Album
The Final Cut
The Final Cut is Pink Floyd's twelfth studio album, released on 21 March 1983. It began as a soundtrack to the 1982 film of The Wall, gathering leftover material from that record, but the Falklands War changed its direction. Roger Waters recast it as a concept album about what he saw as the betrayal of those who died defending freedom in the Second World War, his own father among them. He wrote everything and sang lead on all but one track.
It is a pivotal record in the band's story: the last to feature Waters, who left in 1985, and the only one without keyboardist Richard Wright. The sessions were fraught, with David Gilmour doubting some of the material. Reviews were mixed, though it reached number one in the UK and number six in the US. Worth hearing as a bleak, personal farewell to a particular Floyd era.
The Final Cut: tracklist, credits and charts
12 tracks · 43:24Tracklist
- 1The Post War DreamRoger Waters3:04
- 2Your Possible PastsRoger Waters4:23
- 3One of the FewRoger Waters1:22
- 4The Hero’s ReturnRoger Waters2:58
- 5The Gunners DreamRoger Waters5:06
- 6Paranoid EyesRoger Waters3:43
- 7Get Your Filthy Hands Off My DesertRoger Waters1:16
- 8The Fletcher Memorial HomeRoger Waters4:12
- 9Southampton DockRoger Waters2:08
- 10The Final CutRoger Waters4:49
- 11Not Now JohnRoger Waters5:02
- 12Two Suns in the SunsetRoger Waters5:20
- Produced by
- James Guthrie, Michael Kamen, Roger Waters
- Recorded at
- Abbey Road Studios, Audio International Studios, Eel Pie Studios, Hook End Studios, Mayfair Studios, Olympic Studios, RAK Studios, The Billiard Room, Mayfair, RAK, Olympic, Abbey Road, Eel Pie, Audio International, and the Billiard Room in London, Hook End Recording Studios in Oxfordshire, England
- Recorded
- July–December 1982
- Engineered by
- James Guthrie, Andy Jackson
- Artwork
- The Artful Dodgers, Roger Waters
- Photography
- Willie Christie
- Label
- Pathé Marconi EMI
- Length
- 43:24
Line-up
- David Gilmour · guitar, electric guitar, background vocals, lead vocals
- Michael Kamen · harmonium, electric piano, piano
- Nick Mason · drums (drum set), percussion, tape, tambourine
- Roger Waters · bass guitar, lead vocals, acoustic guitar, tape, effects, synthesizer, 12 string guitar
- Andy Bown · Hammond organ, electric piano, piano
- Ray Cooper · percussion · guest
- Raphael Ravenscroft · tenor saxophone · guest
- National Philharmonic Orchestra · strings · guest
- Doreen Chanter · background vocals · guest
- Irene Chanter · background vocals · guest
- Andy Newmark · drums (drum set) · guest
Singles
- “Not Now John” · April 1983
Peak chart positions
| Chart | Peak |
|---|---|
| UK Albums Chart · 1983 | 1 |
| US Billboard 200 · 1983 | 6 |
| French Albums · 1983 | 1 |
| German Albums · 1983 | 1 |
| Italian Albums (Musica e Dischi) · 1983 | 1 |
| New Zealand Albums · 1983 | 1 |
| Norwegian Albums · 1983 | 1 |
| Swedish Albums · 1983 | 1 |
| Canadian Albums (RPM) · 1983 | 2 |
| Dutch Albums · 1983 | 2 |
All 17 charts
| Spanish Albums (AFYVE) · 1983 | 2 |
| Australian Albums (ARIA) · 1983 | 3 |
| Austrian Albums · 1983 | 3 |
| Finnish Albums (Suomen Virallinen) · 1983 | 3 |
| Italian Albums · 2017 | 23 |
| Polish Albums · 2017 | 41 |
| Swiss Albums · 2017 | 82 |
Certifications
| Region | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia · 1983 | Platinum |
| Austria · 1994 | Gold |
| France · 1983 | Gold |
| Germany · 1990 | Gold |
| Italy · 2017 | Gold |
| Netherlands · 1986 | Gold |
| New Zealand | Platinum |
| Spain · 1983 | Gold |
| United Kingdom · 1983 | Gold |
| United States · 1997 | 2× Platinum |
From MusicBrainz, Wikipedia and Wikidata. Only what the sources record is shown.
