Roger Waters – The Pros and Cons Of Hitchhiking (1984)

Roger was getting more and more political and the band were slowly breaking up; Rick Wright was famously moved to session player on one album.  They finally split in ’85 but this album came out just before the final split and the acrimony which still seems to persist today.  This album sounds very much like a Floyd album with Roger’s vocals dominating.  I have never quite understood the album, simply enjoying the music with it’s mood changes and great guitar work.  It is apparently a mid-life crisis presented as a dream…oh well.  It is presented as in real time; each track preceeded by an accurate time of the song starting at 04.30 and continuing for 42 minutes.  What can we say about Roger…a genius undoubtedly but misunderstood and some sort of perfectionist too.  Only four albums in over 40 years?  However his second album Radio Kaos is probably his best.  He has toured, especially Pink Floyd albums ‘Dark Side’ and ‘The Wall’ extensively, which were brilliant.  On this first solo album, best songs are the title track, ‘Arabs with Knives and West German Spies’ and ‘Every Strangers Eyes’