Customer Reviews

Wet Dream

5 star:		(25)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

Rick Wright, Pink Floyd's keyboardist and (many forget) co-writer of some of their best-known songs, makes his solo debut here on "Wet Dream," a laid back, melodic, atmospheric jazz-inflected pop record. This album not only offers a very pleasurable listening experience (while breaking no ground musically), but also offers insight into something too often overlooked by Floyd fans: Wright's importance as a composer/musician in creating the classic Floyd sound of "Dark Side" and "Wish You Were Here." One only has to listen to the later Floyd records on which Wright had little or no involvement ("The Wall" and "The Final Cut") to see how different their music sounded. And while there was fine stuff on both "The Wall" and "The Final Cut," most Floyd fans would agree that their peak in creativity was between '73 and '75--the years when Rick Wright was a key player in forming the Pink Floyd sound. I recommend this album highly as a must-have for Floyd fans and as an accomplished musical statement in itself.

Okay, this is not exactly Pink Floyd; it's Richard Wright trying to do his own thing. The average Pink Floyd fan will have some kind of deja-vu feeling. Yep!! Pink Floyd's "Shine on you crazy diamond" on the album "Wish you were here" and "Dark side of the moon" in general. But this is definetely Richard Wright. Surrounding himself by a couple of great studio musicians he succeeded in creating a very atmospheric album. Just listen to Cat Suite. Snowy White might not be a great composer, but he surely knows how to handle his guitar. The same is true for Mel Collins on sax. Who does not not know him? implicitly or explicitly? The sax intro on "Baker Street" by Gerry Rafferty? Several recordings with Alan Parsons and also former member of Camel. Just to mention a few. Together with these guys Ric managed to give birth to an album that might not be innovative, but surely pleasant to listen to. Mellow and moody; but never boring. "Wet Dream" is certainly more digestable, less intense, than the average Pink Floyd and it won't really bother me while having breakfast. I happen to own the vinyl version since 1979. Now I purchased the CD. Do I need to say more? I wonder what took him so long to come up with some new work, after his Zee-project with Harris in the first half of the eighties.

I agree this the best solo release from the post- BARRETT lineup. All the other FLOYD members solo works including FINAL CUT don't hold up to this one. Pay no mind to those guys ragging on this great album. One must have aptitude for atmospheric soundscapes such as this, as it tends to come apart from the standard FLOYD fare of the 70's a bit with its smooth jazz (a misnomer, KENNY G is not jazz) style. MEL COLLINS blows KENNY G. away, pun intended. A few weak moments, made up for by the hypnotic instrumental cuts. Very different from WATER'S concept fare he was developing at the time of WET DREAM release, This album is more geared to the enthusiasts of WRIGHT'S earlier FLOYD instrumentals like GREAT GIG IN THE SKY and the spectacular but often looked over cut MUDMEN from OBSCURED BY CLOUDS. WATERS FANATICS, KEEP YOUR FINAL CUT. MUSIC FANS, CHECK THIS OUT. WRIGHT'S penchant for writing music with some charachter and depth to it easily outshines WATER'S dry, superficial idea of an album based almost entirely on concept. He must have been a kook to sever relations with one RICHARD WRIGHT.

Despite being Wright's solo debut, this album overall seems stronger and overall more pleasant musically than his later work on Broken China.

While this album doesn't quite sound like the Pink Floyd that we know, it is definitely worth a listen for any diehard Pink Floyd fan.

The album does sound very 70's-ish, but in a good way. It kind of reminds me of Atom Heart Mother in fact, it has a warm, bright quality to the music.

The only song on the album that actually feels a little weak is Against The Odds. And even that is a pretty decent song.

From Meditteranean C to Funky Deaux this album spans all sorts of moods, even with a nice little tribue to Syd Barret on Pink's Song.

I personally feel that Cat Cruise, Summer Elegy, Waves, and Funky Deaux are the best on the album. Elegy has some absolutely FANTASTIC guitar work that will captivate you, Cat Cruise is interesting and Funky Deaux is well...funky. Waves has a powerful Wright keyboard element to it with Synth that raises the song to new heights, with an ending that, if appreciated, will soothe the soul.


The only thing a Floydian might be disappointed by in this album is that it's not very edgy....its more mellow, relaxing, and sonically interesting than "powerful", though it definitely does have its powerful moments with beautiful passages of sax, keyboard and guitar intertwining in a collage of sound.

But you shouldn't be bothered by its somewhat softness if you liked Atom Heart Mother.


If you can find this album anywhere for a decent price, grab it as quickly as you can. With it being out of print, some people, sadly, are ripping off Floyd fans by charging unholy amounts of money for it. Dig around, see if you can find one for cheaper than 40 bucks, and grab it. It's money well spent. But don't spend 80 dollars on it, as fantastic as it may be, it's not worth bankrupting yourself for.

Hopefully in time a re-release will happen. This album definitely deserves it. Five stars. Buy it.

