The Endless River

I have been a fan of the prog-rock band Pink Floyd for 42 years ever since I purchased on vinyl in 1972 their seminal work ‘Dark Side Of The Moon’, an album I still play today. Like so many PF fans I anguished over the loss of Syd Barrett, the breakdown of the relationship between Roger Waters and the rest of the group, which was terrible, and the sad death of Rick Wright who died of cancer in 2008. And despite all of this I have remained enchanted with this band for over more than four decades. I will continue to play their music that still fills me with a sense of wonder.

 There is a kind of poetry to the fact that with Waters long gone, the new album The Endless River - Pink Floyd’s first studio outing in two decades - is a tribute to Rick Wright. For me, this is a cathartic work - the sum is greater than the parts. It packs a great deal into 53 minutes. The album features Wright heavily. He was back on board for 1994’s The Division Bell and it is from the sessions for that album that the material for this one has been taken. Fans of PF will recognize Wright’s keyboard magic, Mason’s tight drum playing and, above all, the emotional guitar of Gilmour, which at times cries out and brings tears to your eyes. The track ‘It’s What We Do’ comes across like a quiet composite of ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’. I listen with a lump in my throat. Nick Mason works up a fast tattoo on the track ‘Skins”, two minutes of echo and atmospherics that leaves me breathless. Stephen Hawking reprises his talk about language that he did on The Division Bell - ‘keep talking’. I am moved once again by these words.

 The closing track ‘Louder Than Words‘ has lyrics written by Gilmour’s wife, Polly Samson. It’s about bitching and fighting, making up and carrying on. Quite fitting for this band that has had its fair share of conflict and turbulence.

 Nick Mason and David Gilmour have said that this will be Pink Floyd’s last. I have already played this album six times and I am full of emotion. This is it. This is the final cut, Roger, not yours.

The words of Matthew Arnold in his epic poem ‘Dover Beach’ echo through my mind:

 ‘I feel the melancholy roar of the withdrawing tide...’

 Withdraw you might Pink Floyd but your music will live on. For me - forever....

40 Years of Dark Side

March 1973. Pink Floyd release their eighth studio album. I had moved from Rugby to Bristol in 1972 to be closer to my wife to be. I bought "Dark Side of The Moon" on vinyl and hurried home that evening to listen with a few friends. My bog standard Amstrad system and Dual 505 deck provided the sound. My word. We were totally blown away. The album used some of the most advanced recording techniques of the time including multitrack recording and tape loops. The result was a prog rock album like no other. The performance of 'rock chick' Clare Torry on the track "The Great Gig in The Sky", a soulful metaphor for death, left us stunned. Heard near the end of the track, the words: "I never said I was frightened of dying..."

The iconic album cover

So, 1973 saw the release of this great album and my marriage to Rosalind. 40 years on I am still happily married and still listening to The Dark Side. In between times I bought the 25th anniversary edition on CD in 1998 and for some reason I cannot explain, I downloaded the mp3 40th anniversary edition this year.

No other album has had the same impact on me. It is frequently ranked as one of the greatest albums of all time. I wholeheartedly concur with that thought...