A MOMENTARY LAPSE OF REASON

But now that the dust has long since settled, I'm belatedly taking Water's side in the battle that raged around the group's convulsive separation and unexpected reformation (without him) in the mid 1980s. All ancient history, of course, but in retrospect the band should have been allowed to die of natural causes, rather than continue as the sadly resuscitated corpse on display here.

Pink Floyd was by then a shadow of its former self, reduced to David Gilmour, drummer Nick Mason, and over a dozen guest musicians (including, in a ludicrous demotion, erstwhile Floyd founder Rick Wright). With such a crowd it's no wonder the album has such a generic, corporate halo around it, not helped by an utterly impersonal production job: all spotless digital synths and thudding 1980s drum clichés. This is music designed to be played only in the biggest auditoriums on the planet, and it's a sad reflection of how far the band had traveled from those heady counterculture gigs at the Marquee Club in 1967.

What was it that made recording this album so imperative, besides as a crutch for Pink Floyd's sagging reputation? It was hardly an original effort: every other note was a pre- packaged trade on former successes. The instrumental opener "Signs of Life" (easily the best thing on the album) is an opaque re-tread of "Shine On You Crazy Diamond"; the overwrought "Dogs of War" recalls its namesake from the underrated "Animals" album; and the leaden pace of every track makes the whole package sound like a pile of leftover bricks from "The Wall".

Pink Floyd was always a band that set high standards for itself, and thus deserves the courtesy of being judged accordingly. By that measure this rebirth is at best a halfhearted abortion, living up to its long-winded title in ways the remains of the group never dreamed of. Maybe it would help to regard it more as a Dave Gilmour solo album, in much the same way that the band's previous releases had all been de facto Roger Waters solo projects likewise marketed under the Pink Floyd brand name.

In short, it's a disappointing one-star effort, only partially redeemed by the usual saving grace of Gilmour's classy guitar skills, by itself (and without his singing) enough to push this rating up another notch.

However in my opinion it is still a good floyd album. Sorrow is a great effort of which which Gilmour wrote in its entireity and threw in a fantastic guitar intro for good measure along with creditable lyrics.

There are radio friendly tracks on the album such as 'One Slip' and 'Learning To Fly' which may not be progressive but are very enjoyable to listen to. One Slip is a great dance track which is always the first I select on my cd player.

Learning to Fly is a great rock track with superb smoothing vocals by Dave Gilmour. Its also very much an uplifting positive song.

Unfortunately there is a downside to this album. Tracks such as 'New Machine pts 1-2' and 'Terminal Frost' let the overall standard of the album down. New Machine is slightly annoying with Gilmour's distorted vocal and track doesnt seem to go anywhere musically and lyrically. Terminal Frost is a weak instrumental with unnessersairy saxaphone.

Round and Around is good even through it is only half a minute long and its a shame that Gilmour couldn't of done more with this track and added Rick Wrights influence into the mix in terms of keyboard.

To sum up Momentry Lapse is a very good effort and it definately worth purchasing. Listen to it with an open mind and don't try to compare it to other floyd albums as it is Gilmour floyd and not Roger Waters floyd (two totally different sounds and approaches).

There are a few positive tracks that keep this from being a total mess. Learning To Fly and One the Turning Away are strong, and Sorrow is the best post-Waters tune bar none. It has the strongest lyrics on the album and the guitar solo is one of Gilmour's best, and that's saying something.

In the end, Lapse has a few strong tracks that can't hope to match the power of 70s Floyd. For the resulting tour, Nick and Rick would return to the fold and things looked brighter for the band, and 1994 Division Bell was quite good. This album is for devoted Floydians only.

I don't want to harp on the Roger Waters conflict but I always thought "Signs Of Life" was a strange pick for the opening song, but the fact it's a song with no lyrics may have some significance. Anyway it consists of samples of birds singing and water splashing, everything is peaceful. Synths and some guitar late in the song. "Learning To Fly" is a song that impresses me more for the lyrics then the melody. Hearing a pilot singing about flying is pretty cool. Too poppy though for my tastes. "The Dogs Of War" opens with a melody that sounds like marching armies, and the vocals are aggressive sounding because of the subject matter. "One Slip" may have an eighties feel to it but I like it. It has a spacey intro that gives way to an uptempo melody with lots of percussion.

"On The Turning Away" features amazing lyrics and a great guitar solo 3 1/2 minutes in. Talk about a meaningful song ! "Yet Another Movie" and it's instrumental partner "Round And Around" are slow paced with drums pounding and keys in the background. The guitar outbreak is good. "A New Machine Part 1" and "Part 2" features distorted vocals and subtle keys.The instrumental "Terminal Frost" has a lazy, relaxed melody of sax, keys and slowly pounding drums that develope into a fuller sound after 2 minutes, and an even fuller sound after 3 minutes. The final tune "Sorrow" has some distorted guitar in the intro and the guitar melodies are good especially later on in the song.

I saw them on tour in support of this record in Toronto where they sold out the CNE for three straight nights. I saw the second show. The first half which featured a lot of material from this album holds some good memories because of the videos up on the big screen more than the music itself. The German Shepherd dogs and the guy in the bed being chased were all so cool,The second half was marred by some sound problems during my favourite song "Us And Them".

Most older fans bemoan the passing of Roger Waters, and it is clear the lyrics lack his bite and the sound has changed, but for this album Gilmour was still hungry - for success, perhaps for adulation, and to receive credit that maybe he had lacked in the past. It may have had a difficult genesis, but the result is a superb piece of modern stadium rock.

The former Floyd album was a Waters'one. This is a Gilmour's one. He is now in the command. To replace Roger, Tony Levin will deliver a very good work on the bass (but not in songwritting, obviously).

"Signs Of Live" is a clone of the intro for "Shine" ? So, what ! Both are great tracks. It has the same aerial feeling. Of course, the emotional side (Syd tribute) is not present here but musically it is a good opener. "Learning To Fly" is also very pleasant : a bit harder but melodious. I quite like the chorus (good backing vocals). Altough it will be a trademark of this Floyd era it was already usual before. This is quite a traditional Floyd song : no revolution. Spacey moment, some special effets (as far as I remember such were also used in DSOTM) and a catchy voice. "The Dogs Of War" is a heavier than usual. Lots of backing vocals, an orgy of keys and a great guitar & sax solo. It lacks of melodious moments though and it is not really my fave here.

"One Slip" will be the third single released from the album and is a nice pop song. This shows significantly the change in direction. Not great a moment but just an average one. "On The Turning Away" starts mellow and acoustic, then the rythm catches up (slowly) and features great guitar from Dave (but we are used to this since "Echoes" (the track). A great song IMO and a highlight on this album. It sounds as if the band has encountered relief. They could again concentrate on their music and their fabulous shows.

The album goes on nicely : "Yet Another Movie + Round And Around" has a spacey intro and a bizarre atmosphere : it catches up around minute four. We are not reaching heaven of course with this number. Just average.

The first and useless tracks are "A New Machine-Part One & Two". Part I is one the shortest Floyd track ever (only topped by "Stop" from "The Wall" (38 seconds vs 34) ! If we add them we reach 2'24. But that's not too much of useless music. One might argue that there are very few truely memorable tracks, and that the album is rather repetitive and monotonuous which in a way is true. But this album is very consistent and solid.

"Terminal Frost" is an average instrumental with very good sax (sounds a bit like Roxy). "Sorrow" is a fabulous closing number. Harder, melodious, good backing vocals. The band is again confident in his own means (even if at this stage David is holding the Floyd almost on his own). Nick and Wright will grow back in the Floyd during the supporting tour. But that's another story.

His Royal Highness Roger is not there any longer to show disrespect (especially to Nick and Rick). This album will reach the number three spot both in the US and in the UK.

Since I have mentioned several times the word average or good; it is obvious that we are not listening to a masterpiece. But the Floyd has stopped its descent towards the inmost dephts of the void. Three stars and welcome to the new Floyd.

After all the argues with Roger Waters and the separation of the two strongest creative forces of the band, Pink Floyd releases this work 4 years after their last Studio Release and the absence of Roger is really visible. The album has some good points, but the magic touch of Mr. Waters is really missing, some great ideas that stay only as ideas. So let's start the review.

The Album starts with a majestic track "Signs Of Life". The ambient sounds, the characteristic sentimental playing of David Gilmour, everything makes the perfect mix to create this melody that prepares the flight.

"Learning To Fly" is a very poppy song, although the lyrics and the instrumentation is pretty good, it changed or at least it tried to get rid off the sound of the two previous albums ("The Wall" and "The Final Cut") with Roger Waters as a leader, and trying to recover the orchestration achieved on "Dark Side Of The Moon". The psychedelia is very remarked on the style of these British guys.

In "Dogs of War", a cathartic explosion takes David Gilmour's voice and gets its climatic points in the guitar solo. A very energetic sound spiced with the sax flavor which of course adds an special taste and it's the responsible of the growing of the song, and takes it back to Gilmour's voice for the closing scene. The sound of the drums is very tight carrying on all the arsenal of war. This is definitely one of the tracks that save the album.

"One Slip" pretends to continue with the experimentation on keyboards. Unfortunately, it's just a very simple intro, but without stopping the rhythm of the songs and keeps it as an excellent background and goes perfectly with the drums. The changing groove in some kind of duet between the bass with the unique Tony Levin and the guitar makes the songs sound very interesting, but at the same point the release starts to sound in my opinion very monotone, following the same formula in all the songs. In some parts the album sounds exactly the same melody or rhythm.

When the album starts to decay, appears "On The Turning Away", that brings them back, pretty much in the style of "The Wall" songs, those wonderful tracks with piano and voice, sparkled with some moody guitars and very basic drums without pretensions of starring. The guitar opens a path that instantly grabs you and invites you to an inner exploration and gloriously concludes the song.. This is one of the strongest album tracks, letting the people know who Pink Floyd is.

"Yet Another Movie/Round and Around" is the fusion of an intro theme or a simple transition track, followed by an attempt of giving more importance to the keyboards that obviously is beaten ny the invincible guitar of Mr. Gilmour. But the lack of ideas turns this album very simple and plain.

"New Machine, Pt. 1" tries to be an experimental track with some robotic voices as a chorus or background for David Gilmour. Another vain attempt because it lacks of some elements of the Pink Floyd Sound present in all their previous releases.

"Terminal Frost" has a pretty poppy but melodic, sweet and amazing starts. Once again, the mixture of the guitar and in this occasion the soprano sax brings a sense of a fresher sound from this band. A complete instrumental theme that leaves you with a great feeling, the bass arrangements are excellent and the space sound that Gilmour adds with his guitar fade outs is awesome. An outstanding job, this is by much my favorite track on the album.

"New Machine, Pt. 2" leaved me an awful sensation after the previous track, this is just a simple fill up song.

"Sorrow" is the best way to close the album and the track that finally saves the disc ofr Pink Floyd, a very solid sound and one of the classic Pink Floyd guitar riffs, the intro takes you inside the song, everything is on its right place.

In conclusion, the idea of the album has its fragile points but some of the songs really make a support for the weakest tracks. A good album, not a great one. So I'm going to give it just 3 stars.

Following a duly mysterious (you know at once that you are listening to a Pink Floyd album) and aptly titled "Signs of Life" instrumental (in which Gilmore draws us in with his unmistakable tinklings on guitar) our patience is rewarded by the irresistible "Learning to Fly" in which David tells us that he's "a soul in tension that's learning to fly, condition grounded but determined to try." This is evident by glancing at the accompanying liner notes that list a virtual who's who of studio musicians (Jim Keltner, Tony Levin and Carmen Appice to name just a few) as well as seven different recording studios. In other words, a lot of calculated time and effort went into this project to show the world that they were still a force to be reckoned with sans any contribution from the charismatic Roger Waters. A menacing undertow of sound (that brings to mind the loping charge of Hannibal's elephants) characterizes "The Dogs of War" but, despite an excellent burning sax solo by Tom Scott, this song just never takes off.

"One Slip" is obviously about a serious momentary lapse of reason and the resulting guilt and remorse that follows infidelity. The lyrics are brutally honest but, more than any other song on the album, this tune unfortunately reflects the MTV neon signs of the times influence with its thinly veiled MJ "Thriller" feel and dates it terribly. Then things make a remarkable turn for the better. "On the Turning Away" redeems the whole project. It is, in every category, a brilliant song. Its call for universal and unconditional compassion is timeless and ever-relevant. Gilmore's emotion-packed solo and understated vocal performance makes this one of their best tunes ever. Big, deep drums introduce "Yet Another Movie/Round and Round" and promise great things but the song soon falls flat and never gets up again. I have never figured out what it's about, either. "A New Machine" features a very interesting vocal effect that gives me the impression of a computer left on its own that is talking to itself. This is followed by "Terminal Frost," a terrific instrumental that is an atmospheric mix of piano, guitar and saxophone. The dynamics are stunning as it ebbs and flows and it is a highlight of the disc. After a brief return to the talking PC we get to the closer, "Sorrow." David uses an earth-shaking guitar effect to get our attention for this song that seems to be directed at his no-longer-around partner with lines like "he's chained forever to a world that's departed." Even the obligatory "dry ice" moments in the middle can't stop the inertia of this rocker.

