Pink Floyd - The Endless River

[moses]

This Friday, November 7 2014 Pink Floyd release their new album, The Endless River, their first since 1994's The Division Bell. Apparently the album has become the highest pre-ordered album in Amazon history.
Are there many Pink Floyd fans lurking around Big Footy? Are you excited about the release?

Discuss all things Pink Floyd in the thread.

 

[crownie]

A thread already started of this album but anyway i'm a little disappointed to hear its 99% instrumental, I wonder if all the people who have pre ordered it know that as well.

 

[moses]

A thread already started of this album but anyway i'm a little disappointed to hear its 99% instrumental, I wonder if all the people who have pre ordered it know that as well.

Thanks - I couldnt find the thread. Mods please merge.

Yeah will be interesting being mostly instrumental, supposidly it uses lots of the stuff which wasn't issued on the Division Bell. I will check it out though.

 

[Gasometer]

http://www.pinkfloyd.com/theendlessriver/

Looks like a very emotional end piece to one awesome bunch of musicians...and I include Sid and Waters.

 

[crownie]

reviews I have read so far have been mixed

 

[Gasometer]

reviews I have read so far have been mixed

Get a bit nervous when artists re visit older stuff and re jig it. Springsteens 'High Hopes' was a mixed offering earlier this year after revisiting older stuff.

 

[Roobs321]

I'm not overly excited, but I hope to listen to it at some point. A mostly instrumental Pink Floyd in the 2010s sounds about right to me. A mixed reception is also what I am expecting.

I tend to view Pink Floyd mostly as Pipers-The Wall. They've done some okay stuff outside of that (and the Pulse DVD is a must have), but their classic era was so deep with several stellar albums that so-so albums really don't get the time of day.

 

[Donstuie]

As a tribute to Wright I think its fitting that they've gone with a (mostly) instrumental piece. The man let his music do the talking, so its right that the album follows that approach (and from what I've read, "Louder than Words" essentially sums up their whole career). I expect The Endless River to be great ambient "background music" and a quiet farewell from one of music's great bands.

 

[crownie]

Get a bit nervous when artists re visit older stuff and re jig it. Springsteens 'High Hopes' was a mixed offering earlier this year after revisiting older stuff.

I guess its better then nothing at all but the theme of them not getting along has been done to death so it would of been nice to have some fresh ideas for lyrics if they did any.

Album has leaked so I look forward to listening to it on Saturday when the weather is nice.

 

[HARKER]

Very little interest at all any more.

Going to give it a run but would be surprised should it get a second run.

 

[HARKER]

The Independent (UK) Nov 5, 2014 20/100
What's blindingly clear is that, without the sparking creativity of a Syd or Roger, all that's left is ghastly faux-psychedelic dinner-party muzak.

Maybe won't give it a go because this is exactly what I thought we'd get.

 

[Illinois Nazi]

It hasn't been leaked, it was released to day in Australia.

It's going to get mixed reviews, because despite all the publicity Gilmour and Mason have done in the last month explaining exactly what is on it, a lot of people are going to expect Dark Side of the Moon part 2 or something. Particularly the ones who write reviews for publications that continue to put photos of Roger Waters next to the story.

Anyway, got mine today, just need to find a spare hour tomorrow to listen without distraction. You only get one chance to listen to a Pink Floyd album for the first time.

 

[HARKER]

 

[The Passenger]

I expect The Endless River to be great ambient "background music" and a quiet farewell from one of music's great bands.

I think this would be good and all one can hope for. Anyone expecting another Dark Side has rocks in their heads.

You only get one chance to listen to a Pink Floyd album for the first time.

This is sage advice to everyone. I wish I had been given it when I was about 16 and got into them.

 

[Illinois Nazi]

As I said yesterday, my plan for this morning was to find an hour to myself sit back and listen to the new album right through for the first time, but that’s not exactly how it worked out. I retired to the music room (good room – surrounded by guitars, piano, keyboards, drum kit, posters etc) with the headphones and set off. When I reached the other end, I sat there for a few minutes, then I returned to the start of the album and listened all the way through the whole thing again. My first criticism of this album matches Tolkein’s criticism of The Lord Of The Rings – it’s not long enough.

