The Division Bell

File:Astoria (Péniche).jpg]]

In January 1993, guitarist David Gilmour, drummer Nick Mason and keyboardist Richard Wright began improvising new material in sessions at the remodelled Britannia Row Studios. They recruited bassist Guy Pratt, who had joined them on their Momentary Lapse of Reason Tour;{{Harvnb|Blake|2008|p=356}} according to Mason, Pratt's playing influenced the mood of the music.{{Harvnb|Mason|2005|p=315}} Without the legal problems that had dogged the production of their 1987 album A Momentary Lapse of Reason, Gilmour was at ease. If he felt the band were making progress, he would record them on a two-track DAT recorder.{{Harvnb|Blake|2008|p=354}}{{Harvnb|Di Perna|2002|p=86}} At one point, Gilmour surreptitiously recorded Wright playing, capturing material that formed the basis for three pieces of music.{{Harvnb|Mason|2005|pp=314–315}}

After about two weeks, the band had around 65 pieces of music. With engineer Andy Jackson and co-producer Bob Ezrin, production moved to Gilmour's houseboat and recording studio, Astoria. The band voted on each track, and whittled the material down to about 27 pieces. Eliminating some tracks, and merging others, they arrived at about 11 songs. Song selection was based upon a system of points, whereby all three members would award marks out of ten to each candidate song, a system skewed by Wright awarding his songs ten points each and the others none.{{Harvnb|Mason|2005|pp=314–321}} Wright, having resigned under pressure from the bassist, Roger Waters, in 1979, was not contractually a full member of the band, which upset him. Wright reflected: "It came very close to a point where I wasn't going to do the album, because I didn't feel that what we'd agreed was fair."{{Harvnb|Blake|2008|p=355}} Wright received his first songwriting credits on any Pink Floyd album since 1975's Wish You Were Here.{{Harvnb|Blake|2008|pp=354–355}}

{{listen | filename = Pink floyd wearing the inside out.ogg | title = "Wearing the Inside Out" | description = "Wearing the Inside Out" contains Richard Wright's first prominent vocal contribution to a Pink Floyd album since 1973's The Dark Side of the Moon. | format = Ogg}}

Gilmour's fiancée, the novelist Polly Samson, also received songwriting credits. Initially, her role was limited to providing encouragement for Gilmour, but she helped him write "High Hopes", a song about Gilmour's childhood in Cambridge. She co-wrote a further six songs, which bothered Ezrin. Gilmour said that Samson's contributions had "ruffled the management's [feathers]", but Ezrin later reflected that her presence had been inspirational for Gilmour, and that she "pulled the whole album together".{{Harvnb|Blake|2008|pp=355–356}} She also helped Gilmour with the cocaine addiction he had developed following his divorce.{{Harvnb|Blake|2008|p=365}} Samson did not want credit, saying "the idea of my name being attached to Pink Floyd was like some nightmare", but Gilmour insisted, telling her she would regret going uncredited. She later said he was right, and that she had become used to him singing her lyrics.{{Cite web |date=2015-09-14 |title=David Gilmour: Life after the Lurching Monster |url=https://tidal.com/magazine/article/david-gilmour-life-after-the-lurching-monster/1-16145 |access-date=2024-09-23 |website=TIDAL Magazine |language=en-US}}

The keyboardist Jon Carin, the percussionist Gary Wallis, backing vocalists including Sam Brown and the Momentary Lapse tour singer Durga McBroom were brought in before recording began. The band moved to Olympic Studios and recorded most of the tracks over the space of a week. After a summer break, they returned to Astoria to record more backing tracks. Ezrin worked on the drum sounds, and the Pink Floyd collaborator Michael Kamen provided the string arrangements, which were recorded at Abbey Road Studio Two by Steve McLaughlin.{{Harvnb|Mason|2005|pp=318–319}} Dick Parry played saxophone on his first Pink Floyd album for almost 20 years, on "Wearing the Inside Out", and Chris Thomas created the final mix.{{Harvnb|Blake|2008|pp=356–357}}

