Album
A Momentary Lapse of Reason
A Momentary Lapse of Reason is Pink Floyd's thirteenth studio album, released on 7 September 1987. It was recorded mostly on David Gilmour's converted houseboat, the Astoria, and it was the first Floyd record made without Roger Waters, who had left in 1985. Richard Wright came back as a session player, having been fired by Waters during The Wall. The making of the album was overshadowed by legal wrangling over the band's name.
After a run of concept albums, this one steps away from a single theme. Gilmour also brought in outside songwriters and material once meant for his third solo album. "Learning to Fly" / "Terminal Frost", "On the Turning Away" and "One Slip" were the singles. Reviews were mixed, with praise for the production and playing and less for the lyrics, but it reached number three in the UK and US and outsold The Final Cut. The tour that followed included a free show on a barge in Venice.
A Momentary Lapse of Reason: tracklist, credits and charts
10 tracks · 51:13Tracklist
- 1Signs of LifeBob Ezrin and David Gilmour4:24
- 2Learning to FlyCarin, Ezrin, Gilmour, Moore4:53
- 3The Dogs of WarDavid Gilmour and Anthony Moore6:09
- 4One SlipDavid Gilmour and Phil Manzanera5:07
- 5On the Turning AwayDavid Gilmour and Anthony Moore5:42
- 6Yet Another Movie / Round and AroundDavid Gilmour and Patrick Leonard7:28
- 7A New Machine, Part 1David Gilmour1:46
- 8Terminal FrostDavid Gilmour6:17
- 9A New Machine, Part 2David Gilmour0:39
- 10SorrowDavid Gilmour8:47
- Produced by
- Bob Ezrin, David Gilmour
- Recorded at
- Astoria, Mayfair, Britannia Row, and Audio International in London, A&M, Village Recorders, and Can Am in Los Angeles, California, Le Mobile, Astoria
- Recorded
- November 1986 – March 1987
- Mixed by
- Andy Jackson
- Engineered by
- Andy Jackson
- Label
- Columbia
- Length
- 51:13
Line-up
- Jon Carin · synthesizer, keyboard
- Bob Ezrin · effects, synthesizer, percussion, keyboard
- David Gilmour · guitar, synthesizer, lead vocals, acoustic guitar, electric guitar, vocoder, drum machine
- Richard Wright · synthesizer, keyboard, background vocals, Hammond organ, piano
- Nick Mason · spoken vocals, drums (drum set), effects, percussion, drum machine, tom-tom
- Steve Forman · percussion · guest
- Tony Levin · bass guitar, Chapman stick
- Donnie Gerrard · background vocals
- Darlene Koldenhoven · background vocals
- Phyllis St. James · background vocals
- Carmen Twillie · background vocals
- Carmine Appice · drums (drum set) · guest
- Scott Page · saxophone · guest
- Bill Payne · Hammond organ · guest
- Tom Scott · saxophone · guest
- Jim Keltner · drums (drum set) · guest
- Michael Landau · guitar · guest
- Patrick Leonard · synthesizer · guest
Singles
- “Learning to Fly” · 7 September 1987
- “On the Turning Away” · 7 December 1987
- “One Slip” · 13 June 1988
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1987–2021 | 3 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1987–2021 | 3 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1987–2021 | 1 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1987–2021 | 2 |
| Dutch Albums · 1987–2021 | 2 |
| German Albums · 1987–2021 | 2 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1987–2021 | 2 |
| Swiss Albums · 1987–2021 | 2 |
| UK Rock & Metal Albums · 1987–2021 | 2 |
| Austrian Albums · 1987–2021 | 3 |
All 25 charts
| Swedish Albums · 1987–2021 | 3 |
| Italian Albums (Musica e Dischi) · 1987–2021 | 4 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1987–2021 | 5 |
| UKProgressive · 1987–2021 | 5 |
| Belgian Albums (Wallonia) · 1987–2021 | 8 |
| Hungarian Albums · 1987–2021 | 11 |
| Scottish Albums · 1987–2021 | 11 |
| Polish Albums · 1987–2021 | 12 |
| Spanish Albums (AFYVE) · 1987–2021 | 12 |
| Belgian Albums (Flanders) · 1987–2021 | 31 |
| Portuguese Albums · 1987–2021 | 39 |
| Finnish Albums · 1987–2021 | 48 |
| UKDigital · 1987–2021 | 72 |
| Ireland 2 · 1987–2021 | 86 |
| French Albums · 1987–2021 | 135 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Argentina · 1987 | Platinum |
| Australia | Platinum |
| Austria · 1994 | Gold |
| Canada · 1987 | 3× Platinum |
| France · 1988 | Platinum |
| Germany · 1987 | Gold |
| Italy · 2016 | Gold |
| Netherlands · 1988 | Gold |
| Norway · 1987 | Gold |
| Poland · 2022 | Gold |
| Portugal | Gold |
| Spain | Platinum |
| Sweden · 1987 | Gold |
| Switzerland · 1990 | 2× Platinum |
| United Kingdom · 1987 | Gold |
| United States · 2001 | 4× Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
86.1
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
7.9k
ListenBrainz listeners
272k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
34k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Also released on 7 September
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1968
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1969
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1969
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1970
