Wheelchair-bound Billy and his twin brother Benny, an out-of-work miner, go out for a night on the piss.
Roger waters song driver#
Inspired by an incident in 1985 when a striking miner threw a concrete block off a motorway bridge, killing a taxi driver who was taking a working miner to the pit, Waters weaves the event into the broader context of the album’s theme on this powerful rocker. No other Roger Waters album starts in such a bright and breezy manner. In addition, part of the concept for the album involved the demise of free-form music stations like Radio KAOS and the rise of formatted, computer-programmed stations where music was played for profit rather than pleasure.
Roger waters song mod#
This was 1987, and elementary post-disco beats with all the bland studio mod cons were all over the charts. The song had to be clad in the prevailing pop fashion of the time. Those who criticise the song for being “trapped in the 80s” are missing the point. He also had to devise a short and effective way of introducing a complex plot and storyline. His genius has been evident all through.Steeped in 80s pop production technology, Radio Waves is probably one of the most commercially calculated songs Waters has written.įor the opening track on the Radio KAOS album, he had to come up with the kind of song that would fit the playlist of the radio station that was part of the album’s concept. Fans have always got into arguments about whether he or Gilmour is better, but the fact is that all four members of the band made their own special contributions.Īfter Floyd left, Waters got into solo work and tours, releasing albums like The Pros And Cons of Hitch-Hiking, Radio K.A.O.S., Amused To Death and Is This The Life We Really Want? He also worked on an opera, Ca Ira, and adapted classical composer Igor Stravinsky’s The Soldier’s Tale. Though Floyd has had more commercially popular songs like ‘Time’, ‘Money’, ‘Shine On You Crazy Diamond’, ‘Another Brick In The Wall Part 2’ and ‘Comfortably Numb’, the songs listed above sum up the Waters style. ‘Paranoid Eyes’, which talks about alcoholism, only has Waters among the Floyd members, with Michael Kamen on piano, Andy Brown on organ and Ray Cooper on percussion.
It’s an anti-war concept album, written in memory of Waters’ father, who died during World War II, besides being a critical statement on Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher’s policies. The Final Cut was Waters’ last album with Floyd and the only one not to feature Richard Wright. This list is in chronological order, sticking to one song per album.ġ) “Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun” – A Saucerful Of Secrets (1968) Musically, his style blended with that of Gilmour’s songwriting inputs and the musical strengths of all members, using various effects, an assortment of keyboards and backup vocals. To be sure, this isn’t a collection of Pink Floyd’s greatest hits but a showcase of the distinct songwriting style of Waters.Īs a lyricist, he often used dark subjects like war, the grim political situation, broken relationships, depression and lunacy. To mark Waters’ 78th birthday this week, we present ten songs he wrote and composed here, which we believe are his best. While all band members chipped in with songwriting, Waters wrote many of them exclusively. He divided the role of the lead vocalist with David Gilmour with keyboardist Richard Wright appearing on some songs. He came into creative prominence following Syd Barrett’s departure because of mental issues. Waters’ primary role with Floyd in the early years was essentially that of a bassist.
However, following creative differences with the other band members, he resigned from the band in 1985. Besides being the band’s primary lyricist and songwriter, he provided the thematic ideas for the classic albums like The Dark Side Of The Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals and The Wall, besides The Final Cut. Roger Waters played a seminal role in charting the artistic direction of Pink Floyd from the time co-founder Syd Barrett quit the band in 1968 through eleven albums up to The Final Cut in 1983.