Wikipedia

The Final Cut (album): Difference between revisions

Browse history interactively
← Previous editNext edit →
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Tag: Reverted
(47 intermediate revisions by 34 users not shown)
Line 33:
'''''The Final Cut''''' is the twelfth studio album by the English rock band [[Pink Floyd]], released on 21 March 1983 through [[Harvest Records|Harvest]] and [[Columbia Records]]. It comprises unused material from the band's previous studio album, ''[[The Wall]]'' (1979), alongside new material recorded throughout 1982.
 
''The Final Cut'' is the last Pink Floyd album to feature founding member [[Roger Waters]], who departed fromleft the band in 1985. It is also the only Pink Floyd album not to featurewithout founding member and keyboardist [[Richard Wright (musician)|Richard Wright]], who had left the band under pressure from Waters after the ''Wall'' sessions. The recording was plagued by conflict; the guitarist, [[David Gilmour]], felt many of the tracks were not worthy of inclusion, but Waters accused him of failing to contribute material himself. The contributions from the drummer, [[Nick Mason]], were limited mostly to sound effects.
 
Waters planned the album as a [[soundtrack album|soundtrack]] for the [[Pink Floyd – The Wall|1982 film adaptation]] of ''The Wall''. With the onset of the [[Falklands War]], he rewrote it as a [[concept album]] exploring what he considered the betrayal of his father, who died serving in the [[World War II|Second World War]]. Waters providedsang lead vocals foron all but one track, and he is credited for all songwriting. The album was accompanied by a short film released in the same year.
 
''The Final Cut'' received mixed reviews, though retrospective reception has been more favourable. Though it reached number one in the UK and number six in the US, it was the lowest-selling Pink Floyd studio album worldwide since their sixth album, ''[[Meddle]]'' (1971).
Line 44:
As a result of the [[Falklands War]], Waters changed direction and wrote new material. He saw British Prime Minister [[Margaret Thatcher]]'s response to [[Argentina]]'s invasion of the islands as [[Jingoism|jingoistic]] and unnecessary, and dedicated the new album—provisionally titled ''Requiem for a Post-War Dream''—to his father, Eric Fletcher Waters. A [[second lieutenant]] of the 8th [[Royal Fusiliers]], Eric Waters died during the Second World War at [[Aprilia, Lazio|Aprilia]] in Italy, on 18 February 1944,<ref>{{harvnb|Blake|2008|pp=13–14}}; for the Commonwealth War Graves Commission entry on Eric Waters see: {{cite web|title= Casualty Details|publisher= Commonwealth War Graves Commission|url= http://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2099066/WATERS,%20ERIC%20FLETCHER|access-date= 1 March 2013|archive-date= 22 June 2020|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20200622051636/https://www.cwgc.org/find-war-dead/casualty/2099066/WATERS,%20ERIC%20FLETCHER|url-status= live}}</ref> when Roger was five months old. Waters said:{{bquote|''The Final Cut'' was about how, with the introduction of the [[Welfare state in the United Kingdom|Welfare State]], we felt we were moving forward into something resembling a liberal country where we would all look after one another&nbsp;... but I'd seen all that chiselled away, and I'd seen a return to an almost [[Charles Dickens|Dickensian]] society under Margaret Thatcher. I felt then, as now, that the British government should have pursued diplomatic avenues, rather than steaming in the moment that task force arrived in the South Atlantic.<ref name="Blakepp294295"/>}}
 
