The pros and cons of Roger Waters’ solo works.
THE PROS AND CONS OF HITCH HIKING
EMI Harvest, April 1984
Blistering first solo outing, with Waters in “I’ll show ’em” mood. And he did, with this thrilling collection which – as he will always do – took on the world, albeit via dreams and a mid-life crisis. Brilliantly paced and written with an understanding of humanity he was often loth to display, thus negotiating the line between bleakness and hope with a tightrope walker’s skill.
WHEN THE WIND BLOWS
Virgin, May 1986
Waters was responsible for 10 of the 15 tracks here, and his anti-nuclear paranoia complemented that of author Raymond Briggs. The brooding instrumentals worked a treat and Towers Of Faith (as in the towers of the World Trade Centre) saw a sterling vocal turn from Clare Torry, late of The Great Gig In The Sky.
RADIO K.A.O.S
EMI, June 1987
No disaster, but no cigars either. The concept, brimming with allegories, analogies and metaphors, was woolly and its execution too smooth, when grit was required. And yet, the closing The Tide Is Turning (After Live Aid) remains the individual peak of his solo work, despite Waters’ apparent reluctance to include a hopeful ending.
THE WALL: LIVE IN BERLIN 1990
Mercury, August 1990
Cyndi Lauper doing Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2 and ‘help’ from Bryan Adams, Albert Finney and Jerry Hall seemed a strange idea on paper. In the flesh, it was a slipshod mess. However, it’s always a pleasure to hear the Marching Band Of The Combined Soviet Forces In Germany.
AMUSED TO DEATH
Columbia, September 1992
Musically adventurous and full of Floydian whooshing, stellar guests (Jeff Beck’s solo on Three Wishes out-Gilmours Gilmour) and heroic melodies. It’s lyrically black, of course, but the contributions of World War I veteran Alf Razzell showed that Waters still retained the power to move the listener.
IS THIS THE LIFE WE REALLY WANT?
Columbia, June 2017
Producer Nigel Godrich did for Waters what he’d previously done for Paul McCartney: pushed him out of his comfort zone. The result? A cohesive set of barbed lyrics and orchestrated ballads.