There is an unwritten expectation that each band member contributes to their recordings. While extended touring can be exhausting. But spending time in the studio is generally regarded as a reasonable request, even if it means working on songs that are not personally enjoyable. Pink Floyd faced significant challenges while recording The Final Cut. But their experience with ‘A Momentary Lapse of Reason‘ was even more daunting. It prompted Nick Mason to withdraw from the project.
At the same time, Mason had already established himself as one of the best drummers in his field. It was years before the band began recording their first post-Roger Waters album. Looking back at footage from their live performances in Pompeii, Mason is absolutely on fire in every frame. He is so much on fire that the majority of the footage of the song ‘One Of These Days‘ only shows him leathering the snot out of his drums.
When the band started working on albums like The Wall, Waters began to question everyone’s abilities. Outside of forcing the band to play the songs that he heard in his head, no non-Waters member was safe from his criticism. It was with Richard Wright eventually being fired from the band after Waters didn’t like what he was coming up with.
Mason would leave the album due to his job. He had to stop recording the song ‘Mother‘ halfway through the sessions. Halfway through the session, the band’s deadline required Mason to take a back seat. It leaves Toto drummer Jeff Pocaro to lay down the uneven groove.
If The Wall was a difficult labor of love to create, The Final Cut was pure torture. After the project’s massive touring cycle, Waters decided to spend the rest of their time in the studio. He was working on the various songs that did not make The Wall. It sounded more like a glorified B-sides collection than a proper album.
While Waters’ eventual departure from the band should have been a relief, Mason missed the majority of the recording sessions. Mason refused to work on the project because he felt he wasn’t prepared to play at his standards after years of working with cars rather than behind the kit.
Mason later regretted not participating in any of the percussion, writing in his book Inside Out. “In hindsight, I really should have had the self-belief to play all the drum parts. As a result, it is a very ‘careful’ album, with few risks taken. These things together make me feel ever so slightly removed from Momentary Lapse to the point that it doesn’t always sound like us”.
That does not mean Mason is completely absent from the sessions. Drum veterans Jim Keltner and Carmine Appice stepped in to play drums on a few tracks. But Mason focused on sound effects and the occasional electronic drum part, allowing everyone else to do the heavy lifting. Despite Mason’s willingness to contribute in any way he could, A Momentary Lapse of Reason resembles a David Gilmour solo album with Mason tacked on.
