Remixed and updated from the original 1987 master tapes for The Later Years by Andy Jackson with David Gilmour, assisted by Damon Iddins, A Momentary Lapse Of Reason will be available on Vinyl, CD, DVD, Blu-ray and digitally with Stereo and 5.1 mixes and can be pre-ordered here.
Among the records that were remixed and updated for The Later Years was A Momentary Lapse of Reason (1987), the first album the band made sans bassist and co-lead singer, Roger Waters (who split from the group in 1985). With highlight tracks like “Learning To Fly” and “On the Turning Away,” the album captures the classic Pink Floyd sound, while translating it into a distinctly late-20th century, early-digital feel. Now, Gilmour and drummer Nick Mason have gone back and entirely revamped the project.(Americansongwriter)
Nick Mason
"Initially it seemed a bit odd to start re-assembling a record after 35-odd years, but the public's appetite for alternate views of the same work has undoubtedly increased immeasurably over time.
"Inevitably the opportunity to revisit earlier work from a period where digital technology was the brave new world became increasingly interesting.
"There's little doubt of the advantages in being able to find new elements within the music, or more often uncovering elements that became overwhelmed with all that new science... I think there is an element of taking the album back in time and taking the opportunity to create a slightly more open sound – utilising some of the things we had learned from playing so much of the album live over two massive tours.
Gilmour plays rumbling, mumbling fretless bass on the instrumental recording, soloing around long beds of synthesized strings and quietly arpeggiated keyboard notes. The drums are slow and pensive. The tape hiss contributes to the atmosphere of the demo, since it obscures some of the action, allowing Gilmour’s bass to surface here as if it were coming up for air. When the band hit the studio with co-producer Bob Ezrin for the album version, Gilmour was singing oblique, impressionistic lyrics about people feeling disillusionment and drummer Nick Mason was in charge of the propulsive rhythms. The track became a staple of their stadium tours in the years that followed the record’s release.
Complete FORMAT LISTS of A Momentary Lapse Of Reason – Remixed & Updated:
With new drum performances, new mixes, previously-unheard keyboard parts from the late Richard Wright, and dazzling 360 Reality Audio and Dolby Audio mixes, the new version of A Momentary Lapse of Reason isn’t merely a “remaster” or “reissue,” but a genuinely new way to experience this vibrant collection of songs. The updated version will be out on October 29
“Some years after we had recorded the album, we came to the conclusion that we should update it to make it more timeless, featuring more of the traditional instruments that we liked and that we were more used to playing,” Gilmour said. “This was something we thought it would benefit from. We also looked for and found some previously unused keyboard parts of Rick’s which helped us to come up with a new vibe, a new feeling for the album.”
“Initially, it seemed a bit odd to start re-assembling a record after 35-odd-years, but the public’s appetite for alternate views of the same work has undoubtedly increased immeasurably over time,” Mason said. “Inevitably, the opportunity to revisit earlier work from a period where digital technology was the ‘brave new world’ became increasingly interesting. There’s little doubt of the advantages in being able to find new elements within the music or more often uncovering elements that became overwhelmed with all that new science… I think there is an element of taking the album back in time and taking the opportunity to create a slightly more open sound—utilizing some of the things we had learned from playing so much of the album live over two massive tours. It was also nice to have an opportunity to enhance some of Rick’s work. Again, that positive tidal wave of technology just might have provided too many digital opportunities to overwhelm the band feel. Hopefully, that’s one of the benefits of this remix!”
