re listened to Night of the Crime. Great stuff!
Here begins a run of a few more "easy listening" albums , after which we'll be mostly rocking
all the way to the end.
#47 Pink Floyd: A Momentary Lapse of Reason
Released 1987Tracks
Signs of Life
Learning to Fly
Dogs of War
One Slip
On the Turning Away
Yet Another Movie / Round and Around
A New Machine (Part 1)
Terminal Frost
A New Machine (Part 2)
Sorrow
This was actually a very late entry into the Top 50 that resulted from a last minute review of my childhood cassette and vinyl collection......it must've been among my earliest purchases . As soon as I saw the cassette it triggered memories and , once played, I realised that this album really played a big part in my childhood. Learning to Fly (and the subsequent tour) did very well in Australia , so I imagine my liking for that song on the radio was the trigger. I seem to recall playing little else for a few months now that the memories are coming back to me. It’s always a good sign when you remember every note and melody after not playing something for decades. Most of the stuff being released these days stays with me for about 5 minutes , if that.
I’ll be honest – the genre of music into which Pink Floyd generally gets placed (psychedelic, ambient etc….) contains very little of interest to me but Pink Floyd have something the others don’t – David Gilmour. Given that I’ve been a guitar nut most of my life I was bound to stumble onto them at some point and , aside from the odd classic on the radio , this album was my starting point.
I suppose I should quickly address the issue of whether this is a “true Pink Floyd album.” To be honest I really don’t care – it certainly is to me. I was 13 years old when this was released and , like many other classic bands that had line-up changes in the 80’s/90’s just as I was discovering them , this is the album that I identify with and as far as I was concerned at the time Dave Gilmour WAS Pink Floyd. I’m well aware of Waters’ reputation in terms of poetic writing and brilliant concepts(and spitting the dummy) but , given my priorities in music, it’s pretty clear to me that the most important “half” of Pink Floyd from my point of view(incl. vocally) is front and centre on this album and it’s more than possible that I may even prefer the Waters-less Pink Floyd.. And really – the lyrics on songs like Learning To Fly are more than adequate as far as I’m concerned.
One mystery (given my almost obsessive appetite for discovering new music that I like) is why I never really bothered to go back into their discography properly . . It’s much easier to research a band you know you like. I think perhaps their legendary status meant that I felt I could easily put the exercise off until later, knowing that I’d never have any trouble getting my hands on Floyd material , and so I concentrated on hunting things that were more of a challenge to find. I also had the impression (rightly or wrongly) that AMLOR had a bit more of an “edge” to the guitar sound and was likely to be more compatible with my taste than their earlier material.
Anyway – back to the music for a second. Aside from the significant drawback of being a vocal song or three short there isn’t too much I don’t like about the album. The cinematic , atmospheric and bluesy intro sets the scene for the album and perhaps has a Shine On vibe. Learning to fly is a standout and again the atmospheric bluesy, yet mechanical vibe sucks me right in. Aside from some fairly pointless stuff in amongst the "New Machine’s" and perhaps Yet Another Movie which is good but something I could imagine Phil Collins singing , the remaining vocal tracks are all fantastic , with the standout for me being On The Turning Away. The melodies and guitar work on this track are magical and I even happened to notice some very well written lyrics in there
On the whole I think the first half is almost flawless (Dogs of War would rate below the rest) and the second half certainly has its moments. Not a perfect album by any means , but it was a big part of my musical journey and still impresses me now , so it’s deserving of a place.
I will at some point work my way back through the discography properly (with the help of the DTF discog thread) but , however that goes, I can’t imagine songs like Learning To Fly and On The Turning Away being anywhere but right up the top of my favourite PF songs.
Favourite Tracks:
On The Turning Away,
Learning To Fly,
One Slip,
Sorrow Honourable Mention: Saraya - When The Blackbird Sings (1991) ..........a hot , black (haired) bird who can sing like one too . My favourite female rock vocalist and a great band.
Topic: bl5150's Top 50.........TOP TEN ...#1 (Read 71593 times)
