Pink Floyd ‎– The Final Cut

The Final Cut is really not a Pink Floyd album; the band name attached to it probably boosted sales tenfold. It's a Waters solo album despite what anybody says. At best David Gilmour is reduced to a session player, and we never hear his voice (though he does get some decent guitar solos).

Certainly this is a record that can be respected in its story and narrative, but is not very enjoyable musically. The bleak subject matter is not helped by Waters's unsettling, howling vocals -- which were used to dramatic effect on The Wall, but are overused here, and sometimes come across as just screaming. The audio dynamics cover too wide a range; it is alternately too quiet and too loud. Some tracks start with nearly indiscernible sound effects, only to blow the listener out of his seat a moment later. This makes for a rather unpleasant listening experience. "Your Possible Pasts" is a particularly extreme example of this. You could easily damage your speakers cranking the soft parts, trying to understand what Waters is singing -- and then the drums and bass come thundering in, scaring the living daylights out of you.

The best songs are the last two. "Not Now John" is the only upbeat track. It was obviously made for the radio, and it's somewhat out of place in the context of the album. "Two Suns in the Sunset" is mostly a very good track, with its pleasant guitar lines (reminiscent of "Wish You Were Here") and haunting lyrics and Cold War imagery. But the middle section with Waters screaming again is terrible, so I took my CD and edited it out, making a seamless transition from the first chorus to the next proper verse. Now it's a great track. The sax solo should have been a breath of fresh air, but it's too loud and wailing. I also enjoy "The Hero's Return," a track that resembles some of the better moments on The Wall.

The Wall hinted at how Waters would operate on his own, but that album was totally developed into a thrilling musical statement. Here we see what he does all by himself: rigid, poetic, preachy, lyrically strong, but musically very weak. As a result, his subsequent solo albums were forgettable.

The inclusion of the awesome "When the Tigers Broke Free" on the remaster is still weird to me since it played a part in The Wall film. This outstanding track is so, so far from even resembling Pink Floyd, yet is still an incredible work. I would have put it at the end as a bonus, clearly indicating that it was not part of The Final Cut. The sheer breadth of music that falls under the Pink Floyd name is staggering; there's this track at one far end of a 3D spectrum, with tracks like "Bike" at another end, and "Shine On" occupying further, opposite dimensions.

this has to be one of the most underated album by pink floyd fans and tribute bands. this album could bring a tear to glass eye with all it darkness & beauty. this album is amazing album.

Heartbreaking and wounded, The Final Cut is by no means a casual affair. Roger Waters' manic emoting makes for an almost excruciating listen at times, his damaged cries allowing a direct conduit to the psychological scarring he had collected since childhood. The death of his father in the second World War had inspired numerous prior Pink Floyd works but none so blatantly traumatized as this. Even the notoriously harrowing double LP The Wall never touched so tender a nerve, and despite several of these tracks originating from those sessions this strangely does not feel like a sequel. Michael Kamen's lavish orchestrations largely replace The Wall's rock bombast and the lyrical metaphors are replaced by bitterly cynical political satire and unnervingly vulnerable exorcism of very personal demons. This considered, it's understandable that some regard this as a Waters solo album but the sublime guitar solos from Gilmour set this on a higher shelf, particularly the stunning lead break of the title track. Despite Gilmour's complaints, this album is an absolute masterpiece and the last true work of significance from Pink Floyd.

Great Album! Roger Waters Pink Floyd's Swan Song.