Pink Floyd – The Division Bell = 対 (Tsui)

In 1987, Pink Floyd defiantly preserved its legacy as well as that of progressive rock with the decidedly commercial "A Momentary Lapse of Reason". Now bereft of Roger Waters' profound lyrical ideas, his former creative partner David Gilmour helmed the band into arena rock territory, with a greater focus on building atmospheric soundscapes as opposed to long-winded, grandiose concepts. Inarguably, Gilmour's intervention saved the band from obscurity, keeping them in relevant in an era when steadfast art rock bands did not routinely score platinum albums. In 1993, Gilmour reconvened most of the personnel from the first post-Waters album, namely Nick Mason and Richard Wright, with whom he brainstormed new material before production naturally commenced at the Astoria houseboat. Whilst he had his fair share of personal problems in its aftermath, Gilmour's essential nature was not impacted by the legal issues that had plagued the band's previous production, nor was he under pressure to prove his worth. Thusly, the production was not entirely governed by Gilmour, with Wright, bassist Guy Pratt and novelist Polly Samson entrusted to heavily influence the album's mood as well as its musical and lyrical structure and balance. It was a good strategy that engendered a more relaxed and collaborative recording process, which in turn culminated in one of the most elegant and ethereal Pink Floyd albums.

"The Division Bell" was more diverse and spacey than its predecessor, incorporating elements of blues and folk, not to mention a distinctive ambience and warmth. Not surprisingly, the same as "A Momentary Lapse of Reason", the album was released to mixed reviews in 1994, but did sell very well, eventually being certified three times platinum. What Gilmour's detractors, clearly biased towards the Waters era, failed to consider was that Waters was not integral to the success of Pink Floyd, despite his attestations to the contrary. Together they achieved what other bands could only ever dream of... apart, not so much. Gilmour's Pink Floyd was an artistic progression of the dangerous Syd Barrett years, retaining elements of almost every phase in the band's catalogue, whereas Waters wanted the band to be increasingly ambitious, overwrought and political in of their aesthetic and stop adopting contemporary musical trends. Unfortunately though, 23-minute epics concerning the state of the world would have failed to attract MTV viewers, so Waters' elitist outlook was not shared with the rest of the band, who were willing to continue releasing experimental yet comprehensible music to the masses.

Not until "The Division Bell" did Gilmour finally surrender to exploring wider themes and new musical horizons, albeit at the behest of Samson, whose contributions instigate an introspective quality on the more conventional tracks. An unequivocal overarching theme of communication is also hugely beneficial to the album, the corollary being that its songs are loosely thematically linked and therefore more accordant with the essence of Pink Floyd. From the insistent and stunning opening salvo to the melancholy "Marooned," rousing "Take It Back" and melodic "High Hopes", there is an understated power, sophistication and zeal to the compositions that offsets their quite obvious cryptic lyrics, guitar-based pomposity and new age sensibilities. Gloriously provocative, pastoral and hypnotic, the performances of all involved are indicative of Gilmour's relinquishing of control, though his guitar is still given a significant workout herein. On the whole, "The Division Bell" is crucially less calculated and sterile than "A Momentary Lapse of Reason", but both are impressive, worthwhile and deserving of praise.

Rating: 4/5