Roger Waters Solo Records

[progman1975]

On the heels of his bombastic upcoming tour, I thought Id go back and revisit his solo discography(Music for the Body notwithstanding). The Pros and Cons is still
a ***masterpiece*** to my ears. Clapton never sounded better. And the production is sheer flawless not sounding like an 80's record at all.
Radio K.A.O.S, released in '87, definitely has that 80's sound but the songs are just soo well crafted like "Who Needs Information" and "The Powers that Be".
Finally we get Amused to Death. I prob haven't heard this in years and maybe I'm understanding why. While it contains some jammers featuring Jeff Beck, the rest of the record
sounds a litte stale and cold to me. Which Roger is notoriously been doing to the listener sinceThe Final Cut.
What are your thoughts??????????????

[battema]

ATD is in my top 10 PF releases. It sags a bit in the middle but the first few tracks and the 2nd half are absolutely wonderful. The outtro on the title track in particular can really give me chills.

I like both Pros and Radio. I also really dig his score for 'When the Wind Blows' which sounds like a trial run for the 'Radio Kaos' sound.

[saucyjackstl]

Amused to Death is a must. I actually listen to that more than any other Pink Floyd CD. I like to think of it as Final Cut part Two.

[Facelift]

Pros and Cons - didn't like it much in the '80s (though probably then because it sounded nothing like Pink Floyd) but I still never cared for it much any more after that. I throw it on from time to time and treat it like an unintentional joke. There are definitely some LOL moments on it. And yes, the sound engineering is great, for whatever that's worth.

Radio KAOS - I don't think that any of Waters' solo albums are anything special, but IMO this is the best of the lot, from start to finish. It's a total '80s time capsule album; I only play it when I'm listening to other similar-sounding mid/late '80s material. But I find it to be fairly tuneful and the concept is so far out and inscrutable that it rarely interferes with the songs. And unlike the worse MLOR album that his former band put out at the same time, the female chorus of singers that complement Waters' vocals neither sounded out of place nor cloying, but rather like they belonged in the songs.

Amused to Death. - By far the most uneven of the three albums, IMO. I think the best few songs are better than anything on Radio KAOS (to say nothing of Pros and Cons), but that the few worst songs are significantly worse than anything on Radio KAOS. Perfect Sense (both parts), Too Much Rope and What God Wants Part 2 IMO range from unpleasantly superfluous to some of the most cringeworthy stuff I own. Elsewhere, Ballad of Bill Hubbard and It's a Miracle are uninteresting filler that also probably should have been cut. But if you get rid of all that stuff (and thanks to digital editing I have) you still end up with roughly a 45 minute Roger Waters album that is pretty visceral - musically it's tuneful and it has some bite and some punch and lyrically doesn't grate too much. For example, the title song sounds tiresomely redundant by the time you get to it, if you were to listen to the full album, but in its edited form the horse hasn't been beaten enough yet to become dead, so it actually does have some of the impact/resonance that was intended.

[Smörgåsbord]

On the heels of his bombastic upcoming tour, I thought Id go back and revisit his solo discography(Music for the Body notwithstanding). The Pros and Cons is still
a ***masterpiece*** to my ears.

The masterPIECE is on the cover.

[Tangram]

The masterPIECE is on the cover.

You like black rectangles?!

Fortunately, my album doesn't have one!

[Kcrimso]

Pros A Cons is good, Amused To Death very good and Radio K.A.O.S quite crappy.

[Tangram]

Music from the Body doesn't count. It's that bad and he was young so he gets a pass.

Pros and Cons - it took me a long time to warm up to this album. Never a Clapton fan, but there are a few standout tracks, and some funny moments occurring during a dream cycle. The sound is excellent and the concert I went to for this tour was the best sounding show I was ever at.

Radio KAOS - Gets a lot of heat for the 80's production as does MLOR that the Floyd were doing around the same time. I don't mind it at all. The concept is interesting if far fetched. The only track I don't care for is the title track. I have listened to KAOS the most out of Waters solo albums.

Amused to Death - By the time this came out, I was kind of done with RW's war lyrics. The production is stunning but it felt like he was going to the well one too many times. He also went to several songs multiple times. On the good side, The opening track, The Ballad of Bill Hubbard is haunting. Jeff Becks guitar work is incredible throughout but especially on this track. What God Wants ( I believe it's part 3) sends shivers down my spine. IMHO, this album is too long and as previously posted by Facelift, would have benefitted from some editing. Not a masterpiece that RW and many fans feel that it is but it is a very good album.

[Score2112]

Absolutely loved KAOS as a kid. Very catchy tunes on that one, particularly with guest vocalist Paul Carrack. Good Waters lyrics as well, "Home" is a great song. The album *does* sound incredibly dated now, however.


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[Interstellar]

I never really warmed to KAOS because of the sound. Even at the time, it sounded cold and shallow to me, compared to the timeless sound quality of Pros and Cons (and The Final Cut). There were some really good moments though, but the whole thing almost sounded like a demo to my ears.
Amused to Death may be Waters' solo masterpiece. It is an immersive, floydian experience and at times it is really intense. As some people pointed, it could be much better without some of the tracks. It could also have benefitted from more guest vocalists IMHO (and more actual singing from Waters). The last 3-4 songs sequence is really stunning.

[Trane]

MftB: more of Geesin weird artefact on vinyl, but Roger left his mark on the album, I think it's brilliant

P&CoHH: loved it at first (and the tour with Clapton), but I gradually cooled off from ... but in recent times, this trebd has been reversed abnd I think better thab some 10 years ago

KAOS: at first, I thought this was amazing (some very catchy tunes), it didn't stand repeated listens (and the 80's sonics are an issue).... I think I will urgently relisten to it ASAP

AtD: Roger's best.