With the aid of Gilmour's guitar technician, Phil Taylor, Carin located some of Pink Floyd's older keyboards from storage, including a Farfisa organ. Sounds sampled from these instruments were used on "Take It Back" and "Marooned".{{Harvnb|Blake|2008|p=357}} Additional keyboards were played by Carin, along with Bob Ezrin. Durga McBroom supplied backing vocals alongside Sam Brown, Carol Kenyon, Jackie Sheridan, and Rebecca Leigh-White.{{Harvnb|Mabbett|1995|p=120}} "What Do You Want from Me" was influenced by Chicago blues, and "Poles Apart" contains folksy overtones. Gilmour's improvised guitar solos on "Marooned" used a DigiTech Whammy pedal to pitch-shift the guitar notes over an octave. On "Take It Back", he used a Gibson J-200 guitar through a Zoom effects unit, played with an EBow, an electronic device which produces sounds similar to a bow.{{Harvnb|Di Perna|2002|pp=83–85}}

Between September and December recording and mixing sessions were held at Metropolis Studios in Chiswick and the Creek Recording Studios in London. In September, Pink Floyd performed at a celebrity charity concert at Cowdray House, in Midhurst.{{Harvnb|Povey|2007|p=257}} The album was mastered at the Mastering Lab in Los Angeles, by Doug Sax and James Guthrie.{{#tag:ref|See sleeve notes.|group="nb"}}

Jackson edited unused material from the Division Bell sessions, described by Mason as ambient music, into an hour-long composition tentatively titled The Big Spliff,"The Return of the Parts of Something: The Making of The Endless River", by Daryl Easlea, Prog October 2014, pp. 38–45 but Pink Floyd did not release it. Some of The Big Spliff was used to create the next Pink Floyd album, The Endless River (2014).{{cite web|title=Pink Floyd reveals details of new album, The Endless River|url=http://consequenceofsound.net/2014/09/pink-floyd-reveals-details-of-new-album-the-endless-river/|website=Consequence of Sound|first=Alex|last=Young|date=22 September 2014|access-date=22 September 2014}}

The Division Bell deals with themes of communication and the idea that talking can solve many problems. In the Studio radio host Redbeard suggested that the album offers "the very real possibility of transcending it all, through shivering moments of grace".{{Citation|title=In the Studio with Redbeard|date=17 August 2009|url=http://www.inthestudio.net/|publisher=inthestudio.net}} Songs such as "Poles Apart" and "Lost for Words" have been interpreted by fans and critics as references to the estrangement between Pink Floyd and their former member Roger Waters, who left in 1985, however Gilmour denied this and said: "People can invent and relate to a song in their personal ways but it's a little late at this point for us to be conjuring Roger up."{{Citation|last=Morse|first=Steve|title=Pink Floyd pride and drive keep band on top with No. 1 album and 60-show tour|date=12 May 1994|url=http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8279051.html|work=Boston Globe, hosted at highbeam.com/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150329142058/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-8279051.html|url-status=dead|format=Registration required|access-date=14 January 2010|archive-date=29 March 2015}} The title refers to the division bell rung in the British parliament to announce a vote.{{Harvnb|Mabbett|1995|pp=119, 123}}{{#tag:ref|The bell used at the end of the album is not the bell used in Parliament|group = "nb"}} Mason said: "It's about people making choices, yeas or nays."

Produced a few years after the collapse of the Eastern Bloc, "A Great Day for Freedom" juxtaposes the general euphoria of the fall of the Berlin Wall with the subsequent wars and ethnic cleansing, particularly in the former Yugoslavia.{{Citation|last=Cosyns|first=Simon|title=Echoes brought Rick out of his shell... we had musical telepathy|date=26 September 2008|url= https://www.davidgilmour.com/press/2008/september/Sun_26September08.pdf|work=The Sun, hosted at davidgilmour.com|access-date=12 March 2024}} Audio samples of Stephen Hawking, originally recorded for a BT television advertisement, were used in "Keep Talking";(liner notes from Echoes) Gilmour was so moved by Hawking's sentiment in the advert that he contacted the advertising company for permission to use the recordings.{{Citation|title=In the Studio with Redbeard|date=31 March 1994}} Mason said it felt "politically incorrect to take ideas from advertising but it seemed a very relevant piece". At the end of the album, Gilmour's stepson Charlie is heard hanging up the telephone receiver on Pink Floyd manager Steve O'Rourke, who had pleaded to be allowed to appear on a Pink Floyd album.{{Harvnb|Mabbett|1995|p=123}}