Released in 1987, this was the first release since 1983's questionable "Final Cut" fiasco that signaled the end of the Waters era. I think that David Gilmore in particular felt a real sense of purpose in proving that the band was still a formidable presence in the world of music and he did everything in his power to create a masterpiece. My feeling is that he and the group may have tried too hard. They included a few risky tracks that fell short of the runway and pulled the album down a notch or two despite the inclusion of some truly magnificent songs. That being said, I still think it is vastly better than a lot of the drivel that was being foisted upon the general public circa 1987 and deserves a place in any decent progressive rock collection. Not quite 4 stars but definitely more deserving than just 3. Let's say it's a 3.4.

Perhaps the best thing about the album is Storm Thorgerson's artwork. But the music inside doesn't live up to it, so don't expect to high. Collectors and fans only.

Nevertheless, this is the all-natural next step in the evolution of a rock band. The sound has evolved and has the 1980-ish scent, but contrary to many other albums from that period, it hasn't aged a single bit. 'Lapse' still sounds as fresh as it did back in the days it was recorded.

The debate isn't a pointless one, as both albums represent polar opposites of the band's output. 'The Final Cut' was the final album to be produced under the totalitarian thumb of Roger Waters, whose creative control had been progressively spiralling out of control since 1977's 'Animals.' Bearing the unflattering subtitle 'A requiem for the post- war dream by Roger Waters, performed by Pink Floyd,' the album is most palatable when viewed as the first Waters solo effort, with a couple of nice guitar solos from David Gilmour, used very sparingly. Waters' angst-ridden departure from the band shortly thereafter, and its subsequent reformation under Gilmour, led to the third David Gilmour solo album effectively becoming Pink Floyd's 'A Momentary Lapse of Reason,' with one major difference: Gilmour was expected to tailor his songs to sound like Pink Floyd. Or, as the irritable Waters later put it, 'a pretty fair forgery, or a good copy' of the distinctive Pink Floyd sound.

A Momentary Lapse of Reason was the first Pink Floyd album for five years, and as such was inevitably destined to be a hit, whether it was critically well-received or not (for the record, it largely was not). Three hit singles fuelled a sell-out tour on which the majority of the new material was played, free as it was from the copyright blight inflicted by Waters. The material itself is largely forgettable, but not completely without merit: a couple of stand-out tracks successfully update the Pink Floyd sound to the 80s electronic scape, amidst a load of bland, tedious and intrusive noise. Pink Floyd staples such as a backing female chorus and overlong guitar solos (especially) set this up to be almost too much like an imitation, but like all Pink Floyd albums it doesn't really sound too much like anything else. The dominant tone is still dingy, slow and brooding, though not to the extent of 'The Final Cut,' but the song structure and arrangement of the album is fairly unique, and in some places noticeably radio-oriented. At the very least, this stands out from the collection.

Gilmour's incarnation of the band was perhaps doomed to failure, its structure being something of a shambles after the five-year absence, and was fortunately able to scrape together a far more consistent release with their final album in 1994, largely due to the involvement of keyboardist Richard Wright in the writing process. Wright is largely absent on this album, and is still not officially a member of the band, which consists solely of Gilmour and drummer Nick Mason, amidst a throng of gathered session musicians. Mason himself was disappointingly out of practice, meaning that even his contributions are limited and extremely ineffective, leading Gilmour to program his own drum machine to jam along to in the final song, in absence of a suitable human to provide the repetitive backing beat. As many critics note, Gilmour's lyrics pale in contrast to those of Waters, but at least that leads to an album that's less angry and bitter, and doesn't mourn for a dead daddy that the singer never even knew.

'A Momentary Lapse of Reason,' (EMI, 1987)

1. Signs of Life (instrumental) 2. Learning to Fly 3. The Dogs of War 4. One Slip 5. On the Turning Away 6. Yet Another Movie 7. Round and Around 8. A New Machine Part 1 9. Terminal Frost (instrumental) 10. A New Machine Part 2 11. Sorrow

For the first time, all songs are written by David Gilmour, though the majority were co- written with producer Bob Ezrin and session musicians - neither Mason nor Wright had any creative input. This immediately lends a sense of repetition to the album, a far cry from the rather insane juxtaposition of styles on the early Pink Floyd albums for which each member would provide a song tailored to his own speciality. Gilmour's speciality appears to lie in long, identical-sounding guitar solos and raspy vocals, which sound like he suffered from a sore throat during every stage of the recording.

The instrumental tracks are particularly noteworthy and well thought-out, the opening piece setting the scene for an intensely spacey and atmospheric album, perhaps the pinnacle of the band's achievement at truly conveying a sense of outer space in music ('Astronomy Domine' succeeds better, but for different reasons). This is aided exquisitely by the foregrounded keyboard and organ, but the use of a distorted vocal sample, what sounds like communication between NASA and a shuttle, ruins the atmosphere a little for me. It would have been more impressive to rely entirely on the music to conjure the intergalactic image, perhaps with a little help from the title, but it wouldn't be a Pink Floyd album without extensive audio sampling would it? Right, Dave? 'Signs of Life' is a great mood piece, though a little long and a bit of a 70s new- age throwback, reminiscent of Vangelis' 'Mare Tranquillatis' from the superb space-jazz record 'Albedo 0.39' (right down to the transmission sample).

The other instrumental comes in the form of 'Terminal Frost,' and is a little more like the jams a Pink Floyd fan is used to, starting softly with a piano, soon to be joined by a nice melodic guitar wail and expanding to greater density as the minutes slowly tick by. It works really well as an instrumental piece, but is hindered by its hideous bookends in the form of the pointlessly excruciating 'A New Machine' parts one and two. This represents the peak of Gilmour experimenting with ever-more-distracting ways of keeping the listener's attention, as we're subjected to around three tormenting minutes of screeching a capella, distorted through some device or other. Separating 'Terminal Frost' from these segments, which really are completely unnecessary, it's one of the better pieces the album has to offer, even if John Helliwell's sax solo is more reminiscent of a gameshow opening theme than the great contributions of Dick Parry to 'Money' and 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond' in the 70s.

Disappointingly, alternating between so many hired musicians really adds very little variety to this recording. The drums on 'One Slip' are played by Jim Keltner, but aren't that different from the machine Gilmour programmed for 'Sorrow,' or Mason's competent-but-unremarkable work on 'Learning to Fly' and others. The bass is equally reliable to the point of unoriginality, only really audible in the bass-led 'Dogs of War,' which is easily one of the weakest songs Pink Floyd ever recorded. Shattering the chilled atmosphere at such an early point in a similar way to 'A New Machine' later (though not quite as bad), this is several minutes more than necessary of Gilmour barking half-arsed politics far too close to the microphone, while intrusive organs erupt every several seconds. There's a guitar solo too, but that's really stating the obvious. It's a shame really, as the songs surrounding it are fairly enjoyable, and would work much better if the mellow atmosphere had been allowed to pervade the recording without these uncomfortable jarring moments.

First single 'Learning to Fly' would probably have remained a live staple of this 'new' Pink Floyd if it had remained active to the present day, and was an unsurprising presence on both of the live albums it released. A good, catchy and enjoyable pop-rock song, this sees Gilmour in full melodic mode (think 'Comfortably Numb') over a background of pseudo-electro instrumentation. The chorus is nice and subdued, and the solo nice and relaxed, making this another highlight of the album. It's perhaps aimed a little too directly at MTV play, in contrast to the 'art rock' indulgence of earlier albums, but that doesn't really count against it. After 'Dogs of War' has run its discordant course, the album jumps into a slightly higher gear for the U2-like 'One Slip.' Only one gear though, it's nothing radical. Probably the most positive song on here, it's also enjoyable in a poppy sort of way, even if it doesn't strictly belong on a Pink Floyd recording. Much better is the dismal 'On the Turning Away,' a slow song with a vast and booming echo, dominated by impressive acoustic guitar that interacts well with the throbbing synthesiser. This is my favourite piece of the album, succeeding far better than the closing song, though an abrupt fade as the guitar solo lasts just a little too long spoils it, as does the repetition of very 'Wall'esque riffs.

The remainder of the album is fairly dull, mainly for coming after these earlier songs have already exhausted the ideas. 'Yet Another Movie' is similar to 'On the Turning Away,' though not as good, and fades out with the fairly pointless fifty second epilogue 'Round and Around,' which might as well have been the same song. 'Sorrow' is the biggest disappointment for me, beginning with ominous and earth-shaking keyboards and melancholy vocals from Gilmour in yet another vast, empty space, before the drum machine comes in after two minutes and it just becomes a waiting game until the final guitar solo fades out after reaching the point of tedium, and I can go on with my life. The bragging title and excellent set-up lead only to a repetition of what we've already heard five or six times over the course of the previous fifty minutes, but the fault lies largely in the rubbish drum machine. Would it really have been too hard to draft in one of the hired hands to play something more interesting to close the album? As evidence, the song is improved on live recordings with Nick Mason handling the drum beat and Gilmour's indulgent solo being allowed to properly run its course, without feeling stunted and unsatisfied, as it does at the end of this mediocre release.

'A Momentary Lapse of Reason' is probably the least essential item in your Pink Floyd collection, especially as some of the best songs appear on the excellent live album 'Pulse,' as well as the rather less excellent live album 'The Delicate Sound of Thunder.' Gilmour's Pink Floyd is little more than a shambolic money-making exercise for a man whose solo career was faring only adequately, and it's a shame that 1994's 'Division Bell' is the only effort the band made in remedying this problem and maintaining their credibility. The best songs on here can be found elsewhere, while the worst ('Dogs of War' and 'A New Machine') should have remained on the cutting room floor. To address the all-so-important debate I mentioned earlier, Waters' 'The Final Cut' is probably better than 'A Momentary Lapse of Reason,' though both show a band in a decade of unmistakable decline.

The only Pink Floyd album that's probably less appealing is the studio disc of 1969's 'Ummagumma,' which is really, really terrible and even something of an embarrassment for those involved. A momentary lapse of reason by a young and stupid band, before they became old and rich and should have known better. By 1987, there were plenty of bands imitating the Pink Floyd sound and achieving far greater results than this.

The first song is Signs of Life, which is a beautiful instrumental song. It has two parts, the first one is an keyboard solo, and the second part is an guitar solo. This song also has some obscure voices and some water sounds, which helps to create a nice atmosphere.

Learning to Fly is a more commercial song, but it's very good. The lyrics here are simple, but they have a nice meaning, of someone who is growing up.

Dogs of War is next, and it's very nice. Gilmour's vocal work is impressive, and the vocal parts looks like a synthesized blues, and there is a excellent guitar solo, and an very agressive (but nice) sax solo.

The fourth song is One Slip, which I believe it's the most commercial song in this album. But this is by no means a bad song. In fact, it's very good. The crazy beginning and the awesome chorus are the highest points on this song.

At last, we've got the first killer song on this album, On The Turning Away. This song is beautiful. It builds up until it's climax which is a guitar solo that's among gilmour's finest solos.

The next song is, in my opinion, the best song in this album, Yet Another Movie. It's a dark song, and it has an wonderful vocal and keyboard arrengement. it also has a terrific guitar solo, which is intense and darkish. This song ends with the quiet section called Round and Around, which is just, well, an ending.

A New Machine part 1 is a complete filler song, and it's horrible. this is one of Pink Floyd's lowest moments.

Terminal Frost is a inspiration-lacking song. It's basically 6 minutes of the same thing. this song has a very nice sax solo, though.

A New Machine part 2 is the same thing as part 1. Thank god it's smaller.

Sorrow is another killer song. The rough guitar entrance is a wonderful introduction for a wonderful song. The guitar solo at the ending is very nice and it closes both song and album pretty well.

Overall, this is an almost perfect album, if only A New Machine hadn't existed... but this album showed that there is life without Roger Waters

Signs of Life: 10/10, Learning to Fly 8/10, Dogs of War 9/10, One Slip 7/10, On The Turning Away 10/10, Yet Another Movie 10/10, A New Machine part 1 0/10, Terminal Frost 6/10, A New Machine part 2 0/10, Sorrow 10/10

Overall= 4 stars

Kind of hard to review this album, really. I never really liked this album because it sounded "too 80s" to me. But then again, being born in 1985, I never really understood the musical landscape of that decade. Sure I have some albums from the 80s, but only a handful of them. To me, the 80s were too much about image instead of substance. In certain cases some artists made it work, while others faltered.

That being said, I'm going to review this album regardless of the era of music it was made in.

