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Hawking to appear on “The Endless River”

Posted October 8, 2014 by Floydian Slip

Details are slowly emerging about the upcoming Pink Floyd album “The Endless River,” which will be the band’s first studio work since 1994.

The synthesized voice of British physicist Stephen Hawking will be heard on a track called “Talkin’ Hawkin’.” He also appeared on “Keep Talking,” a track from “The Division Bell.” The upcoming album is culled from material recorded during the making of that ’94 album.

Like those contained in “Keep Talking,” Hawking’s segments are taken from a ’94 British Telecom television commercial that caught the ear of the band’s David Gilmour.

“This was the most powerful piece of television advertising that I’ve ever seen in my life,” Gilmour said in a radio interview. “I just found it so moving that I felt that I had to try and do something with it, or with him or something, in some way.”

The Guardian reports a spokesperson for the band states the song is not meant to be a sequel to “Keep Talking.”

Nonetheless, the album’s track listing includes another song that seems to indicate sequel: “Autumn ’68” would appear to make reference to the song “Summer ’68,” a song written by late keyboardist Rick Wright on the band’s “Atom Heart Mother” album (1970).

One song on “The Endless River” contains lyrics — “Louder Than Words” with lyrics by Polly Samson — but three other songs are now known to have backing vocals by Gilmour.

“The Endless River” will be released in the U.K. on Nov 10, and the following day in the U.S.

2 comments on “Hawking to appear on “The Endless River””

  1. John Robbo says:

    This is all the more intriguing for me as I have already ordered the new album (of course), but am currently contracted to teach English in Hunan Province in China until I return home at the tail end of January.

    I KNOW it will be waiting for me but I cannot wait to “load it” then listen to it through my BIG BOSE Speakers, which incidentally, LOVE Pink Floyd music!!!

  2. Jared in Vermont says:

    Thanks for the new details!


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