TO KILL THE CHILD / LEAVING BEIRUT

More of Roger Waters politically-driven (drivel?) music in the form of a 2-song 'single' was offered out to his loyal fans just prior to the 2004 US election. He was (and still is) a vocal opponent of Messrs. Bush, Cheney, Rumsfeld et al.

For a limited time you could order the 2 songs online on a CD from a Japanese music publisher OR download them from Roger Waters' official site (for a nominal fee). I chose the latter. (The Download is no longer available, but the songs are floating around pretty freely on various other download sites)

The music on the two songs is almost of secondary importance to the lyrics, something that Waters is becoming more and more guilty of as he advances in years. Message > Medium.

'To Kill The Child' is an anti-war rant against US involvement in Iraq, and quickly forgettable in its bleeding-heartedness. 'Leaving Beirut' is more intriguing, as Waters portrays a somewhat sympathetic view of Arabic society. It is less of a song, and more of a 'story' (as Waters continues his familiar tradition of narrating songs, rather than singing them). All 12+ minutes of 'Leaving Beirut' seems like it would fit quite nicely on "Amused To Death".

Musically, these songs are pretty devoid of anything memorable. But at least Waters' message is honourable and he is still trying to create new music, and so he gets 2/5 stars.