As a pretty big Pink Floyd fan, I've always appreciated Rick Wright's contributions to the band, especially on their pre-Animals albums--I think he adds some great texture with his keyboards, some great vocals and harmony vocals, and some excellent songs that were part of an era where the entire band was contributing creatively. I think he's also underrated in his contribution to what made Pink Floyd sound like Pink Floyd--give Wet Dream one listen, and I think you'll agree. There's something really Pink Floyd about this album, and it happens without Roger Waters' lyrics or David Gilmour's guitar, so we get an interesting look at just what part of the band's sound comes from Wright. The result is an album that, really, doesn't break any new ground, but if you're willing to listen closely it will reward you with some great playing (Snowy White sounds great on several tracks) and a sublimely mellow, mysterious mood. Although the album seems short on full-blown songs and sometimes seems a bit homogeneous, there's a whole lot to appreciate here.

Wet Dream opens with an instrumental, "Mediterranean C," based on a piano line (pretty much every song on Wet Dream is) in which Wright adds touches of familiar synth. I don't agree with other reviews that Snowy White imitates David Gilmour with his guitar playing--if you listen closely, I think you'll find that his playing is a bit less melodic and lyrical, but he makes up with speed and fire that Gilmour often doesn't display. The addition of jazzy/prog saxophone on the opening track and many others also typifies the album (it's not quite the same kind of sound as Pink Floyd usually gets out of sax; a bit jazzier). Really, to my ears, Wet Dream sounds the most like The Division Bell.

There are only a handful of vocal tracks on the album--the second song, "Against the Odds," "Summer Elegy," "Holiday," and "Pink's Song." The first three are similar in sound and theme, discussing some pretty contemplative feelings about relationships. "Holiday" is definitely the album's centerpiece--its best vocal track, with a great chorus and excellent crescendo. I forget which one, but you can hear Richard tinkering with the piano part of one of these songs in the Live At Pompeii documentary. "Pink's Song" is a pretty mysterious ode to somebody--perhaps Syd Barrett (it seems that the members of Pink Floyd all felt a need to address their former bandmate in song). Throughout, Wright's voice sounds clear and honest, and it's a pleasure to hear more of his singing. The rest of the album is slow to mid-tempo instrumentals. Some highlights include the hypnotic "Waves," and the aptly-titled "Funky Deux." It's not a particularly speedy album, but if you're in the mood, the texture and vibe is pretty trippy.

I can't agree with other reviewers that it's the best Pink Floyd solo album, compared with Barrett's work and Waters' fantastic Amused To Death, but it's not far behind, and a worthwhile statement from a member of the band who was never heard as much as he should have been. Hopefully Wet Dream will get reissued soon--it's a good, worthwhile album, but it's not worth how much sellers are asking for it right now. Last, I'd add that Wet Dream is definitely better than Broken China, though the latter does have some interesting moments.

This album is a finely crafted handiwork of intricate synthesizer work and haunting lyrics but it works best when journeyman blues session man Snowy White adds a stiffer edge to it.

If you could package the best parts of this album with the five best cuts off of David Gilmour's "About Face" album, you would have a Floyd album that would rival their classic issues for consideration...

This album is FANTASTIC! Very beautiful compositions from one of rock's greatest keyboardists. Snowy White's guitar playing is fabulous. Sax player Mel Collins and the other musicians contribute wonderfully. I would neither add nor subtract a single note from this album. Composed and performed with a rare sensitivity. I must say, I take issue with people who think Pink Floyd's music is strictly conceptual. Pink Floyd is GREAT MUSIC. If concept is ALL you want, read a book! You can have an instrumental, but words with no music are either written or spoken language, not music. Even a capella is dependent upon musical notes, scales, time signatures, etc. By the way, Wright DID contribute significantly to Floyd as a composer, contrary to one reviewer's "opinion." Refer to Dark Side & you will find that Wright wrote one/co-wrote four of the tracks - that is half the album! Also, he composed his own keyboard parts. The parts weren't written for him! In fact, Wright had more to do with the writing of the longest charting album of all time than David Gilmour. Can you honestly imagine Dark Side of the Moon without Wright's swirling rotating speaker organ sounds, wild synths and soft piano? Wright's first album is one of the two best Floyd solo efforts (Gilmour's first album being the other). Floyd fans, ADD THIS ONE TO YOUR COLLECTIONS!

Rick Wright maintains much of the mood and musicality of the classic Floyd era on this his first solo album. Crimson fans take note of Mel Collins brilliant sax, adding an additional jazzy edge to the stew. Sometimes Floyd sideman Snowy White does an admirable job doing his best David Gilmour. If you are one of the Floyd faithful you will love this pleasant listening experience and have an additional respect for a great keyboardist and the element he brings to this group's sound.

The mood and character of the pieces which comprise this CD best compare with the works of Richard himself in Pink Floyd in their album "Wish you were here". This CD is smooth, sophistocated, and charming. The sax solos are amazing, and will capture the imagination. I recommend this CD to anyone who enjoys "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" or "Dogs". Amazing job Richard, this CD is among my favourites.

This CD has been out-of-print for 15+ years, yet some sellers claim an endless supply of "new" copies? Many fakes look really good, so you must check the matrix #'s and other fine details. Check out >The Pink Floyd Discographies Page< for info. Genuine copies are very scarce, please don't get burned.