The Division Bell (CD - 1994)

Additional personnel: Tim Renwick (guitar); Dick Parry (tenor saxophone); Bob Ezrin (keyboards, percussion); Guy Pratt (bass); Gary Wallis (percussion, programming); Jon Carin (programming, keyboards); Sam Brown, Durga McBroom, Carol Kenyon, Jackie Sheridan, Rebecca Leigh-White (background vocals).

Engineers: Keith Grand, Andrew Jackson, Steve McLaughin.

Personnel: David Gilmour (vocals, guitar, keyboards, programming); Richard Wright (vocals, keyboards); Tim Renwick (guitar); Dick Parry (tenor saxophone); Bob Ezrin (keyboards, percussion); Jon Carin (keyboards, programming); Nick Mason (drums, percussion); Gary Wallis (percussion, programming); G. William Forgey (sound effects); Jackie Sheridan, Durga McBroom, Rebecca Leigh-White, Sam Brown, Carol Kenyon (background vocals).

Audio Mixers: David Gilmour; Chris Thomas ; Andrew Jackson.

Recording information: Abbey Road Recording Studios; Astoria Recording Studio, London, England; Brittania Row Recording Studios; Metropolis Studios; The Creek Recording Studios.

Photographers: Stephen Piotrowski; Rupert Truman; Tony May.

Unknown Contributor Role: John Robertson.

Arranger: Michael Kamen.

The slow melodious instrumental overture that announces "Cluster One" trumpets the return of one of rock's most enigmatic ensembles, art rockers supreme--Pink Floyd. And in reclaiming center stage in the arena, THE DIVISION BELL straightaway tolls a characteristic chime of ambivalence, as a voice cries out from the heart of a massed chorale and strings, "What Do You Want From Me."

But for longtime fans of Pink Floyd, THE DIVISION BELL offers an immense, reassuring sense of scale, as David Gilmour and company continue to expand upon the dark subtexts, rich orchestral textures and densely detailed arrangements that are the band's sonic signatures. A song such as the moody film noir jazz-pop intro of "Wearing the Inside Out" presages the mysterious futuristic romanticism of the BLADE RUNNER soundtrack, with lyrics that offer a typically mordant view of life

Somewhere in the heart of all this darkness, David Gilmour's arching, anthemic guitar provides a powerful melodic focus, as on the moody instrumental tone poem "Marooned," where he seems to be floating out of Earth's orbit until Nick Mason's strong, centered drumming grounds his elisions in the gravitational pull of a simple backbeat. The closing "High Hopes" mixes mysticism with a dream-the-impossible groove, as Pink Floyd looks back longingly at old times and old friends. "Marooned" won a 1995 Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance. minimize