Track Listing - Read the Lyrics
1. Cluster One
2. What Do You Want From Me
3. Poles Apart
4. Marooned
5. A Great Day for Freedom
6. Wearing the Inside Out
7. Take it Back
8. Coming Back to Life
9. Keep Talking
10. Lost for Words
11. High Hopes
Reviews
by Mark Henderson
by Tim Shelton
The Division Bell Album Review
By Tim Shelton
When it comes to Pink Floyd albums I have a strong, though I'm sure unpopular opinion on what constitutes the best PF album (you can tell I'm somewhat older- I still call them 'albums'). I can't say my favorite is Dark Side of the Moon, although it is an incredible album. I can't say it's even Wish You Were Here, although in high school it WAS my fav PF album. No, my fav album by PF is one I have only heard mediocre reviews of... The Division Bell. I know, many think Roger epitomized Floyd, but i don't. After hearing Momentary Lapse of Reason, I thought Floyd had missed a beat, but DB showed them to be back, and in a way that for me became definitive Floyd. I think with DB PF synthesized the PF sound with fresh lyrics... the album takes all the best aspects of PF and unites them in one great album So on with the most verbose review you have probably had the pleasure (?) of reading. Cluster One begins with a bit of feedback that sounds like a recording by the guys running SETI. This breaks into a slow piano piece that sets the mood for most of the album. It is followed by What Do You Want From Me. some of the best PF in a long time. The first time I heard it i knew this was going to be a great album. I was not disappointed. Although the lyrics of Poles Apart are not anything to get excited about, they sound good together and the instrumentation is pure Floyd. My favorite track on the album doesn't even have lyrics... Marooned is a great guitar groove that is reminiscent of the instrumental parts of WYWH. This one is for closing your eyes and just experiencing the guitar work of Gilmore. A Great Day For Freedom is good, but one of the most interesting songs on the album follows it. Wearing the Inside Out uses 2 sets of lyrics sung simultaneously by Gilmore and the background singers. The effect is incredible and is unlike anything I have ever heard before. Take It Back is my least favorite song on the album. Although it is not without merit, it seems totally foreign to the feel of the album overall. Coming Back To Life is another great Floyd tune. It is upbeat like Take It Back, but has a consistency with the album that is lacking in Coming Back To Life. Keep Talking is definitive Floyd... all the elements that have made this band so great. Lost For Words is good, but not great. It is consistent with the rest of the album, and therefore fits nicely towards the end. And finally, High Hopes finishes the album with the anthemic sound that characterizes many Floyd tunes. Interesting lyrics, great playing... a nice summation for the album as a whole. Overall my feeling on DB is that it encompasses the best aspects of the band. Although Roger was responsible for some great music, it is clear from DB that the remaining members of the band are just as responsible for the overall sound of Floyd we all love. Finally, I cannot give a complete review of DB without mentioning the art work for the album. It is some of the most interesting art work since Wish You Were Here (the Wall notwithstanding). Although the CD format does not lend itself to great album art in the same way that records did (and PF always used it to its full capacity on record) they have done a fine job with DB. All in all, saying one PF album is better than another is always going to stir controversy... we all have favorites, especially with regard to what is truly the PF sound. But for me, DB sums-up all they have done into one great work. I don't think the album has been given the credit it deserves. Turn the lights down, listen again, and see if you don't agree.
