Dark Side of the Roger Waters

Smithers XKR said:
He wanted to fire Richard Wright and get a session player in on keys because he knew that Rick had more ability than him
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Rick Wright had been fired during the making of "The Wall." He wasn't on "The Final Cut."
Smithers XKR said:
He wanted his band with a session keyboard player and Dave and Nick as session men
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He already had Michael Kamen playing keyboards and Gilmour has said that he was often lazy when it came to writing songs and putting ideas down on tape and that Waters would ask him what songs he had and he'd have to reply that he didn't have anything at that moment. And on the album, there were parts that Nick Mason couldn't play, hence Andy Newmark coming in.
 
grimtraveller said:
Rick Wright had been fired during the making of "The Wall." He wasn't on "The Final Cut."

He already had Michael Kamen playing keyboards and Gilmour has said that he was often lazy when it came to writing songs and putting ideas down on tape and that Waters would ask him what songs he had and he'd have to reply that he didn't have anything at that moment. And on the album, there were parts that Nick Mason couldn't play, hence Andy Newmark coming in.
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I find that sad, I loved Rick's playing and style. He had a lovely feel. Nick and Dave were the glue that held the band together. I am surprised that Waters wished to replace Nick as he was perfectly capable of playing a 7/4 on "Money". Waters was probably the most inept musician in the band. Just saying. He wrote about Sid, he wrote about abuse at school. Everything he wrote was misery and indulgent. Student self harm and online suicide. I think the bloke is a bit of self indulgant me me me cunt if I am honest. Sorry !!


LETS JUST TRY TO BE HAPPY!!!! 🥰🥰🥰🥰❤
 
Smithers XKR said:
I loved Rick's playing and style. He had a lovely feel
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I also loved Rick Wright's playing. He was the first keyboardist I ever really took notice of and for me his playing on those early Floyd albums {right up to "The Wall, actually, but particularly up to WYWH} is an unerasable part of the various sounds that Pink Floyd moved through.
But in the early days of the band, on their first couple of albums and assorted stuff, I also liked his songwriting. "Paintbox" and "Remember a day" are great songs and I adored "See-saw" the moment I first heard it. In fact, those latter two are songs that nearly always whisk me back to the summer of '79.
Smithers XKR said:
Nick and Dave were the glue that held the band together
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Right from when I first heard the Floyd and their first two albums were on the way to changing my musical headspace at the time, I dug Nick Mason's drumming. I credit his playing {along with Ginger Baker and Ringo}, simplistic as it was, with being a key component of what became psychedelic and then progressive drumming.
David Gilmour was an important guitarist and singer, especially when he first came into the band. He was such a different kind of guitarist to Syd {interestingly, he says he taught Syd a lot of guitar when they were younger}, almost an invisible guitar player, dealing in sounds and textures and colours, yet if you took the guitar out of the mix, the music would flounder. To be honest, that was Pink Floyd all over. No one member was ahead of the curve, no one member was outstanding or up there with their individual contemporaries. They were the prime example of the whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.
Smithers XKR said:
I am surprised that Waters wished to replace Nick as he was perfectly capable of playing a 7/4 on "Money"
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Thing is, Mason wasn't really much of a drummer ! He was one of those instrumentalists that did the most with the least. He didn't even want to make a go of it as a musician until he saw Cream playing and he'd been in the band for a while then.
Nick came from a fairly privileged background and didn't seem hungry. He was a better visual drummer than he was an actual drummer. He looked great on those drums. By the way, his autobiography is one of the best rock memoirs out there.

