New Roger Waters album "Is This The Life We Really Want?" - June 2, 2017

I'd add The Who.......certainly not part of the peace and love crowd.

 

Roger is full of hate. Creatively that can be a good thing.

 

Has anyone deciphered the buried vocal bits after the 2:00 minute mark?

 

"Is This The Life We Really Want?"

1. It's the only life we have... enjoy it.
2. It could be worse... it could be 'a lot' worse.
3. 'Poor' old Roger doesn't like his life?? He's got it ALL.

"We don't need no education"... Really?

 

I would hazard a guess that this is the first time on a Roger Waters record that someone at some point said 'Play like you're Rick Wright' to the keyboard player. The electric piano is very Rick.

 

Not me.

 

Ughh.
1. I personally enjoy my life, as I'm sure you do... I'd say we're pretty lucky vs a vast percentage of the worlds population... which I believe he might be pointing out.
2. Since the election of a rich egotistical celebrity and issues in Europe, things are looking pretty bad... these days there isn't a week that goes by where the stakes aren't being raised.
3. I'm sure he also enjoys his life, but has always been a political/activist writer... I don't expect a happy collection of love songs, or tone poems, coming out of a Roger Waters album.

As for the "no education" thing...
"We Don't Need No Education" - Ironic Or Not?

 

Err... what?

 

This can't be a Roger Waters album!
There are no songs in multiple parts!
;-)

 

I thought the first released track was quite o.k.

I am hoping for a few more previews before release day, but I am already somewhat interested in it. Might decide to buy it on vinyl.

 

Uhhh...think about that one for just a minute.

 

Pretty sure I did think about it, and wrote it as a response to the original post, what did you want me to think about exactly? What are you talking about man?!? lol

 

About as exciting as anything off Rattle that lock. Which is to say, as much a I LOVE Floyd, this is just re hashed tired sounding stuff. Same goes for most performers that are well and truly past their creative peak. That peak is a very real thing and exists for everyone.

 

At this point (since The Final Cut for me), we can expect two or three great songs - i.e. on par with the best stuff they made together in the 70s - per album. If we get more, I consider it a huge bonus. Mind you, it's still not that bad. Here's what I think measures up to their best work post '83:

- About Face: Murder, Near the End
- Pros & Cons: Running Shoes, Sexual Revolution, Go Fishing, Every Stranger's Eyes
- When the Wind Blows: Towers Of Faith
- Momentary Lapse: On the Turning Away, Yet Another Movie
- KAOS: Who Needs Information, Home, Four Minutes, The Tide Is Turning
- Amused To Death: What God Wants pt1, Perfect Sense, WGWpt3, It's A Miracle
- Division Bell: Cluster One, Poles Apart, High Hopes
- On An Island: On An Island, Smile
- Endless River: Allons-y pt1-->Autumn '68-->Allons-y pt2, Talkin' Hawkin', Eyes To Pearls-->Surfacing-->Louder Than Words
- Rattle That Lock: Faces Of Stone, In Any Tongue

 

Good choices! I would add Pocket Full Of Stones to On An Island which includes a nice restrained guitar solo to the end. And Amused To Death to Amused To Death which provides a nice conclusion to the album. This species has amused itself to death...

 

Yeah, those are good as well! Amused To Death is a great song - I'm not fond of its bombast but as an album closer, especially with the conclusion from Alf Razzell, it's quite poignant. The whole album is one of my all-times favorite.

 

Well, "Smell The Roses" has a classic Animals/WYWH sound to it, almost sounds like the good old days... until the near-death Roger vocals come in.

 

I'd have to add Sorrow to this list.

 

Kind of agree. I think there was a live version where they had technical problems near the end of the song and Gilmour made some funny comment about "thank god that's over". I don't think he was serious but just that he wanted to get on with things.

 

Did anyone here see the whole TimesTalks with Roger? I saw a bit of it for breakfast. Interesting that he admitted that it was Nigel Godrich that had the control/vision for compiling/producing the album.

 

TimesTalks - Roger Waters

 

The old adage that you get grumpier as you age doesn't seem to apply to Roger Waters, and I really dig that about him... the last 15 years or so have been fun to watch as a fan, he's still got some fire but he's much more open minded and relaxed about pretty much everything related to music and his past... which is awesome

 

Apart from his lobbying on behalf of George Soros, Waters continues to be an interesting, thoughtful, and entertaining man.

 

The ending with Alf Razzell gives me goosebumps every time I hear it. Beautiful.

 

Agree with all of this. I'd ad the intro to The Endless River, too, and "Late Home Tonight".

I'd choose Cluster One, Poles Apart, and high Hopes as the best songs, post-The Wall by any Floyd members. There's something about that Rick Wright/Gilmour combo. It's just so, so good. I;m hoping roger can match one of those tunes with Nigel's help. I think he will, I think we're in for a treat.