The Division Bell - Pink Floyd

who is an advocate for fascism here?

I wonder....
I really do.
Who is the advocate for fascism here?
Look at the horrible cover for this dreadful CD?
Now I'm gonna ask you again:
who is the advocate for fascism here?
Terrible, horrible people, just gross!

Honestly, it's just O.K.

Come on let's get honest here. Floyd music post Water's is just regular well polished soft rock. Their is no edge to it at all, not that it is bad but it is not what I would call Floyd worthy. But I guess that is what Pink Floyd is now.

Take for example Nick Mason's drumming, it is just a tempo, a beat to keep up with. If you listen to,or watch him perform "Set the Controls..." or "A Saucer Full of Secrets" he was a major player in the sound of Pink Floyd. And really all through every Floyd record to "The Final Cut" Here reduced to that of a session member.

If you listen now to "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" performed live for example on "Pulse" or any of the live shows Gilmour does now or any recordings from live shows of Floyd, post 1983 It is so polished and soft. Easy to listen to, I must admit, and yes still good, but not the hard rocking song with strong guitars, when they first began to play it in 1974. In the live shows from them it is absolutely rockin'and experimental, along with all their music up untill 1983.

Gilmour showed us what he was truely into from his self proclaimed favorite Floyd album "Wish You Were Here" to his self titled solo record to the last two studio albums. It is all just melodic (yet good, I must say)soft rock music but that is all. In no form can you relate this to previous works. No denying what an influence role Waters played in the making of every Floyd album he was associated with.

Please don't get the idea that I am bashing Gilmour or the music he has made. But it is undenyably different from, and inferior to, any thing pre 1983. I know that thier are legions of Floyd fans who will not agree for the sake of loyalty to Floyd as a whole. I am, barring none, the biggest Pink Floyd fan of all, but this is just easy listening, soft rock music. >>>---Zen--->

A Masterpiece .. what else could this be ? = )

Im the sentimental kind . I remember spring of 1994 , working on a paint crew , and enjoying this excellent album in my truck's stereo before and after work . And , the awesome experience of seeing the band in Ames IA - Cyclone stadium - in June 1994 .

I was 19 , and it brings all sorts of beautiful memories of my hard earned life . Especially that year ( It's like that for most = ) ]

Ive heard hard reviews against this album , as well as positive , constructive views of its atributes . My father took me to my first PF concert in 1988 in Cedar Falls , IA ( our hometown ] . So , my Floyd palate has a strong Gilmourish base . Although years down the road ( at 25 years old ] i discovered , the ' other ' side of The Floyd - Piper .. , Saucerful .., Atom heart .., Obscured by clouds . Basically all of the strong ' progressive ' output from the late 60s and 70 s .

This band has such an incredible catalog . They leave me w out words , really . As i write this , i remember sitting in a lawn area , at the opposite end zone of Cyclone stadium , kicking back on the grass ( it was such an excellent and cheap seat = ) ) and seeing the sunset , the laser lights and ' One of these days ' blasting through the June Iowa night

A surprisingly fine return to form

When I picked this album up upon its release in 1994, I had not purchased a new Pink Floyd album since the time of The Final Cut. I was very pleasantly surprised with The Division Bell however, and the 1980s textures of Momentary Lapse of Reason were nowhere to be found. Indeed, although very modern sounding, references to their most popular albums released during the 1973-1979 timeframe are scattered across The Division Bell, along with fine songwriting and playing.

The instrumentation is classic Floyd and bits of analog sounding synthesizers and Hammond organ, along with acoustic and clean sounding electric guitars dominate the soundscape. I also noted that Dave (his playing is very tasteful throughout) uses what sounds like a guitar synthesizer of sorts, which yields an unnaturally high pitched guitar tone. It is pretty cool sounding. Dave's voice is in excellent condition and has changed very little since the time of Pink Floyd's "golden age". Rick Wright also makes a brief appearance on vocals too. My favorite tracks include the atmospheric instrumental pieces, although the vocal tracks are also very good.

This is a deeply personal album, with Gilmour taking on topics of his (at the time) recently failed marriage, the strained relationship with former member (bassist) Roger Waters, and the (late) Syd Barrett. The lyrics are pretty good; most of which were written by Dave and his girlfriend.

Overall, while very polished and modern sounding, this is a surprisingly fine return to form and should appeal to most fans of the older material.

A satisfying going-away present

Of the two post-Roger Waters studio albums made by Pink Floyd, this is clearly the superior effort. David Gilmour and Bob Ezrin were trying very hard to replicate 70s Floyd on Momentary Lapse, but Division Bell is a more satisfying and relaxed effort. Only a few moments ("Keep Talking", "What Do You Want From Me") consciously mimic earlier Floyd efforts.

Overall, the sound of this album echoes the more collective Floyd sound in the early 70s rather than the Waters-driven visions of the late 70s. There's a more modern sound, but much of the stuff here sounds like it could have cropped up on Obscured by Clouds, Meddle or Atom Heart Mother. Rick Wright makes a welcome return as a composer, contributing to approximately half the songs.

The best parts of the album lie in the beginning (the two instrumentals, "Poles Apart") and the end ("Keep Talking", "Lost for Words", "High Hopes"). The U2-ish "Take It Back" and "Coming Back to Life" are probably too upbeat and poppy for many Floyd fans, but quite enjoyable in their own right. The two duds are the bland "A Great Day for Freedom" and the turgid "Wearing the Inside Out".

One last word - if nothing else, check out "High Hopes" - a Floyd classic, one of the best tunes in the Floyd canon. Maybe this album doesn't match the heights of Floyd's best work in the 60s and 70s, but it ends their career on a solid note.