Agreed, like many of Water's solo albums it's a grower. I had to listen a couple of times to "get it". I hated "Pros and Cons" when it first came out, but then I got over the fact that Gilmour wasn't playing guitar and now it's one of my favorites.
Roger Waters Amused To Death
I realize I might be in the minority on this one, but after recently purchasing this Analogue Productions pressing and listening to it a few times, I can honestly say I am not impressed.
First of all, the content is less than compelling. I enjoyed Roger Waters' work with Pink Floyd and even some of his other solo works, but this record feels like pretentious drivel.
Second, and more importantly, the sound quality is so artificial sounding that it's annoying. The overly holographic sound stage is hard to listen to. To me, this kind of production is too glossy and lacks musicality and warmth. It sounds more like a movie played in surround than it does a two channel stereo recording.
I found the title a bit ironic, in that the style of recording and all the sound effects he used are nothing more than amusement, adding little if anything to the message.
I just put my copy back on the shelf and I do not expect to ever play it again.
First of all, the content is less than compelling. I enjoyed Roger Waters' work with Pink Floyd and even some of his other solo works, but this record feels like pretentious drivel.
Second, and more importantly, the sound quality is so artificial sounding that it's annoying. The overly holographic sound stage is hard to listen to. To me, this kind of production is too glossy and lacks musicality and warmth. It sounds more like a movie played in surround than it does a two channel stereo recording.
I found the title a bit ironic, in that the style of recording and all the sound effects he used are nothing more than amusement, adding little if anything to the message.
I just put my copy back on the shelf and I do not expect to ever play it again.
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- 34 posts total
If the Ballad of Bill Hubbard didn't move you, you missed it: "The Ballad of Bill Hubbard" features a sample of WW1 veteran Alfred "Alf" Razzell, a member of the Royal Fusiliers (much like Waters' father Eric Fletcher Waters had been in the following war) who describes his account of finding fellow soldier William "Bill" Hubbard, to whom the album is dedicated, severely wounded on the battlefield. After failed attempts to take him to safety, Razzell is forced to abandon him in no-man's land. This sample is continued at the end of the title track, at the very end of the album, providing a more upbeat coda to the tragic story." from antiwarsongs.org |
- 34 posts total