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Progressive Rock CD Reviews

Roger Waters

The Pros And Cons Of Hitch Hiking

Review by Larry Toering

When Roger Waters enlisted Eric Clapton for this album it was compared a lot to those latter day Pink Floyd albums he so heavily influenced by that time. But it actually went a step beyond those in the true sense of what a concept album is all about. It's essentially all one song, and Eric Clapton isn't exactly hiding in the background on most of it. You could clearly tell it was him then, and that hasn't changed on what is a true cult classic album of sorts. It remains an interestingly great ride, captured through the mind of this remarkable artist, but it's not hard to see why it wasn't quite right for Pink Floyd. lt might be considered too excessively indulgent for them.

This review is available in book format (hardcover and paperback) in Music Street Journal: 2013  Volume 2 at lulu.com/strangesound.

Track by Track Review
4:30AM (Apparently They Were Travelling Abroad)
This instantly sounds like what Eric Clapton playing with Pink Floyd would be like, as the lyrics begin the journey with some fantastic moments from all.
4:33AM (Running Shoes)

Since it plays like all one song it can be hard to tell where the next one comes in, even by following the length of each track. This comes in at a valley after a few peaks in the arrangement, which contain bursts of power and energy, complete with female vocal sections and a touch of saxophone. One doesn't have to really know what's going on because the music is first class, but it does help in order to fully appreciate it.

4:37AM (Arabs With Knives And West German Skies)

This starts to take on a sort of jazzy groove in parts with some very interesting guitar soloing, yet it gets more operatic at times than Pink Floyd does. The saxophone parts continue to increase around this time, as Waters become increasingly dramatic.

4:39AM (For The First Time Today, Part 2)

This part is more like a segue to the next movement, than a song itself, being presented in reversed parts.

4:41AM (Sexual Revolution)

The involvement of guitar on this is abundant, as it becomes a focal point of the album and begins to dominate it very nicely. This is awesome, as the album begins to peak.

4:47AM (The Remains Of Our Love)
This gets melancholy, as the title suggests, and the female vocal parts take a major role on one of the more beautiful parts.
4:50 (Go Fishing)
There is some fantastic piano and slide guitar sparring on this, as things take a swampy turn that is very fitting of the title. It is embellished with more slide guitar and an awesome saxophone solo. This is absolutely sublime.
4:56AM (For The First Time Today, Part 1)
Continuing from Part 2, more vocal outbursts demonstrate a clearly distinguished difference between the two parts.
4:58AM (Dunroamin, Duncarin, Dunlivin)
This would seem to be where some humor enters the scene, but it's actually one of the most accessible parts, and worthy of the exposure it never got.
5:01AM (The Pros And Cons Of Hitch Hiking Part 10)

I consider this to be as iconic as some Pink Floyd tunes up to the same point in time. I've heard people make comparisons about it to that of being left overs, but I have to disagree. This will somehow always resonate with me.

5:06AM (Every Strangers Eyes)
This would have to be considered the big ballad point, and a lovely one it is.
5:11AM (Moment Of Clarity)

Pieces of what later surfaced – and bits that had been done before in Pink Floyd – are hinted at on this. It gives one another good reason to investigate the entire album again to see what else is hiding there.

 
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