AMUSED TO DEATH

Roger Waters

Crossover Prog

3.91 | 560 ratings

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A brillinat album that, had it been preformed with Pink Floyd, would have outdone "The Wall" and perhaps even rivaled "Dark Side of the Moon"

A houmoursely cynical album about the desensitization of the human race and how we sccumb to the mass media, "Amused to Death" paints a vivid picture of what could very well happen to us in the near future.

An interesting note, "Radio KAOS" was written during the cold war, portrays war as an immenant threat and the potential cause of death of civilization

Five years later, the Berlin Wall has fallen down and the collapse of communism in Russia destroyed the threat of nuclear holocaust, and now, in Waters eye's, war is too become a source of entertainment, showing some deep instinct in humanity that we have a need for violence.

"The Ballad of Bill Hubbard" is a nice opener for the album and sets up the mood of the piece, a man recounts a time when he had to abandon a dying friend in order to get out of a war zone. This sad peice is then blown apart by the following track "What God Wants". Probably Waters' second-best solo song, this track bashes religious leaders who think they know the "what God wants", i.e. "God is on OUR side" or "GOD SAYS abortion is wrong" etc, etc

"Perfect Sense 1 & 2" is another odd Waters song with some very blunt lyrics, think of the album cover while listening to this. I think the whole album is from the monkey's point of view as he watches TV

"Bravery of Being out of Range" is a cool rocker about how we enjoy watching wars being waged on television and how many times we fight the wars from long distances to. The title is ironic.

"Late Home Tonight 1&2" and "Too Much Rope" contain some of the best vocal preformances by Waters (except for "the Tide is Turning"). Watch out for the complex symbolism. A good song when you get into it

"What God Wants parts 2&3" carry on the message of people using God's name fore thie own cause, but aren't as fresh as Part 1

"Watching TV" one of my favorites from the album, as I love the punchline at the end. The song is about a Chinese Girl who dies on TV in Teineman Square. An emotional ballad, that once you begin to fill some sympathy for her, Waters comes right out and says everyone feels this way "because she died on TV". A very good point

"Three Wishes" and "it's a Miracle" both carry very good points but are a little dull

Finnaly the closing title track is the best part of the album. It paints a vivid picture of aliens finding us dead around our TVs, symbolizing that we have been turned into unemotional zombies by the mass media. A nice ending to a great album

echoes2112 | 4/5 | 2006-5-23

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