You know, when the Floyd were recording their debut album, he couldn't play the drum figure that Rick Wright wanted for "Remember a day." In the end, it got held off the album and put on the follow-up "A Saucerful of secrets." Their producer Norman Smith played drums on it. So him not being able to play certain parts wasn't something that only came up during the sessions for "The Final Cut."
And it's not something that beset only Nick Mason. Black Sabbath came close to sacking Bill Ward {in my opinion a fantastic drummer} because he couldn't get the part on "Children of the grave," I think it was. Ringo left the Beatles during the recording of the White album because he couldn't get the part Paul Mac wanted for "Back in the USSR." In the end, it's John, Paul and George all playing the drum part. Charlie Watts couldn't get the drum part on "You can't always get what you want" and the producer Jimmy Miller had to play it. Peter Criss doesn't even drum on any of the songs on "Unmasked" ¬> Anton Fig does. Dennis Wilson isn't the drummer of a number of Beach Boys records, Hal Blaine is. Popular music history is chock-full of instances where a particular instrumentalist or singer couldn't nail the part and so someone that could was brought in to do it.
Smithers XKR said:
Waters was probably the most inept musician in the band
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I think that's unfair. Inept implies "shit" and that was never true of Roger Waters. Now, without a doubt, he was the least showy or innovative or "technically good" musician ~ but then, he didn't have to be. All he had to do was keep a solid bass line and he did that. But I think he played good bass lines. They did their job in the songs.
Smithers XKR said:
Everything he wrote was misery and indulgent
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Waters was a package rather than anything individual. He was able to individualize the package. He was a bass player who could sing a bit and write a lot. He was bossy and probably overbearing, but he had a lot to say and music was his vehicle for getting out what was in him.
Yes, he did reflect a lot on the more miserable side of things, but then, was that any worse than the writers that constantly wrote "love" songs of joy while their love lives were falling apart ?
Let's face it, people bought Floyd albums in their droves and there is a sizeable number of people that said sayonara to the band after Waters left.
 
The interview in a nut shell is to promote his new album and create controversy so people are talking about him. He doesn't give a rats ass about what anyone really thinks of him...It's the $$$.

DSOTM put me over the moon. I was lucky enough to see the complete DSOTM album performed live along with songs from Uma Guma and Meddle in 1972 "before" the album release. I and the whole audience left with our jaws on the floor. I was 19 and it moved me so much I decided I wanted to build a band and attempt to be able to pull off the same magic. Up to that day it was nothing I had ever considered, I was going to be a dumb ass lawyer.
Well some good pot and an amazing concert changed all that.

Roger is a great lyricist and song writer
Gilmore is an amazing guitarist and singer
Richard Wright was a pioneer in synths and keybords and a very tasty player
Nick was a rock solid time keeper...nothing flashy but he certainly served his part well

It was a magical mix of musicians. For Roger to imply that he would have found the same fame with or without them is a bit absurd.

Then again he could care less what "we" think he just wants us to be talking about him so sales will be better.
 
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grimtraveller said:
I also loved Rick Wright's playing. He was the first keyboardist I ever really took notice of and for me his playing on those early Floyd albums {right up to "The Wall, actually, but particularly up to WYWH} is an unerasable part of the various sounds that Pink Floyd moved through.
But in the early days of the band, on their first couple of albums and assorted stuff, I also liked his songwriting. "Paintbox" and "Remember a day" are great songs and I adored "See-saw" the moment I first heard it. In fact, those latter two are songs that nearly always whisk me back to the summer of '79.

Right from when I first heard the Floyd and their first two albums were on the way to changing my musical headspace at the time, I dug Nick Mason's drumming. I credit his playing {along with Ginger Baker and Ringo}, simplistic as it was, with being a key component of what became psychedelic and then progressive drumming.
David Gilmour was an important guitarist and singer, especially when he first came into the band. He was such a different kind of guitarist to Syd {interestingly, he says he taught Syd a lot of guitar when they were younger}, almost an invisible guitar player, dealing in sounds and textures and colours, yet if you took the guitar out of the mix, the music would flounder. To be honest, that was Pink Floyd all over. No one member was ahead of the curve, no one member was outstanding or up there with their individual contemporaries. They were the prime example of the whole that is greater than the sum of its parts.

Thing is, Mason wasn't really much of a drummer ! He was one of those instrumentalists that did the most with the least. He didn't even want to make a go of it as a musician until he saw Cream playing and he'd been in the band for a while then.
Nick came from a fairly privileged background and didn't seem hungry. He was a better visual drummer than he was an actual drummer. He looked great on those drums. By the way, his autobiography is one of the best rock memoirs out there.

