I toughed a little bit on the legacy band, Pink Floyd when I played through their debut album, The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn. While it wasn't my first exposure to them, it was my first, and to date, only Retro Spin on the band.
Today, I'm diving into their 80's era of music. At first glance, it may seem odd how they can produce eleven studio albums between 1967 and 1979, but only two between 1980 and 1989. However, events in play were definitely the driving force in that regard, and hopefully by the end of this post, for those of you who don't already know (I'm sure you all know), it will make sense.
When Roger Waters began working on the tracks that would become 1983's The Final Cut, he initially conceived a soundtrack and expansion of the feature film, The Wall, based on their opus album from 1979. However, he'd quickly change course when the undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom erupted in 1982.
It would be released to mixed reviews and become Floyd's lowest selling album to date since 1971's Meddle. Despite this, it would still peak at number one in the UK, as well as four other countries. It would also land in the top five in four other countries and reach number six in the USA. All and all, that's not bad for a low selling record.
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The Final Cut is fantastic from a creative perspective. It delivers that solid Pink Floyd song made iconic with Dark Side Of The Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977), and The Wall (1979), and this is certainly appealing. Ironically, the aforementioned David Gilmour led Not Now John was probably my favorite.
With that said, what you won't find here is a top ten hit, or anything that's necessarily radio friendly. Then again, their legacy was never one really built on the Billboard Hot 100, having only five songs over their storied careers to actually chart, none of which came from this album.
I also discovered in my listening session that between 1983 and 2003, any version you bought of this album would have twelve tracks, while as of 2004, it included thirteen, having added, When The Tigers Broke Free. This song was apparently initially intended for The Wall but rejected. When The Final Cut came back around for re-release, Waters and the producers felt it fit perfectly, and added it.
All tracks were credited to Roger Waters, who also provided lead vocals on all but one song, Not Now John. As a result, he looked at it more as a solo project rather than an album from the band. This perhaps only served to fuel Waters own ego, as he considered himself more and more the driving force behind the band. By 1985, intense creative friction, ideological clashes, and a struggle for artistic control were at the forefront. Believing the band was creatively spent and that the Pink Floyd brand was inherently tied to his own songwriting, he resigned hoping to dissolve the group, though the remaining members continued without him.
With his departure, David Gilmour would focus on his solo career, releasing his second studio album, and only release in the 80's, About Face (1984). Waters in turn went on to his own solo career, releasing his debut, The Pros and Cons Of Hitch Hiking (1984). Nick Mason also sought other projects, teaming up with Rick Fenn to release their duo debut, Profiles in 1985. Despite each member actively working on other projects, Pink Floyd was not done, and with its resurgence would come a continued rift between Waters and his prior bandmates, as well as a lawsuit over the name and rights of the music.
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