A MOMENTARY LAPSE OF PINK

After The Final Cut (1983), Pink Floyd were no more. So decreed Roger Waters, key lyricist and driving creative force in the band. But guitarist David Gilmour had other ideas and in 1986 he began working with drummer Nick Mason in the floating studio he had created on the magnificent houseboat Astoria, moored along the river Thames. The demos and sketches they recorded eventually became a new Pink Floyd album: A Momentary Lapse Of Reason. Foundation keyboard player Richard Wright was recruited as a salaried musician—only Gilmour and Mason appear in the photo on the inner gatefold of the original release—and several songs were co-writes with people outside the band. Production (and musical contributions) from Bob Ezrin, producer of The Wall, provided some sense of continuity to the project but critics complained that this was essentially a David Gilmour solo project.

The project may have been led by Gilmour but the result sounds exactly as one would expect a 1980s Pink Floyd record to sound. A Momentary Lapse Of Reason was released in September 1987. It, and the subsequent world tour, were highly successful; it seemed fans were more than willing to forgive some uninspired moments and overlook the preponderance of chugging mid-paced songs. Nor did they seem overly concerned by the absence of Roger Waters. This was, after all, the mighty Pink Floyd and they put on a great show. Your correspondent saw the band when the tour reached Melbourne in 1988 and thoroughly enjoyed the pomp, pyrotechnics and pictures on the massive circular screen. By the time "Run like hell" ended the night with a fusillade of light and sound, the entire audience in a packed Rod Laver arena were on their feet.

Listening to the 2021 re-issue, A Momentary Lapse Of Reason holds up very well. Partially this is due to the improved sound, the album having been remixed in 2019 for the Later Years box set. A toning down of the reverb and re-recording of some of Mason’s drum parts are the most noticeable differences, though those with keen ears will notice more of Wright’s subtle keyboard touches and an overall improvement in clarity that serves the music well. "Dogs of war" is thrillingly bombastic, while there is a genuinely touching quality to "On the turning away" that compares favourably with the interminable ranting characterising Roger Waters’ lyrics from The Wall onwards. Closing song "Sorrow" has something of that epic Floyd sound that fans know and love, meaning that at the end of this 45RPM re-issue, you are more than likely to line it up for another listen.

Finally, mention must be made of the superb packaging of the 2021 version. The original cover was by Storm Thorgerson, the Hipgnosis designer who was figural in many classic Floyd album covers. For the new edition another photo from the same shoot was used, providing both continuity and a sense of difference: this is the same album, yet not the same. Perhaps it’s a bit like that for fans, too. I liked this album when it was released, and I appreciate it even more now. It has aged well, the same yet not the same. As are we all.

© Bruce Jenkins 2022