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

I also enjoy Meddle, although I personally would not rank it quite as highly as you but that's fine. FWIW, I'd be thinking of Meddle being below The Big Four but above what preceded it or what followed The Final Cut. I would say I personally reach for it more often than The Wall for a variety of reasons, one certainly being over-familiarity with the magnum opus and its... uh... quirks.

D.D.

 

Hear, hear. And whomever wrote the wiki blurb on The Endless River agrees with you:

"It was the third Pink Floyd album led by guitarist and singer David Gilmourfollowing Roger Waters' departure in 1985 and the first following the death of keyboardist Rick Wright in 2008, who appears posthumously."

 

All I can say after listening to this new album by Waters, is that it desperately needs at least 50% input from David Gilmour. If Roger could make an album without all of the unnecessary screaming and loud bombs always going off, then I may actually appreciate one of his solo albums. I always feel so "been taken hostage" after listening to Roger's solo albums.

 

We agree on more than you might think, starting with the fact that tastes here are largely subjective. In a musical community where you have simultaneous discussions about The Monkees, Kraftwork, Sinatra and Selena Gomez, our bumper cars are going to bump from time to time. I do think our definitions of "salty" may not mesh but it was not my intention to offend and I'm sorry if I did. Misinterpretation is the devil on these boards due to how the nature of them limits and strips context away from what we're trying to communicate. The first line of your reply gave me a Colbert eyebrow...



until I pondered it a bit.




Back to subjectivity.... Last night I revisited The Division Bell, an album whose greatest accomplishment in my opinion is to simultaneously sound both so laboured and so lazy. Taking another run at it merely served to re-inforce that opinion. My wife, on the other hand, quite likes it. I should take this opportunity to throw her hat into the ring with Wyoming's girlfriend and rontoon's friend's sister as potentially estimable music critics. The observation about how Is This The Life We Really Want manages, while being far from sounding as though it was recorded live of the floor, to retain an edge and liveliness when compared to Gilmour's Rattle That Lock is one that in it's way, struck me as distilling that whole Roger vs. David thing down to it's essence : ambition.

Endless pillaging of The Wall aside ( and yes, it is his to pillage so why not have at it in the view of some ), Waters' solo work as well as his work during the high-water 70's Pink Floyd era always demonstrated a tangible drive and ambition ( for better and for worse ). I don't get the same feeling about David Gilmour, who has done a bit of pillaging himself, truth be told. Waters seems to be grappling with the necessity to communicate some grand (or to some, not so grand ) vision while Gilmour, for all his talents, seems to have his sights set a fair bit lower. Or maybe that's the extent of his vision and ambition. I don't think that it's by accident that Waters became the dominant force in later-era Floyd, opinions about over-reach and rampant ego notwithstanding. Nor do I think that it's an accident that at this late stage in his career, Waters is going out with a bang rather than a comparitive whimper. And rattle.

My wife, of course, disagrees with this. She knows all the words to On The Turning Away and sometimes sings it in a soft and breezey voice. Stating how Wyoming's girlfriend and rontoon's friend's sister might feel would be purely speculative on my part.

D.D.

 

Wasn't me !

D.D.

 

Kept you awake, did it ?

D.D.

 

I got it yesterday, only listened once so far, it did sound a lot like Animals-Final Cut Floyd, which isn't a bad thing in my book, I just wish Roger would work with David again as they both need each other so badly to make the magic. They complement each other so well. Without either one, something important is missing.

 

Interesting Is This The Life We Really Want? video.

 

Will be of interest to see how much chatter this albums gets two years from now...

 

Disagree. Both are capable of making their own music without each other, and have done so for three decades, over twice as long as the time they made music together.

I equate it to a child wishing their parents would un-divorce. Why would they go back to being in a situation where both parties are obviously unhappy, especially this late in their lives?

 

That's odd, everyone's using it

 

Because mom can't barbecue like dad can, and dad's pasta is not as tasty without mom's homemade sauce.

 

"The Animals of 1984" maybe

 

But that's not going to make them love each other.

Roger and David both seem to be getting on fine. Sure, they're not making Pink Floyd stuff anymore, but I was perfectly happy with Rattle That Lock and so far really love Is This the Life...?. I don't think it's worth mourning the fact that they don't work together now. They've moved on, and I think that's fair enough.

 

Exactly, rejoice in what we have. A reunion of survivors is but a dream, best kept that way say I.

 

Will have my vinyl next week. Can't wait.

 

Hence, the "eyes rolling" emoticon included with my post. (Didn't see any sarcasm emoticons)

 

Yes, sarcasm, I'm a connoisseur of sorts. Hence my like on your comment. Well done!

How about that Roger Waters album. I was rather skeptical after seeing him jump on the Trump hate train. I mean yeah, I get it, can we move on. I think this one might grow on me however.

 

4/5 in The Weekend Australian

"glorious"

Nocookies

 

I'm finally listening to the vinyl. I love the album anyway but the vinyl is an entirely different listening experience

 

Whoa... even this youtube vinyl rip sounds very different.

Man... so much better, drums, vocals.... literally everything.

 

5/5 from Record Collector

"A stunning accomplishment"

Is This The Life We Really Want? - Record Collector Magazine

 

Listening to the album again right now. The song Wait For Her may be the best thing Waters has ever done. So achingly beautiful and so wrenching... Just outstanding.

D.D.

 

Could not agree more. Plenty of good stuff in there, but after a while, it's like, a little less beating me over the head with the lyrics and a little more music would be nice.

 

You could plaster Dave Gilmour all over this thing and what you'd end up with is Roger Waters beating you over the head with the lyrics, interspersed with a bunch of guitar solos. Beating you over the head lyrically is kinda Roger's thing. Has been for decades.

I'm actually impressed by how much music there is on this album - how concise it is compared to previous solo efforts. He has demonstrated a tendency towards bloat and ramble and while no one is going to confuse Is This The Life We Really Want with a Ramones record, it's a different creature from Amused To Death, isn't it ?

D.D.