{{Quote box |quoted=true |bgcolor=#FFFFF0 |salign=center | quote = The album feels much more home-made, very much as a band playing together in one space. I think that Rick in particular felt significantly more integrated in the process this time, compared to Momentary Lapse. It was nice to have him back. | source = Nick Mason (2005){{Harvnb|Mason|2005|p=317}} | align = right | width = 25%}}

To avoid competing against other album releases, as had happened with A Momentary Lapse, Pink Floyd set a deadline of April 1994, at which point they would begin a new tour. By January of that year, however, the band still had not decided on an album title. Titles considered included Pow Wow and Down to Earth. At a dinner one night, writer Douglas Adams, spurred by the promise of a payment to his favourite charity, the Environmental Investigation Agency, suggested The Division Bell, a term which appears in "High Hopes".{{Harvnb|Mason|2005|pp=319–320}}{{Harvnb|Mabbett|1995|pp=119–120}}

Pink Floyd's longtime collaborator Storm Thorgerson created the album artwork. He erected two large metal heads, each the height of a double-decker bus, in a field near Stuntney, Cambridgeshire.Norwich Evening News August 25, 2021 page 22 The sculptures were positioned together and photographed in profile, and can be seen as two faces talking to each other or as a single, third face. Thorgerson said the "third absent face" was a reference to Syd Barrett. The sculptures were devised by Keith Breeden, and constructed by John Robertson. Ely Cathedral is visible on the horizon.{{Harvnb|Mason|2005|p=320}}{{Citation|title=Division Bell — Metal Heads |url=http://www.hypergallery.com/prints/division-bell---metal-heads-25.html |publisher=hypergallery.com |access-date=13 January 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110713001055/http://www.hypergallery.com/prints/division-bell---metal-heads-25.html |archive-date=13 July 2011 }} The pictures were shot in February for optimal lighting conditions. In 2001, the sculptures were in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, Ohio.{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101153625/http://www.rockhall.com/blog/post/8841_exhibit-pink-floyd-the-division-bell-sculptures/|url=http://www.rockhall.com/blog/post/8841_exhibit-pink-floyd-the-division-bell-sculptures/|archive-date=1 January 2016|title=Spotlight Exhibit: Pink Floyd's The Division Bell Sculptures |date=24 August 2012|publisher=The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum|access-date=13 January 2016}} In 2017, they were moved to the London Victoria and Albert Museum for display in a Pink Floyd exhibition.{{Cite web|url=https://www.planetrock.com/news/rock-news/photos-the-division-bell-heads-loaded-into-vanda-museum-for-pink-floyd-exhibition/|title=PHOTOS: The Division Bell heads loaded into V&A museum for Pink Floyd exhibition|website=Planet Rock}} An alternate version of the cover photo, featuring two {{convert|7.5|m|adj=on}} stone sculptures by Aden Hynes,{{#tag:ref|See sleeve notes.|group="nb"}} was used on the compact cassette release and the tour brochure.{{cite web|title=Pink Floyd, The Division Bell (Stone Heads w/Boy)|url=http://www.sfae.com/index.php?pg=302221 |publisher=San Francisco Art Exchange|access-date=13 January 2016}}

On 10 January 1994 a press reception to announce The Division Bell and the tour was held at a former US Naval Air Station in North Carolina, in the US. A purpose-built Skyship 600 airship, manufactured in the UK, toured the US until it returned to Weeksville, and was destroyed by a thunderstorm on 27 June. Pieces of the aircraft were sold as souvenirs. The band held another reception, in the UK, on 21 March. This time they used an A60 airship, translucent, and painted to look like a fish, which took journalists on a tour of London. The airship, which was lit internally so it glowed in the night sky, was also flown in northern Europe.{{Harvnb|Povey|2007|p=270}}

During the Division Bell tour, an anonymous person using the name Publius posted on an internet newsgroup, inviting fans to solve a riddle supposedly concealed in the album. The message was verified during a show in East Rutherford, where lights in front of the stage spelled "Enigma Publius". During a televised concert at Earls Court, London, in October 1994, the word "enigma" was projected in large letters on to the backdrop of the stage. The riddle has never been solved.{{Cite web |last=Burton |first=Poppy |date=2023-08-16 |title='Pubulis Enigma': Pink Floyd's greatest marketing ploy |url=https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/pubulis-enigma-pink-floyd-greatest-marketing-ploy/ |access-date=2023-11-18 |website=Far Out |language=en-US}}{{Harvnb|Blake|2008|pp=363–367}} Gilmour and Mason later said it was created as a marketing ploy by EMI. According to Mason, the prize was to be "a crop of trees planted in a clear-cut area of forest or something to that effect ... a touchy-feely sort of gift that was more of a philanthropic thing than something you could hang on the wall".

