What Are You Listening To?

[Jerome]

And yes here we go again - Pink Floyd - The Final Cut. When this first came out it was hammered by the music press, David Gilmour has been quoted as saying it should have been called 'The Final Straw'. I have to admit when I first heard this all those years back I thought - where's Pink Floyd? But over the years and beers I have come to really like this album. It is subtitled 'A requiem for the post-war dream' and if you really listen to this and get behind what Uncle Waters is saying, I think it's his most personal & private emotions laid bare. Even more so than The Wall. I think the minimalist orchestration on this album is pure genius. An empty sound to reflect an empty soul. The drums are machine gun attacks, alluding to the subtitle, and there is a lot of razor blade honesty on this album - even if it is unpopular from a commercial standpoint. Are there any outstanding musical 'solos' or parts on this - no. But sometimes the whole is greater than the sum of it's parts. A journey into the mind of a tortured man. And he took this further many years later when 'Amused to Death' tried to describe the 'war as entertainment' ethos. A chilling album - and the reference to 'cattle trucks lying in wait for the next time' is a stark reminder that it might all happen again. And probably will.