A Momentary Lapse of Reason: Harsh First Reviews and Slow Critical Rehab

When A Momentary Lapse of Reason came out in 1987, critics sharpened their knives. The Chicago Tribune’s Steve Johnson called it “a Pink Floyd album in name only,” saying Dave Gilmour and Nick Mason turned the band into a slick, faceless machine without Roger Waters’ lyrical bile. Spin’s review was even more brutal — they argued the record felt like a desperate grab at the past, a hollow imitation of the band’s 70s peak, and gave it a “skip it” verdict.

But over decades, some critics have softened. The record’s clean production and soaring solos — especially on “Learning to Fly” and “Sorrow” — started sounding less like betrayal and more like a logical Gilmour-led evolution. By the 2010s, retrospectives from Uncut and Pitchfork admitted the album has a legitimate mood and a few essential tracks, even if the lyrics remain thin. It’s not Dark Side, but it’s no longer treated as a total embarrassment.