Division Bell

#1 08-29-2001, 11:27 AM

I've seen a lot of mention of TDB on this forum, mostly either saying it is a sad testiment to the "old Pink Floyd sound" or that it is a good album... but I haven't seen much elaboration on the issue of the album alone.

I was wondering if we could all take a stab at giving the Division Bell objective reviews in detail, so we could talk in depth about what is good and bad on the album.

When I first heard it, I hadn't known the whole Pink Floyd story... and assuming the original band were all still together... I stated "Boy that's really quite a light-hearted Pink Floyd album... The others all seem very dark."

Obviously it was distinctive in some way from the others... but interestingly enough, I didn't think MLOR was that different from the prior albums.

Anyway... I think the gentleness of the piano and the guitar on Cluster One is really wonderful... that it leads into WDYWFM very nicely...

However... I think WDYWFM has too much of a gospel-y sound to it. Actually, I feel like the whole album has way too much "choir singing" going on... and that this is one of the big downfalls of the album.

The guitar on WDYWFM is nice... very nice actually... but the melody is just, well, plain I think...

Poles Apart I LOVE. Dunno why... just love it. I guess I favor that echoey sound that permeates much of Pink Floyd and that this song is like a much brighter sounding version of their past work. Plus it's about Syd, so how could it not sound that way... haha... Does anyone else think the carnival sounding interlude in the middle of Poles (3:36 into the song on CD) sounds a lot like those on The Wall? I swear it was taken right from the Wall, but I don't know which part. That's the only part of the song I think doesn't fit and is bad.

I'm completey disappointed with Marooned, although I think it's one of the songs that more sounds like the way Floyd "used to be". It's too drawn out and unemotional... repetitive I feel.

A Great Day For Freedom at least has some decent lyrics... sorry all... but even though I really love Dave's musical abilities, I still think his writing lacks A LOT. This song is OK but doesn't do much for me.

Inside Out... now this is a good melody... a good MOOD song... like the guitar solo too... the only complaint I have here is that Rick Wright sounds like he's absolutely DYING while singing it... like it's using up all the energy he has to actually get the words out into audible sounds... but then... that's the whole theme of the song isn't it - that he's "overrun"? And again... what's with teh gospel crap in the background???

Take It Back... here's a good song too... I like the uplifting nature of it... and the lyrics are decent here too...

Coming Back to Life - possible the best lyrics on the whole CD and ironically, those written by Dave himself. I like this song a lot too... but the only thing I would have changed is the da-dah da-dah beat in the background... it's a little nerve-wracking.

Keep Talking - I love the sound effects and guitar on this one, especially in the beginning... very good song... I think it sounds a little more like the earlier work...
Of course, here we are AGAIN with teh gospel crap...

Lost for words sounds like a bad country song I think. I don't like it very much. And I think the lyrics are not poetic enough... Of course, I guess this song relates to Roger Waters and Dave's disagreements... especially the last line... but it sounds really frustrated on Dave's part and even more disturbing... it sounds like Dave is trying to be mystical - "there'll be no safety in numbers/when the right one walks out of the door" riiiiiiight... the "right one"...

A lot of the songs on TDB address Roger, even if it is in a very subtle way... I think this was obviously on purpose since the whole theme of the record is "communication" (or lack thereof on Roger and Dave's parts).

High Hopes is absolutely wonderful. Love the bell ringing. Love the sound effects. Love the melody and chorus. Wonder what you all think of the lyrics. They're supposedly Dave's recollections of his life, from a middle-aged perspective. I think he sounds sad about what happened to all the band members... but then says they're "still looking to the horizons"... I dunno... I just like this song... It's my favorite with Poles Apart.

What do you all think of TDB? :smile:

FloydWright · #2 08-29-2001, 05:38 PM

I'm not going to reply to all of them, but I do have a few thoughts for the moment...

Strange that you should say that about "Marooned." That is one of my favourites, except I really think of "Poles Apart" and "Marooned" as two halves of the same song. (They both conjure up images of a rocky shoreline--the latter because of that tone that, to me, sounds like it might be a lighthouse.) The guitar solo in "Marooned" sounds to me like a person in tears--screaming, racking sobs, and just plain tears. Really grabs at the heartstrings, at least for me--Mr. Gilmour seems to pour his feelings out through his instrument.

"Wearing the Inside Out" recalls a very difficult time for me. I will not elaborate as to the circumstances except to say that this time still often haunts me. Whatever Mr. Wright endured that would cause him to write a piece of music like that (and then have Anthony Moore write lyrics like he did) must have been very difficult indeed. And you say he sounds like he's dying...hmmm. If you listen to Broken China, you'll notice that his voice has deepened over the years, but is still very clear. Since TDB wasn't all that far from BC, you'll hear that these works sound similar. And it seems to me that if he does have a rather spooky sound to his voice, it's because he seems to undergo a symbolic death in the song.

But what you call "gospel crap" didn't bother me at all, since my first PF album was PULSE--that was what I expected!

GeddyJunior · #3 08-29-2001, 06:48 PM

I absolutely love the Division Bell. I own almost all the Floyd albums and started on Dark Side. I love the pre Dark Side stuff as well, just so ya know my Floydian background.

