Pink Floyd - The Division Bell

The division bell, once again produced by David Gilmour and Bob Ezrin, features Gilmour himself, Rick Wright and Nick Mason, along with bassist Guy Pattick coming together to make a marvelous eleven track album released in 1994.

It is the second album without Roger Waters, and the question that continues to confuse people is whether Pink Floyd is the same without Waters or not.

Certainly, Waters has the talent that any band would die for, he is a musical genius, and to lose him, and continue with making music as good or better seems to be almost impossible. But with talents such as Gilmour, one of the finest guitarists in the history of rock, an excellent singer combined with the talents of the remaining band members Nick and Wright, have definitely proved otherwise. However, professional critics haven’t rated the album with their best wishes, but for a Floyd fan, this album will NOT disappoint you.

Of course you will miss Roger, the essence that he could give may not be able to still please you, but with this departure of Roger, Gilmour and the rest have been given an opportunity to show off their talents that were hidden somewhere in the shadows of Waters, and they have definitely made the most of it.
Most of the songs from this album seem to be in direct response to Waters, such as ‘Poles Apart’ and ‘Lost for Words’. However, no confirmation has been received regarding the same.

The album starts of with a very melodic instrumental track ‘Cluster One’ and leads into ‘What Do You Want From Me’ featuring an amazing intro solo by Gilmour. The third track is Poles Apart, which relates to Syd Barrett in the first verse and Roger Waters in the second. ‘Marooned’ is again another fantastic instrumental for which Pink Floyd received their first Grammy Award. ‘A great Day for Freedom’, the fourth track, can be interpreted to show the bitter relation that Gilmour and Waters shared. However, Gilmour denies and says the song has nothing to do about Waters or ‘his’ wall. ’Wearing The Inside Out’, is the only song of the album where Wright does the lead vocals. It again can be interpreted as how the talents of himself and the others were crushed behind the shadows of Waters.

“From morning to night I stayed out of sight
didn’t recognize I’d become
No more than alive I’d barely survive
In a word…overrun”

Take it Back, is about the nature and how we destroy it, the nursery rhyme ‘Ring-a-Roses’ can be heard in this track. However, there have been many controversies regarding this song, as the intro riff bears similarities with Marillion’s ‘The Release’. Coming Back to life, is an all time classic, with an extraordinary intro guitar solo. The entire song can be solely credited to David Gilmour. Keep Talking features lead vocals by Stephen Hawking. It reached No.1 on the Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks. ‘Lost for words’, is an acoustic melody, with the commentary of a boxing match in the middle of the song. It starts with a soothing intro acoustic solo, which somehow reminds you of Wish You Were Here. ‘High hopes’ is the last of the lot, though one of my favorites. It speaks about the gains and losses that one makes in life.

This album, continues to inspire various other artists till date, and encourages the numerous classic rock/psychedelic rock fans to never give up their love for this genre of music. The guitar solos, are rated one of the best, and these songs will continue to remain in the hearts of us rock lovers for the many generations to come.