Roger Waters' Amused to Death - CD Review

How did I miss this CD by former Pink Floyd band member Roger Waters? The ideas in this concept album are as important today as when the CD was first released in 1992. Oh, and the music is pretty good too.

While I am a bit of a fan of Pink Floyd and Roger Waters I somehow missed the release of this album. I doubt that I heard this CD and then and forgot about it because it's so powerful. Anyway a few weeks ago Adam Curry mentioned it in his podcast The Daily Source Code so I added it to my wanted list at Swap A CD and shortly thereafter it was being mailed to me. Technology is great when it works, isn't it?

The basic idea of this concept album is that a small group of powerful people are using the mass media and religion to placate and distract people while they line their pockets and fill their bank accounts at the expense of society and the planet. Reality, what a concept!

A few songs really drive this idea home. In What God Wants (Parts 1, 2 & 3) God wants a whole host of unholy things from various currencies, gold and silver to television, war and crack. And from It's A Miracle:

Miraculous you call it babe
You ain't seen nothing yet
They've got Pepsi in the Andes
McDonalds in Tibet

However a few bits of harsh reality do get through the opiate of mass media. From Watching TV :

We were watching TV
In Tiananmen Square
Lost my baby there
My yellow rose
In her bloodstained clothes

But ultimately in the final track, Amused to Death, the future doesn't look good.

We watched the tragedy unfold
We did as we were told
We bought and sold
It was the greatest show on earth
But then it was over

. . . This species has amused itself to death
Amused itself to death

Musically if you like Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall then you will probably like this CD as well. The catchiest song is What God Wants. The refrain (sung by a few female back-up singers) "What God wants, God gets, God help us all" has been stuck in my head for days now. Also guitarist Jeff Beck contributes some very nice melodic solos throughout the album. Who needs David Gilmour, right Roger?

Sadly I don't think things are any different today, the internet has not changed a thing. Today people can be more informed than ever before but seem to choose mindless escapism above all else almost exclusively. People know more about Brad and Angelina's twins than what their governments and businesses are doing in their name in the far reaches of the world. I'm afraid we are still amusing ourselves to death.

- - - - -

Roger Waters Amused to Death at Amazon.

Note: cross posted to my personal blog.

Back To Top