Remember When: Pink Floyd Ruled the Rock World One More Time by Tolling ‘The Division Bell’ in 1994

The story of Pink Floyd’s recording career ends with The Division Bell, released in 1994. Endless River, released two decades later, consisted mostly of wordless leftovers. We’re not really counting that, even though it’s technically a part of the catalog.

Videos by American Songwriter

What made The Division Bell special was that it was more of a group effort than anything the band had released since the mid-70s. The commercial success of the record reminded everyone what a juggernaut this one-of-a-kind could be.

Getting Whole Again

When you look at the album history of Pink Floyd, you’ll note that there was a stretch when one specific member of the group largely drove the artistic bus. Roger Waters dominated the making of The Wall and The Final Cut. His overarching themes and insistence on controlling most aspects of the music’s creation left little room for others to contribute.

When Waters left acrimoniously, guitarist David Gilmour resuscitated the band (and the brand) for the 1987 album A Momentary Lapse Of Reason. Gilmour wasn’t sure if he could even legally use the band’s name for the project. Because of that, he was somewhat far along in its conception when other members of Floyd came aboard.

Drummer Nick Mason, at that point the only official member of the group besides Gilmour, eventually chipped in on the record. Keyboardist Rick Wright, who had been forced out during the making of The Wall, also joined on a couple of tracks. But in many ways, the album was Gilmour with special guests. Many wondered if another proper Floyd album would ever happen.

The Trio Triumphs

The trio of Gilmour, Mason, and Wright were heartened by the excellent sales of A Momentary Lapse Of Reason and the response to the massive, multi-year tour that followed. Four years later, the three men convened in a London studio to try and summon up the old magic.

After over 100 pieces of music were created in that stretch, the men then began to whittle it down to an album’s length. Some of the old tensions rose during this process. Wright battled to get more input for his ideas. He was eventually reinstated as a full member of the band to help the process along.

Lyrics in the post-Waters era were always somewhat of an issue. This time around, Gilmour received assistance from his wife Polly Samson on most of the songs. Bob Ezrin, who helped shepherd The Wall to completion back in the day, signed on to co-produce the record. Pink Floyd released The Division Bell in March of 1994.

Revisiting ‘The Division Bell’

The Division Bell doesn’t shy away from echoing the band’s classic triumphs of the 70s, a time before Waters completely took over the artistic direction. Having Wright on board, with his ambient keyboards sailing through the proceedings in contrast to Gilmour’s emotional guitar work, was a big help.

Although the first half of the record meanders a bit, the second half comes into sharper focus. Wright’s lead vocal on “Wearing The Inside Out” is affecting, followed up by the potent environmental lament “Take It Back”. “Lost For Words” is as pointed as the record gets, perhaps referencing the imbroglio with Roger Waters. And closing track “High Hopes” locates the old majesty of classics from The Dark Side Of The Moon and Wish You Were Here.

The Division Bell wasn’t exactly a unanimous rave from critics, but its listenability factor is quite high these days. And it proved a ringing success at the box office, hitting the top of the album charts all over the world, including the US and the UK. As a closing statement from such a monumental band, it needs to apologize for nothing.

Photo by Nils Jorgensen/Shutterstock