Pink Floyd
The Final Cut

THE REVIEW

March 21, 1983... The Final Cut comes to light. The world will savor the last effort of Pink Floyd in their original formation, indeed no title was more fitting. This was the album that marked Waters' definitive separation from the Floyd and consequently the situation had irreparably deteriorated. The album is in memory of Roger's father (Eric Fletcher Waters), but it seems to be more in memory of the Pink Floyd themselves. In fact, it was recorded in the most total indifference among the various members who had reached the point of not speaking to each other. The relationship between Gilmour and Waters then was severely strained... the question that arises is how it was possible to achieve yet another masterpiece. It's unknown, perhaps in the end it's a demonstration that music can overcome all the barriers set by humans!!!

Right from the first track, you can tell it's not the usual album. The tones are much more subdued even more so than the Floydian standard. The weight of a masterpiece like "The Wall" is felt even by those who created it. After a few seconds, you are immediately immersed in a relaxing atmosphere, just keyboard and Waters' warm voice inviting you to turn off all the lights, close your eyes, and start dreaming. A small stir in the slow rhythm, an apotheosis of brass and drums, and you're already in the second track of the CD. Here we are at "Your Possible Pasts." As usual with the Floyd, you move from one track to another without the listener really being able to tell, once again the entire album is crafted to seem like a single track. Even in this track, there is a very mild rhythm, with the guitar almost absent if not for that exhilarating solo that reminds everyone: "Gentlemen, I'm still here, I haven't left!" : naturally, it's the good old Gilmour saying it. The scenario repeats itself throughout the album, it's a constant, a continuous interweaving of calm moments and sudden rhythm changes, almost symbolizing their vicissitudes.
Listening to "One of the Few," "Paranoid Eyes," and "The Final Cut" (just to name a few episodes of the album), you notice how the rest of the tracks are all based on the same pattern, making it one of the most homogeneous works of the entire production of the Cambridge band. Perhaps this is one of the reasons justifying the low sales (the lowest of the entire career of the British quartet).

The contents of the album are subtly political, the sound is typical of the Cambridge band, with Waters clearly taking the lead, making almost all the choices, starting from the structure of the album, moving through some lyrics, and even up to the choice of the cover. In short, Waters creates the most "his" album under the name Pink Floyd alongside "The Wall," with which there are many references in this album.
An album that must not be missing for anyone who loves the band, great work, perhaps below its predecessors but still an album to remember in the discography of Waters and company.