TEIL 2 von Ron Toon:
Side Three features 7 tracks, almost doubling the number of songs on most of the other suites. The beginning of The Lost Art Of Conversation reminds me of a Richard Wright instrumental from Broken China (don’t ask me which one) followed by a lovely jazz-influenced classic piano piece floating above a bed of synths. I’ve always enjoyed listening to Rick playing piano and this is a brief unexpected treat (which is closer to Zabriskie Point’s “Love Theme” than “Us & Them”) seamlessly segues into the next song. It’s a perfect set-up for the next track and for the third suite as a whole.
On Noodle Street features a backbeat including bass (reminding me of Brick 1 this time) and drums but doesn’t go seem anywhere and for a second or two I almost expected a vocal track. A smoky-bluesy-spacey brief mini jam equally featuring keyboards and guitars that sachets by in under 2 minutes. Another track that works much better within the context of the “side” rather than under individual scrutiny.
The start of Night Light reminds me of the opening guitar sound of Keep Talking (which also bookends the piece) but the song quickly peters down to more synth washes and some guitar musings from Gilmour. Slow and a bit heavy handed this song compliments the previous track. In fact the first three tracks form one of the most cohesive listening experiences within the context of this suite and album.
Allons-y (Part 1) is another welcome departure from the mellow, ambient tracks and I’m thankful that each side has a break-out track like this. Featuring a rhythm guitar recalling Run Like Hell, it’s an upbeat showcase for Gilmour who is able to cut loose again. The track reminds me of the same type of instrumental David played on SNL back in the day and is another highlight of the album.
And speaking of highlights, when Allons-y transitions into Autumn ’68 it’s another one of those sublime moments of genius. I love that this bit of Rick playing on the Royal Festival Hall organ was included here and it stands on its own for the most part, nearly overdub free (Gilmour does add some acoustic guitar playing towards the end). It fits right in with the sound of the modern production and doesn’t appear to be dated in any way. I wish that more was included but I’m still ecstatic to have this included at all. And with another wash of synths the backbeat returns us to Allons-y (Part 2) which in retrospect seems like a single song with Rick’s organ solo serving as a bridge.
Talkin’ Hawkin’ is the last song of the 7-song cycle of the 3rd suite and once again slows things down which starts out as another dramatic blues number (in ¾ time) with backing vocals (love the “ah’s”). I enjoyed this so much that I wish it played out a bit longer before Stephen Hawking’s familiar voice is heard in a short monologue which ends by reprising his vocal contribution to Keep Talking. A dramatic piece that ends with a 30-second ambient drift-off to conclude Side Three (I personally would have preferred a big finish with a clean cut to another ambient drift-off). This is one of the “sides” that didn’t seem as cohesive as it does now that I’ve listened to it a few more times.
Side Four, the final suite, begins with panning electronic pulses but the Calling soon kicks into heavy mode, or at least attempts to. This is another piece where certain parts remind me of one of the instrumental tracks from Broken China and I recognized a sound effect from Welcome to the Machine quickly fly by. As an individual composition this seems to simply hang around for 3 ½ minutes and at times could pass for inclusion on Bowie’s “Low” album. Don’t get me wrong, it’s a solid track and serves as a nice intro to the final suite but nothing more, another song which works best in context with the songs which follow it.
Eyes To Pearls begins with the all-too-familiar guitar pattern of Set The Controls that can be designated as an homage or a rip-off of the original (I prefer homage and wonder how Roger would feel about this). Even Nick’s drumming is a tribute to that classic Floyd track and one can almost sing the words of Set The Controls over it. But that’s all it offers. While the original is a dynamic marvel spaced-out marvel this track offers nothing more than an echo of its mantra which I guess was its purpose. Regardless of the similarities I still like it and it works well within the context of the suite and the album, an observation I seem to be continuously repeating.
The opening acoustic guitar of Surfacing recalls Poles Apart but this changes as soon as the song kicks into gear. This is another welcome upbeat change from some of the more solemn, ambient numbers featuring Mason on drums, a bed of synths from Rick, and more signature guitar work from David. I love moments like this where David is afforded the opportunity to cut loose.
The sound of church bells (from Fat Old Sun) leads to the final track that we’re all more than familiar with by now, Louder Than Words, which serves as a perfect conclusion to this side and to the album as a whole. I really like this song a lot (even Polly’s lyrics) but in context it makes me feel like a couple of other songs could have had lyrics as well. That’s one of my minor criticisms, I feel that additional lyrics could have been written for at least one or two other tracks besides Louder Than Words and the album may have been better by doing so.
Dissecting the album like this in the form of the written word will do little to prepare anyone for the actual listening experience. It’s kind of like explaining colors to a blind person.
There are many things that this record was not meant to be and this was not meant to be a classic Pink Floyd album, nor was reaching for a bar like that ever considered. It’s new and familiar at the same time because so much of it sounds like Floyd.
I personally like the album more with each spin and I know that it will grow on me even more over time because I already love it. I’m not sure how I feel about this being the final Pink Floyd record, especially considering the chronological significance, but I do like it a lot as a Pink Floyd album. And this is most definitely a Pink Floyd album despite what its detractors might say. The Endless River is an homage to all things Floyd which ended up exceeding my wary expectations and for this I am very grateful.
My recommendation for the first few times you listen to it is to not pay any attention to the song titles/lengths and just listen to the album as a single piece of music. It’s much less distracting that way.
Cheers!
Ron
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Wenn ich meinen Hund beleidigen will nenne ich ihn Mensch. (AS) „Weißt du, was ich manchmal denke? Es müsste immer Musik da sein. Bei allem was du machst. Und wenn's so richtig Scheiße ist, dann ist wenigstens noch die Musik da. Und an der Stelle, wo es am allerschönsten ist, da müsste die Platte springen und du hörst immer nur diesen einen Moment.“