Pandora's great. I have a Peter Gabriel channel in it and was listening tonight and that channel played this song. I had Momentary Lapse of Reason by Pink Floyd when it first came out and played the crap out of it. While sympathizing with Floyd snobs who disregard post-Roger Waters releases, I don't fully agree with them. I've always been a huge David Gilmour fan ... he's one of my favorite guitarists. And this album is a great showcase of his talent. Song highlights including Learning to Fly and this one, On the Turning Away, an indictment of Reagan-era materialism and self-importance. I think it's still relevant today.
On the Turning Away by Pink Floyd
On the turning away
From the pale and downtrodden
And the words they say
Which we won't understand
Don't accept that what's happening
Is just a case of others suffering
Or you'll find that you're joining in
The turning away
It's a sin that somehow
Light is changing to shadow
And casting its shroud
Over all we have known
Unaware how the ranks have grown
Driven on by a heart of stone
We could find that were all alone
In the dream of the proud
On the wings of the night
As the daytime is stirring
Where the speechless unite
In a silent accord
Using words you will find are strange
And mesmerized as they light the flame
Feel the new wind of change
On the wings of the night
No more turning away
From the weak and the weary
No more turning away
From the coldness inside
Just a world that we all must share
Its not enough just to stand and stare
Is it only a dream that there'll be
No more turning away?
4 comments:
There are a few good songs on A Momentary Lapse in Talent, but it also holds the WORST floyd song ever produced "Dogs of War".
Turning Away and Sorrow are my two favorites from that album. It's ironic that you choose this as the political song of the day seeing as one of the major causes of the rift between Gilmour and Waters was that Gilmour wanted Waters to tone down the political rhetoric in their albums.
I'll have to look this up. My sister is a HUGE PF-head, and I've come to appreciate David Gilmour's guitar playing. I like plenty of other '70s-'80s stuff, so this should be a natural fit for me.
Laura -- I knew you were a big Waters and Floyd fan and would provide some much-needed perspective. I love Waters era Floyd and I'm not disparaging it all. It's just that my first exposure to Floyd was Momentary Lapse. I'd agree with you about "Dogs of War". I always skipped over that song.
That is pretty ironic about the political rhetoric. I was never quite sure what the exact reason for the break-up. I always figured it was the same cliched "artistic differences" that you usually here about.
To give the post-Waters crew proper credit, the Division Bell is a far superior album.
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