'Signs of Life', the opening track, is pretty slow and dull. Nothing much to see there. I remember when I was getting into Pink Floyd I heard 'Learning to Fly', and immediately thought "I know that song!" No doubt I'd had heard it on the radio countless times when I was very young, and probably a few more times when I was a little older. Really the only high point I see in this album is 'On the Turning Away'. It's a smooth, uplifting song.

Personally I think Dave Gilmour was simply trying to not sound like Roger Waters. Maybe if he'd had tried to stick to a more traditional sound, this album would have worked better.

Behind the poor decision to call Dave's solo career PF lies the complete vacuum of material of the level of what they were doing years prior. What you end up with is nothing more than clichés of Pink Floyd like you'd get if Clapton did Cream without Bruce, or Plant did Zeppelin without Page's vision, or Daltrey doing The Who without Townshend. I could go on all day about how ludicrous the idea of a Waters-less Floyd is, but I'll spare you.

"The Dogs of War" is a particularly awful track and throughout the album we have Dave doing his best 80s Clapton stylings with huffy vocals, recycled licks, and poor lyrics. The one bright spot here is "On the Turning Away" which for the first time elicits some authentic emotion from the vocal and gives a brief flash of Floydian majesty. The songs are pretty uninspired and even the boatload of guest stars cannot rescue this. I can't imagine how Tony Levin got himself roped into this project; I can only assume he and Dave must be close friends. "Sorrow" is without doubt the most uneventful Floyd epic to date and sounds like filler.

I have to try very hard to justify the second star here and do so only because of "On the Turning Away" and out of respect for Nick Mason. I admit a Roger bias completely as I feel he was the reason for the great 70s albums, however I am not unable to be objective. Were this a great album I would say so. It is far from a great album.

Gilmour attempted to make A Momentary Lapse of Reason a Pink Floyd album by adding sound effects and lacing the album with synthesizer vocal effects, among other things. Although Nick Mason was a full member, his contributions were minimal as Gilmour relied mostly on a large team of session musicians including bassist Tony Levin, keyboardist Jon Carin (who would later tour with the band), Bob Ezrin, Carmine Appice, a variety of saxophone players (including John Helliwell of Supertramp), among others. Even Richard Wright would rejoin the band, though in the role of a salaried session musician.

Gilmour's new version of Pink Floyd was an entirely new creation. Sure, you have his amazing guitar work, which for the most part is the showcase behind the band's instrumentation from this point forward. But this is a Pink Floyd brought into the 1980s and along with it all those things we loved (i.e. hated) about the 1980s. This included programmed drums and a heap of digital synthesizers. Now that doesn't mean Pink Floyd went the route of Yes or Genesis. In fact, the new 1980s version of Pink Floyd was actually quite tastefully done considering the time period. After all, 1987 saw the likes of Invisible Touch, Big Generator, and Crest of a Knave. A Momentary Lapse of Reason, though not anywhere on par with their 1970s albums, was miles above the rubbish from other prog groups of the time.

Many of the songs are of a radio-friendly nature, most of them quite simple and uncomplicated. The most notable feel one can pick out of this album are the lush, and sometimes dark atmospherics created by the digital synthesizers. Maybe overused, but effective nonetheless. A couple of the songs have a driving energy (often lacking from Waters material), such as The Dogs of War, One Slip, and the concert favorite Sorrow. Another major difference is Gilmour's lyrical style. Instead of the lengthy political diatribes of Waters, we are left with some very poetical pieces. I think of that as an improvement.

Pink Floyd will never be the same without Waters, but Waters became so dominant that it was no longer Pink Floyd. A Momentary Lapse of Reason is a departure, but I find it to be a refreshing one. Unfortunately, it doesn't fare well compared to the group's earlier masterpieces. So I'm left with concluding this to be a three star effort. Good, but not essential.

Now to actually review the album. I gave it two stars as 3 stars says "good, but non-essential", whilst this album is mediocre in almost every degree. Gilmour's solo work is better than this. The album consists of so many "meh" songs that really seem to meld together. I will now give the positive points of the album. "Learning to Fly", while very poppy, is a fun song and I love it.This song I recommend to any Floyd fan (if you haven't heard it on the radio or *shudder* MTV already). I also think that the cover is one of the coolest ever, especially now in the age of computer generated everything, in that they actually dragged out hundreds of hospital beds onto the shore. This is a very grand scale, and you don't really see that much hard work put into cover art anymore. That's the highlights reel.

Is it a bad album? no.

Is it a good album? no.

Will you remember it tomorrow?

Only "Learning to Fly"...

The songs on the 2nd side sounded a little more faithful to their reputation. 'Yet Another Movie' holds an ethereal vibe to it, and is one of the winners of the album. It segues into a little motif entitled 'Round and Around', which tops off the piece in fine form. 'A New Machine - Part 1' is just some prose that's belted out by Gilmour, albeit vocoder manipulated - same goes for 'A New Machine - Part 2', not adding up to much within the overall picture, but eclectic never-the-less. 'Terminal Frost' is a semi-lengthy instrumental track that I find is a bit dull - it features some lovely piano melodies and some fine saxophone playing, backed with some wordless female voices - nice, but somewhat middle-of-the-road. The epic of the album is the near 9 minute 'Sorrow', a fine musical extravaganza in true Floyd fashion - Gilmour's guitar intro is big, and I mean BIG !!!!!!!!! A worthwhile track to finish off the album. a big '3' for the rating of this good, but unfortunately, inessential release.

This album is much more like the early 70s albums in spirit, as one would expect. Slow, spaced-out and languid, the music dominates here over lyrical vision. To be blunt, DAVID GILMOUR doesn't have a lyrical vision, and so those looking for FLOYD-with-a-message will take 'The Final Cut' over this. However, those interested in the music will plump for this. Most fans just wish the two could have been married one more time.

'Signs Of Life' reprises the opening of 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond' but without the starfield magnificence of the former: this track is definitely earth- (or water) bound. 'Learning to Fly' begins with a searing guitar, but the subject matter (literally, having flying lessons) reveals the shallowness of the subject matter at hand. To my mind it still beats yet another album about the war ... but what's this? 'Dogs of War'? Is GILMOUR trying to out-WATERS WATERS? This track is usually panned by the critics but I have no particular beef with it. 'One Slip' and 'On the Turning Away' are worthy album tracks, but not really up to post-72 PINK FLOYD.

Side Two is where the record excels. Here GILMOUR stretches his guitar fingers. 'Yet Another Movie/Round and Around', 'Terminal Frost' and 'Sorrow' were destined for a GILMOUR solo album, but are infinitely more valuable here, getting the full FLOYD treatment. 'Sorrow' in particular is a treat, the best FLOYD song since 1975 with the exception of C-Numb. A great growling guitar start, and a worthy, if overlong, solo to finish, with a meaningful song sandwiched in between.

Yes, it's as much a GILMOUR solo album as 'The Final Cut' was WATERS'. But gone is the smothering air of dominance. Instead, we see moves back towards democratisation, with the inclusion of WRIGHT (as much as his severance contract would allow). I'd love to have a machine that would somehow graft the best of this into the best of 1979-83 FLOYD and see what happens.

It comes down to this. I love PINK FLOYD as a space-rock band, not a protest art-rock band, irrespective of the brilliance of 'The Wall'.Therefore, what GILMOUR does is inherently more interesting to me than what WATERS does. This album is a fair forgery of a PINK FLOYD album indeed, as WATERS most famously put it. I'll settle for that over another war album from an angry tyrant.

I remember seeing this with great surprise in a record shop in 1987, and thinking it must be some kind of compilation, because I thought that "The Final Cut" was meant to be their last album by virtue of the title. When I picked it up and looked at the track listing I thought I don't recognise any of these??

The cover fools you into a sense of well-being because it truly was a full-on great Pink Floyd album cover - and that's the best bit, because when you open it out you find these horrible cheezy 80's pop star images of Gilmour and Mason. Why Mason is there I don't know because he hardly played on the album.

But it is amazing how they did made-up all those beds - 10/10 to Storm Thorgerson!!

Anyway - now to the music, and to stop the insults. The music is actually very good in places - mostly from the great guitar work/ solos from Gilmour - but without that it wouldn't really be any good. Note the word 'solo' - it really is a Gilmour solo album, and if it was entitled that you would be happier as wouldn't be expecting 'Dark Side of the Moon' again. Although you can tell Gilmour tried really hard, and in the midst of the time trying to sound like PF but also to advance it into the 1980's was ever so difficult - so well done for trying, and as Waters recently said it least it kept the name alive - if only commercially.

It starts really well with Signs of Life - a little 'Shine on' sounding and you think it's going to follow in the footsteps of 'Wish You Were Here' - and I really like that track. Then 'Learning to Fly' seems to start well, then progresses into this yucky 80's beat, and the album loses itself for 2 or 3 tracks, and really isn't that great until "Yet another movie" which does have a great solo in it. After that it's not too bad, although much of the music is too soft and slow. The lyrics are a little embarrasing in places as well. Don't get me wrong - I do like the album, I just don't think it's that great that's all.

There is redemption at the finish/ climax with the truly great track "Sorrow". The album is worth buying just for that (even though even this track is plagued by a horrible 80's beat, the awesome guitar work from Gilmour redeems it). Thank you David for trying at least - better was to follow with the much-improved "The Division Bell" in which the horrible 80's cod funk had been removed.

"Sorrow" brings the album up to an overall good album - that and "Signs of Life" and "On the Turning Away" and "Yet Another Movie" (the rest is too 80's to bother listening to). Buy all the other PF albums first, then get this for interest at the end.

Best songs on the album are: 1. Learning to fly 2. Yet another movie 3. Round and round 4. Terminal frost 5. Sorrow

I really love the saxophone in Terminal Frost, the guitars in Sorrow are amazing imo this is a 5 star album, but i'm gonna give it a 4 star rating, it's a great addition to your collection

Then back to MLOR. The album starts off quite poorly with the superfluous 'Sign of life' which to me is an all to clear example of a 'filler', how nice the effects may be. But then the quality is there, both in melody, in the keys and especially in the guitar playing. Some tracks really stand out like 'Sorrow', 'Learning to fly' and 'On the turning away'. I think they demonstrate that this band can still play remarkably well when they want, and can still play at a level that is far too high for many bands ever since. But yes, there are also some weak moments, like 'Dogs of war' (ill-advised attempt to perform a 'rock'-song?) and 'Round and round'. But as a whole the album works out very well for me and meant a return of the band I began to like after their genial 'Atom heart mother'. Too bad they also produced 'The final cut' but this album is for me a convincing comeback to the right track.

First track, Signs of life, is a typical opening track, like a sort of introduction to what is to come. This instrumental overture is mysterious and atmospheric. Nice. 3*.

Learning to Fly is more of a vocal track, a famous one, often played on their live concerts. Good Song but not quite mindblowing I would say. 3,25*.

The Dogs of War goes on in the same style, most of the songs on this album are pretty slow and have a sort of build up, a sort of growth in them. Same with this one, most of the songs are also a bit restrained as if they never come to some spectacular explosion. This one does for a bit after 3 minutes when Gilmour starts displaying a bit of his talent. Some companionship from the sax as well. But also this one doesn't grow to great heights. 3,5*.

One Slip is sort of the title track, well at least it's the only of the 10 tracks where the title is mentioned in the lyrics to be more precise. The track is a bit flat, no significant features here, more of an average track with an atypical rhythm by the way. 3*.

Next is one of my favourite PF tracks of all time although at the same time I must admit I'm not always in the mood for it. But when I'm in the right mood I enjoy it hugely not in the least because of Gilmour's great guitar solo at the end. 4,5*.

Yet another Movie is the one with the psychedelic/space sounds in the beginning, maybe a hint to their past (early seventies) when they did this all the time. It just lasts a minute, after this another regular song, quite interesting but not great. 3,25*

After two short ones, Round and Round and A New Machine, it's time for Terminal Frost. A very nice instrumental with great saxophone amongst other fine contributions. 3,5*.

And after the last short interlude (A New Machine pt.2) the second highlight, Sorrow. Longest song of the album and an impressive composition. And also on this one the sting is in the tail with great guitar at the end. 4*.

So a nice album by this great band but nothing to go overboard about really. And two really good songs are not enough to give 4 stars for so it will have to be three.

Roger Waters is gone, Rick Wright's return, not as a member, but as a guest. The guest-list is incredible here : Carmine Appice (Cactus), Bob Ezrin, Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel), John Helliwell (Supertramp)...

For completists and hardcore fans, but do not begin to listeneing to the Floyd with this one. It's too different from the other releases, and deceiving for a first approach.

P.S. : I hate Dogs Of War.

With the departure of Roger Waters many fans would likely call the band dead in the... er... water - but this was not so for the legendary progressive band. It may have been a long hiatus since the release of their last studio album before this one, The Final Cut, and we may be knee deep in the 80s now, but this album somehow turned out quite good! The songs are not really as ''progressive'' as some people would likely have liked to have them - there's no psychedelic jams and no long suites named after newspaper headlines and cows and whatnot, but there's still many of the ingredients of classic Floyd. True, they've been rearranged and mixed around, but that doesn't mean they're not present.