The Division Bell was released in the UK by EMI Records on 28 March 1994,{{#tag:ref|UK EMI EMD 1055 (vinyl), EMI CD EMD 1055 (CD){{Harvnb|Povey|2007|p=350}}|group="nb"}} and in the US on 5 April,{{#tag:ref|US Columbia C 64200 (vinyl), Columbia CK 64200 (CD)|group="nb"}} and went straight to number one in both countries.{{Harvnb|Blake|2008|p=359}} The Division Bell was certified silver and gold in the UK on 1 April 1994, platinum a month later and 2× platinum on 1 October. In the US, it was certified gold and double platinum on 6 June 1994, and triple platinum on 29 January 1999.{{Harvnb|Povey|2007|p=351}}

In the United States the album debuted at number one in the Billboard 200 during the week of 23 April 1994 selling more than 460,000 units, at the time it was the 12th largest single-week total since Billboard began using SoundScan data in May 1991 and also became the fifth-largest first-week sales sum back then.{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RQgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA103|title=Between The Bullets|last=Mayfield|first=Geoff|date=23 April 1994|page=103|magazine=Billboard|issn=0006-2510|volume=106|number=17}} The next week it stayed at the top of the chart selling a little less than half its first-week total, it moved 226,000 units during its second week on chart.{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RggEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA99|title=Between The Bullets|last=Mayfield|first=Geoff|date=30 April 1994|page=99|magazine=Billboard|issn=0006-2510|volume=106|number=18}} The next week sales slid by 30% from last week's sum selling 157,000 units, despite this sales decrease the album stayed at number one.{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SAgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA125|title=Between The Bullets|last=Mayfield|first=Geoff|date=7 May 1994|page=125|magazine=Billboard|issn=0006-2510|volume=106|number=19}} The following week, on 14 May 1994 The Division Bell remained at number one on the Billboard 200 and sales declined by 17%.{{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=SggEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA109|title=Between The Bullets|last=Mayfield|first=Geoff|date=14 May 1994|page=109|magazine=Billboard|issn=0006-2510|volume=106|number=20}} In its fifth week, it fell off to the fourth place on the chart. It was present on the Billboard 200 for 53 weeks.{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/pink-floyd/chart-history/tlp/|title=Pink Floyd Chart History (Billboard 200)|magazine=Billboard|access-date=28 January 2018}} It was certified three times platinum by the RIAA on 29 January 1999 for shipments of three million units.

{{Main|The Division Bell Tour}}

Two days after the album's release, the Division Bell Tour began at Joe Robbie Stadium, in suburban Miami. The set list began with 1967's "Astronomy Domine", before moving to tracks from 1987's A Momentary Lapse of Reason, and The Division Bell. Songs from Wish You Were Here and The Wall were featured, as well as the whole Dark Side of the Moon. Backing musicians included Sam Brown, Jon Carin, Claudia Fontaine, Durga McBroom, Dick Parry, Guy Pratt, Tim Renwick, and Gary Wallis. {{Harvnb|Blake|2008|p=367}}{{Harvnb|Povey|2007|pp=270–280}}

The tour continued in the US through April, May and mid-June, before moving to Canada, and then returning to the US in July. As the tour reached Europe in late July, Waters declined an invitation to join the band, and later expressed his annoyance that Pink Floyd songs were being performed again in large venues. On the first night of the UK leg of the tour on 12 October, a 1,200-capacity stand collapsed, but with no serious injuries; the performance was rescheduled.