Ca Ira: never really gave it a shot... don't know why (well the idea of listening to an opera does not amuse me to giggles) >> I guess I will someday

In The Flesh: I kept it (unlike KAOS)

[happytheman]

There's something to like on each of his releases.. People bash The Body but I'll take Give birth to a smile and put it with If, Green is the color etc from that era and it fits nicely. For me Amused is his strongest from start to finish

[ca1ore]

Though AtD is the best of the bunch to me, I find them all quite forgettable. In an alternate universe, I wonder if PF selected Pros and Cons over the Wall, and what it sounds like?

[Phlakaton]

I don't listen to any of them to be honest. His solo stuff just doesn't resonate with me

[mozo-pg]

I agree AtD is the strongest but there is lots to enjoy in all his work. His releases are the strongest of all PF solo albums (imo).

[Mister Triscuits]

Music from the Body is a delight. Love Ron Geesin; the Floydian bits--including the hint of "Breathe" to come--are icing on the cake.

Pros & Cons has a few excellent bits on it, but is muddled and lacking in melody, and really sounds like the album Floyd rejected in favor of The Wall. I also have a hard time ignoring that Waters shows his racist side with the Yoko Ono bit. ("Herro!")

Radio KAOS never did much for me. Too slick, too talky.

Amused to Death is much better than the previous two, but suffers a bit from being overlong.

Never heard Ca Ira.

[MudShark22]

For these ears, Amused to Death is the best PF related disc since Animals. I cant rave enough about it and its as relevant now to me as it was at its release.

I really did enjoy KAOS at the time (and it was a friggin great show) but yes, the production now hinders it.

Pros.... Can't stand it. Sold my vinyl a long time ago.

[Casey]

For me, solo RW is a tough listen. Decades ago I was a Floyd fanatic & bought up everything associated with them. Every now & them a solo RW song comes along that resonates with me but it's usually buried in stuff I would rather not listen to a second time. Has anyone heard of "The Flickering Flame" or "The Last Mimzy"?

[SteveSly]

On the heels of his bombastic upcoming tour, I thought Id go back and revisit his solo discography(Music for the Body notwithstanding). The Pros and Cons is still
a ***masterpiece*** to my ears. Clapton never sounded better. And the production is sheer flawless not sounding like an 80's record at all.
Radio K.A.O.S, released in '87, definitely has that 80's sound but the songs are just soo well crafted like "Who Needs Information" and "The Powers that Be".
Finally we get Amused to Death. I prob haven't heard this in years and maybe I'm understanding why. While it contains some jammers featuring Jeff Beck, the rest of the record
sounds a litte stale and cold to me. Which Roger is notoriously been doing to the listener sinceThe Final Cut.
What are your thoughts??????????????

Interesting……….. I have pretty much the opposite opinion. “Pros And Cons” did absolutely nothing for me. I got it the day it came out and gave it plenty of listens, but it just completely left me cold. “Radio K.A.O.S” while far from a great album I liked much better and think it is a decent effort. “Amused To Death” is by far my favorite from Roger. Not sure that I would rank it up with my favorite Floyd releases, but to my ears it is the one that comes closest.

[battema]

For me, solo RW is a tough listen. Decades ago I was a Floyd fanatic & bought up everything associated with them. Every now & them a solo RW song comes along that resonates with me but it's usually buried in stuff I would rather not listen to a second time. Has anyone heard of "The Flickering Flame" or "The Last Mimzy"?

I never really dug Flickering Flame, but the track from Last Mimzy (it's actually called 'Hello, I Love You' I think) is kind of nice in a retro sort of way.

I also rather liked the other soundtrack piece he did, 'Lost Boys Calling' with Eddie Van Halen on guitar (I think the film was called 'Legend of 1900' maybe?). He didn't write the music on that one though, I don't think...the guy who did the bulk of the score did.

[Drake]

Pretty easy.

Pros and Cons and Amused are masterpieces.

Radio KAOS is meh.

[r2daft2]

Pros, KAOS and AtD are all essential for me although I will agree that each has flaws.
I would love to have seen a full stage presentation of AtD (the only one of these albums that didn't get a tour) It does get somewhat atmospheric at times which some may well interpret as a lack of pace.
Maybe this would have worked better with stage lighting/effects etc. - I do wonder if RW had plans for stage presentation when sequencing/editing the master prior to release.

[progman1975]

I remember an interview he did with Playboy circa '89 ish where he stated he already had K.A.O.S. 2 and ATD 2 written

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[Trane]

some 14 months ago, he said his new solo album was about half-finished and that it should be expected in 18 months... So that would mùean June this year.

[notallwhowander]

I haven't listened to any of these in decades, so my impressions are colored by age.

Pros & Cons - All said and done, probably the best of the lot. The concept is tight, no real catchy tunes though, the length of the songs reflecting the time in the morning is a nice touch. It sounds the most like a Pink Floyd record, imo.

Radio KAOS - I liked it a lot when it came out. I was in high school, deep into Pink Floyd and an avid listener to Jim Ladd, the Los Angeles DJ used on the album, so it all came together for me in a way I expect it didn't for many others. I think it suffers from being of a moment, and doesn't quite tap into the universal themes that his best stuff does.

Amused to Death - I know a lot of people here shower this one with love, which surprises me. The concept is loose, it plods quite a bit, and I only really remember two songs: the one about the girl in Tienanmen Square, and "It's a Miracle" for the Andrew Lloyd Webber slight at the end. It struck me, rightly or wrongly, as more depressed grumbling than sinister seething. So it doesn't rank near a masterpiece for me. It's a fine album, but that leaves me damning it with faint praise, I suppose.