Gilmour's Floyd is a completely different beast than it was under the command of bass playing songwriter Roger Waters. It also doesn't help that the 80s are upon us, but the style is wildly different. Shorter, catchier songs get heavier radio play these days than some of the other songs in the Floyd catalog (see, for example, the soft and moody Learning to Fly) but in general they still pack a heavy punch. Faster and heavier songs such as One Slip and the brooding Dogs Of War still hold the classic Floyd sound in small doses, but offer a unique look at the band while instrumentals such as the opening intro Signs Of Life and the excellent Terminal Frost offer a new side to the band that's been seemingly hidden until Gilmour had the chance to take over.

Likely the best song on the album, though, has to be the closer. This is one of the best examples of blending the 80s style that many prog bands were using (and not doing well with in most cases) as Sorrow is an excellent piece. Driven by a heavy bass and some haunting vocals Gilmour and the boys really make the best of what they've got here. This really is one that can compete with most of the other material in the band's catalog, believe it or not.

The increased use of the 80s synth and the heavy beat to the album may make it a threatening one to listen to at first - not exactly at kin with any of Floyd's other albums (including the sole album to follow it, The Division Bell), but it really does have a certain charm that some of the others don't have. Between it's interesting cover art and it's unique style this one really is a fun one to listen to.

All things considered this is not one of Floyd's best albums, but it's not one to be shrugged off either. Not for people who are not fans of the band, but people who have avoided it simply because of it's date should reconsider if they want to hear something very different by the band. In the end this one gets 3.5 New Machines out of 5. Definitely not the album to start with by the band, but certainly not one that has to wait until the completionists get around to it. Recommended to people who have an interest to what happened to prog in the 80s, and anyone who thinks that The Division Bell needed a bit of extra 'oomph'.

"Signs of Life" As will be the case with both David Gilmour-led Pink Floyd releases, A Momentary Lapse of Reason opens with an atmospheric instrumental, this one full of synthesizer and subtle guitar passages.

"Learning to Fly" Perhaps the most well-known song from the album (nay, post-1970s Pink Floyd) , "Learning to Fly" is great blend of progressive rock and straightforward pop. The middle section features Nick Mason speaking, as though on a radio. The lyrics are not only about literal flight, but apparently reflect Gilmour's realization that he was stepping into his former band mate's shoes as front man of such a legendary and respected band.

"The Dogs of War" The problem with this song is that it tries too hard to be menacing. The splashes of keyboard, the marching strings, the growling vocals- it all sounds a trifle too ridiculous to be effective.

"One Slip" In spite of the prolonged introduction and the 1980s pop sounding music, this is a great song and one of the best on the album. The lyrics describe a spontaneous romantic rendezvous that results in a pregnancy, ultimately referencing how one seemingly frivolous act can have monumental consequences. After the guitar suddenly fades in, the vocals begin immediately. The music is catchy and upbeat (this is the fastest song on the album).

"On the Turning Away" Like "Learning to Fly," this beautiful anthem gained a respectable amount of radio airtime. The verses progress from a capella to an all-out choir, followed by a typical David Gilmour guitar solo, this one a bit reminiscent of the second one on "Comfortably Numb."

"Yet Another Movie" This is a long, atmospheric track with a 1980's pop-rock sound and not much going for it. The vocals are bland, and the music doesn't really move anywhere. It's more of the same for nearly seven-and-a-half minutes.

"A New Machine (Part One)" Not so much a song, as an introduction to the next track, this track has David Gilmour's distorted voice singing through a Vocoder.

"Terminal Frost" Beautifully bleak, this happens to be one of my favorite instrumentals. The piano and the saxophone can impart chills. For me, this song conjures up precisely what the title describes- something cold and deadly. Nick Mason doesn't actually play on this one- what you hear is a drum machine.

"A New Machine (Part Two)" This is essentially a reprise of part one.

"Sorrow" "Sorrow" begins with a heavily distorted, loud guitar, which was recorded in an arena through a sound system. For some of the lyrics, Gilmour borrows lines from John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. There are pleasant vocal harmonies and a smooth atmospheric part in the middle. Again, there are no real drums on the track, just a drum machine, and this gives the song a really stunted feel. Nearly the last three minutes consist of additional guitar soloing.

A lot of hostility seems to be pointed towards the fact that David Gilmour wrote this album almost entirely by himself, and that it's like one of his solo albums. But to those people, I say this: Is that a bad thing? David Gilmour released some great solo albums, so there's nothing really wrong with that. It's still good, just because he's by himself doesn't mean it's not that great, although I do agree that the sound has decreased in its diversity since they were writing together. On all their best songs, if you notice, they all work together on it.

This is a fairly nice album. The album artwork is very surreal, which is always good. Some songs are just radio friendly songs like Learning to Fly and One Slip, but they're still good. The new machine songs are just fillers, but the lyrics are really poetic if you listen to them. Sorrow is a masterpiece.

Overall, it's a good album, yeah some things sound kinda dry, for instance drum machines were used on several songs, rather than Nick Mason himself.

A Momentary Lapse of Reason is often looked as a Gilmour solo album, which I disagree or tend to reach to a logical conclusion, in which if someone considers this as a Gilmour solo project, then why consider The Final Cut, which is written in it's entirety by Roger Waters, be Pink Floyd? Either both are Pink Floyd or both are solo albums with Pink Floyd as their moniker, don't you think?

A Momentary Lapse of Reason is also said to be light, pop, radio friendly, and so on. I can't help to disagree more, I mean songs like Signs of Life, Sorrow, Yet Another Movie, Dogs of War, I really can't hear any radio-friendly or light-hearted on those songs, on the contrary, they're pretty somber to your usual Gilmour-aspect, and I can also say that they're quite prog-esque if you don't mind the 80's sound and can deal that the Dark Side of the Moon-period is gone. I won't ommit the fact that this album does have radio-friendly songs like the popular Learning to Fly and One Slip, both up-lifting but still both carry that Floyd(at least Gilmour) touch that makes it so recognisable such as Money and Another Brick in the Wall, and definitely making up a great enjoyment.

I must also point out the great vast of musicians that participate in this album(maybe another reason for those who consider this a Gilmour solo project, which in that case I can just say that Pink Floyd needed a bass player, a saxophone play and a keyboard player, and ended up bringing quite a lot of them), which makes this album to have such a sophisticated sound like almost every Floyd album, excluding The Wall and The Final Cut.

As a conclusion I must say that A Momentary Lapse of Reason achieves to be a very good album for Pink Floyd standards, not essential, yet highly enjoyable and recomended for the Pink Floyd fan who enjoys their style of music and doesn't worry for the complexity or things of the sort. I'm really not sure what's not Floyd of this album and The Division Bell.

3.5 stars.

The absence of Waters does make for a stark change from The Wall and The Final Cut. For one thing, we now actually get fully instrumental tracks (the last time that happened was on DSOTM), in the forms of Signs of Life and Terminal Frost. And they happen to be a couple of mighty fine tunes.

There are numerous other highlights across the album, from the likes of Learning To Fly, On the Turning Away and Sorrow. Most other tracks are good-quality, solid numbers. Only The Dogs of War and A New Machine Parts 1 and 2 fail to meet my good listen criteria: The Dogs of War is a cringeworthy poke at Waters' anti-war songs, which exudes a very uncomfortable atmosphere and a frankly ugly saxophone solo. A New Machine parts 1 and 2 are short and rather pointless, with little musical value to them (simply Gilmour shouting/screaming slightly distorted pointless phrases such as I have always looked out from behind these eyes - well duh!). The album would have lost nothing without them, apart from a less impressive-looking tracklisting.

All that said, the album is overall very solid and largely consistent. The reason I'm giving it three stars rather than four is because of the lack of variety. Most songs follow the intro-singing-instrumental-singing-instrumental format and there is little variation in Gilmour's singing. Most of the individual songs are well-crafted pieces and would stand well by themselves, but bunching them all up on one album I would say hinders their enjoyability.

Supposedly the big drop from the glory days of old, even more so than The Final Cut. Is it true? Maybe. The album starts off with a soft and ambient instrumental with a Mid Tempo solo that sounds like something from Meddle. Then comes the smash radio hit Learning to Fly. the sounds are still eerie and nostalgic. Gilmour has a nice voice, but it isn't up to par with Waters, which is what I felt brought so much worth to Final Cut. Still, the song has a solid and captivating melody. It feels like a Wall-era demo, really. With a nice mid-tempo solo. The hooks are fine, and the melodies are strong. It is more mood than actual song craft, though. And the spoken word part doesn't really come off too well for me. Seems unnecessary.

The Dogs of War recalls an animals demo. Yes, it seems as if Gilmour is intent on reliving the glorious Pink Floyd Past. Even with the angry vocals that have Gilmour mimicking ol' Roger. It is a shame, too, because the song is sorely lacking. It is simplistic, and is carried by basic mood, only. There is almost no cohesion, and it feels choppy. That sax solo just doesn't fit, even though I like it. With One Slip we have what feels like a Dark Side demo or outtake. The noises are plain annoying, and the ringing is a time rip off if I have ever heard one. The song itself is not much to hear, either. Rather simple, without even the mood to set it free. Almost sounds like 80's synth pop for a second. Wait, this IS 80's synth pop...with mid tempo guitar solos.

Is it me, or does On The Turning Away sound as if Gilmour is trying to mimick... Peter Gabriel? I can't help but feel that this band is just living in the progressive past. It has a warm melody, and the lyrics aren't absolute rubbish, but this leaves a lot to be desired. Living on with mood alone...

Did I forget to mention how much this guy loves those moody mid tempo solos? Yeah, they sound nice, at least. But, there are so many of them, and each one is fairly interchangeable. To be fair, quite a few of them are really good, but don't top the emotional and paced solos of long lost years. Yet Another Movie has some banal ambiance at the beginning. In all honesty, the songs lack a lot. They are riding the mood and atmosphere train straight into the mediocre inferno. And it works for them. It is all just so average and derivative. Round and Round is a seemingly pointless instrumental, but sounds good.

Terminal Frost is just repetitive and weak. That solo is nothing, and the ambiance is the same as all the other ambiance we've encountered so far. The weak synthesizer lines are boring, and the track never takes off. At least the mood is good. A New Machine is annoying, really. Those vocals and motionless synth backing are abysmal.

Record closing Sorrow is more somewhat monotone plod-rock with those ever popular mid tempo musings. The mood is the same as the mood on every song here, and the pace is the same, too. This is like one big muddy song split into multiple tracks.

It is repetitive in a negative way, the lyrics are not so great, it is derivative of past glories without expanding upon them in a meaningful way, and those mid tempo solos get old. (I never thought I would say that!) Depending on your mood, this entire album could be filler, or none of it could be. It is all so much alike.

Best Song - Learning To Fly, but not so great

Worst Song - All of it or none of it.

** Weak Stars, but feel free to boost it if you like the mood, or subtract if you don't 'cause it's all the same.

We all know the story; Roger Waters took more and more command over Pink Floyd around the time of The Wall and his complete control culminated on the very disappointing The Final Cut until the rest of the band had enough and they split up. Momentary Lapse Of Reason is the band's comeback album and in my view a return to form. Roger Waters is no longer here and this fact was evidently very liberating for David Gilmour. This album is dominated by David Gilmour's guitars and vocals and he sounds completely rejuvenated in both departments! His vocals are strong and his guitar sound was never as distinctive and powerful as this. Also as a songwriter, Gilmour had matured a lot and he had a hand in all the songs on this album, but he is helped out by several others. Songs like On The Turning Away and Learning To Fly give a strong indication of what was to come on the excellent follow-up album The Division Bell, for which Gilmour's song writing skills would improve further.

A Momentary Lapse Of Reason is not just a comeback album after a longer absence, but a return to form after the disappointing The Wall and The Final Cut albums, and also, in a way, it is a transitional album; it is both backward-looking and forward looking at the same time. It is partly a return to the sound of Animals and Wish You Were Here, where Gilmour and keyboardist Rick Wright had a much larger influence, and partly also the birth of something brand new that would culminate with the excellent Division Bell (and the equally great live album PULSE). The titles of Dogs Of War and New Machine are probably not coincidental. Dogs Of War remind of Dogs from Animals and New Machine remind of Welcome To The Machine from Wish You Were Here.

It is a bit weird that Rick Wright is not listed as a full member of the band, but as a session musician! He finally became a full member of the band again for the Division Bell album and tour.

The title of the album possibly refers to the time when they let Roger Waters take complete control of the band. The period between Animals and The Final Cut was perhaps 'a momentary lapse of reason' on behalf of the other members?

Personally, I find A Momentary Lapse Of Reason better than many older Pink Floyd albums and a very good album in its own right with several good songs and a few excellent ones. The almost folky On The Turning Away being particularly noteworthy - one of Gilmour's finest vocal moments ever!