Waters had conflicting feelings about how his generation was tackling issues that greatly affected his father's generation. In an interview in 1987, he confessed: <blockquote>It says something about a sense, I suppose for me personally, a sense that ''I'' may have betrayed him. He died in the last war and I kind of feel that I personally may have betrayed him, because we haven’t managed to improve things very much. That the economic cycles still over-ride everything, with the best intentions, the cycle of economic recession followed by resurgence still governs our actions.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Rose |first=Phil |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=duNdBgAAQBAJ |title=Roger Waters and Pink Floyd: The Concept Albums |date=2015-01-14 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield |isbn=978-1-61147-761-0 |language=en}}</ref> </blockquote>Guitarist [[David Gilmour]] disliked Waters' politicising, and the new creative direction prompted arguments. Five other tracks not used on ''The Wall'' ("[[Your Possible Pasts]]", "[[One of the Few]]", "[[The Final Cut (song)|The Final Cut]]", "[[The Fletcher Memorial Home]]", and "[[The Hero's Return]]") had been set aside for ''Spare Bricks'', and although Pink Floyd had often reused material, Gilmour felt the songs were not good enough for a new studio album. He wanted to write new material, but Waters remained doubtful as Gilmour had lately contributed little new music.<ref name="Blakepp294295" /> Gilmour said:
 
{{Blockquote|I'm certainly guilty at times of being lazy, and moments have arrived when Roger might say, "Well, what have you got?" And I'd be like, "Well, I haven't got anything right now. I need a bit of time to put some ideas on tape." There are elements of all this stuff that, years later, you can look back on and say, "Well, he had a point there." But he wasn't right about wanting to put some duff tracks on ''The Final Cut''. I said to Roger, "If these songs weren't good enough for ''The Wall'', why are they good enough now?"<ref>{{Harvnb|Blake|2008|p=295}}</ref>}}
Line 54:
''The Final Cut'' is an anti-war [[concept album]] that explores what Waters regards as the betrayal of fallen British servicemen—such as his father—who during the [[World War II|Second World War]] sacrificed their lives in the spirit of a post-war dream. This post-war dream was that their victory would usher in a more peaceful world,<ref name="Masonp264" /> whose leaders would no longer be so eager to resolve disputes by resorting to war. The album's lyrics are critical of Thatcher, whose policies and decisions Waters regarded as an example of this betrayal. She is referred to as "Maggie" throughout the album.
 
The opening track, "The Post War Dream", begins with a recorded announcement that the replacement for the ''[[SS Atlantic Conveyor|Atlantic Conveyor]]'', a ship lost during the Falklands campaign, will be built in Japan. Waters' lyrics refer to his dead father, the loss of [[British Shipbuilders|Britain's shipbuilding industry]] to Japan, and Margaret Thatcher, before moving on to "Your Possible Pasts", a rewritten version of a song rejected for ''The Wall''. In "One of the Few", another rejected song, the schoolteacher from ''The Wall'' features as the main character of the ''Final Cut'' short film, presented as a war hero returned to civilian life. He is unable to relate his experiences to his wife, and in "The Hero's Return" is tormented by the loss of one of his aircrew. "The Gunner's Dream" discusses the post-war dream of a world free from tyranny and the threat of terrorism (a reference to the [[Hyde Park and Regent's Park bombings|Hyde Park bombing]]). It is followed in "[[Paranoid Eyes]]" by the teacher's descent into alcoholism.<ref name="Blakep299">{{Harvnb|Blake|2008|p=299}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Mabbett|1995|pp=91–93}}</ref>
 