83.1
Popularity (0–100, vs the whole vault)
5.3k
ListenBrainz listeners
247k
Wikipedia views, last 12 months
32k
Deezer fans (all editions)
Also released on 21 March
Every year →
More from Pink Floyd
Full discography →
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn
1967
A Saucerful of Secrets
1968
More
1969
Ummagumma
1969
The Best of The Pink Floyd
1970
Atom Heart Mother
1970
Relics
1971
Meddle
1971
Obscured by Clouds
1972
The Dark Side of the Moon
1973
A Nice Pair
1973
Wish You Were Here
1975
Animals
1977
The Wall
1979
A Collection of Great Dance Songs
1981
Works
1983
A Momentary Lapse of Reason
1987
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
Discovery
2011
A Foot in the Door: The Best of Pink Floyd
2011
The Endless River
2014
1965: Their First Recordings
2015
The Early Years: 1965–1972
2016
The Later Years: 1987–2019
2019
8‐Tracks
2026
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Works
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Releases and pressings
How we know the release date wikipedia + musicbrainz + wikidata
| Source | Date | Note |
|---|---|---|
| MusicBrainz | 21 March 1983 | |
| Wikipedia infobox | 21 March 1983 | |
| Wikidata | 21 March 1983 | |
| US release | 2 April 1983 | earliest US date |
| UK / Europe release | 21 March 1983 | earliest UK or European date |
53 editions
| Date | Country | Label | Barcode | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | BR | Columbia | 5099702541626 | other |
| 1983 | FR | Pathé Marconi EMI | other | |
| 1983 | GB | EMI | other | |
| 1983 | IT | Harvest | other | |
| 1983 | XE | Harvest | other | |
| 1983 | JP | CBS/Sony | other | |
| 1983 | AU | CBS | other | |
| March 1983 | JP | CBS/Sony | other | |
| 21 March 1983 | GB | Harvest | original | |
| 23 March 1983 | DE | Harvest | other | |
| 2 April 1983 | US | Columbia | 074643824316 | other |
| 2 April 1983 | US | Columbia | 074643824316 | other |
| 19 May 1983 | YU | Jugoton | other | |
| August 1983 | US | CBS | 074643824323 | other |
| 1984 | AU | CBS | other | |
| 1984 | GB | Harvest | other | |
| 1985 | CA | CBS | 074643824323 | other |
| 1985 | US | CBS | 074643824323 | other |
| 1985 | US | CBS | 07464382432 | other |
| 25 August 1985 | JP | CBS/Sony | other | |
| 16 June 1986 | GB | Harvest | other | |
| 1988 | XE | Harvest | 077774612920 | other |
| 26 February 1988 | JP | CBS/Sony | other | |
| 1991 | ZA | Columbia | 6001208326507 | other |
| 1992 | US | CBS | 074643824323 | other |
| 8 October 1994 | XE | EMI United Kingdom | 724383124220 | other |
| 10 October 1994 | GB | Harvest | 724383124220 | other |
| 1997 | AU | Columbia | 9399700047363 | other |
| 1997 | ZA | Columbia | 6007689244231 | other |
| September 1997 | IN | Sony Music | other | |
| 16 December 1997 | US | Columbia | 074646851722 | other |
| 19 September 1998 | JP | Sony Records | other | |
| 2004 | GB | EMI | 724357673426 | other |
| 2004 | AR | Harvest | 724357673426 | other |
| 22 March 2004 | JP | EMI | 4988006821675 | other |
| 4 May 2004 | US | Capitol Records | 724357673426 | other |
| 2008 | GB | EMI | 5099951111120 | other |
| 2009 | AU | EMI | 724357673426 | other |
| January 2009 | XE | EMI | 724357673426 | other |
| December 2009 | RU | EMI | 5099960686121 | other |
| 16 December 2009 | JP | EMI Music Japan Inc. | 4988006877528 | other |
| 2010 | US | Capitol Records | 724357673426 | other |
| 2011 | US | EMI | 5099902895628 | other |
| 26 September 2011 | XE | EMI | 5099902895628 | other |
| 28 September 2011 | JP | EMI | 4988006887428 | other |
| 2016 | XW | Pink Floyd Records | 886445613858 | other |
| 2016 | JP | Columbia | 886445669855 | other |
| 2016 | XE | Pink Floyd Records | 5099902895628 | other |
| 2016 | XE | Pink Floyd Records | 5099902895628 | other |
| 8 January 2016 | US | Pink Floyd Records | 888751709522 | other |
| 20 January 2017 | XE | Pink Floyd Records | 0190295996956 | other |
| 20 January 2017 | US | Pink Floyd Records | 888751842915 | other |
| 22 November 2017 | JP | Pink Floyd Records | 4547366312614 | 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 |