Awful lyrics combined with painfully ordinary tunes make this an ordeal to listen to. It's like waiting for a funeral to begin.

A far more appropriate title would have been 'A Momentary Collapse of Reason'. This record clearly shows the damage caused by Roger Waters departure. It just plods along in a nondescript way from beginning to end.

It's all very middle of the road and by the time we get to 'Dogs of War' I can feel my mouth filling up with sick at the sheer blandness of the tunes. Even the gatefold sleeve annoyed me with it's ridiculous pretentiousness. It's also dated really poorly compared with their 70's outings. This has 80's stamped all over it - overly produced where everything sounds squeaky clean. The only part I can listen to is the intro to 'Signs of Life' which has a nice clear recording of some bloke rowing in a boat. That's about it I'm afraid. Ugly.

The album is atmospheric and glossy. The 80s component is overwhelming, for sure. This gives the album a nice uniqueness and rich texture however, and in some ways the darker, more serious Division Bell seems to miss this. While both albums are foreboding and depressing (in a real, intellectual sense) [offering nothing of the solution that Waters always leaves at the end of his albums, except Final Cut and Wish You Were Here], they offer some small insights into the human condition which I think anyone can appreciate.

My take on this album is that it is a David Gilmour solo album, branded as a Pink Floyd album. There was a lot of turbulence in the Pink Floyd camp after the release of The Wall. The Final Cut was the Roger Waters solo album, branded as a Pink Floyd album. And so on... There has been books written about this so let me end this rant here.

Music wise, this album is very commercial and very 1980s. Neither Nick Mason or Richard Wright was very involved in this album. It was a David Gilmour & studio musicians project. The result is a wall of sound and a very commercial product. It is sweet, sweet and sweet. It is dominated by melodic guitar solos, long keyboard sequences, some very 1980s soundscapes and some attempts of sounding modern (that's the 1980s I am referring to). The result is excellent, bland tunes like Learning To Fly and cringe worthy tunes like Dogs Of War. On The Turning Away is Comfortably Numb, second take. This album is not a real Pink Floyd album and it has not survived the test of time. But still, it is a good album and I am not one of those who knocks it. I think it is a good album, on it's own terms.

3 stars

From a musical point of view the album unfortunately sounds way too much 80ish, even though a bunch of great artists were involved in the recording, I mean Tony Levin and Phil Manzanera, for instance. The album contains one GREAT song "On The Turning Away", a couple of good tracks "The Dogs of War", "Learning to Fly", "One Slip" and other weak moments like the quite useless numbers "A new Machine" and "Signs of Life". There's one track on this album that I'm really confused about: "Sorrow": since I don't feel that it would be fair to consider it absolutely rubbish, but surely it presents different problems: 1. it's too 80ish 2. it suffers from what I usually call the "Post- Comfortably Numb guitar solo illness", to be more accurate: the following Pink Floyd songs are all identical from a musical structural point of view : "Sorrow", "On The Turning Away", "Coming Back To Life", "Poles Apart".

In other words they start in a quiet mood they grow up until the final climax which is the guitar solo in the end: a sort of clichè since "Comfortably Numb" adopted this kind of musical construction.

So considered this, the track sounds like a deja vu.

I tend to consider "Sorrow" as one of the most overrated PF song ever...it's way too 80ish, even though the lyrics are not so bad in the end.

Only one GREAT track on the album cannot allow me to give this album three stars, so I'd like to recommend it only to Floyd fans, since it's not that good, and to be honest, if you're a newbie, this "Momentary lapse of reason" won't help you to get a real idea of what PF are all about....

My Rating is two stars.

The album starts off with "Signs of Life", a mellow instrumental with a wonderfully tongue in cheek title. The next is the MTV and radio friendly "Learning to Fly" followed by the song that routinely and unfairly gets ripped by PF fans. That is "The Dogs of War". Not a light subject matter with good vocals and guitar solo. Actually, if there is a problem with this album, it is the predictible mid tempo song with a guitar solo or two. A better balance between the keys and guitars would have been welcome.

There is alot to enjoy here. " Sorrow" , "Yet Another Movie" and "On the Turning Away" are standout tracks without a bad one in sight. The pro-Waters camp will bash AMLoR as not having the musical dynamics of glories past and lyrics not worthy of the name Pink Floyd; just as the pro-Gilmour backers will hammer the Final Cut for not being musical enough and full of The Wall leftovers. Both camps are partially correct with the two albums combined with their solo albums and including Rick Wright's, show that they were better together.

Still a very good album.

3.5 stars rounded to 4.

"A Momentary Lapse of Reason" opens in pretty convincing style with "Signs of Life", "Learning to Fly" and "The Dogs of War", which is also a pretty decent track. Unfortunately the remaining part of the album is also only decent and very seldom does it reach the heights of the first couple of tracks. The tracks often comes off as too polished and uninspired with female soul type backing vocals, cheesy sax playing and a dominant use of eighties synth sounds. There are redeeming features on the album like David Gilmour´s excellent guitar solos and pleasant vocal delivery, but they don´t manage to pull the project enough in the right direction.

The sound production instantly gives away the fact that this is an album recorded in the eighties and in this case it´s not necessarily a good thing. The warmth of earlier releases by Pink Floyd is nowhere to be found on "A Momentary Lapse of Reason", which sounds quite soulless compared to it´s many predecessors. No body wanted Pink Floyd to be over because of Roger Waters departure from the band, but listening to "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" it´s clear to me, that he took the soul of Pink Floyd with him when he left, and that this album should probably have been released as a David Gilmour solo album. It´s definitely the weakest release in the band´s discography and a 2.5 star (50%) rating is warranted.

So stylistically he returned to the success formula of Wish You Were Here, adding some bluesy touches inflated to the well known glossy epic Pink Floyd proportions. But the backbone to support the pathos is there: the song writing is excellent and the dedication and intensity is very focussed.

We miss Roger Waters here - that's for sure - but on the other hand, it's infinitely better than any of Water's solo albums. Apart from the silly pop song Learning to Fly, I will defend this album as a prog masterpiece to all non-believers, armed to the teeth and without relenting!

4(-) perhaps. Let's be fair. Even three plus would be maybe more sufficient. However, because of mentioned repeats on gigs, this is quite well known album, just another reason to give more.

Alot of people don't like this album, but I liked it. Some people may criticise it for not sounding like Pink Floyd, but I see it as an almost Marillion like fashion, were if you didn't like their new stuff, you're probabbly a fan of their older stuff. I liked both Marillions, so I could see the angle Floyd were going for.

The album has a more spacey and free sound than their earlier stuff. Roger also criticised this album, saying that the songs were weak and the lyrics were poor, but I thought the lyrics were quite good and very descriptive.

1. Signs Of Life - A great intro, very effective and atmospheric. Some great orchestration and synths.

2. Learning To Fly - A very cathcy song. Dave's vocals are very calm and soothing and the choir in the chorus is very effective.Some great guitar work in this song.

3. The Dogs Of War - I love the post apocalyptic blues mood this song has, very different.

4. One Slip - This song has a very good chorus. Underlooked in my opinion.

5. On The Turning Away - Some great lyrics in the song. Some great instrumental sections.

6. Yet Another Movie/Round & Around - A great build up to the song. Very effective. After the first part is over, there is a great instrumental.

7. A New Machine Part 1 - Love the synth vocals and the echo of the voices.

8. Terminal Frost - Great insrumental. Very spacy and eccentric.

9. A New Machine Part 2 - More synth vocals.

10. Sorrow - A very underlooked song (although, it was on Echoes.) This song is very calming and Dave's vocals give it a dark tone. Amazing.

CONCLUSION: Very underlooked. If you are a big fan of Pink Floyd, then mabye this isn't the thing for you.

The single was overplayed and unmoving. The more contemporary (for the time) tracks are not really to my taste and judging from the album's chart position, the audience of that era weren't too bothered either. The more "classic Floyd" style songs are better (I enjoy the albeit brief soloing on 'Dog's of War'). But the filler really is filler, by no stretch of the imagination: 'Sign's of Life' sounds like somebody accidentally pressed the record button whilst noodling around in the studio. And 'A New Machine' is for some unexplainable reason split into two separate tracks (it's not like it was too long; combined it only clocks in at 2:24) and these are literally JUST vocals put through some dated vocoder. Maybe I'm being harsh; the band lacked their primary songwriter here. And the first few songs do [just about] hold my attention, but the entire second half of the album feels like one very long and boring song with no feeling or expression (or compositional quality, OR lyrical interest).

I think the reasons for the lack of focus here is because there was really no band. There was David Gilmour. That's one person. Nick and Rick's contributions were minimal and most of the stuff they DID play on was actually re-recorded by better musicians or machines (apparently they could barely play anymore (so why reform?!)). Given the subsequent lack of quality anyway, I'd dread to think how bad these songs must have been before Wright and Mason were overdubbed.

This album sucks. I hold no grudges against Pink Floyd because they had plenty of legitimate reasons for why this album sucks. But it still does.

It was a rebirth of the band. Wright even was not there, and Gilmour wasn`t much inspired, and he recurred to several external musicians for the songwriting. It was a good effort but not much than this. In our progressive context, is good but not essential. 3 STARS and MAYBE A BIT MORE.

The cover is great.

We had all heard that Pink Floyd had broken up. Then we heard that they were back together. Without Roger Waters. How bad could that be? Waters was never an exceptional bass player or singer. However mediocre "The Wall" was (just wait to see my review, coming soon) and how just plain bad "The Final Cut" was, Waters' genius was in his production and songwriting.

This album, for all it's flaws, was a gift to us in those prog-starved eighties. At least there still was a Pink Floyd. It is missing that ominous feeling you get when listening to just about any other Floyd album. But if you compare it to David Gilmour's solo albums (which this almost qualifies as, since Gilmour wrote all the songs), it fares well.

The best songs to me are The Dogs Of War, with it's machine like rhythm (sure, it's not terribly original, but it comes closest to that old Floyd feeling), and Yet Another Movie. The biggest disappointment is Tony Levin's nondescript appearance. Like the Peter Gabriel albums he appears on, his playing is so low key, you hardly know it's him. Except for a couple of short, and not too flashy solos in One Slip (with Gilmour lowering himself to copying U2's The Edge's single guitar trick), it could be anyone.

Still, I like this better than the two previous Floyd albums.

A lot of this sounds like a Gilmour solo album. The production dates it severely; only the first two Floyd albums are more "dated" than this is. This is alright for a late 80s rock album, but for a 'Pink Floyd' album, this is terrible. As much as I don't like The Final Cut, AMLOR is worse because there are less interesting moments here. There is nothing here as good as "Not Now John" or the title cut. The only songs that stand out here are "Learning To Fly", "The Dogs Of War", "On The Turning Away" and "Sorrow".

"Signs Of Life" is a nice opening instrumental. Includes Mason talking. "Learning To Fly" has Mason talking in the middle section as well. This is the best song here but this version pales in comparrison to the one on P-U-L-S-E. "The Dogs Of War" has not much going on for the first half. Then drums come in, a guitar solo, back up vocals and sax. "Terminal Frost" is a decent instrumental. Just before halfway it gets to a good section with sax solo and back up vocals. "Sorrow" is maybe the second best song. Great guitar playing from Gilmour. Features the best use of back up singers on the album.

Mediocre songwriting mixed with very 1980s production values. At least The Division Bell was a major improvement over this. The best songs from AMLOR appear in better live versions on the Delicate and PULSE albums. Floyd's worst album but The Final Cut is not far behind. 2 stars.

I am a Gilmour's fan and I would have appreciated this album even if released as a Gilmour's solo as originally planned. Lot of the material was ready for Gilmour's next album when he and Mason won the lawsuit for the use of the Pink Floyd's name.

Gilmour and Mason tried to arrange the songs for a Pink Floyd album, so there's not the funky or the heavy guitar of "About Face", but the absence of Waters is evident. This album tries to go in the "missed" direction of Wish You Were Here, and this is why Waters is missed.

Also Wright is not officially back. It means that he plays in the album but he doesn't contribute to the songwriting.

No concept, then. Just a collection of songs with more attention to the music than to the lyrics. Gilmour wasn't a great lyricist until he wrote High Hopes, and even if some social obsessions are present, everything is lighter respect to the usual Waters.

Dogs of War is emblematic. It's a bluesy song that contains a reference to Animals and a not very hidden message to Roger Waters. The other big Floyd's obsession: Syd Barrett is present also in this album. In terms of lyrics there are very weak moments, like "On The Turning Away".

However the album is very well played and arranged and the sound is the Pink Floyd's sound. Of course it's not the album to start with for a newbie and it's not musch better or worse than The Final Cut. It's just "The brigth side of Pink Floyd" respect to Waters.

Good but non-essential.