The second half deals with various war issues. While "Southampton Dock" is a lament to returning war heroes and other soldiers heading out to a likely death,<ref name="Blakep299" /> "[[Not Now John]]" addresses society's ignorance of political and economic problems.<ref>{{Citation | last = DeGagne | first = Mike | title = Not Now John – Song Review | url = {{AllMusic|class=song|id=t1530754|pure_url=yes}} | publisher = AllMusic | access-date = 22 September 2009}}</ref> "Get Your Filthy Hands Off My Desert" deals with Waters' feelings about war and invasion, and "[[The Fletcher Memorial Home]]" (the title is a nod to Waters' father) reflects a fantastical application of "[[Final Solution|the final solution]]" on a gathering of political leaders including [[Leonid Brezhnev]], [[Menachem Begin]] and Margaret Thatcher.<ref name="Schaffnerp242">{{Harvnb|Schaffner|1991|p=242}}</ref> The album's titular song deals with the aftermath of a man's isolation and sexual repression, as he contemplates suicide and struggles to reconnect with the world around him. The album ends with "[[Two Suns in the Sunset]]", which portrays a [[nuclear holocaust]]: the final result of a world obsessed with war and control.<ref name="Blakep299" /><ref name="Schaffnerp242" />
Line 64:
Tensions soon emerged, and while Waters and Gilmour initially worked together, playing the video game ''[[Donkey Kong (arcade game)|Donkey Kong]]'' (1981) in their spare time, they eventually chose to work separately. Engineer [[Andrew Jackson (recording engineer)|Andy Jackson]] worked with Waters on vocals; Guthrie with Gilmour on guitars. They would occasionally meet to discuss the work that had been completed; while this method was not in itself unusual, Gilmour began to feel strained, sometimes barely maintaining his composure. Kamen too felt pressured; Waters had never been a confident vocalist and, on one occasion, after repeated studio takes, Waters noticed him writing on a notepad. Losing his temper, he demanded to know what Kamen was doing, only to find that Kamen had been writing, "I Must Not Fuck Sheep" repeatedly.<ref name="Blakepp296298">{{Harvnb|Blake|2008|pp=296–298}}</ref><ref>{{Harvnb|Mason|2005|p=268}}</ref> Waters said that "a lot of that aggravation came through in the vocal performance, which, looking back, really was quite tortured."<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Mark|last=[[Mark Blake (writer)|Blake]]|title=Still Waters|magazine=RCD|issue= 3 |date= 1992 |volume=1 |page= 56}}</ref>
 
Like previous Pink Floyd albums, ''The Final Cut'' used sound effects combined with advances in audio recording technology. Mason's contributions were mostly limited to recording sound effects for the experimental [[Holophonics|Holophonic]] system, an audio processing technique used to add an enhanced three-dimensional effect to the recordings; ''The Final Cut'' is the second album ever to feature this technology.<ref name="MabbettVisual">{{Citation|last=Mabbett|first=Andy|author2=Miles, Barry|title=Pink Floyd: The Visual Documentary|publisher=Omnibus Press|year=1994|isbn=0-7119-4109-2}}</ref> The technique is featured on "Get Your Filthy Hands Off My Desert", creating a sound of ana explosionrocket thatflying by and exploding which surrounds the listener. Sound effects are reused from the Pink Floyd albums ''[[Meddle]]'' (1971), ''[[The Dark Side of the Moon]]'' (1973), ''[[Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd album)|Wish You Were Here]]'' (1975), ''[[Animals (Pink Floyd album)|Animals]]'' (1977) and ''[[The Wall]]'' (1979).<ref>{{Harvnb|Schaffner|1991|p=241}}</ref>
 
After months of poor relations, and following a final confrontation, Gilmour was removed from the credit list as producer, but was still paid production royalties.<ref>{{Harvnb|Blake|2008|p=298}}</ref> Waters later said that he was also under significant pressure and that early in production believed he would never record with Gilmour or Mason again. He may have threatened to release the album as a solo record, although Pink Floyd were contracted to EMI and such a move would have been unlikely.<ref name="Blakepp296298" /> Mason kept himself distant, dealing with marital problems.<ref name="Masonp273">{{Harvnb|Mason|2005|p=273}}</ref> In an August 1987 interview, Waters recalled ''The Final Cut'' as an "absolute misery to make", and that the band members were "fighting like cats and dogs". He said the experience forced them to accept that they had not worked together as a band since their ninth studio album ''[[Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd album)|Wish You Were Here]]'' (1975).<ref name="Salewicz1987">{{cite journal |last1=Salewicz |first1=Chris |title=Over the Wall |journal=Q |date=August 1987 |volume=1 |issue=9 |pages=38–49}}</ref>
Line 72:
[[Storm Thorgerson]], a founder member of [[Hipgnosis]] (designers of most of Pink Floyd's previous and future artwork), was passed over for the [[album cover|cover design]]. Instead, Waters created the cover himself, using photographs taken by his brother-in-law, [[Willie Christie]].<ref name="Masonp273" /> The front cover shows a [[Remembrance poppy]] and four Second World War medal ribbons against the black fabric of the jacket or blazer on which they are worn. From left to right, the medals are the [[1939–1945 Star]], the [[Africa Star]], the [[Defence Medal (United Kingdom)|Defence Medal]], and the [[Distinguished Flying Cross (United Kingdom)|Distinguished Flying Cross]].<ref>{{Harvnb|Povey|2007|p=349}}</ref>
 
