Either way, my point is that the lyrics don’t matter if the music isn’t very good. For all of Roger’s wonderful lyrics, there’s maybe one worthwhile song on Final Cut in Not Now John…and that’s about it.
And Momentary has a number of great songs. Learning to Fly, Dogs of War, Sorrow, One Slip and especially One the Turning Away are all fantastic. And almost the entire Division Bell is just awesome. I’ll take that stuff over the Final Cut thank you much.
Stevo
^I’m with you on that post.
Final Cut is so dramatic, and without the quality songwriting to back it, it strikes me as kinda pathetic. Momentary & DB have some great songs, and I do prefer them both to Final Cut. [Just to be a pain, I have to point out that “Sorrow” isn’t much of a song … isn’t it one chord, maybe two? Melody has like, three or four total different notes? Not into that song. “Dogs of War” doesn’t offer much more.]
But I still think Roger’s lyrics are more valuable than you might realize. Ringo’s effect on Sgt. Pepper is not a fair comparison by any stretch.
Maybe you have to be into Animals & The Wall, which I am. If you don’t dig the Wall, then there’s no point in arguing the relevance of Roger Waters’ talent.
::disregards all of stevo’s opinions from now on about Pink Floyd::
I like Division Bell so much more than AMLoR, except that Learning to Fly & On the Turning Away are probably my favorite songs from all three of those albums combined.
But otherwise I find Momentary pretty bland.
Final Cut isn’t bland … it’s just miserable & moody without having good songs.
My take on it is this: Final Cut and Momentary Lapse of Reason are both fantastic examples of how both guys are so important to the overall Pink Floyd thing. No matter how you slice it.
When I think about it I think I like the Momentary LIVE versions of those songs. The live version of Sorrow is light years better than the original. When I think about it, I usually listen to the live album Delicate Sound of Thunder more than Momentary itself. Live Dogs of War is pretty sweet.
And Final Cut…ug…the worst is how Roger wanted many of these songs as part of the original Wall…thank God the band rejected them. I think it’s proof that Roger started to go a little nuts at the end where his project became bigger than the band (The horrendous Wall movie being further evidence of this). Generally it’s a Roger solo album and not much of a Floyd album at all. So I guess if you like Roger stuff, you’d like it. Either way, the lyrics weren’t like any other Floyd album, especially since they specifically ripped on certain leaders while other Floyd lyrics are more vague and open to interpretation. Doesn’t work for me, I guess.
Stevo
That’s just it … I love what Roger brings, but Final Cut just falls flat to me somehow. I love the Wall, love the film too, love “When the Tigers Broke Free” … but Final Cut sounds musically forced and lyrically beyond bleak.
Um … Momentary’s songs live still feature the same songwriting, right? 
Sorrow is the most boring bit of writing from them in years, man. It’s not horrible, just uneventful I guess.
DG ~ "Guys, I got a new song … " [ … oh wait … forgot Pink Floyd’s only two people in 1987] … “Guy, I got a new song … just play drums while I play the E minor chord a lot. I’m gonna sing a melody that consists of the note: E.”
NM ~ “What do I care man. As long as you don’t yell at me like Roger always does.”
Hey at least we agree that Final Cut isn’t for everyone.
Again, who listens to Floyd for the lyrics? All I know is Gilmour tears up that guitar during the end of Sorrow. Rock and Roll!!!
Stevo
I admittedly don’t know much about Pink Floyd. Only heard a few of their albums and the songs that are on the radio. Just never really got into it.
“Have a Cigar” is probably my favorite Floyd song.
Have a Cigar is better than all the songs on Final Cut combined…
Have a Cigar is even better than actual cigars.
::steals Waters lyrics out from under Stevo’s nose & smokes 'em::
::finishes that off and smokes Have a Cigar::
Floyd went downhill after they kicked Syd out.
/thread
Now I am wondering if Stevo knows what The Wall is about…
What leaders? The Wall is about an insane human being who shelters himself from everything around him (his family, his love, his past, and finally his fame which brings him over the edge of insanity). Each one of those things is a brick…
The only time I can remember off the top of my head any certain person being singled out on any Floyd song is in “Pigs (3 Different Ones)” off of the Animals album.
“Hey you, Whitehouse,
Ha ha charade you are.”
about Mary Whitehouse who advocated music censorship, and repeatedly brought up Pink Floyd as a prime example.
I don’t know…
Death Cab For Cuties rulez.
I love the Cut as well.
One album I need to listen to more… Atom Heart Mother.
That will be getting played first thing today.
I’m always so engaged by these conversations … people have such incredibly different perspectives on albums. I love it and I hate it.
I love it because it makes for interesting exchange of ideas and views. It provides a reason to share the music with one another, to share our preferences and passions.
I hate it because sometimes we just want to beat our opinions into our friends’ heads! haha!
I love The Wall, but don’t care for The Final Cut too much. Yet, there are as many people who hate on The Wall as there are those who embrace The Final Cut. Go figger, you know?
Final Cut & Momentary were created during some dark times for the band, so I suppose it shouldn’t come as a huge surprise that they’re not their best work. But it’s wild to hear the passionate but differing takes on those records.
Atom Heart Mother is possibly my least favorite of all Floyd albums. I’ve tried to get into it, but it’s just so hard to enjoy for me.
I will never understand how people can prefer the Syd Barrett material to albums like Meddle or Wish You Were Here. I’ve tried to get into the Syd stuff, but I just don’t dig it. And you got other dudes that like Piper at the Gates of Dawn best of all.
::shrugs::
This thread has really morphed into the broader topic of Pink Floyd’s career.
/state obvious
At least we are yet to dive into the depths of the DCFC catalog.
Phish fans are Phish-heads.
GD fans are Dead-heads.
Buffett fans are Parrot-heads.
What are DCFC fans?
Cutie-heads?
Cab-heads?
Ghey-heads, me thinks.
For-Heads.
Dickfor-heads
There are other albums by Floyd and other bands that kind of sound similar to Meddle or WYWH, but no other album ever sounds anything like Piper. It is the most unique music ever created and it is entirely due in large part to Syd truly understanding the universe thanks to the psychedelic process. You know that in 1967 Syd told the band that in order to take it to the next level they needed a black female singer and a horn player?..they laughed at him. Now go listen to Dark Side.
Syd was a visionary. He was more than a musician. He was a true genius. But all genius has its boundaries, Syd was one of the only people ever to reach the edge of those boundaries.