The album opens with the keyboard heavy instrumental Signs of Life. The piece is moody and almost classical in places. This moves into the hit of the album, Learning to Fly, a strutting and catchy tune. Another strutting piece follows, The Dogs of War, but with a harder edge and more turbulent manner. I do not consider it Pink Floyd's worst song, as many seem to do. No, I reserve that (dis)honor to A New Machine, which appears later on. One Slip follows. Co-written by Phil Manzanera and Gilmour, this one features various sequencers, including the 80s style Gilmour used so often at that time. This one sounds the most like a solo Gilmour song than any of the others because of the sequencing. On the Turning Away takes an Irish folk melody to which Gilmour place some thoughtful and grand lyrics, some of his best actually, to create a true anthem. This song should be sung by thousands of people gathered together in solidarity. Yet Another Movie is one of the darker tunes on the album, both lyrically and musically, with some dramatic flourishes. So far, I like all the songs and hear nothing inherently wrong with them, but things take a serious downturn. The aforementioned A New Machine starts up. It is nothing more than Gilmour a cappella, his voice heavily processed. The song is as dreary as its lyrics. Unfortunately, this horror is given to us in two parts. Fortunately, they are separated by the album's second instrumental, Terminal Frost. One might think this would be just an excuse for Gilmour to solo, but it isn't. It is a very well constructed piece that is dominated by keys, sax, and drums. Guitar is present to be sure, but it is largely a support instrument. I usually program both parts of A New Machine out of play. Sorrow closes the album on a somber and serious note. The song begins with an ominous and threatening guitar introduction, and then moves into the main section, its ragged vocal rhythms fitting the post apocalyptic lyrics. At nearly nine minutes, it is stretched out in all it ponderous and plodding glory. The outgoing solo is extensive, leading the listener on through the menacing aural landscape before fading out to an uncertain and unseen future, which fits the theme of the song quite well.

A Momentary Lapse of Reason is not a bad album by any means, but it does not rise up to the same levels of expression and excellence as their classic albums from the 70s. Part of the reason for this is the absence of Roger Waters and the minimum involvement of Rick Wright. This is a Pink Floyd album, but one for the sober musical landscape of the 80s. It is richly and immaculately produced, each song expertly constructed with hosts of dramatic crescendos and musical progressions. A good listen, but it won't send the Prog fan into the stratosphere like some of their earlier classics. I give it a solid three stars.

The opening instrumental track is one personal favourite. It's quite mysterious with effects of plodding movement through water giving way to some chilling keyboards. It reminds me of some moments from the "Animals" album. All of the songs on this release are really good. "Learning to Fly" is a charming song and quite uplifting. "Turning Away" has a lot of magic too, all about man's lack of concern for his fellow man. It features some amazing guitar work by Gilmour. Other favourites are the title track and the moody "Terminal "Frost". The album closes out nicely with "Sorrow". This is the most emotionally compelling song on the album, and it opens with David Gilmour doing what he does best.

As I said, this relese is very different to what had come before. It might not be the Pink Floyd many listeners love the best but it's Pink Floyd nonetheless. David Gilmour, Nick Mason, and Richard Wright revived this group when many thought it was dead and buried, and their own distinctive musical creations introduced a new generation of fans to the magic that is, was, and always will be Pink Floyd. Four solid stars.

"A Momentary Lapse of Reason" is clearly David's work. The music is much more important than the lyrics, where as with Roger the lyrics were important with the music. 1. "Signs of Life": a good instrumental song that includes great sounds. Rating 5/10 2. "Learning to Fly": this is the one I hear on the radio. It is a very good song. This one has fairly good lyrics. Rating 7/10 3. "The Dogs of War": a terrific angry song that has very good music. David shows his talents at vocals. He can sing a good soft song, or an angry song like this one. Rating: 9/10 4. "One Slip": this is my second favorite off the album. The music and lyrics are great with this one. In the middle is a great bass line by Tony Levin. Rating 10/10 5. "On the Turning Away": this is the best of them all. This song is very meaningful. The lyrics are at best with this track, then it ends with great music. Rating 10/10 6. "Yet Another Movie": this one is not really my favorite. The only thing that really works with this song is the music, and only at certain spots. Rating 4.5/10 7. "Round and Round": this song goes with it's previous song. Rating 3/10 8. "A New Machine, Pt. 1": an interestin short song with Gilmour speaking with cool effects. Rating 5/10 9. "Terminal Frost": a very nice instrumental between A New Machince, Pt.1 and Pt. 2. Rating 8/10 10. "A New Machine, Pt. 2": the next part of the short song, but still very good. Rating 5/10 11. "Sorrow": the third best to me. This song has the best opening guitar track. This song shows what a great guitarist David Gilmour is, besides Comfortably Numb. Rating 10/10

however, released as it was when i was not even in my teens, this was my introduction to Pink Floyd and a gateway to the vast universe of rock, progressive and otherwise. so it has held a very special place in my heart from the moment "Signs of Life" segued into "Learning to Fly" ...i was hooked!

besides, not having heard (or even heard about) Dark Side of the Moon or Animals or the anthemic Another Brick or any of the legal shennanigans between Waters and the rest of Pink Floyd..."Learning to Fly", "On The Turning Away", "Terminal Frost" and "Sorrow" were my early Floyd favourites.

no one but Floyd can quite have the nerve to come up with 4 minute intro made up almost entirely of the sound of someone rowing a boat and much less (Signs of Life), the talent to make it sound awesome.

Learning to Fly is a "modern" classic accompanied with an equally awesome video.

then, someone went to sleep and came up with 1. the utterly horrible Dogs of War and 2. the disco/ trance look-alike One Slip. the enigma of Momentary Lapse for me was "Dogs of War". to this day, i dont get this "song" - what were they thinking or trying to make of it? and the following song "One Slip" was pretty average but these two were clearly out of place on the album (on any album for that matter). i went on to discover several more "strange" anomalies charading as songs in Floyd 's history (Seamus from Meddle", The Great Gig in the Sky from Dark Side) but "Dogs of War" wins that race by a mile.

things begin to get back on track with the subtle, yet gripping On The Turning Away (with fresh vocals which Gilmour can never to justice to while playing live)

i see the next 4 songs as kind of like a suite - they flow into each other and could well have been re-worked into a 15-16 min long "epic"...

Sorrow is the crowning glory of the album with the intriguing guitar intro, the lovely (for Gilmour) lyrics and the majestic 4+ minute "outro" guitar solo...i wince every time i hear the fade out since i never want it to end (i wore out at least 3 tapes before i could afford to get the CD)

best summed up in Floyd's own words that close the album: "And silence that speaks so much louder than words, Of promises broken...

But the individual parts don't necessarily make up a whole and there is something decidedly missing, and the empirical evidence suggests that it would be Roger Waters ("a pretty fair forgery" ?-- I'm afraid that's kind). One doesn't have to be a Waters fan to understand the 1987 issue is an excellent example of how important one band member can be, especially a mover & shaker like RW. The tension is gone, everything works smoothly, and that's a real shame. There is also a tangible lack of lyrical depth replaced by an easier, formulaic verse. I mean when you're rhyming "love" and "glove" maybe it's time for some soul-searching, if only out of courtesy. The overall impression is that of a cold, well-oiled machine: a dreadnought that could punch out all the modern, ironic spacerock you want 24 hours a day if you let it. It's not a pretty picture, and is itself consumed by the very post-apocalyptic visions it feeds upon. Worse is the feeling we're hearing an imitation, a cruel pun, New Coke.

Some didn't seem to mind in '87, basking in the light of new material from a favorite group. Others heard the quiet desperation but gave them a pass. After all, it could've been worse. The anemic single 'Learning to Fly' has Gilmour's studio-only breathiness and Jimi Hendrix guitar phrasing over the munch of an electronic percussive. Dave and the boys' synthestra encroaches, incurs, and Wagners its way through the battlements in 'Dogs of War' and "it's scary now" melodrama. 'One Slip' is promising with remnants of his About Face period, 'On the Turning Away's arm-twisting sentiment is saved by a popping guitar solo, sandstorms and incomprehensible lyrics fill-out the enormous space of 'Yet Another Movie' and the mean skirl of Dave's ax opens superfluous 'Sorrow'.

I don't begrudge Gilmour & Friends this first try (as I recall Division Bell was a bit better), but it was far from the album we wanted and needed in those lean years of the '80s, and it had the sense these three vets were occasionally phoning it in. After giving so much, they probably deserved it. I just don't know if we did. In many ways this was indeed a momentary lapse of reason, no doubt to the giddy delight of Mr. Waters.

This album was released in 1987, and the 80s sound may be evident in some passages, that is another thing I believe people don't really like from this album. This record consists on eleven songs and a total time of 50 minutes approximately, where you will listen to a new face of this iconic band, dinosaurs of progressive rock (and rock in general).

The Gilmour-oriented sound can be appreciated since the very first track, because that unique guitar is the element that catches your attention in "Signs of Life", an instrumental introduction that will lead you to probably their most successful (commercially speaking) single in the new era. "Learning to Fly" is a catchy melody which I like, but that has a clearly different sound spiced with that 80s background, placing it in as a loved/hated song between fans.

With "The Dogs of War" we can listen to a dark atmosphere, a grey and obscure tone that actually can be appreciated in the whole album. The use of backing vocals is also a constant element, used in this song as well as the most of them. "One Slip" is a nice track with good bass notes and great percussion arrangements, however it is not an outstanding or truly memorable track, of course, in my opinion.

A much better one is "On The Turning Away", which is my personal favorite here. It is a very well composed song with several cool elements, wonderful lyrics, once again cool bass lines, great changes in mood and rhythm and in general a very clever track. Later, with the "Yet Another Movie" and "Round and Around" combo we can have a nice time, with dreamy atmospheres, slow-tempo rhythms that constantly progresses.

The weakest moments on this album (and I dare say in the entire Pink Floyd discography) is that two-part-song entitled "A New Machine", which is Gilmour speaking, well singing, with a kind of robotic sound. Both parts are short, and useless in my opinion. They are separated by one track, "Terminal Frost" which is a cool instrumental song that shines on a little bit after those darker and sad moments.

Finally, "Sorrow" which objectively might be the best song of the album, saves what seemed to be a weak album ending. This track is pretty cool, full of textures and colors, emotional changes and wonderful guitar riffs. It is also the longest composition here. A Momentary Lapse of Reason is not a bad album at all, in spite of those weaker moments and the change in their musical direction, I like it and enjoy listening and even singing to their songs. It surely does not belong in my top Floyd albums, but I would not put it as their worst either. My final grade will be three stars.

Enjoy it!

With Waters out after his egomaniacal 'Final Cut' abomination, which was generally Water's solo album with the stuff that didn't deserve to be on "The Wall", the next album is a real breath of fresh air. Yes, the band were becoming a lot more commercial or radio friendly and why not with the incredible success of the single 'Another Brick in the Wall Part 2'. The single was both a blessing and a curse as the band were never into radio chart success, nor was it their desire, so when success came it came swiftly and mercilessly knocked some of the wind out of the prog sails. The progressive music was taking a back seat to usher in a more AOR style and it is most notable on this release. There was no concept this time rather a bunch of songs that range from excellent to mediocre. This was a change for the better in some ways as at least the band were still capable of excellent compositions despite the massive heave ho of Waters. It begins with 'Signs of life', a slow meandering piece that reminds me somewhat of the intro to 'Shine On'. It builds slowly but is rather forgettable in comparison to other songs on the album.

'Learning to fly' is a brilliant track, my favourite on the album. It works well live also and is atmospheric with lyrics that perfectly capture the exhilaration and dangers of flight. 'The dogs of war' is a 6 minute tribute to the theme of war that the band return to on almost every album. It is certainly a powerful song that reminds me of Gary Numan's 'Call Out the Dogs' everytime. Pink Floyd have mentioned Dogs as war symbols for some time especially on "Animals" but this is their best.

'One slip' is a more poppy song demonstrating the new direction of the band and I only like it due to Gilmour's accomplished vocals but it is definitely a radio friendly sound bound to alienate old Floydians. 'On the turning away' is a slow melancholy piece that grew on me due to constant exposure on live DVDs.

'Yet another movie' is quite forgettable as are the next songs 'Round and round' and 'A new machine Part one' that are thankfully less than 2 minutes in length. 'Terminal frost is a more progressive song thanks to the structure and experimental feel. I love the stark foreboding intro and then the instrumental takes over. It is a wonderful guitar solo with soaring saxophone over a pleasant piano melody.

'A new machine Part two' is a short 38 second interlude to 'Sorrow' clocking 8:46. It boasts one of the all time great guitar intros that always is a showstopper in the live arena. The song is definitely a highlight on this album. In conclusion "Momentary Lapse of Reason" is not half as bad as some Floydians would have you believe. Granted, this is no masterpiece and comes sandwiched in between some amazing Floyd material, namely "The Wall" and "Division Bell", however it is a pleasant well performed journey with some moments of grandeur. It is innovative in places and perhaps more than anything typified the sound of the times, remembering that 1987 was a difficult year for prog bands. Many were wiped out due to the new wave influences so it is admirable that Pink Floyd were somehow able to blend in without selling out completely.