The poppy is a recurring design theme. The interior [[gatefold]] featuredfeatures three photographs, the first depicting an outdoor scene with an outstretched hand holding three poppies and in the distance, a soldier with his back to the camera. Two more photographs show a welder at work, his mask emblazoned with the Japanese [[Rising Sun Flag]], and a nuclear explosion (a clear reference to "Two Suns in the Sunset"). The album's lyrics are printed on the gatefold. Side one of the vinyl disc carries an image of a poppy field, and on side two, a soldier with a knife in his back lies face down amongst the poppies, a dog beside him.
 
The back cover features a photograph of an officer standing upright and holding a film canister, with a knife protruding from his back:<ref name="Blakep299" /> the film canister and knife may reflect Waters' tumultuous relationship with ''The Wall'' film director [[Alan Parker]].<ref name="Schaffnerp242" />
Line 124:
 
==Track listing==
 
{{Track listing
| all_writing = [[Roger Waters]]
| headline = Original 1983 release<br>Side one
| title1 = [[The Post War Dream (song)|The Post War Dream]]
| length1 = 3:00
Line 132 ⟶ 133:
| length2 = 4:26
| title3 = [[One of the Few]]
| length3 = 1:11
| title4 = [[The Hero's Return]]
| length4 = 2:43
| title5 = [[The Gunner's Dream]]
| length5 = 5:18
| title6 = [[Paranoid Eyes]]
| length6 = 3:41}}
 
{{Track listing
| headline = Side two
| title7 = Get Your Filthy Hands Off My Desert
| length7 = 1:17
| title8 = [[The Fletcher Memorial Home]]
| length8 = 4:12
| title9 = [[Southampton Dock]]
| length9 = 2:14
| title10 = [[The Final Cut (song)|The Final Cut]]
| length10 = 4:43
| title11 = [[Not Now John]]
| length11 = 5:02
| title12 = [[Two Suns in the Sunset]]
| length12 = 5:14
| total_length = 43:14
}}
 
{{Track listing
| headline = 2004 edition
| title1 = The Post War Dream
| length1 = 3:00
| title2 = Your Possible Pasts
| length2 = 4:26
| title3 = One of the Few
| length3 = 1:11
| title4 = [[When the Tigers Broke Free]]
| length4 = 3:16
| title5 = [[The Hero's Return]]
| length5 = 2:43
| title6 = [[The Gunner's Dream]]
| length6 = 5:18
| title7 = [[Paranoid Eyes]]
| length7 = 3:41
| title8 = Get Your Filthy Hands Off My Desert
| length8 = 1:17
| title9 = [[The Fletcher Memorial Home]]
| length9 = 4:12
| title10 = [[Southampton Dock]]
| length10 = 2:14
| title11 = [[The Final Cut (song)|The Final Cut]]
| length11 = 4:43
| title12 = [[Not Now John]]
| length12 = 5:02
| title13 = [[Two Suns in the Sunset]]
| length13 = 5:14
| total_length = 46:30
}}
;Notes
 
* All releases of the album from 2004 onwards have “When"When the Tigers Broke Free”Free" added to the album between “One"One of the Few”Few" and “The"The Hero’s Return”Return".
 
