THE DIVISION BELL

Great album, but badly disregarded. Why? Simple reason: many people are misled by Waters inappropriate statement that Pink Floyd without him only serves as a forgery. This album proves Waters was wrong. Admit it or not, Pink Floyd with him has already became part of rock history, and the subsequent band has its own life and credibility.

With Wright re-join the group as a full-time member, what was lost in the previous album ("A Momentary Laps of Reason") has now been recovered. Not only Wright gives his best keyboards contribution since "Animals", he also co-writes five of the 11 songs, and even serves as lead vocalist on "Wearing the Inside Out".

Another difference from "A Momentary...", accordingly, is this album is more of a group effort. Gone are the heavy involvements of outsider composers. Knowing his lack of writing lyrics, however, Gilmour invited Polly Samson and Nick Laird-Clowes to help him writing songs (it seems to me) mostly about communications.

Apart from its rather weak lyrics, this album showcasing the band effort of moving back to the pre-"Dark Side of the Moon". There are a lot of lazily, slow tempos and sustained keyboard chords. And also a lot of guitar playing, with Gilmour again delivered his masterfully guitar solos on several songs, including in "Coming Back to Life" and "High Hopes" (the best track, in my opinion).

Serious Pink Floyd admirers should not ignore this album, which its title came from science fiction writer and long-time friend of Gilmour, Douglas Adams.