THE ENDLESS RIVER

You would have to be living in a cave to not have heard that David Gilmour and Nick Mason had teamed up to create this "new" Pink Floyd album as a tribute to their late keyboardist, Richard Wright. To me, this set works as both a tribute to Wright, as well as a coda to the career of the still massively popular group. If only Roger Waters could have participated, it would have been historic.

The album is nearly all instrumental, with vocals on only the final track (I suppose that was to have a single that the bean counters at modern radio stations something to play). Many have called this album ambient, but I feel that term just does not apply. The majority of the album is serene, but not so light that it would only be background filler.

The basic tracks were taken from the sessions from 1994's "The Division Bell" album, with newly recorded parts to make them presentable. While some pieces are identifiable a tracks meant for that album, others are not. There are glimpses of phrases from "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" and "Us And Them" most obviously, as well as sounds that seem familiar to the Floyd fan, but not quite as easy to place.

Gilmour's guitar is as smooth as ever, and Wright's keyboards are like going home. Mason even pleases by occasionally coming out of the uninteresting drum beats he seemed to get stuck in from "The Wall" onward.

I chose the CD/Blue Ray set, and was not unimpressed. The 5.1 surround mix of the album is superb, and the extra tracks are nice, one even great. The videos are fine addition as well, showing the band actually playing these pieces in the studio.

Personally, I give this five stars, as just as it was released I was going through a major health crisis, and the tone of the album made for the perfect peaceful mood while in the hospital. But I must be realistic, and for the general public rate this 4 stars.