Overall, the impression I have is of a dilettante's album: a piece which exists not because the artists behind it needed to create something to earn their daily crust, or because they had any particular artistic statement they wanted to make, but simply because they had all this cool recording equipment lying around and happened to be bored one day. Of course, the process of producing the album was much more laboured than that, but that's part of the reason it's such a disappointment: surely, after fighting so many battles and spending so many months in the studio, Gilmour, Mason and Wright should have been able to put together something a little bit more compelling than this? One for the fanboys only.

STEFAN TURNER, STOKE NEWINGTON,

"Signs of Life" is a bit uninteresting intro that abruptly breaks into "Learning to Fly". The latter, on the other hand, is a fine enough song, despite its polished radio-friendliness. Then the album introduces many long, boring songs after another; big sounds full of nothing. Only "Dogs of War" and "On the Turning Away" have some feeling in them. The last piece, "Sorrow", despite its melodic dullness, is probably the best of the album. Gilmour plays wonderfully well and finally creates an atmosphere that the rest of the album has been lacking.

I have to admit that I liked this album more when I first heard it in the 1990's. It's decent enough background music, though.

I think the undeservedly low rating of AMLOR can be partially explained by the sense of resentment many people may still feel about what happened in the faraway '80s on the Planet Pink Floyd. Many folks felt and continue to feel that AMLOR was more like a solo album by Gilmour et al, as in "Geez, it's not even Pink Floyd".

It's of course true that with Waters walking out "Waters' Pink Floyd" was doomed. But before Waters' Pink Floyd there had been "Barrett Pink Floyd", which faded out after just a couple of albums. Instead of sinking into oblivion, the band hired Gilmour full-time, and went on to become one of the greatest "prog" phenomena of the 1970s, so there.

Let's judge AMLOR purely on its merits, without comparing it to what had been before or might/could have been. The Side A has some good- and some not-so-good moments, but the Side B is phenomenal. It feels like a 20+ minute long epic song, broken down into "phases", or "facets", describing something really momentous and awe-inspiring, like for example the creation of a middling galaxy :)

I treasure AMLOR as one of my favorite PF albums, sitting a little below the DSOTM and a little above the Animals. I would reiterate that I respect and appreciate the rest of the Pink Floyd's discography, but my "desert island" picks would be these three, WYWH being perhaps a distant 4th).

Five stars, gladly.

The album starts with 'Signs of Life' which sounds very similar to the beginning of Shine On You Crazy Diamond with the atmospheric soundscape and Gilmour's clean and pristine guitar tone.

'Learning to Fly' is a pretty popular song that managed to garner some radio play. It's enjoyable, if a bit poppy, but definitely shows that Gilmour is capable of songwriting.

'Dogs of War' is a rather aggressive tune unlike anything the Floyd has ever done. I find this to be a weak version of 'Welcome to the Machine,' but the guitar and sax solos are both great.

'One Slip' is ok, but has a hint of that 80's pop vibe I hate so much slipping through.

'On the Turning Away' is a rare ballad from Pink Floyd. It's very mellow and is really saved by the amazing guitar solo midway though.

'Yet Another Movie' is uninteresting musically, except for perhaps the short guitar solo. Both parts of 'A New Machine' are filler.

'Terminal Frost' is probably my favorite song on the album. It has a nice free-flowing jam feel with a strong jazz hint. The sax solo in this is great.

The album closes with the great 'Sorrow.' There are still some uninteresting parts, but as a whole it's a bit better than most of the rest of the album.

Overall, Momentary Lapse of Reason is a rather weak and inconsistent album. Even though it carries the Pink Floyd name, it's really a Gilmour solo album. But even then, it's a much better improvement over the lackluster Final Cut.

4/10

I know that might be shocking. I know that might be hard to take. But this first album without Roger Waters is every bit the masterwork that "Dark Side of the Moon", "The Wall", and "Animals" are. The only Pink Floyd album that I consider better is "Wish You Were Here", and that only by a hair. I understand that I have to explain myself.

"A Momentary Lapse of Reason" features all the mood, the casual atmosphere, the hard- hitting lyrics, and the instrumental brilliance of all the Floyd albums, but with an added complexity and eclecticism that floors me. The jazziness, the atmospheric instrumental perfection, the array of instruments used: these all tell me that this album needs to be recognized. This can be seen right from the beginning, as "Learning to Fly" contains classic Floyd rhythm and leaves an immense impression. "Dogs of War" brings the melancholy negativity that Floyd has often been known for, and it brings it with style and jazz. "On the Turning Away" gives us delicate melody and the tenderness of emotion that I find in "Wish You Were Here". "Terminal Frost" is one of the best and most interesting instrumental tracks I've ever heard! I could go on and on, but I will only mention one more. "Sorrow" is possibly one of the top 10, if not top 5, Floyd songs ever recorded. From the massive drone of its guitars and its spectacular guitar solo to the funky, off-time beat and awesome bass, this track is killer.

Gilmour's guitars were never better than on this album. His mastery is everywhere, and his perfection of the guitar solo is evident. Tony Levin shines with his groovy bass and his energy. Yes, Mason even convinced me here that he is one of the greatest drummers of all time, as his deceptively simple drumming is rife with incredible intricacies and exacting signature changes. John Halliwell is phenomenal on the sax, simply fantastic. This, then, is no Gilmour solo album. It might seem like that only because Gilmour became the sole vocalist (for the most part) and his guitar work is more prominent. That's it.

Look, I understand. I don't like it when a great band splits and the seemingly "unworthy" member gets to lead the band into the future. But, as subsequent albums and the sensational "Pulse" show us, I think Gilmour was the best choice. Hindsight is 20/20, right? Could Waters have done anything more than keep travelling his downward spiral of negativity? And, in all honesty, do you think Mason really wanted to lead this legendary band? Gilmour, then, was the best thing for Floyd, and "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" is simply one of the best Floyd albums ever made.

When Roger Waters left PINK FLOYD after the dreadful sales of "The Final Cut", Mason and Gilmour were left on their own to produce the next album. During the writing of his 3rd solo album, Gilmour made the decision to actually make it under the PINK FLOYD name. Mason was back on the album, and Wright was brought in as a session musician (for the first time after Waters decided to fire the bloke). Other musicians, such as Carmin Appice, John Carin, and Bob Erzin (who was later known for helping with the production of the album itself) were all on the roster as additional musicians along with some other cool people.

A huge debate over this album is the fact that a "non original member" took over from Waters after he explosively quit the band. Many people say that Mason should have taken over the band, seeing as he was on the wagon from the first album. I think being on the second studio album till present is a spectacular feat, and I would assume that would make you an original member. However, some people disagree with this, and that's okay. It's all about perspective.

As for the musicianship used after Waters left, it's astounding. Sure, cheesy saxophone can increasingly repetitive as the album goes on, but I think Gilmour's fantastic guitar work makes up for that. The heavy guitar solos in such songs as 'On The Turning Away', 'One Slip', and 'Learning to Fly' make me forget all about the sax. As for good moments with the good old brass is in my favorite song, 'Dogs of War', featuring an amazing saxophone solo. True, the sound is slightly out-dated, and hasn't aged very well. With songs like 'Terminal Frost', where the chords might have fit better back in the 70s.

Another song I would like to tackle is 'A New Machine' Parts 1&2. Whilst alot people see this as blatant filler to make up for creative lax, I think of it as a great experimental track. I always loved that psychedelic, rippling sound in the music that gave it a tone of dreary and dark (except for the nice, strong vocals). Part 2 is less enjoyable, due to it's incredibly short duration compared to part 1. I would have rathered they do something like they did with 'Pigs on the Wing', and make it a whole song when combined together, not some small tidbit of what it could really be.

As for the cons, I don't really have much. As I stated before, the aging of this album is sort of stale and disappointing compared to other albums. My least favorite track has to be 'Signs of Life'. The droning and boring quality reminds me too much of the most likely inspired- from track 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond', which I dislike as well (I hope I don't get hated on for that). It is definitely a weak opener.

Overall, I feel that many people jump on the bandwagon for hating this album instead of listening to it with an open mind, which I encourage you to do with full certainty. You might find yourself liking it.

Oh, no, wait! This is not a "Radio KAOS" review!

I have always liked "A Momentary Lapse of Reason". Aside from the 80's production values and the number of guest musicians, I can't find anything to criticize here, really. Most of the songs are very good to great, all of them being distinctive and memorable. "Learning to Fly" and "One Slip" are the kind of pop song that would give pop a good name, if it was more common. "Yet Another Movie" and "Sorrow" are gloomy in a strangely detached way that I find very rewarding. "Signs of Life" is an effective opener that lets the listener know immediately whose album they are listening to. "Terminal Frost" might be too 80's production-wise, but still it's a very good instrumental. Even the worse tracks have their merits: the overblown "On the Turning Away" has a wonderful solo and I have even come to like "Dogs of War" a bit for what it is, a pastiche rooted in 80's themes and fobias. Oh, and I never count an abundance of good songs as a negative. Whether it's more 'prog' or 'pop' is a point that I find purely academic.

Production-wise the album isn't as 80's as you might expect. Or, most albums released around 1987 dated more badly ("Radio KAOS" being a prime example). As for the guests, as much as I like Water's bass work, can you truly count it as a drawback that an album has TONY LEVIN as the replacement? Ok, the idea of a Pink Floyd album on which only Gilmour plays a significant role is not among my favourite, but what counted is the effect, and I can't say that this album sounds less Pink Floyd than "The Final Cut". To put it differently, I doubt that if they had released an album in 1987 with Waters on, in the best of band camaraderie, it would sound significantly different than "AMLOR". Such were the times, and it always strikes me as odd that people blame Gilmour for the sound of the album (which, to reiterate, is not even its truly negative aspect). Even if he had a hand in it, Waters proved himself to be even more susceptible to the trends of the times, QED.

In short, "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" is a full-quality Pink Floyd album. It's well-written, well-played and memorable. It's one of the cases of an album disliked for what people think it should have been rather than for what it actually is.

(In all fairness, I should probably admit that I don't actually dislike "Radio KAOS". My point is that blaming everything that one might dislike about post-1985 Pink Floyd on Waters' departure as stands in contradiction to the actual evidence, i.e. the albums themselves.)

A Momentary Lapse of Reason was the first post-Waters album released by Floyd and the remaining members of the band (especially Gilmour) seemed to have something to prove. The rushed effort to get the album out after the ugly breakup shows. Lapse seems to be total contrast to the previous album "The Final Cut" by being more music-oriented than lyric-driven and that is perfectly fine because the Floyd fellows are fine musicians whose work should be showcased more than Waters allowed in 1983. However, Lapse is not that showcase. What is essentially a Gilmour solo album in all but name is not the collaboration of Floyd, but an ensemble of outsiders tweaking Gilmour's work to be a Floyd album; and it was the mid-to-late 80s, so there's that too! Lapse is terribly dated because of that 80s sound ? gated drums, over-produced, very commercial and blatant MTV-style pop. It is a good album, but it pales in comparison to "real" Floyd works. Of course it was a major success, but that doesn't rescue it from being as Waters succinctly put it "a clever forgery" of Pink Floyd. It should've been credited as "David Gilmour and Friends" instead.

Track by Track: SIGNS OF LIFE : This opening instrumental is actually quite brilliant and very Floydian. It is perhaps the most Floyd-like track on the entire album. A synthesizer and guitar piece that evokes a sort of nostalgia that builds into a grand awakening. The beginning of the song uses sound effects of someone rowing a boat and it fits the mood perfectly. Splendid way to start the album!

LEARNING TO FLY : This is the most popular track on the album which receives more air time on FM radio stations than any other song from this album (even though On The Turning Away and Sorrow get a lot of play too). It is considered a classic song by the band by most every one, but not for me. Although the lyrics are quite good actually and compared to most bands of the era, this is a masterpiece, but when compared to Floyd's previous work it fails to meet the mark. Very pop, very 80s and very boring.

DOGS OF WAR : This may be the worst song in the Floyd canon. The only time I can really cringe at David Gilmour's voice is during this song. A heavier-than-most Floyd tune, but the poor lyrics, awful saxophone and Gilmour's "one world whoa whoa whoa" ? ugh. Why Dave, why? This is just a mess.

ONE SLIP : This track sounds more like U2 than Pink Floyd thanks mostly to the addition of Phil Manzanera as co-collaborator. It is upbeat, driving and catchy. I actually quite enjoy it as one of my favorites from this "Floyd" album, but ultimately it is just another pop song to cater to the MTV generation and captures nothing of the former Floyd magic. Generic. Standard. Stock. Pick an adjective.

ON THE TURNING AWAY: There is a bit of old Floyd sound in this song at times, but the sappy sing-a-long "We Are The World" vibe makes my eyes roll into the back of my skull. The constant radio play of this song doesn't help. Gilmour's voice on this track is extremely smooth and heartwarming, but the basic 80s sound (again) and the pure schlockiness (is that a word?) of it all overpowers any positive things to be said.

