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The Final Cut (Requiem for a Post-War Dream) was the final Pink Floyd album to feature Roger Waters (who is the sole songwriter for this record) and the only album not to feature Richard Wright on keyboards. Not Now John was the album’s lone single, The Fletcher Memorial Home appeared on their Echoes compilation while The Gunner’s Dream remains a fan favorite. How does the whole album hold up?
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Pink Floyd is without a doubt one of the greatest classic rock bands of all time. They began in the 60s with Roger Waters on bass, Nick Mason on drums, Richard Wright on organ and Syd Barrett on lead guitar and vocals. Syd penned their early singles Arnold Layne and See Emily Play. This would lead to the release of their 1967 album Piper at the Gates of Dawn, featuring classics like Astronomy Domine, Bike and the epic psychedelic instrumental Interstellar Overdrive. Their live shows were equally inventive incorporating unique light shows. However due to Syd’s breakdown he would leave the band, being replaced with David Gilmour on guitar. This would become Pink Floyd’s classic lineup with Roger taking more of a songwriter role, including the song Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun which would appear on their 1968 album A Saucerful of Secrets. The album was the only to feature all five band members and Syd’s final composition with Floyd, Jugband Blues. Through albums like the soundtrack to More and the experimental Ummagumma, Pink Floyd was still finding their voice, focusing more on albums rather than singles, but still producing an occasional classic like Careful with that Axe Eugene. In 1970, Atom Heart Mother proved to be a success with the 23 minute instrumental and featuring Dave’s song Fat Old Sun. 1971’s Meddle would turn out to be an important staple for the band with the rocking opener One of these Days I’m Going to Cut You Into Little Pieces, featuring a rare spoken vocal by Nick, Roger’s echoing bass line and Dave’s Slide Guitar. The flip side, another 23 minute piece, Echoes, featuring Dave and Rick on vocals, is often regarded as Progressive Rock’s finest moment, from the opening ping of Rick’s leslie piano. They would also perform both these songs along with earlier classics Live at Pompeii. The Obscured by Clouds soundtrack appeared in 1972 with tracks like Burning Bridges and Free Four. However 1973’s Dark Side of the Moon would become one of the most successful albums of all time, staying on the charts for nearly 13 years and still a best seller today. Roger’s lyrics dealt with the evils of society driving one to madness, while the music was nearly one entire inter-connected piece (making it difficult to separate for a playlist or a best of / greatest hits compilation). Still standouts like Money, Time and Great Gig in the Sky are favorites among fans. Their 1975 followup Wish You Were Here, featuring the opening and closing piece Shine On You Crazy Diamond (a tribute to Syd Barrett who even showed up at the sessions), is thought to be equally great, if not greater, as Dark Side. But tensions between the band were beginning to rear their head. 1977 saw the release of Animals, notable for its famous cover. Roger became the band’s main frontman and sole songwriter with Dave occasionally sharing the mic and writing credits. Tensions grew during the tour when Roger ended up spitting on a fan in Montreal and coming up with the idea for The Wall to separate himself from the audience. 1979 would see the release of The Wall, the album and later the tour and film. Another Brick in the Wall Part 2 became their best selling single and Comfortably Numb remains one of their most popular tunes. But it nearly broke up the band as Roger fired Rick for lack of output, creating a greater rift between him and Dave. Recycling unused tracks from The Wall sessions, 1983’s The Final Cut was Roger’s final album with Pink Floyd before he officially left, leaving Dave and Nick to reunite with Rick for 1987’s Momentary Lapse of Reason, featuring the song Learning to Fly. Roger sued to break up the band, but failed to do so instead focusing on his solo career. The Gilmour led Floyd would produce 1994’s The Division Bell, a return to form for many fans with Rick now sharing vocal and songwriting duties again. Songs included Take it Back, Coming Back to Life, Keep Talking and High Hopes. It wasn’t until 2005’s Live 8 concert when Dave, Nick and Rick reunited with Roger for a short set giving closure for many fans. Syd never performed with Pink Floyd again and died in 2006. Rick died in 2008. The album The Endless River was dedicated in his honor.
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I absolutely love both Roger Waters and David Gilmour but anyone who say that Waters or Gilmour IS Pink Floyd is full of shit. It’s the combination of each member and their contributions. And honestly I think that if I were to be nail it down to one person who defines the Pink Floyd sound it is in fact Richard Wright (still tho all of them are Pink Floyd)
(MASTERPIECE)
PINK FLOYD THE EPITOME
OF MUSIC
(SHINE ON 💎)
🎼☮️👊
Great Roger Waters album, but an awful Pink Floyd album.
Unpopular opinion: This is my second favourite after The Wall. I love it. (Dark Side is no. 3)
The Gunners Dream is my favouriite PF song.
It’s a late at night, with headphones album.. personally love it
Loving your Pink Floyd videos. I don’t know if you’ve seen on Apple Music they’ve released multiple live Pink Floyd albums.
I think it's an album that resonates more with Brit's
Q : How do you get 50 Argentinians into a phone box?