==Personnel==
 
* Numbers noted in parenthesisparentheses below are based on the original tracklist and CD track numbering, which does not include "[[When The Tigers Broke Free]]", included as the 4th track of the album from 2004's releases onwards.
 
{{col-begin}}
{{col-2}}
'''Pink Floyd'''
*[[Roger Waters]]&nbsp;– lead vocals {{small|(all tracks)}}, bass guitar {{small|(all tracks except 7)}}, acoustic guitar {{small|(2-4, 6, 7, 9-12)}}, [[synthesizersynthesiser]]s {{small|(3, 4, 10, 11)}}, [[twelve-string guitar]] {{small|(11)}}, tape effects, production, sleeve design
*[[David Gilmour]]&nbsp;– lead {{small|(all tracks)}} and rhythm guitars {{small|(1, 2, 4, 5, 8, 10-12)}}, co-lead vocals {{small|(1211)}}, additional backing vocals
*[[Nick Mason]]&nbsp;– drums {{small|(1, 2, 4-56, 8, 10-1112)}}, [[Reel-to-reel audio tape recording|tape effects]]
'''Additional musicians'''
*[[Michael Kamen]]&nbsp;– piano {{small|(5, 6, 8-10, 12)}}, electric piano {{small|(2, 5)}}, [[Pump organ|harmonium]] {{small|(1, 10)}}, production
Line 173 ⟶ 206:
*[[Ray Cooper]]&nbsp;– percussion {{small|(6)}}
*[[Andy Newmark]]&nbsp;– drums {{small|(12)}}
*[[Raphael Ravenscroft]]&nbsp;– [[tenor saxophone]] {{small|(5, 1312)}}
*[[Doreen Chanter]]&nbsp;– backing vocals {{small|(11)}}
*[[Irene Chanter]]&nbsp;– backing vocals {{small|(11)}}
Line 208 ⟶ 241:
{{album chart|Canada|2|chartid=6293a|rowheader=true|access-date=9 June 2016}}
|-
!scope="row"|Finnish Albums ([[The Official Finnish Charts|''SoumenSuomen Virallinen'']])<ref>{{cite book |last=Nyman |first=Jake |title=Suomi soi 4: Suuri suomalainen listakirja |publisher=Tammi |year=2005 |isbn=951-31-2503-3 |edition=1st |location=Helsinki |page=130|language=fi}}</ref>
|style="text-align:center;"|3
|-
Line 254 ⟶ 287:
!scope="row"|Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://austriancharts.at/year.asp?cat=a&id=1983|title=Jahreshitparade Alben 1983|website=austriancharts.at|access-date=21 February 2022}}</ref>
|align="center"|15
|-
!scope="row"|Canadian Albums (RPM Top 100)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/obj/028020/f2/nlc008388.4435.pdf| title=RPM Top 100 Albums of 1983 - December 24, 1983}}</ref>
|align="center"|18
|-
!scope="row"|Dutch Albums (Album Top 100)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=1983&cat=a|title=Jaaroverzichten – Album 1983|website=dutchcharts.nl|access-date=21 February 2022}}</ref>
Line 314 ⟶ 350:
[[Category:Capitol Records albums]]
[[Category:Columbia Records albums]]
[[Category:Concept1980s concept albums]]
[[Category:Rock operas]]
[[Category:The Wall (rock opera)]]
[[Category:EMI Records albums]]
[[Category:Harvest Records albums]]
Line 322 ⟶ 358:
[[Category:Albums produced by Michael Kamen]]
[[Category:Albums recorded at RAK Studios]]
[[Category:Political music albums by English artists]]
[[Category:Albums recorded in a home studio]]
[[Category:Works subject to expurgation]]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Final_Cut_(album)"