The Pink Floyd solo albums: What's good?

Amused to Death by Roger is simply a masterpiece.
IMHO the only solo by any PF alumni that can stand alongside the highest summits of this seminal band's best work. btw Amused to Death is due out soon - 23 years on - in a 5:1 mix.
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I will add Pros & Cons Of Hitch Hiking plus Gilmore's ST 1st to the must have.

 

Depends on your mood.

Roger Waters' Pros and Cons and Amused to Death
are both really good if you're feeling kinda miserable.

The vibe of Pros and Cons is similar to The Final Cut.

Amused to Death is closer in spirit to The Wall, but without any of the Gilmour moments.

 

The first time I heard Pros and Cons I was left with the impression of having listened to one long piece based on a funeral-paced three note Cowboy riff. But over time I've became rather fond of it and now find it strangely compelling. It comes across as an honest reflection of Rogers spiritual and emotional status at the time (sorta like Gabriel on The Lamb) and the sparse musical framework serves it well - and it does have 'Every Strangers Eyes' - which should be played in school assemblies. Oh yeah, Clapton sounds wonderful. Now, enjoyment of ATD partly hinges on where you stand in relation to Roger. Me? I think he pulls his punches somewhat, and it is a bit too long - and he misses his former musical partners (though not as much as they missed him). Here there is maybe just too much of the quiet bits followed by histrionics which, albeit fondly, is how I tend to characterize his solo work. But, if you feel things need to be said - and you're one of the converted - Roger's your man.

 

Gilmour's first lp plus Wright's Wet Dream are the ones I listen to the most.

 

About Face ain't bad either.

 

My vinyl copy of Radio Kaos sounds pretty darn good on my Scout. IMHO.

 

I really like Pros and Cons, Gilmour's s/t, followed by Barratt s/t & Gilmour's About Face. I don't really care for much else, including Madcap (does nothing for me, shockingly).

 

I just could not get into Amused to Death...I was bored to death with the wallowing of Waters.

Call me a Debbie Downer...but Amused to Death was a chore to get thru and I gave it multiple listens.

Shoot me....I was wishing someone would shoot Waters.

 

Try track 3 of Barrett, "Dominoes". A most beautifully sad, yet incredibly joyous, meditation on lost time.

If that doesn't work for you - give up and stick to the far more straightforward , and much less elegant, attempt by Waters to deal with the same topic on DSOTM.

 

syd barrett - get madcap laughs
gilmour - the first album
waters - pros and cons and amused to death....honestly...his first album music from the body is soo wierd i love it.

 

i feel the same... i only listen to the album...just to say i listened to a waters album.
pros and cons gets me much more.

 

Yeah, I only had it on CD. Maybe I should find a nice record of that one too.

 

The vinyl does sound better than the CD.

 

Mason: Fictitious Sports is by some distance, the best of the post-Syd PF solo records IMO. Not sure it really counts though! Generally, they are a 'better than the sum of the part' type of band I think.

Waters: I do rate Pros + Cons as being a good Roger album and preferable to any of the post-Waters Floyd LPs although obviously it was pretty devisive at the time. I think it's aged well though - it lacks the 80s 'sound'. Very spare and direct and the drumming is fantastic. Radio KAOS is patchy and I never play it.

Gilmour: The first Dave LP is better than the second, that's for sure. I do still have a vinyl copy of About Face, but I can't have played it since about 1990... Not heard the later stuff.

Wright: Although I love Rick's contributions to Floyd, I never liked his solo records for some reason.

Barrett: Both are classics. Opel is hit and miss.

 

I'm pretty sure there's a poll on this. Anyways, The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking is a masterpiece in my book. The David Gilmour 1978 s/t album is also very very good. Pretty slim pickings after that. Never been into Syds solo albums but looking forward to Rattle That Lock no matter how terrible the title.

 

Start with Dave's S/T
Then Roger's Pro's and Cons of Hitchhiking.
Then Rick's Wet Dream.
If by then you're not interested in their solo stuff you might as well leave the rest alone.

 

Syd Barrett - Madcap Laughs and Barrett. First heard them as a teenager. 30 years later they have not lost their charm. Essential magical classics. Opel isn't bad either.

 

Amused To Death is the natural sequel to The Final Cut, so for this alone it should be listened carefully.

 

I could not agree more.

This sums about my feelings about the topic very well.

 

No Love for the fairlight extravaganza that is 'Zee' here then ?

 

Waters three solo albums are all great with Amused being the best and KAOS sounding a bit too eighties but still a good story.
Gilmour's albums put me to sleep and I never heard Wright's solo stuff.