This is a fantastic piece of music.

The Endless River will be heard in two very different ways. If you have it on as background music, then that is exactly what it will sound like – background music. And that’s what most people are going to hear. Including myself – let’s be honest, this album will be playing while I’m doing something else most of the time (as I am doing right now, in fact, as I write this in between making lunch for myself and kids). But if you take the time to really listen, free of distractions, you will hear some wonderful music.

This is so classic Pink Floyd, and so original. On my journey I heard reminiscences of The Division Bell (duh…), Wish You Were Here, A Saucerful of Secrets, Broken China, On An Island, La Carerra Panamerica, The Colours of Infinity, Household Objects and even, in a very special way, The Wall.

The good news is that it reminded me of those earlier works in ways I didn’t expect. This is not a collection of Pink Floyd clichés disguised as something new, this is very original and exciting work.

So what are the negatives? There must be some negative points. I mean, I love On An Island as an album, but it does sag a bit in the middle. The Wall loses its way a little at times. Dark Side of the Moon… well, OK, that one is perfect.

As I went through the first time, I was waiting for that mid-album sag, the boring bit before it picks up again at the end. But it didn’t come. They have done a fantastic job assembling these pieces into the four suites that also make up a complete whole. The whole album connects, and yet it is varied enough that each piece stands and holds interest on its own.

So the only things I have to talk down on this album, funnily enough, are the two “vocal” tracks. Firstly, the Hawking one. First time listening through, my thought was you could lose this track completely and it would do no harm at all. On the second listen, I realised that the music on this one is really nice, but the Hawking voice over the top is just unnecessary and distracting. Obviously it’s a link back to the Division Bell, but since the music underneath bears absolutely no resemblance at all to Keep Talking, it’s not one that really works. It’s not that it’s bad, it’s just unnecessary.

And secondly, the closing track Louder Than Words, which I guess is the one everyone has already heard by now. The lyrics just aren’t very good in my opinion. They might get away with that if the vocal delivery of them was something special (after all, they’ve gotten away with some pretty ordinary lyrics in that way in the past), but it really isn’t. Sounds like a demo or working version which needs a few more drafts. Myself, I’ve always liked Gilmour’s lyrics. Even though he has struggled to produce them, what he comes up with works for me. I’d like to have seen him take this set of lyrics away and work on it, build it into something of his own words. Of course, once the words are done with we get another vintage Gilmour solo to finish, but it’s not enough to save the track for me. High Hopes was a song worthy of the mantle of being the last song on the last Pink Floyd album (continuing the fine tradition of Sorrow and Two Suns, which were also worthy), but this one isn’t. Fortunately it’s a lengthy instrumental passage to finish, so the music is in its rightful place as the last impressions of the album.

Now I don’t want to start going point to point with critics and their reviews, because that really is a waste of time, but a couple of things that have been posted in the past couple of days are worthy of comment. We haven’t seen the last of the bad reviews by a long way, mainly because of what I said back at the start about the two ways of listening to this album. Most reviewers aren’t going to listen to it the right way, and I’d say there’s going to be a pretty strong correlation between those reviewers and the publications that keep putting pictures of Roger Waters next to their stories.

The guy who said the use of voices was just sort of random and not part of the construction of the album like they were on Dark Side – well, he has completely missed the point, hasn’t listened to anything Gilmour and Mason have said in the last month, and probably didn’t listen to the voices on the album properly either. You won’t need me to point it out – listen to who they are, what they say and where they are placed on the album and it’s pretty obvious. And the guy (possibly the same guy?) criticising the use of sound effects – well, frankly I don’t even know what he is talking about. There aren’t that many sound effects used, certainly nowhere near to the extent of previous Pink Floyd albums, and the ones that are fit in well with the surrounding music. (I particularly enjoyed hearing the Fat Old Sun bells in there!)