The tour ended at Earls Court on 29 October 1994, and was Pink Floyd's final concert performance until Live 8 in 2005. Estimates placed the total number of tickets sold at over 5.3 million, and gross income at about $100 million.{{Harvnb|Povey|2007|p=264}} A live album and video, Pulse, was released in June 1995.{{Harvnb|Povey|2007|p=285}}

{{Album ratings

| rev1 = AllMusic

| rev1Score = {{Rating|2|5}}{{cite web |first=William |last=Ruhlmann |url=http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-division-bell-mw0000113053|title=The Division Bell – Pink Floyd | Songs, Reviews, Credits, Awards | AllMusic |website=AllMusic |access-date=1 December 2013}}

| rev2 = The Encyclopedia of Popular Music

| rev2Score = {{Rating|3|5}}{{cite book|last=Larkin|first=Colin|author-link=Colin Larkin|title=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music|year=2007|publisher=Oxford University Press|edition=4th|isbn=978-0195313734|title-link=The Encyclopedia of Popular Music}}

| rev3 = Entertainment Weekly

| rev3score = D

| rev4 = The Great Rock Discography

| rev4score = 6/10

| rev5 = NME

| rev5score = 3/10

| rev6 = Paste

| rev6score = 6.1/10{{cite web |url=http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2011/10/pink-floyd-why-pink-floyd-reissue-series.html |title=Assessing a Legacy: Why Pink Floyd? Reissue Series |last=Deusner |first=Stephen |date=16 October 2011 |work=Paste |access-date=16 February 2022 |archive-date=24 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924124543/http://www.pastemagazine.com/articles/2011/10/pink-floyd-why-pink-floyd-reissue-series.html |url-status=live }}

| rev7 = PopMatters

| rev7score = 7/10{{cite web |first = Alex |last=Franquelli |url=http://www.popmatters.com/review/184220-pink-floyd-the-division-bell-20th-anniversary-deluxe-edition/|title = The Division Bell (20th Anniversary Deluxe Edition) |access-date=15 August 2014}}

| rev8 = Rolling Stone

| rev8score = {{Rating|2.5|5}}{{Citation | last = Graves | first = Tom | title = The Division Bell | url = https://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/219753/the_division_bell | publisher = rollingstone.com | date = 16 June 1994 | access-date = 3 January 2010|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080619021617/http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/219753/the_division_bell |archive-date = 19 June 2008|url-status=dead}}

| rev9 = Sputnikmusic

| rev9Score = {{Rating|4.5|5}}{{cite web |url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/59292/Pink-Floyd-The-Division-Bell/|title=The Division Bell – Pink Floyd |access-date=6 May 2019}}

| rev10 = Uncut

| rev10score = {{Rating|4|5}}{{cite web |first = Uncut |last = Magazine |url = http://www.uncut.co.uk/reviews/album/pink-floyd-the-division-bell-20th-anniversary-edition |title = Pink Floyd – The Division Bell Review |access-date = 22 August 2014 |archive-date = 29 October 2019 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191029125901/https://www.uncut.co.uk/reviews/album/pink-floyd-the-division-bell-20th-anniversary-edition |url-status = dead }}

}}

Though regarded by long-time Pink Floyd fans as a return to form,{{cite book |last=Strong |first=Martin C. |title=The Great Rock Discography |page=623 |date=2006 |publisher=Canongate Books |location=Edinburgh |isbn=978-1-84195-860-6 |chapter=Pink Floyd}} The Division Bell received mixed reviews from music critics. Tom Sinclair of Entertainment Weekly wrote that "avarice is the only conceivable explanation for this glib, vacuous cipher of an album, which is notable primarily for its stomach-turning merger of progressive-rock pomposity and New Age noodling".{{Citation | last = Sinclair | first = Tom | title = The Division Bell | url = https://ew.com/article/1994/04/22/division-bell/ | publisher = Entertainment Weekly | date = 22 April 1994 | access-date = 9 January 2010 | archive-date = 25 September 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120925191237/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,301952,00.html | url-status = live }} Rolling Stone{{'s}} Tom Graves criticised Gilmour's performance, writing that his guitar solos had "settled into rambling, indistinct asides that are as forgettable as they used to be indelible ... Only on 'What Do You Want from Me' does Gilmour sound like he cares". Robert Christgau of The Village Voice dismissed The Division Bell as a "dud."{{Cite web |last=Christgau |first=Robert |date=1995-04-11 |title=Consumer Guide Apr. 11, 1995 |url=https://www.robertchristgau.com/xg/cg/cgv495-95.php |access-date=2024-01-25 |website=The Village Voice |language=en-US}}