A : Tell them they own it…
I was told for decades that The Final Cut was an awful album, so I never got it. I finally heard The Final Cut 20 years later, and I liked it.
This has been debated ad nauseum, but my two cents as a Floyd nut for decades, is that it's absurd to think of PInk Floyd as "Roger's" band only. I mean, Floyd was always a group,
first and foremost, and initially Syd Barrett wrote almost all the material. I believe Roger IS Floyd only to those who followed them from Dark Side onwards, and yes, as things
progressed, Roger wrote the lion's share of the songs and conceptions, it must be said, but, who cares, since Floyd was STILL a group at least up to The Wall era, with everyone
at least contributing something. I maintain if everyone else had quit along with Rick being fired when The Wall was developing, it would NOT be Pink Floyd! Isn't it quite obvious?
The The Wall, as The Final Cut, basically, would have been a Waters solo project. As it is, Pros and Cons turned out to be just that, even though he'd offered both projects
to the band several years before, and they chose The Wall, wisely. It wouldn't sound like Floyd without all the guys there, and the early Floyd with Syd wouldn't at all have been
anything remotely like what it was without Syd! Look at how long it took them to find a solid footing after Syd left. I could go on, but will spare you!
P.S. I will say though, that some Waters' supporters might have something re: the post-1985 Floyd (MLapse etc.), since I was never that keen on those two albums,
and there definitely IS something missing. I believe that's because Rick Wright doesn't even contribute that much to either, and Waters' writing and bass etc. are gone, obviously. This still doesn't mean that Waters IS Floyd, but rather that a key member is missing. That group dynamic of the Meddle onwards Floyd (or maybe Ummagumma onwards) is simply
not there. Of course it's going to be a different animal, and was.
Definitely an underrated album. Better than the ones from Pink Floyd that followed it but not as good as any of their albums from the peak Waters era from Dark Side through The Wall. One thing benefitting from the infighting between Roger and David on this album is the lead guitar…it is like David was so pissed at Roger that he took it out in his solos.
This album grew on me quickly because when I discovered The pros AND cons of hitchhiking around the end of the 90s AND then heard the Final cut right after that everything clicked. Waters music is sometimes depressing but pretty brilliant I must say you have to be in the mood so too speak. Those albums ARE nothing to reach for on a daily basis. BTW. Not now John is heavy METAL Floyd 🙂
I love Amused to Death
Hey, JT, I just realized something.
The Rolling Stones 🤝 Pink Floyd
Both have multiple fan bases depending which era and which leader of the band was at the helm.
Both have this defensive explanation that "no member = no band".
In other words:
The Rolling Stones = (no Brian Jones, no Rolling Stones).
Pink Floyd = (no Syd Barrett/Roger Waters, no Pink Floyd).
I like The Final Cut, but it is quite far off the track of the usual Pink Floyd musical style, so it does not surprise me that many Floyd fans don't like it.
Pink floyd doesn't have a worst album
This is easily my least favorite Floyd album, listening to it feels like getting lectured by waters for 45 minutes. The lack of the band kills this record entirely, it doesn't feel like a Floyd album at all
Honestly this album is the most underrated album ever. I don’t care if people hate it or say it’s a roger waters solo album. It’s so beautiful and all a good album needs is some emotion. Roger did just that and it’s great.
The Final Cut is a top 5 Pink Floyd song
I love this album. It has a lot of emotion. One great thing about Pink Floyd is their wide variety of albums. It makes it possible to match any of their music to your current mood. I love roger waters and I love Pink Floyd and I love this album.
Totally agree 👍
It’s a fantastic album. But as you say it should be viewed as Roger Waters first solo album. I think you’re wrong that it is not cohesive, it is very cohesive. My suggestion is that you stop listening to it as a Pink Floyd album and just listen to it just as an album. I think that you are looking to much into the relation between the group members instead of the songs. You want it rather to be a std Pink Floyd album. The song that I don’t like of the re-release of the album is actually the song When the Tiger Broke Free. I guess it is because I bought the album at time and loved it all the way. I think your analysis is wrong in almost every aspect so let’s say that we agree to disagree.
Note: For The Wall album, Roger Waters presented two ideas, The Wall, and what later became Roger Waters first SoloAlbum The Pro’s and Con’s of Hitchhiking.
My favorite Album
This album is a great listen,buy it study it and you will see for yourself.
I watched your review of this and you shouldn't have picked this album to review if you don't have anything good to say about it this album is a f**** genius piece of work. Paranoid Eyes is a f**** masterpiece and you said you don't even remember it. If you asked me you're not a Floyd fan
If you want to review the album just look at the comments everybody loves this album
Floyd's best album. And honestly, the tired argument of "it's not really a Floyd album", are really just making a fool of themselves. You usually find such people are really Gilmour sycophants. Their loss.
I have listened to this hundreds of times. It is obviously a lyrics driven album. I will always love this album. The Wall and Darkside may be better, but The Final Cut, Gunner’s Dream, and Tigers are amazing (lyrically).