I’m not annoyed at bad reviews, because they are exactly what I was expecting. For someone who doesn’t understand what this album is supposed to be, it’s going to be a million miles away from what they expect and want, so of course they are not going to like it.

And a final comment – I’ve seen the word “ambient” used a lot in reference to this album. It’s complete and utter crap. This album rocks!

 

[crownie]

gave the album a listen last night and its alright and better then what I expected it to be and after being annoyed hearing it was mostly instrumental they should of made it all instrumental cause the song with vocals as pointed out above has weak lyrics and doesn't fit in.

two parts of the album I liked is the first main jam which sounds something from wish you here and there is a second jam with a nice bass sound but doesn't go long enough, in fact what stops it from making it a very good album is the good parts don't good long enough. One of the bonus songs is good as well.

 

[mellowyellow]

Extremely bland

 

[____]

Love it, only real downside is that there are a few songs on there that are obvious fillers, but for something that is supposedly a Division Bell outake, was always going to happen.

Album reminds me a little of More, Atom Heart Mother, Meddle, Obscured by Clouds, Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Momentary Lapse, Division Bell and the Gilmour solo albums.

Favourite tracks after a few listens are It's what we do, Anisina and Louder than words

 

[moses]

I never take much notice of music critics, they come across as the most pessimistic people on the planet. On my second listen through now (yesterday was on in the background). I love what I hear so far, first section of the album has a great pace and rhythm to it. Won'e be for everyone, but is far from garbage.

 

[crownie]

really digging 'on noddle street', a real shame it only goes for just under 2 minutes.

 

[HARKER]

Loved Floyd but just can't bring myself for a full listen of this album.

Listened to "It's what we do" on Youtube and as nice as it is, it's just cuts of their much older works.

Can't understand why they'd be ripping off themselves.

 

[Illinois Nazi]

Loved Floyd but just can't bring myself for a full listen of this album.

Listened to "It's what we do" on Youtube and as nice as it is, it's just cuts of their much older works.

Can't understand why they'd be ripping off themselves.

Are they ripping off themselves by sounding like themselves? The title of that track might give you a hint.

Anyway, if you're not even going to listen to the whole thing, you're hardly in a place to be critical of it.

 

[HARKER]

Are they ripping off themselves by sounding like themselves? The title of that track might give you a hint.

Anyway, if you're not even going to listen to the whole thing, you're hardly in a place to be critical of it.

Always liked Floyd as an album band with AHM, Meddle, DSOTM, WYWH and Animals always taken up as the whole.
"It's what we do" threw me off thinking I was listening to Shine on You. Self-referencing may be fine by some but I find it somewhat sad.

I'd never though dismiss Floyd in the whole, as they gave me some of my best music listening experiences ever.

 

[HARKER]

The guys on Prog Archives have rated this album quite well.

Didn't realize that the majority of this album was recorded some 20 odd years ago with some suggesting it to be out-takes from The Division Bell

For me, this disc is Pink Floyd deconstructed, and it is breathtakingly beautiful. Listen to Roger's Pros and Cons for a Pink Floyd sound and try to pinpoint what is missing. The answer is this album. In the other Gilmour Floyd albums, they seem to try to fill the void left by Roger with stupid attempts at imitative lyrics and ridiculous numbers of studio musicians. Here they don't even try to fill that void, and having left that open they create a beautiful, previously undefinable example of exactly what the rest of Pink Floyd does and has always done.

This album is really a melting pot of all the styles Pink Floyd has ever done, ranging from Barrett- era oddness, to post-Barrett pandemonium and drama, to the classic stuff, to the sinister nature of the Waters era. It's all represented here in some form, but from a distance, reduced to its bare essentials. In this sense it really makes for a fitting goodbye. It encapsulates everything that Pink Floyd has always been about.

 

[eldorado]

"It's what we do" threw me off thinking I was listening to Shine on You. Self-referencing may be fine by some but I find it somewhat sad.

.

I would guess they probably wrote the track, and then gave it the title when they realised how quintessentially "Floydian" it was, a little bit of self-deprecation/irony/pisstaking perhaps?