THE ENDLESS RIVER

Because of many people's expectations and emotional attachment to Pink Floyd, I believe that it will be difficult to get many objective opinions on this album. But none the less, we shall try.

For those that don't know, this album is comprised of outtakes from the Division Bell recording sessions from 1993, with additions over dubbed by PF survivors, David Gilmour and Nick Mason. At the time of the DB recordings, David Gilmour said that he was trying to recapture the magic of WYWH. And it shows by this album's opening two tracks, "Things We Left" and "It's What We Do", that sound like a cast off piece lifted from the song "Shine On", complete with the languorous bass and drum rhythm track with the signature synthesizer and organ washes that characterize that song. I keep waiting for the band to breakout into the verse "Remember when you were young...". But it never happens and that is characteristic of this album. A lot of song build up, but no release.

Side two of the vinyl addition contains the song "Skins" and naturally it's a drum track showcase for Nick Mason, who hasn't sounded this enthusiastic since recording The Wall album.

As all of of the songs are devoid of vocals except the album's closer, Gilmour and Mason knew their instruments would have to speak for them. Except for Mason's brief re-animation that includes some stunning sounding Rototoms, it's Gilmour that rises to the occasion. His guitar has only gotten better with age and is more expressive and soulful than anything he's done in the past, as he is still a string pulling marvel. A trait he puts to full effect on TER.

A lot of the songs are basically noodlings that don't overstay their welcome because they are kept to a short length of less than one and a half minutes. The album does drag toward the end as PF resurrect Stephen Hawking's voice track from Division Bell's song "Keep Talking" and placed it on a throwaway piece titled "Talkin' Hawkin'". Good grief. The effect is a cheesy now as it was in 1994!

For audiophiles, I can say that the album is well recorded, mixed and mastered and actually sounds better than the Division Bell remaster.

So, is the album any good? That depends on the listener. If you thought A Momentary Lapse of Reason and the Division Bell were stellar classic PF albums, then you will most probably enjoy TER. If you found those albums to be sub par, then the same will hold true for this new offering.

Ultimately, how good or bad this album is will be determined by what you want it to be. Nothing more, nothing less. While not academically acceptable, I'll give this album 3.5 stars for the former group and 2.5 stars for the latter. As the saying goes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Or, in this case, the ear of the listener. As to the journey on the river just beginning or quickly ending, that will be totally up to you.

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