Among British reviewers, David Bennun of Melody Maker praised the opening instrumental "Cluster One" as "magnificent" and "a track to rank with the most fragrant of modern ambient", but found the rest of the album dreary, despite finding "hints" throughout that Gilmour understood the band's strengths.{{cite journal |last1=Bennun |first1=David |editor1-last=Arundel |editor1-first=Jim |title=Albums |journal=Melody Maker |date=16 April 1994 |page=36}} In his review for NME, Tommy Udo similarly praised "Cluster One" for sounding "effortless", despite finding its ambient nature dated and unconnected to "ambient upstarts" the Orb. However, while Udo enjoyed The Division Bell{{'}}s lengthy instrumentals, he criticised the record overall for its "sixth-form" lyrics and for being "so damned anonymous."{{cite journal |last1=Udo |first1=Tommy |editor1-last=Dee |editor1-first=Johnny |title=Long Play |journal=New Musical Express |date=9 April 1994 |page=40}}

The album won the Grammy for Best Rock Instrumental Performance on "Marooned".{{Harvnb|Browne|2001|p=611}} The Division Bell was nominated for the 1995 Brit Award for Best Album by a British Artist,{{Citation | title = The Nominees | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=wgsEAAAAMBAJ | magazine=Billboard | page = 48 | date = 18 February 1995 | access-date = 13 January 2010|publisher = Nielsen Business Media}} but lost to Blur's Parklife.{{cite web |title=Blur at the BRITs: 1995 - 2012 |url=https://brits.co.uk/news/2012/blur-at-the-brits-1995-2012/ |website=BRITs |access-date=18 December 2024}}

In 2011, The Division Bell was ranked at number 93 in Q{{'}}s readers poll of the "250 Best Albums of the Last 25 Years"; the magazine wrote that the record "reconfigured the magisterial prog-rock of the mid-'70s for the late-20th century" and made for a welcome "lap of honour".{{cite journal |title=250 Best Albums of the Last 25 Years |journal=Q |date=February 2011 |page=55 |publisher=Bauer London Lifestyle Ltd. |location=London}} In Uncut's 2011 Pink Floyd: The Ultimate Music Guide, Graeme Thomson wrote that The Division Bell "might just be the dark horse of the Floyd canon. The opening triptych of songs is a hugely impressive return to something very close to the eternal essence of Pink Floyd, and much of the rest retains a quiet power and a meditative quality that betrays a genuine sense of unity."{{cite journal|last=Thomson|first=Graeme|title=The Division Bell|journal=Uncut: Ultimate Music Guide – Pink Floyd|date=7 June 2011|issue=6|page=128}} In 2014, Uncut reviewed the album again for its 20th-anniversary reissue, and praised its production, writing that it sounded much "more like a classic Pink Floyd album" than The Final Cut (1983) and that the connection between Wright and Gilmour was "the album's musical heart". Waters, who left Pink Floyd in 1985, dismissed The Division Bell as "just rubbish ... nonsense from beginning to end."{{Harvnb|Manning|2006|p=144}}

The Division Bell was reissued in 2011. It was remastered by Andy Jackson and released as a standalone CD and as part of the Discovery box set.

It was reissued again on 30 June 2014, as a "20th anniversary deluxe edition" box set and a 20th anniversary double-LP vinyl reissue. The instrumental piece "Marooned" served as the set's lead single with a new video filmed at Pripyat. The box set contains the 2011 remaster of the album; a 5.1 surround sound remix by Jackson; 2-LP record on 180g vinyl; a red 7" "Take It Back" single; a clear 7" "High Hopes/Keep Talking" single; a blue, laser-etched 12" "High Hopes" single; book and assorted art cards.{{Cite magazine |last=Blistein |first=Jon |date=2014-05-20 |title=Pink Floyd to Reissue Division Bell for 20th Anniversary |url=https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/pink-floyd-to-issue-extravagant-division-bell-anniversary-box-set-94554/ |access-date=2023-02-26 |magazine=Rolling Stone |language=en-US}} The 2014 reissues saw the first release of the full album on vinyl as the 1994 vinyl release saw only edited versions of the songs to keep it to a single LP. The Division Bell was reissued again with the Pink Floyd Records label on 26 August 2016.{{cite AV media notes|title=The Division Bell|publisher=Pink Floyd Records|id=PFRLP14}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.nme.com/news/music/pink-floyd-2-1193079|title=Pink Floyd announce second batch of vinyl reissues|first=John|last=Earls|date=18 August 2016|website=NME}} A limited-edition 25th anniversary double-LP was released on 7 June 2019. The reissue is on blue vinyl and uses the two-LP master created for the 20th anniversary vinyl release.{{Cite web|url=https://www.entertainment-focus.com/music-section/music-news/pink-floyds-the-division-bell-to-get-25th-anniversary-limited-edition-blue-vinyl-release-in-june/|title=Pink Floyd's The Division Bell to get 25th anniversary limited edition blue vinyl release in June|date=13 April 2019}}

