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Rating: Album composed during the legal battle with Gilmour and Mason for the use of the band's name (we're talking about Pink Floyd, for those who might not know), Radio Kaos represents a musical turning point, yet isolated,in Waters' career.
This album indeed presents a more structured, simple, and fast sound compared to his other compositions, while still maintaining the characteristics typical of Waters' visionary and "cinematic" approach (use of spoken dialogues and ambient noises). As has too often happened in his solo career, the music primarily serves as support for the story told by this concept album, managing to reach the artistic "heights" typical of the Pink Floyd era in only a couple of instances; the rest of the album oscillates between decent and interesting outcomes.
The tracks on the album tell the story of Billy, a disabled boy who, in short, manages to make the entire world believe that a nuclear war is breaking out through the use of a computer: the purpose of the act is to urge people to reflect on the absurdity of an atomic war and to encourage them to seek dialogue more vigorously. Originally, the album was supposed to be a double album, but due to pressure from EMI, Waters discarded some of the material to fit it into the length of an LP (of these "discarded" tracks, we can listen to 3 songs today that were released as b-sides of the singles back then).
The album opens with a pop song, “Radio Waves,” with non-trivial content, extremely catchy and lively but very far from the style developed by the author in his career. It's followed by “Who needs information,” an interesting track with funk accents and a good melody. Next are “Me or Him” and “The powers that be.” The first is a song with a sweet rhythm, but spoiled by a cold and rigid arrangement (especially the drums). The second is a song that recalls some disco music of the period: definitely a style Waters handles poorly. A similar atmosphere is found in “Sunset Strip.” The sixth track is “Home,” one of the best episodes of the album: a vibrant track with a nice central crescendo, but ruined in the final part by excessive flatness and verbosity. However, this path leads to the masterpiece of the album: “Four Minutes,” a song of great atmosphere and pathos, dominated by the splendid voice of Clare Torry (“The great gig in the sky” ring any bells?). The album closes with the sweet “The tide is turning,” one of the most famous songs by Waters as a solo artist (also present in his “The Wall: live in Berlin”).
To conclude: an album with great potential, but penalized by inadequate arrangements and often overly flat melodies.
Tracklist Lyrics and Videos
01 Radio Waves (04:58)
[Jim:] "This is K.A.O.S.
You and I are listening to KAOS in Los Angeles.
Let's go to the telephones now and take a request."
[Billy:] "Hello, I'm Billy."
[Jim:] "Yes?"
[Billy:] "I hear radio waves in my head."
[Jim:] "You hear radio waves in your head?
Ah! Is there a request that
you have tonight for KAOS?"
Radio waves
Radio waves
Radio waves
He hears radio waves
Radio waves
The atmosphere is thin and cold
The yellow sun is getting old
The ozone overflows with radio waves
AM, FM, weather and news
Our leaders had a frank exchange of views
Are you confused, radio waves
Radio waves
Radio waves
AM radio waves
FM radio waves
Radio waves
Mind-numbing radio waves
Fish-stunning radio waves
Radio waves
Magic Billy in his wheel chair
Is picking up all this stuff in the air
Billy is face to face with outer space
Messages from distant stars
The local police calling all cars
Radio waves
Hear them radio waves
Radio waves
Jesus saves radio
Radio waves
Radio waves
AM radio waves
FM radio waves
All them radio waves
Radio waves
Radio waves
He hears radio waves
Radio waves
Radio waves
Hopeful radio waves
Dopeful radio waves
Radio waves
Russian radio waves
Prussian radio waves
Eastern radio waves
Western radio waves
Testing radio waves
One two
One two
Radio waves
Getting through to you
More code radio waves
Tobacco road radio waves
South to Paloma radio waves
Oklahoma City radio waves
Sitting pretty radio waves
Nitty-gritty radio waves
Radio waves
[Jim:] "Alright, that's a song called Radio Waves.
You are listening to KAOS
In Los Angeles and we've got Billy on the line."
[Billy:] "I'm from the valleys."
