How The Final Cut Became a Roger Waters Solo Album in All but Name

By 1983, Pink Floyd was barely a band anymore. Roger Waters had written nearly everything on The Wall and Animals, but The Final Cut took the dictatorship to its logical end. The album’s working title was actually Requiem for a Dreamer — Waters wrote all the lyrics and every piece of music, then handed the other members their parts like session musicians.

David Gilmour has said he contributed “maybe three notes” to the whole record. The only real band input came from Nick Mason’s drumming and Richard Wright, who wasn’t even present — he’d been fired during The Wall sessions and was brought back as a paid keyboardist. The sleeve credits say “Pink Floyd,” but the inlay reads “by Roger Waters” above the band name. That pretty much tells the story.