This is the 13th album fro Pink Floyd. It's not bad, though Allmusic gives it a miserly two out of five stars.
A David Gilmour solo album in all but name, heavily featuring the kind of atmospheric instrumental music and Gilmour guitar sound typical of the Floyd before the now-departed Roger Waters took over, but lacking Waters' unifying vision and lyrical ability. [source]
Well, The Final Cut was like a Roger Waters solo record, so this is fair enough. Perhaps the most amazing thing abut this record is the cover shot. This was before easy photo editing, so these are real beds! That's amazing and it was a lot of work.
The Final Cut was not so final after all. It may have been better titled as Roger's Last Cut, perhaps. In any case, I am not a huge fan of the LP. It's almost like a Waters solo record.
The Final Cut was the last Pink Floyd album to feature founding member Roger Waters, who departed from the band in 1985. It is also the only Pink Floyd album not to feature founding member and keyboardist Richard Wright, who left the band after the Wall sessions. The recording was plagued by conflict; guitarist David Gilmour felt many of the tracks were not worthy of inclusion, but Waters accused him of failing to contribute material himself. Drummer Nick Mason's contributions were mostly limited to sound effects. [source]
Well, OK, so it is not bad, but other PF record are better.
I was only passingly familiar with Pink Floyd when this record dropped. I knew a few PF tracks that were played on FM radio, and these were all from Wish You Were Here and Dark Side of the Moon. And then, The Wall arrived. I think everyone loved Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2), and I thought it was kind of cool, so I went out and bought a copy of the LP. In truth, I found the listening experience to be rather tough going and I found that, although I think I liked the record well enough, I didn't listen to it very often. I sold the record not too long after, which was a mistake. The funny thing is that I had the same experience with the CD version. One day, I saw a copy for a good price and decided to get it. I listened to it and found that, yes, it's a really good record, but I can't say that listening to it is enjoyable. I do love some tracks, like Mother, Run Like Hell, and Comfortably Numb. Others were good, but not so much fun. I found that I didn't really listen to the CD very often, though I kept my copy.
Some years ago, I saw a reasonably-priced vinyl copy in a used bin, and tried again. I listened to it twice, and never again. It's clearly not my favourite Pink Floyd Record. I like it but it just isn't the kind of record one throws on the turntable for a casual listen. You have to be all in. I do love the transition from The Happiest Days Of Our Lives to Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2).
I would place Animals in my top three PF records. I like it better than The Wall, even though I didn't even hear it until after I owned a copy of The Wall. Back in 1985 or 1986, some friends of mine went on a acid trip, and this was one of the record that they listened to. When I heard that report, I decided to track down a copy (an original Canadian pressing form 1977) and give it a listen. It was totally off my radar, I assume because it did not have a single, like Money or Wish You Were Here or Another Brick in the Wall. I was floored. I loved it immediately, though I gather the not all Pink Floyd fans love it.
At times, I think I like this record more that The Dark Side of the Moon. I love DSOTM, but this is a close second, and sometimes, it seems better. It was many years after I heard this record that I realized that Have a Cigar was sung by Roy Harper. I have no idea what I hadn't noticed before.
I have a Canadian CD from 1994 and an a Canadian vinyl pressing from 1975. The notes from Dicosgs state: "Released with an inner cardboard lyrics-sleeve and a postcard insert." Alas, I bought my copy used, and the postcard is long gone. Of course, in the early days, I listened to a tape that my friend, Pete loaned to me. He said that he was a closet Pink Floyd fan. I am not sure why he would have hidden that fact, but I am kind of a closet fan of Hall and Oates, so there's that.
Check this out, from Wikipedia, and scratch your head:
Wish You Were Here received mixed reviews from critics on its release, who found its music uninspiring and inferior to their previous work. It has retrospectively received critical acclaim, hailed as one of the greatest albums of all time, and was cited by keyboardist Richard Wright and guitarist David Gilmour as their favourite Pink Floyd album. It reached number one in the US and UK, and Harvest's parent company, EMI, was unable to keep up with the demand. Since then, the record has sold over 20 million copies.
And, this more specific idiocy:
On release, the album received mixed reviews. Ben Edmunds wrote in Rolling Stone that the band's "lackadaisical demeanor" leaves the subject of Barrett "unrealised; they give such a matter-of-fact reading of the goddamn thing that they might as well be singing about Roger Waters's brother-in-law getting a parking ticket." Edmunds concluded the band is "devoid" of the "sincere passion for their 'art'" that contemporary space rock acts purportedly have. Melody Maker's reviewer wrote: "From whichever direction one approaches Wish You Were Here, it still sounds unconvincing in its ponderous sincerity and displays a critical lack of imagination in all departments. [source]
