Momentary Lapse Of Reason, A - Pink Floyd > Reviews > A Momentary Lapse In Brilliance

Author's product rating:   

Originality	Definitely a cut above the rest
Lyrics	Sublime
Quality and consistency of tracks	Mixed
How does it compare to the artist's other releases	Good
Value for Money	Good

Advantages:	It's the FLOYD !  !  !
Disadvantages:	It's not their best .  .  .

Recommend to potential buyers:

yes

Full review

(Or How I Want To Have Dave Gilmour's Babies)...

As I have been off the anti-depressants, I have been doing all sorts of weird and wonderful things - creative writing, going into town, walking all around our local area. It has been a liberating few weeks! As I have been feeling especially creative, I have found myself listening more and more to my favourite band - Pink Floyd.

To me, they are an amazing band. Almost thirty years since their first album came out and over twenty albums later, they are the most imaginative and versatile musical group I can think of. Their work evokes such emotional responses in me, from tracks that make me want to cry to ones that make me want to get up and strut my stuff.

They also write wonderful lyrics which can be read effectively as stand alone poetry. Pink Floyd is made up of intelligent, well-spoken and well-educated men. (And Dave Gilmour is damn sexy, whether with long hair or as he is now!) I know the group has a reputation associated with being a stoned hippy, but a lot of that was Syd Barrett's influence and he left in 1968. As the band has become older, their 'drug-influenced music' seems to have decreased. Needless to say, you can love the Floyd without doing drugs!

I was first introduced to Pink Floyd in 1986 by my boyfriend of the time, Patrick Ferguson (who coincidentally shares the same initials as Pink Floyd!). I latched on to The Wall quite early on, with Dark Side of the Moon soon becoming my favourite album - and it still is. A few years on, I had thirteen albums of theirs on tape. Now I am trying to get them all on CD - hence a fairly recent purchase of A Momentary Lapse of Reason, an album I only previously owned on cassette.

This album was released in 1987, when the group consisted of David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright - so not only post Syd, but also post Roger Waters. The CD lasts just over fifty-one minutes and has ten tracks on it, the longest being eight minutes forty-five seconds. Pink Floyd are not known for their brevity! If it needs saying, they will take whatever time is necessary to say it in - and good for them!

A Momentary Lapse of Reason is a good album, but it pales against their greats - not only The Wall and Dark Side of the Moon, but in my opinion, it is also inferior to Wish You Were Here, The Final Cut and Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Whereas many of their albums affect you with every track, Momentary Lapse (for short!) can pass you by somewhat and is ideal for relaxing to or to play in the background.

This is epitomized in the opening track - Signs of Life - an instrumental over four minutes long that is perfect for listening to in a darkened room. I equate Floyd with this kind of listening pleasure. Much of their work can relax you to an almost trance-like state and I find it wonderful therapy for clearing your head of the unwanted ills of the modern world.

However, the second track here - Learning to Fly - is my favourite. As usual, it has wonderfully poetic lyrics which deal with so much more than falling in love, the usual subject matter for music. Pink Floyd deal with deeper and darker matters of the mind - insanity, psychological influences, war, death.

Learning to Fly even has a catchy chorus in Floyd terms, with the beautiful
"Can't keep my eyes from the circling sky
Tongue-tied and twisted just an earth-bound misfit, I"

This is the track I am usually left singing at the end of the album and I do find it to be the most memorable.

Pink Floyd are happy to experiment with different effects in their music, stretching their range vocally and producing some amazing sounds from several instruments, especially their famous guitar work. They have a kind of theatrical feel to their albums, with sound effects being used impressively - especially on The Wall - although Momentary Lapse has fewer of these. Overall, it does seem an understated album without the big showy audio gestures.

The album title is echoed in the chorus of One Slip, a good song but not as memorable as some of the others here. However, it is an upbeat track which contrasts well with the slow one that follows - On The Turning Away. This once again has some stirring lyrics - something that could be said about the album in general.

Yet Another Movie is a lovely poem, but somehow seems disappointing when put to the music. This seems a common thread in the album. I find it somehow fails to live up to its promise. This is not to say the album is bad, but when compared to other work the Floyd have done, it doesn't make the grade. Also I can happily listen to The Wall or Dark Side over and over on repeat (Something which drives my husband and kids mad!) but Momentary Lapse isn't as playable.

Strangely enough, on the tracks where the lyrics are few (such as A New Machine), the music seems more imaginative and creative. But there is still nothing to really compare with Dark Side's The Great Gig in the Sky.

So overall, this is a good album and worth getting if you are a die-hard Floyd fan like me, who wants Dave Gilmour's babies. But if you're a more casual fan, you'd be better off buying one of their more famous and more commercial albums.

You should be able to pick it up easily from any music store or online at Amazon for £8.99 or look out for bargains on Ebay. You'll find though that Floyd albums still sell well after four decades at the top and you'll be lucky to find any on the bargain shelves.
 

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