Well I love all of the Division Bell's songs. I think its a great, solid album. I too love the background singers parts. The lyrics, in my opinion are great. The guitar playing seems very inspired. And Lost For Words is my favorite song on the album along with What Do You Want From Me. Momentary Lapse's second half is pretty bad indeed, but this album really makes up for it. I think it was a great way to close the book on the Floyd(most likely anyway).

RabbitRun · #4 08-29-2001, 07:35 PM

I can't seem to order a copy of Broken China. I tried through a rather large distributor here in New Jersey to get it, but they said it is listed as CLOSED OUT, or out of print... can anyone suggest where I might find a copy? I'd like to hear it, especially if it's similar to the Division Bell.

FloydWright · #5 08-29-2001, 11:05 PM

I used Amazon.com just a few weeks ago, and it shipped very quickly.

Da_Floyd_Fan · #6 09-03-2001, 08:09 AM

TDB isn't a very good album, I mean I don't like it very much - I love some songs and I don't like others. Poles Apart and Marooned are nice songs, Take It Back and Coming Back to Life are pretty good too, High Hopes is simply superbe, but I don't like WDYWFM, and "Wearing The Inside Out" is much too slow, I mean , I my opinion, it's kinda boring.

Charade I Am · #7 09-03-2001, 09:20 AM

But that saxophone (i think it's a sax.) is so great! Come on - Wearing the Inside out is (IMHO) slow but beautiful - and i don't have a problem with that.

Madcap Diamond · #8 09-03-2001, 09:22 AM

I don't know if anyone is in the same boat as me,,, but I think along with WYWH, The Division Bell is one of those albums that you can just kick off your boots and relax to.

I don't see how anyone could not like Great Day for Freedom,,,Someone on here once said. Its not the message, its the way the message is presented. Or something like that. And Daves vocals on that song are beautiful.

My only put down on TDB is the solos. Does any one notice how the almost every solo on the album is alike. They start out kind of like comf numb. The first few notes are always ascending. (note wise) And then after that, they follow the rythym completely. When I was talking about the starts, its kinda like WYWH song. ( On strings G and B, the solo starts out by sliding up from 2 to 4, and then 3 to 5) All solo on TDB ascend like that.

Finally, I can't believe Dave actually thought he could rip off his own song like that.(Lost for Words--Wish You Were Here)
The intro solos are indentical.

Overall,.,.Great album!!!

Madcap Diamond · #9 09-03-2001, 09:24 AM

I don't know if anyone is in the same boat as me,,, but I think along with WYWH, The Division Bell is one of those albums that you can just kick off your boots and relax to.

I don't see how anyone could not like Great Day for Freedom,,,Someone on here once said. Its not the message, its the way the message is presented. Or something like that. And Daves vocals on that song are beautiful.

My only put down on TDB is the solos. Does any one notice how the almost every solo on the album is alike. They start out kind of like comf numb. The first few notes are always ascending. (note wise) And then after that, they follow the rythym completely. When I was talking about the starts, its kinda like WYWH song. ( On strings G and B, the solo starts out by sliding up from 2 to 4, and then 3 to 5) All solo on TDB ascend like that.

Finally, I can't believe Dave actually thought he could rip off his own song like that.(Lost for Words--Wish You Were Here)
The intro solos are indentical.

Overall,.,.Great album!!!

FloydWright · #10 09-03-2001, 11:14 AM

You mention that all of the solos are ascending. But (without listening again to be sure) have you noticed that nearly all of the solos on AMLoR are descending? TDB almost seems to counter AMLoR in certain ways. "Sorrow" versus "High Hopes."

I doubt this was intentional on the part of PF, but still...I did notice it.

Da_Floyd_Fan · #11 09-04-2001, 09:44 AM

Ok, Ok, Wearing The Inside Out isn't a horrible song, only it makes me sleepy...

Da_Floyd_Fan · #12 09-04-2001, 09:47 AM

Oh, and by the way... it's a sax

fixxlevy · #13 09-04-2001, 10:26 AM

I hope no-one takes umbridge at me pointing this out, but the sound of "Wearing the inside out" has more in common with one of those early '90's video jukeboxes (that you still find in bars in Spain) than Pink Floyd. If the aforementioned CD/laserdisc player hasn't had any coin action for 15 minutes or so, they're programmed to automatically play glossy shots of perfect couples windsurfing, filtered shots of clouds, 747's taking off, sunsets over Hawaii and other such bollocks, all to the accompaniment of rather insubstantial cheesey sax music. I think it's cool that Pink Fraud didn't try and write another track that sounds like all the others, but there's a time and a place for totally lame rubbish in that particular vein.

Rick's next solo album would be a good start.

Or an elevator.

Loads of lung,

Mark

Comfortably Numb · #14 09-04-2001, 02:45 PM

Speaking of dave ripping his own songs, many of the solos on TDB were already used by dave in his own album "David Gilmour" in the track "It's Definitly".

Not that I'm complaining since the sounds in that track were developed to full solos/melodies in TDB.

FloydWright · #15 09-04-2001, 03:34 PM

Um...CN, are you sure you don't mean "Raise My Rent"? Listen to the opening of "What Do You Want From Me" and compare it to the opening of "Raise My Rent".

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Division Bell

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