Not every song a band releases is destined for greatness. Even the most legendary musicians have moments where an idea doesn’t quite land the way they intended. For Roger Waters, who had near-total creative control of Pink Floyd by the time he left, there were certain tracks that didn’t live up to his own expectations—one of which he now finds particularly irritating.
Waters’ departure from Pink Floyd wasn’t just an ego battle; it was a practical decision. The band had reached a point where continuing together seemed impossible. He had already pushed Richard Wright out, and while firing David Gilmour would have been a catastrophic mistake, Waters made it clear that if the band was going to continue after The Wall, it would be on his terms.
That control was fully realized on The Final Cut, an album that largely consisted of leftover ideas from The Wall. While some moments on the record shine, especially those where Gilmour played a role, Waters’ decision to sideline his bandmates resulted in an album that was more personal than collaborative. While the meticulous arrangements by James Guthrie and Michael Kamen added depth, some production choices didn’t age well, making certain tracks sound stuck in the early ’80s.
One song in particular—“Your Possible Pasts”—hasn’t aged well in Waters’ mind. What may have felt innovative at the time now seems overdone, something he openly admitted in hindsight. “I think I would probably work the songs up with a band so there would be more flow,” Waters explained. “I would veer away from the over-dramatic use of the drum kit. Some of it I find difficult to listen to. A specific example is ‘Your Possible Pasts,’ which is this quite melodic thing and then the drums come in really loud, and I find that slightly irritating now.”
Pink Floyd’s sound continued to evolve after Waters’ departure, though A Momentary Lapse of Reason also suffered from the era’s overuse of drum machines and sequencers. The band was navigating a lawsuit with Waters at the time, making it difficult to maintain their signature chemistry. Meanwhile, Waters’ solo work, such as Radio K.A.O.S., wasn’t immune to the same pitfalls.
While remixes of The Final Cut have helped refine some of its more dated elements, the original still stands as a raw document of a band in turmoil. The music itself may not have improved with time, but the album remains a testament to the creative and personal fractures that would ultimately split Pink Floyd apart.