All lyrics are written by David Gilmour and Polly Samson, except where noted.

{{Track listing

| total_length = 66:23

| title1 = Cluster One

| music1 = {{flatlist|

• Gilmour
• Richard Wright}}

| lyrics1 = instrumental

| length1 = 5:56

| title2 = What Do You Want from Me

| music2 = {{flatlist|

• Gilmour
• Wright}}

| length2 = 4:22

| title3 = Poles Apart

| music3 = Gilmour

| lyrics3 = {{flatlist|

• Gilmour
• Samson
• Nick Laird-Clowes}}

| length3 = 7:03

| title4 = Marooned

| music4 = {{flatlist|

• Wright
• Gilmour}}

| lyrics4 = instrumental

| length4 = 5:30

| title5 = A Great Day for Freedom

| music5 = Gilmour

| length5 = 4:16

| title6 = Wearing the Inside Out

| note6 =

| music6 = Wright

| lyrics6 = Anthony Moore

| length6 = 6:49

| title7 = Take It Back

| music7 = {{flatlist|

• Gilmour
• Bob Ezrin}}

| lyrics7 = {{flatlist|

• Gilmour
• Samson
• Laird-Clowes}}

| length7 = 6:12

| title8 = Coming Back to Life

| music8 = Gilmour

| lyrics8 = Gilmour

| length8 = 6:19

| title9 = Keep Talking

| music9 = {{flatlist|

• Gilmour
• Wright}}

| length9 = 6:11

| title10 = Lost for Words

| music10 = Gilmour

| length10 = 5:15

| title11 = High Hopes

| music11 = Gilmour

| length11 = 8:31

}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

Pink Floyd

• David Gilmour – vocals, guitars, bass, keyboards, programming
• Nick Mason – drums, percussion
• Richard Wright – keyboards, vocals

Additional musicians

• Jon Carin – additional keyboards, programming
• Guy Pratt – bass guitar
• Gary Wallis – percussion programming and performance
• Tim Renwick – additional guitars
• Dick Parry – tenor saxophone
• Bob Ezrin – percussion, keyboards
• Sam Brown – backing vocals
• Durga McBroom – backing vocals
• Carol Kenyon – backing vocals
• Jackie Sheridan – backing vocals
• Rebecca Leigh-White – backing vocals
• Michael Kamen – orchestral arrangements
• Edward Shearmur – orchestrations
• Stephen Hawking – speech synthesis (on Keep Talking)

{{col-end}}

Production

• David Gilmour – production, mixing
• Bob Ezrin – production
• Andrew Jackson – engineering
• Steve McLoughlin – orchestra recording
• Chris Thomas – mixing
• James Guthrie – mastering engineer
• Doug Sax – mastering engineer
• Storm Thorgerson – album art design
• Tony May – photography
• Rupert Truman – photography
• Stephen Piotrowski – photography
• Ian Wright – graphics
• Aubrey Powell – album art design {{small|(2014 anniversary edition and 2016 Pink Floyd Records re-issues)}}

