Amused to Death, 2015 edition...

Elx

Most of what I had to say back then sadly still pertains today and it's maybe even more relevant...

exactly!

I read somewhere that he said Amused to Death was better than anything PF have released after his departure. He's not being modest here, but I'm afraid he's right...

ftumch

Not my favourite waters album let alone compared to the floyd stuff. Still some great stuff on there though. Perfect sense and too much rope, love em. Although division bell is good but not great and the 'new one'...well.....maybe he's right.

axisus

I have 4 waters solo albums and I haven't engaged with any of them. Floyd lost their edge and bite when he left, and he lost ...... er ...... Floydiness. They really should have stuck together, they were brilliant as a whole and both a bit lame apart.

 

I'd still take Momentary lapse or the Division bell over any of Waters stuff.

Fuzzdog

Still love ATD, probably more than I did when it came out.  Some hugely nice playing from Jeff Beck on there as well - it was actually that album which made me go out and buy up all Beck's back catalogue and become a huge fan.

Brize

I agree with Waters - Amused to Death is a superb album.

not_the_dj

Did cassetteboy do the editing for that? I've no idea if any of it is actually what Roger actually wanted to get across. Either that or he starts dribbling and swearing every few seconds.

Elx

Well, considering who worked on it, no wonder it's good

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amused_to_Death

Just look at the list of musicians...

ftumch

Don Henley! Seriously!?

ICBM

Elx said:

Most of what I had to say back then sadly still pertains today and it's maybe even more relevant...

exactly!

I read somewhere that he said Amused to Death was better than anything PF have released after his departure. He's not being modest here, but I'm afraid he's right…

Great interview - although you do slightly wonder what he *actually* said, given the amount of editing in it...

It's a very good album. I'd have to agree that while it may not be as great as the best he did with Pink Floyd, it's definitely better than anything PF did after he left.

The odd thing is that both this and Pink Floyd's The Final Cut went quickly from contemporary to sounding dated quite quickly after they were released - but their resonance has grown stronger and more powerful with the passing years, for me at least - and clearly for him, too.

"The bravery of being out of range"...

mart

ICBM said:

...

"The bravery of being out of range"...

Is that so very different from "forward he cried, from the rear, and the front rank died"? I don't know the song, but it just sounds recycled to me. Still true, just not original.

ICBM

mart said:

ICBM said:

...

"The bravery of being out of range"...

Is that so very different from "forward he cried, from the rear, and the front rank died"? I don't know the song, but it just sounds recycled to me. Still true, just not original.

Similar sentiment - rightly so - but the lyrics were far more contemporary… particularly considering they were written in 1992, long before drones became such a prominent part of Western strategy.

Sir turn up the TV sound
The war has started on the ground
Just love those laser guided bombs
They're really great for righting wrongs
You hit the target and win the game
From bars 3,000 miles away

We play the game with the bravery of being out of range
We zap and maim with the bravery of being out of range
We strafe the train with the bravery of being out of range
We gained terrain with the bravery of being out of range
We play the game with the bravery of being out of range

mart

Thanks, that does show it to be somewhat different.

Unfortunately I find it harder to empathise with that sentiment. I don't think anyone kids themselves that they are being brave by using drones; it is just a necessity in western democracies that have no stomach for seeing body bags.

Ultimately it's us to blame, whereas in the DSOTM lyric the blame was firmly put on the generals. But then again, maybe Waters is trying to finger us, and maybe he's right.

Chuffola

Great interview (despite the editing as @ICBM said)

He may be an egotistical, contrary and sometimes pompous old fuck but I love him and I wish he'd never left Pink Floyd. They were lesser after the split by some distance.

He's easily one of my favourite lyricists, not least for the "forward he cried..." line quoted above but there are so many other examples from that album alone.

Thanks for posting that. 

Danny1969

Perfect Sense part 1 from Amused to Death still makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up even now..... fantastic album and one of my wife's favorites as well

Mans a genius in my eyes and I look forward to hearing the remix,  although it has to be said the original mix's are stunning and probably the best use of Q sound ever

ICBM

mart said:

Unfortunately I find it harder to empathise with that sentiment. I don't think anyone kids themselves that they are being brave by using drones; it is just a necessity in western democracies that have no stomach for seeing body bags.

Ultimately it's us to blame, whereas in the DSOTM lyric the blame was firmly put on the generals. But then again, maybe Waters is trying to finger us, and maybe he's right.

That's exactly what he means - "we" and our leaders find it easy to talk belligerently when we're fighting with missiles and drones from the safety of thousands of miles away. It's only a necessity if you think we need to interfere in other people's wars...

The irony is that doing so has made "our" enemies find new ways of attacking us back at home. I'm sure Waters might have something to say about that too - he was scathing about terrorism as well, if you remember The Gunner's Dream.

Chuffola said:

He may be an egotistical, contrary and sometimes pompous old fuck but I love him and I wish he'd never left Pink Floyd. They were lesser after the split by some distance.

He's easily one of my favourite lyricists, not least for the "forward he cried..." line quoted above but there are so many other examples from that album alone.

Agreed.

mart

ICBM said:

That's exactly what he means - "we" and our leaders find it easy to talk belligerently when we're fighting with missiles and drones from the safety of thousands of miles away. It's only a necessity if you think we need to interfere in other people's wars...

The irony is that doing so has made "our" enemies find new ways of attacking us back at home. I'm sure Waters might have something to say about that too - he was scathing about terrorism as well, if you remember The Gunner's Dream.

Fair enough. I was being lazy when I just wrote "necessity"; but it's a necessity if we fight a war, whether that's one that has to involve us or not. Though even that is a hard distinction to make. I'm no fan of the recent fights we've nudged into, and I agree with you about the unpleasant consequences for us. But "other people's wars" is a simplistic phrase for a very complicated reality. E.g. did we really need to fight Poland's war back in '39, or Serbia's war in '14? The only straightforward position is 100% pacifist, and I can't quite buy that stance.

Anyway, isn't that some irony in Waters the socialist attacking the generals/upper classes in the early '70s, and then becoming a capitalist (by his own admission, I believe) and then attacking the wider populace. Or maybe that's just logical, not ironic at all.

ICBM

I agree that reality is complicated, and that he also is . And that it's permissible to change your viewpoint as you get older too - I know I have. I probably don't agree with him about everything, and I know it's easy to criticise when you don't have to make tough decisions… and I don't think I'm 100% pacifist either. But he does have a great way of putting things into words.

richardhomer

Hard bloke to like isn't he?

close2u

Amused to Death and
Radio KAOS

I love them both.

Give me more of the belligerent old bugger.

Great musical works of art.

mart

ICBM said:

... But he does have a great way of putting things into words.

Agreed, and that is the important thing!

PolarityMan

ICBM said:

mart said:

ICBM said:

...

"The bravery of being out of range"...

Is that so very different from "forward he cried, from the rear, and the front rank died"? I don't know the song, but it just sounds recycled to me. Still true, just not original.

Similar sentiment - rightly so - but the lyrics were far more contemporary… particularly considering they were written in 1992, long before drones became such a prominent part of Western strategy.

Sir turn up the TV sound
The war has started on the ground
Just love those laser guided bombs
They're really great for righting wrongs
You hit the target and win the game
From bars 3,000 miles away

We play the game with the bravery of being out of range
We zap and maim with the bravery of being out of range
We strafe the train with the bravery of being out of range
We gained terrain with the bravery of being out of range
We play the game with the bravery of being out of range

That reads like it was written by a 14 year old.