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1970
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1971
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1971
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1972
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1973
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1973
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1975
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1977
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1979
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1981
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1983
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1983
Delicate Sound of Thunder
1988
Live at Pompeii
1990
Shine On
1992
The Division Bell
1994
London 1966/1967
1994
p·u·l·s·e
1995
1967: The First 3 Singles
1997
Is There Anybody out There? The Wall Live: 1980–1981
2000
Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd
2001
Oh by the Way
2007
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2011
A Foot in the Door: The Best of Pink Floyd
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2014
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2015
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2016
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2019
8‐Tracks
2026
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz; also seen: 1987-09-08 (wikidata)
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 7 September 1987 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 7 September 1987 | |
| Wikidata | 8 September 1987 | |
| US release | 8 September 1987 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 7 September 1987 | earliest UK or European date |
56 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | US | Columbia | 074644059922 | other |
| — | CA | Columbia | 074644059922 | other |
| — | US | Columbia | 074644059922 | other |
| — | DE | EMI | 077774806824 | other |
| — | GB | EMI | 077774806824 | other |
| 1987 | US | Columbia | 7464405992 | other |
| 1987 | IT | EMI | 077774806824 | other |
| 1987 | GB | EMI | 077774806817 | other |
| 1987 | AU | CBS | 9399746018822 | other |
| 1987 | XE | EMI | 077774806824 | other |
| 1987 | NZ | CBS | other | |
| 1987 | AU | CBS | 5099746011819 | other |
| 1987 | PT | EMI‐Valentim de Carvalho, Música Lda. | 077774806817 | other |
| 1987 | FR | EMI | 5099974806812 | other |
| 1987 | BG | Балкантон | other | |
| 1987 | AU | CBS | 5099746018849 | other |
| 1987 | DE | EMI Electrola GmbH | other | |
| 1987 | DE | EMI | other | |
| 1987 | YU | Jugoton | other | |
| 1987 | HU | Hungaroton-Gong | other | |
| 1987 | XC | Supraphon | other | |
| 1987 | AU | CBS | other | |
| September 1987 | US | Columbia | 074644059915 | other |
| September 1987 | JP | CBS/Sony | 4988009533513 | other |
| 7 September 1987 | GB | EMI | 077774806824 | original |
| 8 September 1987 | US | Columbia | 074644059922 | other |
| October 1987 | YU | Jugoton | 077774806817 | other |
| 10 October 1987 | JP | CBS/Sony | 4988009560052 | other |
| 1990 | XE | EMI | 077774806824 | other |
| 1991 | ZA | Columbia | 6001208326606 | other |
| 1997 | US | Columbia | 074646851821 | deluxe |
| 1997 | AU | Columbia | 9399700047400 | other |
| 1997 | IN | Columbia | other | |
| 1997 | US | Capitol Records | 5099969515927 | other |
| 18 September 1998 | JP | Sony Records | 4988009848990 | other |
| 2005 | US | Columbia | 074646851821 | other |
| 18 May 2005 | JP | Sony Records International | 4571191051608 | other |
| 26 September 2011 | US | EMI | 5099902895925 | other |
| 26 September 2011 | XE | EMI | 5099902895925 | other |
| 28 September 2011 | JP | EMI | 4988006887435 | other |
| 2016 | — | Columbia | 886445635935 | other |
| 2016 | — | Pink Floyd Records | 886445613865 | other |
| 2016 | JP | Columbia | 886445670042 | other |
| 2016 | JP | Columbia | 886445669930 | other |
| 5 February 2016 | AU | Pink Floyd Records | 888751709621 | other |
| 2017 | XE | Pink Floyd Records | 5099902895925 | other |
| 2017 | US | Pink Floyd Records | 888751843011 | other |
| 20 January 2017 | XE | Pink Floyd Records | 0190295996949 | other |
| 22 November 2017 | JP | Pink Floyd Records | 4547366312713 | other |
| 2 September 2021 | US | Pink Floyd Records | 194398595825 | other |
| 19 October 2021 | XW | Legacy | 886448395850 | other |
| 29 October 2021 | XE | Pink Floyd Records | 0190295044091 | other |
| 29 October 2021 | US | Pink Floyd Records | 194398448718 | other |
| 29 October 2021 | XE | Pink Floyd Records | 0190295079208 | other |
| 29 October 2021 | US | Pink Floyd Records | 194398595924 | other |
| 29 October 2021 | XE | Pink Floyd Records | 0190295044077 | other |
Cover art sources
coverartarchive · native: native 1500x1500
| Source | Size | Verdict |
|---|---|---|
| coverartarchive ✓ | 1500×1500 | native: native 1500x1500 |
| deezer | 1200×1200 | upscaled |
| fanarttv | 1000×1000 | upscaled |