Album of the Week - Vol.13

The Division Bell PINK FLOYD (1994)
Week: 29th June to 5th July 2019
Format: Vinyl (25th anniversary reissue)
Producer(s): Bob Ezrin, David Gilmour
Track listing:
SIDE A:
1. Cluster One *
2. What Do You Want From Me
3. Poles Apart *
SIDE B:
4. Marooned
5. A Great Day for Freedom
6. Wearing The Inside Out
SIDE C:
7. Take It Back *
8. Coming Back To Life *
9. Keep Talking
SIDE D:
10. Lost for Words
11. High Hopes *
TOTAL RUNNING TIME: 66:23

I got into Pink Floyd pretty late. While guys in high school were already praising The Wall and Dark Side of The Moon, I was still burying my head in The Beatles. I was away of some songs like Another Brick In The Wall (pt 2) and Wish You Were Here, but it wasn't until I went to Bali with my family in early 1990 that I ventured into the cave a little.
Back then, you could buy a cassette (old school album, kids) for around five Australian dollars in Bali. So, since there were no streaming services available on the internet  back then (what are those things??), I set about delving into some musical artists' back catalog. I bought tapes of David Bowie, The Doors, Led Zeppelin, and took a punt on Pink Floyd's The Wall and Wish You Were Here albums. 

I still remember turning up my Walkman-like device as In The Flesh kicked off The Wall, struggling to hear the music, until the first chord thundered through my skull like a lightning bolt. Although my nearly-fourteen-year-old self didn't quite get all the nuances of the narrative, I did enjoy the journey of the album. I was slightly more familiar with Wish You Were Here, particularly the title track and sections of Shine On You Crazy Diamond. As I listened, I started to understand what some kids at my school were on about. Yeah, this was pretty awesome music. 

Once we were back home, which was Albany at this point in time, I slowly set about listening to all of the existing Pink Floyd albums. Again, this was before streaming services were around, so I couldn't just hop online. I found friends with vinyl records and began swapping taped copies of albums back and forth with other like-minded Floyd enthusiasts. I remember finding a cassette copy of the Relics compilation in a roadhouse while on a school trip to Perth. 

Anyway, as the years went by, I became quite the fan. When news broke that they were releasing a brand new studio album in 1994, I was quite excited. This was the first time that I had anticipated a new Pink Floyd release. I went down to my favourite local music store, Southern Sound, and pre-ordered a copy on CD. I would have been eighteen years old at the time. Possibly seventeen, but I don't think I would have pre-ordered it any earlier than a month or two from the March release date.

Listening to the 25th anniversary reissue has brought back a lot of memories. Before I even put the first record on the player, I was struck by the amazing scent of the set. It's that lovely glossy photo feel that smells like a pack of collector's cards, namely Batman, I think. I collected cards from Tim Burton's Batman and Batman Returns movies, and I'm almost positive they smelled the same. The blue coloured vinyl is just divine as well. So pretty. The artwork incorporates all the different versions of the album covers too. They look amazing at vinyl size.

When I dropped the needle onto the first side of the first album, I remembered that feeling of excitement when I put the CD into my stereo system at home when I was eighteen, some twenty five years ago. It was cool to hear the crackle of vinyl before the white noise sound effects kicked in though.

The Division Bell is an album that gets stronger as it reaches its end. Opening instrumental track Cluster One is wonderful, and quite reminiscent of Signs of Life that kicked off 1987's A Momentary Lapse of Reason. I think that it works better than the album's other instrumental Marooned, which would bizarrely go on to win Best Rock Instrumental Performance Grammy award. Marooned just feels out of place and may have worked better later in the album.

What Do You Want From Me has some classic Floyd musical motifs, but comes off a little toothless. The first great song of the album, Poles Apart, sees David Gilmour singing to former bandmates Syd Barrett and Roger Waters. I'd forgotten how much I liked this one, and as that dual-guitar line ripped through the speakers I was suddenly eighteen again.

The album's two weakest points for me, close the first record's second side. A Great Day For Freedom is fairly listenable, but a little meandering, whereas Wearing The Inside Out just feels like being stuck in pool of honey. It's a shame because the latter has the only lead vocal contribution from keyboardist Richard Wright, and even features Dick Parry on saxophone.

Once the second record begins, it's all great stuff. Take It Back was the album's first single and was unfairly criticised by some as being derivative of their more radio-friendly work. I think it's one of the highlights of the album, and an obvious choice for a single. It's followed by the excellent Coming Back to Life, which gives Gilmour a chance to offer up a couple of lovely, melodic guitar solos. The menacing Keep Talking closes Side C, and I think it's my favourite slice of the album. It's a difference experience listening to The Division Bell on double vinyl, rather than a CD or streaming service. You have to get up and flip the record, or change it. As such, each quarter of the album gets the chance to hang around inside your head for a spell. 

The last two songs are very good too, with High Hopes crossing over the line into excellent. The former, Lost For Words, could be directed at ol' mate Roger again, and it's a very pleasant melody with some great acoustic work from Gilmour. High Hopes is full of The Wall-era atmosphere and contains the album's title in the lyrics (Yay! I love that). Eclipsing eight and a half minutes, the closing track is also the longest offering, but doesn't outstay its welcome. Considering the average song on The Division Bell is between five and six minutes, it's quite an achievement to have the longest one feel like one of the rest. 

Anyway, it's been brilliant spinning this album again, and on vinyl. I'm tempted to get out the CD and rip it onto the iPod for more portable listening. It's been a good years since I listened to the album in full. I must have spun it around five or six times since I got the vinyl copy. Hmmm...might be time to give P.U.L.S.E. another spin too!