Vinyl of the Week - 10 July, 2022

The Division Bell, Pink Floyd

DISPLAYABLE viny of the week. Well, it happened again. Another natural disaster and a whole heap of water where it isn’t supposed to be. That’s three times that the Displayable workshop has become an involuntary watercourse this year. To avoid becoming frustrated by the mess that lay before me, I decided what the situation needed was some good music. Something that I could really get into and would take me somewhere other than the end of a mop… The Division Bell is the fourteenth studio album from Pink Floyd. Released in 1994, it was largely the vision of David Gilmour as by that stage Roger Waters had left the band. The album is full of exceptional guitar work. Lyrically, it’s centred around themes of communication and it’s importance for solving issues in the world, the title referring to the bell rung in British parliament to announce a vote. The album artwork is striking to say the least. It consists of two metal sculptures erected in a field, each as high as a double decker bus. They stand facing each other forming a third “absent face” that Gilmour said was a nod to Syd Barrett. I love this album for several reasons. The guitar tone, the great lyrics, the way the entire album flows so well. But most of all I love the places it takes me. It even makes tasks like cleaning up a wet shed almost enjoyable - DS