The Division Bell is the last studio album by Pink Floyd and the second album without Roger Waters.
The theme of bridging The Division Bell is communication and the lack of communication.
Douglas Adams, author of the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and a friend of David Gilmour, chose the name of the album, based on the text of High Hopes, the final track of the album. A "division bell" is a clock that sound is to call on the members of a Parliament to vote in a "division". Parliament is (literally) divided into two groups: one that is in favour of the motion and one against the motion.
The image on the cover of the album is from the hand of the artist Storm Thorgerson and let two heads in profile. These are two sculptures by John Robertson (3 feet tall) who were placed in a field in Cambridgeshire and under different circumstances. The sculptures are now in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The Division Bell was sold well, but was poorly received by critics.
Content[]
Tracklist[Edit][]
Side 1
- "Cluster One", instrumental (Gilmour, Wright)-5: 58
- "What Do You Want From Me?" (Gilmour, Wright, Polly Samson)-4: 21
- "Poles Apart" (Gilmour, Samson, Nick Laird-Clowes)-7: 04
- "Marooned", instrumental (Gilmour, Wright)-5: 29
- "A Great Day for Freedom" (Gilmour, Samson)-4: 17
- "Wearing the Inside Out" (Wright, Anthony Moore)-6: 49
Side 2
- "Take It Back" (Gilmour, Samson, Laird-Clowes, Bob Ezrin)-6: 12
- "Coming Back to Life" (Gilmour)-6: 19
- "Keep Talking" (Gilmour, Wright, Samson) – 6: 11
- "Lost for Words" (Gilmour, Samson)-5: 14
- "High Hopes" (Gilmour, Samson)-8: 31
All songs are sung by Gilmour, except 6 ("Wearing the Inside Out"), sung by Richard Wright.
Trivia[Edit][]
- In Keep Talking are samples of the (artificial) voice of Stephen Hawking used from an advertisement for a phone company.
- At the end of the album can be heard how Charlie Gilmour, the son of David (died), a phone conversation ends with Steve O'Rourke, the manager of Pink Floyd. Charlie was then 4 years.
Occupation[Edit][]
- David Gilmour -vocals, guitar, bass guitar, keyboards, production
- Rick Wright -keyboards, piano, vocals
- Nick Mason -drums, percussion
- Jon Carin -keyboards
- Guy Pratt -bass guitar
- Gary Wallis -percussion
- Tim Renwick -guitar
- Dick Parry -saxophone, trumpet
- Carol Kenyon -vocals, vocals Keep Talking
- Sam Brown -backing vocals
- Bob Ezrin – drums, production, composer of Take It Back
- Lyricist Anthony Moore - Wearing The Inside Out
- Michael Kamen -Orchestra arrangements
- Stephen Hawking -digital rate Keep Talking
- Chris Thomas-mixing
- Andrew Jackson-technique
Chart Positions[Edit][]
| "The Division Bell" in the Dutch Album Top 100 - inside: 09-04-1994 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 |
| Number | 27 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 7 | 14 | 15 | 15 | 12 | 11 | 9 | 9 | 5 | 6 |
| Week | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | 34 | 35 | 36 | 37 | 38 | 39 | 40 | 41 | 42 | 43 | 44 | 45 | 46 | 47 | 48 | ||
| Number | 7 | 11 | 14 | 19 | 25 | 31 | 35 | 59 | 63 | 58 | 54 | 53 | 64 | 63 | 63 | 55 | 56 | 58 | 75 | 79 | 90 | 98 | 99 | from | |
External links[Edit][]
- (and) The Division Bell in the database of AllMusic
- The Division Bell Concept
| Predecessor: | Number-one album in the Dutch Album Top 100 | Successor: |