1994 - The Division Bell

The Division Bell
Pink Floyd, 1994



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Release date: March 30th, 1994

Recorded at: Astoria, Britannia Row, Abbey Road, Metropolis and The Creek Studios.

The brand new back-to-basics album, which took a year to record on and off Gilmour's boat, painstakingly attempts to re-constitute the group as something more than a one-man brand name with a famous repertoire. While not breaking any significant new ground musically, the sound here is more cohesive and delicately textured than anything the Floyd have recorded since the glory days of the 1970s. The tone is quieter, the guitar playing features Gilmour in lyrical, rather than screaming, mode. Wright, now a junior partner rather than paid employee, is heard more clearly here than he has been for the last 15 years. Gilmour's search for a lyricist has ended for the time being, with many tracks co-written by his new-ish girlfriend, journalist Polly Samson. Bob Ezrin has again helped out with the production.

Nick Mason: "There's more of the feel of Meddle here than anything else. This started as a group album, with the three of us spending a fortnight together just jamming. We put down over 40 sketches in two weeks, then things moved on. Some of those initial ideas might actually end up on a satellite album."

Rick Wright: "I've written on it. I'm singing on it. I think it's a much better album than the last one. it's got more of the old Floydian feel. I think we could have gone further, but we are now operating as a band. Only Nick has played the drums, and my Hammond organ is back on most tracks."

David Gilmour: "On this album both Nick and Rick are playing all the stuff that they should be playing. Which is why it sounds much more like a genuine Pink Floyd record to me than anything since Wish You Were Here. It has a sort of theme about non-communication, but we're not trying to bash anybody over the head with it. We went out last time with the intention of showing the world, Look we're still here, which is why we were so loud and crash bang-y. This is a much more reflective album."

Nick Mason: "The album feels much more home-made, very much as a band playing together in once space. I think that Rick in particular felt significantly more integrated in the process this time, compared to Momentary Lapse. It was nice to have him back." (from Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd)

Roger Waters: "Just rubbish ... nonsense from beginning to end." (from The rough guide to Pink Floyd, by Toby Manning)

The Division Bell artwork was designed by Storm Thorgerson.

Tracks:

• Cluster One (Wright, Gilmour)
  
  [05:58] Instrumental.
• What Do You Want From Me (Gilmour, Wright, Samson)
  
  [04:21] Vocals by Gilmour.
• Poles Apart (Gilmour, Samson, Laird-Clowes)
  
  [07:04] Vocals by Gilmour.
• Marooned (Wright, Gilmour)
  
  [05:28] Instrumental.
• A Great Day for Freedom (Gilmour, Samson)
  
  [04:17] Vocals by Gilmour.
• Wearing the Inside Out (Wright, Moore)
  
  [06:47] Vocals by Wright.
• Take it Back (Gilmour, Ezrin, Samson, Laird-Clowes)
  
  [06:12] Vocals by Gilmour.
• Coming Back to Life (Gilmour)
  
  [06:19] Vocals by Gilmour.
• Keep Talking (Gilmour, Wright, Samson)
  
  [06:09] Vocals by Gilmour and Hawking.
• Lost for Words (Gilmour, Samson)
  
  [05:14] Vocals by Gilmour.
• High Hopes (Gilmour, Samson)
  
  [08:31] Vocals by Gilmour.

Total Playing Time: 66'32 (on CD)

Musicians Featured:

• David Gilmour: Vocals, Guitars, Bass, Keyboards and Programming
• Nick Mason: Drums, Percussion
• Rick Wright: Keyboard, Vocals
• Tim Renwick: Guitars
• Guy Pratt: Bass
• Gary Wallis: Percussion
• Jon Carin: Programming, Additional Keyboards
• Dick Parry: Tenor Saxophone
• Bob Ezrin: Keyboards, Percussion
• Backing Vocals: Sam Brown, Durga McBroom, Carol Kenyah, Jackie Sheridan and Rebecca Leigh-White

The Division Bell catalog numbers:

• LP: EMI 8 28984 2
• CD: CD EMD 1055

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