You know, when the Floyd were recording their debut album, he couldn't play the drum figure that Rick Wright wanted for "Remember a day." In the end, it got held off the album and put on the follow-up "A Saucerful of secrets." Their producer Norman Smith played drums on it. So him not being able to play certain parts wasn't something that only came up during the sessions for "The Final Cut."
And it's not something that beset only Nick Mason. Black Sabbath came close to sacking Bill Ward {in my opinion a fantastic drummer} because he couldn't get the part on "Children of the grave," I think it was. Ringo left the Beatles during the recording of the White album because he couldn't get the part Paul Mac wanted for "Back in the USSR." In the end, it's John, Paul and George all playing the drum part. Charlie Watts couldn't get the drum part on "You can't always get what you want" and the producer Jimmy Miller had to play it. Peter Criss doesn't even drum on any of the songs on "Unmasked" ¬> Anton Fig does. Dennis Wilson isn't the drummer of a number of Beach Boys records, Hal Blaine is. Popular music history is chock-full of instances where a particular instrumentalist or singer couldn't nail the part and so someone that could was brought in to do it.

I think that's unfair. Inept implies "shit" and that was never true of Roger Waters. Now, without a doubt, he was the least showy or innovative or "technically good" musician ~ but then, he didn't have to be. All he had to do was keep a solid bass line and he did that. But I think he played good bass lines. They did their job in the songs.

Waters was a package rather than anything individual. He was able to individualize the package. He was a bass player who could sing a bit and write a lot. He was bossy and probably overbearing, but he had a lot to say and music was his vehicle for getting out what was in him.
Yes, he did reflect a lot on the more miserable side of things, but then, was that any worse than the writers that constantly wrote "love" songs of joy while their love lives were falling apart ?
Let's face it, people bought Floyd albums in their droves and there is a sizeable number of people that said sayonara to the band after Waters left.
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I honestly dont know Grim, the guy really divides opinions. Sometimes I think he is a genuis, sometimes I think he is a self obsessed up his arse self indulgent twat! Ha ha xxx
 
Smithers XKR said:
Richard Wright xxx

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The wall is a brilliant piece of art. It is great in every way until the final sector of the facist descent and the despair in the bog. It is not the right way way it is shit and self maudling and self indulgant. I never expected a Hollywood ending but this is just self indulgent maudling shit. Does he want everyone to be as deppressed as he is? Yes Rog I would be so depressed if I was a fucking multi millionaire like you !!!! Just fuck off and please give me some money to make my shitty poor life a bit less miserable. Thanks mate xxxx
 
I've been reading such articles for a number of years now regarding Waters. Sometimes you have to separate the person from the art. The Waters discography is the post Waters Floyd continuation without a doubt but I give Gilmour his due. His guitar playing is emotive and watching him play makes you think it is effortless for him. I find Momentary Lapse of Reason and The Division Bell solid albums. I've been listening to both of these a lot the last couple months, particularly for the guitar work. 1984 About Face is a solid solo album as well.

As to remaking Dark Side of the Moon, perhaps Waters will do as decent an interpretation as was done for Dub Side of the Moon. Both will be missing something, Gilmour.
 
Folkcafe said:
Sometimes you have to separate the person from the art
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That's a decision for the listener. The artist in question doesn't do that. Which is partly why the artist and their pronouncements, either on their recordings or in the press, make for such interesting conversation.
 
mowtontom2 said:
No it's not, only you are confused.
Cheers
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Yes you are right. I do like Rog and his work. But sometimes he is difficult to get your head around. Its brilliant at times but self indulgent maudling stuff at other times. Always thought provoking though. Thats all I say xxx
 
Folkcafe said:
I've been reading such articles for a number of years now regarding Waters. Sometimes you have to separate the person from the art. The Waters discography is the post Waters Floyd continuation without a doubt but I give Gilmour his due. His guitar playing is emotive and watching him play makes you think it is effortless for him. I find Momentary Lapse of Reason and The Division Bell solid albums. I've been listening to both of these a lot the last couple months, particularly for the guitar work. 1984 About Face is a solid solo album as well.

As to remaking Dark Side of the Moon, perhaps Waters will do as decent an interpretation as was done for Dub Side of the Moon. Both will be missing something, Gilmour.
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Gilmour was Waters session player. As was Rick... Waters had two brilliant musicians to create his art.
 
Smithers XKR said:
Gilmour was Waters session player. As was Rick... Waters had two brilliant musicians to create his art.
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The point is that there are so many technical guitar players who can play so many notes a second but very few can express like this beautiful playing xxxx

 
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