THE FINAL CUT

This is my favourite Pink Floyd album. So what if Rick Wright is missing, Michael Kamen truly takes over and the result is a perfectly orchestrated sonic smorgasbord! The melodies are magnificent, the lyrics powerful and the images Waters evokes through songs like "Southampton Dock" and "Paranoid Eyes" are vivid. My personal favourites: "Two Suns In The Sunset", "The Gunner's Dream" and the title track. Waters sense of humour, never too far from the surface, is best displayed on "Not Now John" and "The Fletcher Memorial Home", though what shines through is the pain of the loss of a father he never knew. Gilmour has very little to do on this album, and less so, Mason, but Waters and Kamen carry this home with panache. Give it a miss at your own peril!