YET ANOTHER MOVIE/ROUND AND ROUND: If Floyd just had to fall into the 80s standard sound, this song is the way it should've been done. This track actually brings to mind Pink Floyd a bit and the dark, moody atmosphere is perfect. The only real problem with this one is that it seems so painfully slow that it lumbers along for nearly 8 minutes without much of a change-up in the music at all. Still ? it is probably the best song on the album and should be considered the 80s Floyd classic in place of "Learning To Fly" or "On The Turning Away" because it actually is reminiscent of old Floyd, albeit with an 80s vibe.

A NEW MACHINE 1 & 2: Pure filler. Really nothing to be said. Terrible keyboards and David Gilmour singing through a vocoder, but not like he did on "Animals" ? no, more like his voice on "Dogs of War" (ugh). This is just junk.

TERMINAL FROST: This is David Gilmour's soap opera theme. After the promising start (even with those irritating 80s gated drums), this guitar lead instrumental piece disintegrates into a sax-driven General Hospital feel. I guess Kenny G would be proud, but this is not Pink Floyd ? not the Floyd we all know and love.

SORROW: Quite a decent song here! Heavy, dark, brooding and the lyrics (written solely by Gilmour) are some of his best. This song is another version of what 80s Floyd should've sounded like, even though it sounds very dated (as does the entire album) due to those god-awful drums! Shades of Floyd pour in through the cracks here and save this song. Enjoyable, although the drums and pacing do make it a bit draggy and generic-sounding.

Overall: The 80s Floyd was a mess. "The Final Cut" was essentially a Waters solo album and this clunker was a Gilmour solo album. Post-Waters Floyd sounded much better 7 years later on "The Division Bell" because it was actually Floyd and not Gilmour and session musicians doing it. A Momentary Lapse of Reason is a great album made by anyone else. I would give it a 3 or 4 out of 5 as album and compared to most 80s crap, I'd rank it as one of my favorite albums of the bubblegum decade, but as a Pink Floyd effort it can only be saved by 80s nostalgia. 2/5

FInal Rating: 2/5

Best Track: Sorrow

Worst Track(s): A New Machine, Dogs of War, Signs of Life

But David Gilmour and Nick Mason were not keen to simply please Waters, and after endless legal disputes, the first post-Waters Pink Floyd album was released: A Momentary Lapse of Reason.

The disc, crowded with invited musicians, was rather dull. Nevertheless, some good songs deserve to be plucked. On the Turning Away, for instance, is a beautiful and deep ballad; Yet Another Movie has a good instrumental development; Sorrow possesses an energetic and zealous guitar-opening; Signs of Life is, in a sort of way, a tribute to the group's earlier creations. But we have to stop counting: there is nothing worth anthologizing.

The really important matter was that Pink Floyd was back. All the fans eloquently expressed their gratitude: for 2 years, all the stadiums were full of people eager the hear A Momentary Lapse of Reason.

After Roger Waters left Pink Floyd, Richard Wright returned to it and the bloody legal fight over the band's name took place, 1987 Pink Floyd published "A momentary lapse of reason"; an album pretty different from the Barrett's Pink Floyd era, Waters-Gilmour-Wright-Mason era and Waters-as-a-leader era, here started the age of Gilmour.

The cover of the album is great, clearly designed by Storm Thorgerson and it seems as if this album would bring a lot of reminiscences of the 70's Pink Floyd sound but it doesn't: it's more oriented into a Neo-Prog style that reminds bands such as IQ, Pendragon, Marillion or Illuvatar. David Gilmour made excellent guitar solos throughout the album while Nick Mason and Richard Wright were playing more in a kind of accompaniment way among with a lot of session musicians including Tony Levin (Peter Gabriel, King Crimson) playing bass and Chapman Stick and Carmine Appice (Vanilla Fudge, Cactus) playing occasional drums.

It has very good moments and songs that became big hits like "Learning to fly" and "Sorrow", songs that were well received by their fans in the tours that followed the album. Not a concept album, not a lot of space rock experimentation, and definitely not one of their best albums but still a nice piece with very interesting and changing musical passages.

SONG RATING: Signs of life, 3 Learning to fly, 4 The dogs of war, 3 One slip, 4 On the turning away, 4 Yet another movie, 3 Round and around, 3 A new machine, 1, 2 Terminal frost, 3 A new machine, 2, 2 Sorrow, 4

AVERAGE: 3.18

PERCENTAGE: 63.64

ALBUM RATING: 3 stars

Don't get me wrong now A Momentary Lapse of Reason has a few outstanding songs such as Sorrow, On The Turning Away, and Learning To Fly. Terminal Frost is a fine instrumental however it and many songs on the album feel dated due to the production even the best songs on the album feel outdated. One of my personal favorite aspects of Pink Floyd is the production, Albums like Atom Heart Mother, Meddle, Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here, etcetera, all of these albums feel like they could've been made yesterday, because these albums are timeless, and sadly I can't say the same thing for A Momentary Lapse of Reason. The production sounds distinctly like it was from the 1980's with the gated reverb, and I feel that is the albums greatest downfall that and the filler. Tracks like "A New Machine" and "Dogs Of War" are just flat out awful in my honest opinion, Dogs of War feels like Gilmour is trying to make a Roger Waters-esque song but it completely falls flat at what it tries to do, The Lyrics are just abysmal.

with all of this being said, the highs on this Album are very high Learning To Fly and On The Turning Away are just really nice feel good songs and Sorrow has one phenomenal solo from Gilmour which is one of my favorite Pink Floyd Solo's, and The Return of Rick Wright is definitely welcomed. The downsides however I feel outweigh the good in some cases which is unfortunate, i want to love this Album as Much as Meddle, Animals, Wish You Were Here, and Division Bell I really do but that's the unfortunate thing I don't. Pink Floyd are one of the most talented bands out there and have put out some phenomenal work and with a band like that the fanbase has different opinions many fans consider this Album to be their favorite and that's fine I am glad others can get more out of this than I can, however this album in my honest opinion stands as a low point in the bands history.

"A Momentary Lapse Of Reason" is the thirteenth studio album of Pink Floyd and was released in 1987. After the release of "The Final Cut" in 1983, the members of the band went for separate ways until 1987. In 1985 David Gilmour began to assemble a group of musicians to work on his third solo studio album but in the end of 1986 he changed his mind, and decided that the new material composed by him would instead be included as a new Pink Floyd's album. So, he decided to revive the band with Nick Mason and Richard Wright. However, for legal reasons Wright couldn't be a member of the band. Due to that, he only participated on "A Momentary Lapse Of Reason" as a musician paid weekly.

After the release of "The Final Cut" in 1983, succeeded a harsh legal dispute with Roger Waters who left the group in 1985, and Gilmour and Mason won the legal rights to use the name of Pink Floyd and Waters won the rights to some of the images of Pink Floyd, including almost all the characters of "The Wall" and all the rights of "The Final Cut".

So, "A Momentary Lapse Of Reason" is a very different and special album in the musical career of the group because it would became the first Pink Floyd's album since the departure of their founder member, the lyricist, bassist and one of the main composers of the group, Roger Waters. And mainly due to that, "A Momentary Lapse Of Reason" was heavily criticized for having less substance than an album released in the musical era of Roger Waters. It's commonly accepted that "A Momentary Lapse Of Reason" is one of the weakest studio works released by the band and especially Roger Waters' fans never accepted it as a Pink Floyd's album. Waters himself, referred to it as being a reasonable forgery.

"A Momentary Lapse Of Reason" has eleven tracks. The first track "Signs Of Life" conjures a "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" throwback vibe on this opening instrumental, which is well-sequenced before the crashing opening of "Learning To Fly". Wright makes his return to the band with some synthesizer work. The second track "Learning To Fly" is a focused well-produced rock song with great backing vocals in the chorus, that nods to the band's spirit of experimentation, but still stays accessible throughout. The lyrics on this track are excellent. The third track "The Dogs Of War" is the song on the album where the lyrics sort of take center stage, is as unsmiling and strident as anything Waters ever wrote. It's not quite eloquent enough to catch my best full attention. The fourth track "One Slip" is an atmospheric track with some poetic lyrics. The lyrics get a bit clunky here and there. Still, the sweeping chorus and the pinball sound effects at the start give a kind of a fun touch to the song. The fifth track "On The Turning Away" has a beautiful melody. The melody is one of the loveliest in the band's catalog, while the words are humbly poetic and subtly stirring. Gilmour gets the chance for an extended solo at the end. This is probably the best song released under the Pink Floyd's banner after Waters' exit. The sixth track "Yet Another Movie" and the seventh track "Round And Round" are linked together. It's a cold and dark piece, monotone and repetitive that turns a bit into a predictable and boring song. It's very strange and difficult to understand why they decided to divide this song in two parts. Sincerely, I can't see any substantial difference between them. The eighth track "A New Machine Part One" and the tenth track "A New Machine Part Two" are also linked together. The two parts of this track are positioned as the bread of a sandwich for which "Terminal Frost" is the meat, making this one of the most askew and forgettable song suites the band has ever attempted. The vocoder effect on Gilmour's voice with the lack of any real instrumentation behind it is a striking effect, but that's all that's really here. The ninth track "Terminal Frost" isn't brilliant but sounds as a good jamming session. If you're looking for tasteful if passionless soundtrack material, then you've come to the right place. But you bought a Pink Floyd's album, so you're probably quite disappointed. The eleventh track "Sorrow" has some great playing of Gilmour as well as some lyrics from him that are good enough to get by. But, the whole thing never rises above the moody, airless atmosphere it maintains, making of it a closing track that fails to ignite. Still, it's one of the best tracks.

Conclusion: "The Final Cut" was a personal Roger Waters' bet, and is largely based on Waters' life, the loss of his father in World War II and his personal concept about the war. All composition duties belong only to Waters and its release was only exclusively decided by him. So, as I wrote before when I reviewed "The Final Cut", is less a Pink Floyd's album and more a solo project of Waters. Despite "A Momentary Lapse Of Reason" be a totally different kind of a project, I think we can consider that there are some common points. The album was to be released as a solo project of Gilmour. Waters was no longer in the band and Wright only participats as a guest musician and not as a band's member. Almost all composition duties belong to Gilmour. The songs not composed by him aren't composed by any other band's member. So, "A Momentary Lapse Of Reason" can also be considered a personal project of Gilmour. So and probably, "A Momentary Lapse Of Reason" should never have been realized as a Pink Floyd's album too, really.

Prog is my Ferrari. Jem Godfrey (Frost*)

Pink Floyd founding member Rick Wright was hired on as a session musician (legal issues blocked him from fully rejoining the band), but he barely did anything. By the time he had been brought on, most keyboard parts had already been recorded.

As I've mentioned at least twice now, A Momentary Lapse of Reason, released in 1987, is not a good album. However, it's stronger by a mile than The Final Cut and only marginally weaker The Wall. It has a few good songs, but its bad points are really, really bad.

AMLOR opens with "Signs of Life", an unfocused, meandering, but undeniably Floydian instrumental. This is followed by "Learning to Fly", the big single off the album. I was never the biggest fan of this song, as it feels like a ton of '80s cheese, but it's better than anything other than "Not Now John" off The Final Cut. For as much as I criticize the bluntness of Waters's lyrics, he's miles better than Gilmour with words, and even Gilmour's outside help can't write much of anything compelling.

Jesus, The Final Cut really set the bar low. At least I can write about the individual tracks on AMLOR.

"The Dogs of War" is one hell of a mixed bag. It's got a simple but imposing string motif the lends an air of doom and gloom. Gilmour's vocal performance is strong, and the song's overall starkness works well in its first half. But then the drums come in, and with them, super cheesy organ, guitar, and saxophone, all of which only cheapen the experience.

"One Slip" starts off as a pretty cool Mike Oldfield song, but it quickly turns into typical late-'80s art-schlock. There are some neat musical ideas here, but there's too much bloat and gloss to make it worthwhile.

"On the Turning Away" sounds like an outtake from The Wall, and I emphatically do not mean that as a compliment. It's not bad, but it's overly sentimental and too long. "Yet Another Movie" contrasts this quality by being needlessly grim and solemn, but I'll take that as an improvement.

The Vocoded spoken word of "A New Machine" is oddly alluring; it's disappointing that it doesn't lead to anything interesting. Gilmour's got a great voice, and feeding it through this synth makes for a unique atmosphere. But nothing special comes of it.

"Terminal Frost" is pure garbage, but "Sorrow" is pretty cool. Imposing, icy guitar looms over everything, and that harsh sterility is used to build ambiance. Sequenced synthesizers, understated rhythm guitar, and distant vocals are all hallmarks of Gilmour-Floyd (Gilmoyd? Gilmoyd.), and this is one of the highlights of this particular lineup.

Review originally posted here: theeliteextremophile.com/2021/03/01/deep-dive-pink-floyd/