The Final Cut [Original recording remastered]

I came across this album 14 years ago, during my obsessive search for all things Floyd (there was a point where i listened to nothing else for 18 months), and instantly clicked.

Most of the reviews on here (even the negative ones) capture some of the essence of this album. 'harsh in places... but it's truly, truly beautiful!' is a good summary to me of this album.

Yes, given the state of Floyd as a 'group' it is easy to dismiss this as only Waters album - his ego, and determination to define Floyd purely in terms of 'his genius' is undeniably seen here. However, there are blasts of Gilmour which penetrate so deeply into the 'Floyd Soul', that you'll instantly know the difference between this and 'Pros & Cons'.

Also, you will notice is that the 'creative psychedelia' of previous albums is missing. It has a completely different vibe to Dark Side & Wish You Were Here.... but if you are into 'The Wall', then it seems to be a 'logical' extension to Water's frame of mind that started with 'Animals' and finished (musically - listen to Radio K.A.O.S to confirm) with 'Pro's and Cons'.

I don't think that 'When The Tigers Broke Free' belongs on this album. It belonged on 'The Wall' and this, although perhaps conceptually (in Water's mind) is appropriate in 'The Final Cut', watch 'The Wall' film and you'll see where it should be.

Bottom line is that Waters doesn't appear to have reconciled his anger at losing his Dad in WWII.

'I would only recommend it to die hard Pink Floyd or Roger Waters fans' is probably good advice. If you liked 'The Wall',chances are you'll grow to like this. If you're looking for the Floyd magic that Dark Side and Wish You Were Here brought you - avoid. If you remember the Falklands war and Maggie, then i think some of the stuff will STILL strike a cord.

Personally & for my money, buy it. You'll never hear anything else like it - even 22 years on.

With all this in mind, it was a complete miracle, that anything of quality (or anything at all) was released after the world dominating "The Wall". From the angst ridden opening of "The Post War Dream", through to the silent scream finale of " 2 Suns In The Sunset", this is most definetely a very forgotten and vastly underrated classic. The pure meloncholy of " Southampton Dock" tugs at the soul whilst, " The Gunner's Dream" is as original as it is thought provoking. However, even though Waters, Gilmour and Mason are playing on the songs, you can't help feeling that Waters couldn't care less if they were there or not, as there is absolutely no trace of any Gilmour inspired brightness or trademark virtuoso on this album (with the possible exception of the co-written "Not Now John")

On this album, we are treated to the full, unedited version of " Not Now John", which, if the "political" situation within the band at the time was different, would of been reveered as a solid stage favourite and one of those tracks that Pink Floyd dare not leave out of the setlist. It is unfortunate that this masterpiece was seen as(and in fairness, probably was) a total ego trip by Roger Waters, to the total exclusion of everyone and everything around him. You can't help feeling that if Waters had gone one step further and had released "The Final Cut" as a Roger Waters solo record, as opposed to a final offering from a very divided unit, then "The Final Cut", would have recieved the worldwide adulation, that it was sadly never given.

As a Roger Waters solo effort I would give "The Final Cut" 5 stars, however, as a Pink Floyd offering without the real creative input of Richard Wright, Dave Gilmour and Nick Mason, "The Final Cut" (regretfully) rates 4 stars.

Understandably, this kind of subject matter hardly lends itself to a light and breeze pop record. But then again, would you ever expect such a thing from the Floyd. Here, Waters takes the reigns once more, acting as full composer of all but one of the tracks to create a requiem for the post war dream. This subtitle alludes to the lyrical concerns found within, being one part a dedication by Roger to his father who was killed during World War II, and partly as a political statement about the then still-raging war in the Falklands isles.

The mood is almost always downbeat, depressing, heartbreaking and sad; as Water ruminates on the factors of war and personal tragedy in a combination of piercing screams and spoken word intimacy. Much of the record is narrated by Waters rather than sung, with the exception of a few tracks, which were no doubt earmarked as singles at the time. This does give the record a rather strange freakishness within the chronology of Floyd, but I respect the experiment that Waters was trying to conduct. The backing to these quite reflections, are largely built around Michael Kamen’s gentle piano solos, with later integration by a string quartet, and on a more grandiose note, the Royal philharmonic orchestra.

The music, or lack thereof, removes this even further from the Floyd albums that preceded it. To compensate for this, Gilmour adds some strong guitar overdubs and contributes to the song Not Now John both in terms of lead vocal and a soaring solo. Many fans find this track somewhat problematic, as it is the only cut on the album to feature actual music... but I personally love it. It’s one of the most vitriolic political statements on the album, being both an attack on Hollywood movie making, U.S. politics, & the xenophobic attitudes of Brits abroad.

Regardless of this weak criticism, to my mind the Final Cut represents the Floyd (or Waters for that matter) at their cohesive best. The emotional impact of the album is unrivalled by any other artist before or since, offering us beautifully poetic lyrics placed against lush, ambient scores that seem to allude of sadness and destruction, but ultimately, point to hope. Five stars.