I listened to A Momentary Lapse Of Reason quite a few times last week.

Knowing all that was going on with the band at the time, I could not help but wonder if Nick is REALLY playing on that album. I know that Jim Keltner and Carmine Appice are credited as extras on the album. One Slip sounds like Carmine and On The Turning Away might well be Jim. But everything else sounds programmed and has none of Nick's fills and feel. The time also feels way, way too rigid to be Nick. I am sure there were click tracks used, but it just doesn't sound like the great Nick Mason.

Does anybody know about this?

Wikipedia knows about this. ;)

I don't remember how much he played, but I know he did play. You can't really blame him for not wanting to play after what happened with Roger though. When there's a reason to think you're terrible and useless, the best artists would want to quit.

I can't help but think of Ringo Starr now. In 1966, he sung lead vocals on what ended up being one of The Beatles' most popular songs (Yellow Submarine). The next year, The Beatles made one of the best albums in the history of rock music (Sgt Pepper). Then the next year, Ringo suddenly felt he wasn't a good drummer and quit the band even though everybody kept trying to tell him he was definitely good enough.

He definitely plays on "Learning to Fly", or so he claims, I see no reason why he'd lie. Gilmour played everything except bass on "Sorrow" although the drums are just programmed electric drums so no-one actually 'played' them. As for the other tracks, I don't know.

(02-26-2012 01:57 AM)Dyolf Wrote:  He definitely plays on "Learning to Fly", or so he claims, I see no reason why he'd lie. Gilmour played everything except bass on "Sorrow" although the drums are just programmed electric drums so no-one actually 'played' them. As for the other tracks, I don't know.

Gilmour's a pretty decent bass player, wonder why he opted for Tony Levin?

Obviously Levin's a great player, but its not like Sorrow has a really difficult bass line.

(01-11-2012 06:08 AM)A Saucerful of Secrets Wrote:  I listened to A Momentary Lapse Of Reason quite a few times last week.

Knowing all that was going on with the band at the time, I could not help but wonder if Nick is REALLY playing on that album. I know that Jim Keltner and Carmine Appice are credited as extras on the album. One Slip sounds like Carmine and On The Turning Away might well be Jim. But everything else sounds programmed and has none of Nick's fills and feel. The time also feels way, way too rigid to be Nick. I am sure there were click tracks used, but it just doesn't sound like the great Nick Mason.

Does anybody know about this?

Good observation!
Not sure on the breakdown of this, but yes - it doesn't sound like him. His drum fills and patterns he plays are quite creative - and so different from the regular run-of-the-mill beats that most drummers use.

It IS quite a bunch of mechanical playing. Maybe that's why I rank it as their worst LP.