Roger Waters' new album

Thanks for that Kevin. I enjoyed it too. Might have to investigate the album.

Thanke for the heads up! That came out of the blue, at least to me, though I seem to recall hearing several years ago that he was working on a new album, but nothing seemed to come of it...

Always having liked his music, Amused to Death is one of my favourite albums of all time, and indeed his more recent but completely different Ca Ira is well up there for me, even if it did not prove so widely popular, perhaps because to prog rock fans it isn't prog rock, and to,opera fans he isn't an opera composer (though in my view he did an excellent job of it!)

So I look forward to discovering this album - the first I have lioked forward to for many years!

It can be pre-ordered from today but not much info about HR download resolution,  I'm hoping 96 at least, better 192,  but wait & see I guess.     Its a two-disc 180g vinyl & £27.99 & a single disc CD @ £13.99 from the big river.   

   Off the wall artwork cover - but not unusual from himself

I read about this yesterday on the Classic Rock Mag web site, only 25 years since Amused to Death, with any luck a few live shows after he has toured America.

Karl

Is this the Album we really want? I have been waiting 25 years for this so really hope it is.

I wonder what happened to the odd new track that has been played live in recent times, particularly 'Crystal Clear Brooks' - which hasn't made the album. I wonder if it will ever see the light of day?

Here's another track, "Deja Vu", from the album. Sounds rather like that band he was in a while back...

Assuming that, like most of his albums, this is a concept album, I'm waiting until it is released to hear in its entirety...

I think it is closer to a looser collection of songs as opposed  to a concept album like his last three, IB. At least that's the impression I get from the four tracks I have heard.

Based on these two tracks, I can't see the new album appealing to Gilmour fans. I recall on the DSOTM tour when Roger sang tracks from the Final Cut a loads of people would file out of the hall for a loo break!

John3 posted:

Based on these two tracks, I can't see the new album appealing to Gilmour fans. I recall on the DSOTM tour when Roger sang tracks from the Final Cut a loads of people would file out of the hall for a loo break!

I saw six or seven dates on that tour, and the thing that drove them to the bog/bar was not "Southampton Dock" and "Fletcher Memorial Home" but the lengthy and dirgey "Leaving Beruit"...

Yes, "Beruit" did go on a bit. He has said that he will play four songs from the new album on the new tour. Let's hope they are good enough to keep people in their seats.

You can watch Roger perform Deja Vu live on the classic rock magazine Website.

Karl

I'm sure you've already seen it

Another track - "The Last Refugee":

The songs released up to now on the EP (Tidal) seem to be a real return to form. There's a distinct nod to Floyd sounds and musical styles of the past from 'More' to Meddle and later without these motifs seeming contrived. The lyrics and instrumentation are excellent as ever and it's great to see Jonathan Wilson in the band line-up. He's a real talent in his own right. Can't wait to hear the rest on the 2nd. 

Went to a playback of this last night, and here are my impressions if anyone's interested.

The album sounds like a very, very angry Radiohead, with added dollops of "Animals" thrown in, and a dash of "Amused to Death.' I rather liked it.

We were handed lyric sheets to accompany the listening session, and I think some of them stand up with his best work.

Sonically, it's very interesting - if a little light on catchy tunes - and there's a lot of use of sound FX, multi-layered voices and spoken parts. There are no guitar or keyboard solos - this is very much about the songs and the words, rather than instrumental pyrotechnics.

Standoutout cuts for me were the title track, "The Last Refugee" and "Smell The Roses".

It seems likely that there will be a multi-channel release at some point - the presentation yesterday was multichan, though the first 10 minutes were way too loud - much more detail was discernable when they turned things down a bit. The sound wasn't great, no idea what speakers they were but the room - a big brick box with concrete pillars - wasn't ideal either. They were obviously playing from a digital file.

Roger Waters' manager, Mark Fenwick was there and he confirmed that RW would be visiting the UK next year. We were also treated to the album/tour EPK, which included footage from the shows already played, and it looks spectacular!

Roll on tomorrow, and release day!

I got it and played it a couple of times today. Seems like a Pink Floyd of the 1970s record updated to 2017. I agree with the statement above that it is a return to form - songwriting and playing is top drawer. Old Rog is an angry boy for most of the record, which is surprising since Arsenal won the FA cup last weekend. I would have thought that would have cheered him up...

sjt posted:

I got it and played it a couple of times today. Seems like a Pink Floyd of the 1970s record updated to 2017. I agree with the statement above that it is a return to form - songwriting and playing is top drawer. Old Rog is an angry boy for most of the record, which is surprising since Arsenal won the FA cup last weekend. I would have thought that would have cheered him up...

Didn't know he was a Gooner. No wonder he's grumpy, what with their decade or so of underachievement.

MDS posted:

sjt posted:

I got it and played it a couple of times today. Seems like a Pink Floyd of the 1970s record updated to 2017. I agree with the statement above that it is a return to form - songwriting and playing is top drawer. Old Rog is an angry boy for most of the record, which is surprising since Arsenal won the FA cup last weekend. I would have thought that would have cheered him up...

Didn't know he was a Gooner. No wonder he's grumpy, what with their decade or so of underachievement.

In the 1960s and very early 70s, when he lived on the New North Road in Islington, Waters used to go to Highbury most home games. Often his companion was - perhaps bizarrely - fellow Gooner season ticket holder Keith Moon. Apparently they were quite good mates at one point.

Gilmour was an Arsenal fan as well (apparently they were popular in Cambridge in the 1950s).

Thanks, Kevin.  That's news to me. 

Just enjoying a first play on vinyl. If you like Animals, Final Cut and Amused, you are likely to like this too. Different but the same.

Stu

Changing discs on my 1st vinyl play through, great to have him back, passionate lyrics revisiting familiar themes, Final Cut comes to mind as Stu says, musically I'm loving it. If I weren't off early in the morning, I could see multiple listens through to the early hours.

I've listened to it on Tidal and think it's awful. What's he rambling on about? 

Sorry that's my take on it but I'll try it again tomorrow to give him a chance

Having now had my first good listen, I feel that in the 20-25 years since release of Amused to Death and Ca Ira, each in their different ways the pinnacles of his career in my view, Roger's creativity has declined somewhat. Nonetherless, it is a good album and an enjoyable listen, and i imagine will grow on me with more playing. 

I don't really pick up much of Animals (my least favourite PF album) in it as some have suggested, more like bits of Meddle with bits of Amused and bits of Pros & Cons. But the drumming in places Keeps making me think of Peter Hammill in the 1980s.

I missed out the references to Radio Kaos and Final Cut...