Question about Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here (1 Viewer)

[Philip Hamm]

Richard Wright does not play on 'The Final Cut'. He'd been fired by Roger Waters during the making of The Wall (he played on tour for that, but as a hired hand). Gilmour's playing on TFC is some of his finest, IMO.

Who plays piano on that album then? It's really very good playing, did they hire some studio heavyweights?

 

[Steve_AS]

Yes. Michael Kamen, who is now a heavyweight film score composer, played the piano.

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credits for The Final Cut:

Recorded: July - December, 1982
Produced by: Roger Waters, James Guthrie and Michael Kamen
David Gilmour - guitar, vocals
Nick Mason - drums
Roger Waters - bass guitar, vocals
Michael Kamen - piano, harmonium
Andy Bown - Hammond organ
Ray Cooper - Percussion
Andy Newmark - drums on "Two Suns"
Raphael Ravenscroft - tenor sax
The National Philharmonic Orchestra conducted and arranged by Michael Kamen

 

[Wayne Bundrick]

Kamen had done the orchestration on "The Wall" previously.

Wright couldn't have been kicked out by Waters during "The Wall" sessions without the consent of Gilmour and Mason. The story of how it happened depends on who you ask.

One story is that Gilmour not only agreed with Waters to get rid of Wright but also suggested getting rid of Mason too. But that doesn't seem to jive with Gilmour and Mason partnering to give new life to the band after Waters quit.

Another story is that Waters threatened to kill "The Wall" album if Gilmour and Mason didn't agree to oust Wright. The band had lost the fortunes they had made from DSOTM through some bad investments and a crooked accountant, so they needed a hit album. (Not just a hit album but a hit single. Pink Floyd had never recorded an album with the intention of releasing one or more songs as a single. That's how desperate they were for a hit. And that's why Another Brick In The Wall Part 2 has that disco sound.) They couldn't even record the album in England because they were tax exiles. Anyway, the story goes that Gilmour and Mason agreed with Waters because they desperately needed the album to be finished and released.

But the story that is most likely to be true is that Wright was tired and no longer felt like dealing with Waters, so when it was suggested to him he left without much of a fight.

It's true that Wright played The Wall concerts as a musician for hire. The concerts were very expensive to produce and turned out to be unprofitable, but since he had no financial stake and got paid his no matter what, he's the only member of Pink Floyd who made money from it.

I agree that Gilmour's work on The Final Cut is good stuff, but in each of his solos I can hear his frustration as his contribution was reduced to little more than a session musician on that album.