo, you wanted to experiment a bit, huh?..............Okay, let's move on.
The usual little instrumental piece we like so much (identical to a piece by Alan Parsons Project called "Closer To Heaven" contained in the album "Gaudi", precisely the final part and if you don't believe it listen to it, but I think you already did before recording "Terminal Frost").
The reprise... always experimental, yes, bravo...
Aaaaah, this is the last track, right?..."Sorrow", right?....Never was a title more fitting. For a song and as a finale for a record, which was a true "Sorrow" for me to listen to. But it's my opinion, huh? You know I'm a painstaking pain, you got to know me like that!...
And yet I told you Pink Floyd was over.
I told you the creative vein, the inspiration was exhausted.
That when the fantasy ends a band should hang up the scores. But you didn't care, you wanted to continue... And what should I say? Continue! Since worse than this...
No hard feelings (so to speak) yours
Roger Waters
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 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 Breus
"It doesn’t take an expert to understand that Gilmour...had planned the right ingredients and dosages to ensure a safe return to the scene."
"Pieces like 'Dogs of War' are really embarrassing, as well as unlistenable."
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."