04 The Powers That Be (04:36)
The powers that be
They like a tough game
No rules
Some you win
Some you lose
Competition's good for you
They're dying to be free
They're the powers that be
They like a bomb proof cadillac
Air conditioned
Gold taps
Back seat gun rack
Platinum hub caps
They pick horses for courses
They're the market forces
(background : Nice car Jack)
They like order
Make-up
Lime light power
Game shows
Rodeos
Star wars
TV
They're the powers that be
If you see them come
You better run
Run
You better run on home
Sisters of mercy better join your brothers
Put a stop to the soap opera right now
They say the toothless get ruthless
You better run on home
You better run
Run
You better run on home
The powers that be
They like treats
Tricks
Carrots
And sticks
They like fear and loathing
They like sheep's clothing
And blacked-out vans
Blacked-out vans
Contingency plans
They like death or glory
They love a good story
They love a good story
Sisters of mercy better join with your brothers
Put a stop to the soap opera state
They say the toothless get ruthless
Run home before its too late
You better run
Run
You better run on home
You better run
[Billy:] "Goodnight, Jim."
[Jim:] "Goodnight, Billy."
[Uncle David's Great Dane:] "Woof, woof, woof!"
[Paraquat Kelly:] "Bull heads, three red snapper, one pink snapper
And your Pacific coastal trench hosemonster fish."
[Cynthia Fox:] "Ohhh!
At Sky David's juke joint of joy reports
Forty under the console giggle stick ling cod
Twenty-three purple perches
Four sledgehammerhead sharks
And what a surprise
Eightyfour crabs, and no red snappers."
[Paraquat Kelly:] "Hey, and that'll do for the triumphant return
Of the fish report with a beat."
[Jim:] "We think of it as mainstreet
But to the rest of the country
It's Sunset Strip
You're listening to KAOS in Los Angeles."
05 Sunset Strip (04:45)
I like staying with my Uncle Dave
And I like playing with his great dane
But I don't fit
I feel alien and strange
Kinda outa range
I like riding in my Uncle's car
Down to the beach where the pretty girls all parade
And movie stars and paparazzi play
The Charles Atlas kicking sand in the face game
And I sit in the canyon with my back to the sea
There's a blood red dragon on a field of green
Calling me back
Back to the Black Hills again
Ooh, ooh
Billy come home
Billy is searching for his native land
Flicking through the stations with the dial in his head
Picking up (background: static)
And a male voice choir on the short wave band
Billy taps out Jim's number on the phone
Sits shaking as he waits for Jim's answering tone
Come on my friend
Speak to me please
The land of my fathers is calling to me
And I sit in the canyon with my back to the sea
There's a blood red dragon on a field of green
Calling me back
Back to the Black Hills again
Ooh, ooh
Billy come home
Come on home
He sits in the canyon with his back to the sea
Sees a blood red dragon on a field of green
He hears a male voice choir singing
Billy come home
Billy, Billy, come home
Come on home
[Californian Weirdo:] "I don't like fish."
[Jim:] "You are listening to KAOS here in Los Angeles."
[Californian Weirdo:] "I don't like fish."
[Jim:] "Yes, we've established that.
Ah! Do you have a request?"
[Californian Weirdo:] "Shell fish
Guppy
Salmon
Shrimp
And crab
And lobster
Flounder
I hate fish
But I think most of all
I hate fresh fish
Like trout
I hate fresh trout
My least-hated, favourite fish would be sole
That way you don't have to see the eyes
Sole has no eyes."
[Jim:] "Oh no!"
[Woman:] "I'd like to be home with my monkey and my dog."
[Jim:] "Thankyou."
[Woman:] "I'd like to be home with my monkey and my dog
I'd like to be home with my monkey and my dog
I'd like to be home with my monkey and my dog
I'd like to be home with my monkey..."
[Jim:] "I don't care
Shut up
Play the record."
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Other reviews
By FLOYDMAN
"Radio K.A.O.S. is a perfect Watersian concept, obviously less mature than The Wall but nevertheless unique and in some parts unsettling."
"'The Tide Is Turning', as the last song is titled, wonderfully reflects that innocence, described earlier, of Billy. This is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful songs I have ever heard, ever."
By valeriozappa
I made a crappy album.
In the end, a track like 'The Tide Is Turning' compensates for the other seven previous pieces.
By orange77
Radio Kaos is, in my opinion, one of the most beautiful, perfect, and rich albums of the whole decade.
If you move away for about forty minutes from the Floyd discography and listen to it without preconceptions, you'll discover a very pleasant, focused, and balanced album.
