Another exercise in testing the patience of Pink Floyd fans, these desperate extended play Spotify releases, Canva cover and all, are as clear a grift as it gets for a band no longer on speaking terms. It does not take a detective to work out the intent of Night – or at least the expected ride of songs to put you to sleep. If slumber is the desire, it should be no surprise David Gilmour selections are on offer. Post-Roger Waters involvement and a way of massaging the ego of a legendary guitarist. What little these additions offer, and it is such a shame to see massive streaming platforms like Spotify churn these bits out under the guise of new releases. Pink Floyd will find any excuse to remaster their works. The Dark Side of the Moon tapes must be thinned to see-through rot.
But this is the band in its final stretch, and it will continue long after the founding members are passed. Like Yes, but with less warmth and no chance of new material. Night is a particularly damaging section as whoever is responsible for the release schedule takes to a Taylor Swift strategy of release. Put out these songs in as many forms as possible – removed from the likes of The Endless River for spots on modernised EPs – and reap the streaming rewards. In a way, the adaptation made by those in control of the Pink Floyd brand is merely doing what all artists must do to survive the lack of payments made by platforms hosting their music. Fair it may be for the up-and-comers to do it but what does Night provide Pink Floyd fans other than a clunky playlist anyone could put together?
It is one in a series of dreadful decisions made, from its choice of artificial intelligence victories in competitions filled with talented artists to the creation of what amounts to nothing more than historical revisionism in the form of six-track playlists. All to keep the band ticking over and top of the monthly listeners. Louder Than Words opens a collection of The Division Bell and onwards but offers very little in the way of consistency or clarity. Lost for Words and Keep Talking feature throughout and hint at playlists made through word association rather than thematic strength. An aversion to their best materials, their early psychedelic days or even their underrated strengths on Ummagumma or Meddle shines a light on the grift involved with getting a few extra streams at the cost of tampering with the EPs.
At least these were not physically released though the act of putting these together requires minimal effort and yields massive results. Monetization is key – it is why the Live 8 performance is ever-elusive yet crackpot schemes such as this Gilmour-loving piece live on. Nothing against the quality of music here – which remains exceptional yet vacant in that post-Waters departure way, but together it gives nothing exciting to listeners no doubt well-versed with these songs. Lost for Words still lingers as strangely comforting country-like tones but strips away what makes Pink Floyd so intense. Slick guitar work has never sounded so vacant. Night does not change the quality of On The Turning Away but it does leave a sickly taste in the mouth, the bile and experiences of adapting old works to the streaming landscape should be one of many warning shots fired towards Spotify.