{{col-begin}}

{{col-2}}

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |+Weekly chart performance for The Division Bell ! style="width:20em;"| Chart (1994) ! Peak position
scope="row"| Argentinian Albums (CAPIF){{cite magazine|date=30 April 1994|title=Top 10 Sales in Europe|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RggEAAAAMBAJ&dq=pink+floyd+division+bell+billboard&pg=PA65-IA7|magazine=Billboard|page=59|issn=0006-2510|volume=106|issue=18|access-date=16 August 2021}} | style="text-align:center;"|1
{{album chart|Australia|1|artist=Pink Floyd|album=The Division Bell|rowheader=true|access-date=9 June 2016}}
{{album chart|Austria|1|artist=Pink Floyd|album=The Division Bell|rowheader=true|access-date=9 June 2016}}
scope="row"| Belgian Albums (SABAM) | style="text-align:center;"| 1
{{album chart|Canada|1|chartid=2448|artist=Pink Floyd|album=The Division Bell|rowheader=true|access-date=9 June 2016}}
scope="row"| Chilean Albums (APF){{Citation|title=Hits of the World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=UAgEAAAAMBAJ|volume=106|issue=24|page=41|date=11 June 1994|access-date=13 October 2011|publisher=Nielsen Business Media, Inc}} | style="text-align:center;"| 1
scope="row"| Danish Albums (IFPI) | style="text-align:center;"| 1
{{album chart|Netherlands|1|artist=Pink Floyd|album=The Division Bell|rowheader=true|access-date=9 June 2016}}
scope="row"| European Hot 100 (Music & Media) | style="text-align:center;"| 1
scope="row"| Finnish Albums (IFPI) | style="text-align:center;"|2
scope="row"| French Albums (SNEP){{cite magazine|date=10 December 1994|title=Top 10 Sales in Europe|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZQgEAAAAMBAJ&dq=pink+floyd+division+bell+billboard&pg=PA50|magazine=Billboard|page=50|issn=0006-2510|volume=106|issue=50|access-date=16 August 2021}} | style="text-align:center;"|7
{{album chart|Germany4|1|id=1800|artist=Pink Floyd|album=The Division Bell|rowheader=true|access-date=9 June 2016}}
scope="row"| Hong Kong Albums (IFPI Hong Kong){{cite magazine|date=28 May 1994|title=Hits of the World|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TwgEAAAAMBAJ&dq=pink+floyd+division+bell+billboard&pg=PA42|magazine=Billboard|page=42|issn=0006-2510|volume=106|issue=22|access-date=16 August 2021}} | style="text-align:center;"|1
{{album chart|Hungary|6|year=1994|week=13|rowheader=true|access-date=25 November 2021}}
scope="row"| Irish Albums (IFPI) | style="text-align:center;"| 1
scope="row"| Italian Albums (Musica e Dischi) | style="text-align:center;"| 1
{{album chart|New Zealand|1|artist=Pink Floyd|album=The Division Bell|rowheader=true|access-date=9 June 2016}}
{{album chart|Norway|1|artist=Pink Floyd|album=The Division Bell|rowheader=true|access-date=9 June 2016}}
scope="row"| Portuguese Albums (AFP){{cite magazine|date=23 April 1994|title=Top 10 Sales in Europe|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/hd2/IDX-UK/Music/Archive-Music-Media-IDX/IDX/90s/94/MM-1994-04-23-OCR-Page-0022.pdf|magazine=Music & Media|page=22|access-date=1 May 2021}} | style="text-align:center;"| 1
scope="row"|Spanish Albums (AFYVE){{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=RggEAAAAMBAJ&q=Pink+Floyd+The+Division+Bell&pg=PA65-IA8|title=Hits of the World – Spain|magazine=Billboard|date=30 April 1994|page=65|access-date=23 September 2017}} |align="center"|1
{{album chart|Sweden|1|artist=Pink Floyd|album=The Division Bell|rowheader=true|access-date=9 June 2016}}
{{album chart|Switzerland|1|artist=Pink Floyd|album=The Division Bell|rowheader=true|access-date=9 June 2016}}
{{album chart|UK|1|artist=Pink Floyd|rowheader=true|access-date=9 June 2016}}
{{album chart|Billboard200|1|artist=Pink Floyd|rowheader=true|access-date=9 June 2016}}
style="width:20em;"| Chart (1995) ! Peak position
scope="row"| French Albums (SNEP){{cite magazine|date=14 January 1995|title=Top 10 Sales in Europe|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tQsEAAAAMBAJ&dq=pink+floyd+division+bell+billboard&pg=PA38|magazine=Billboard|page=59|issn=0006-2510|volume=107|issue=2|access-date=16 August 2021}} | style="text-align:center;"|16
scope="row"| UK Albums (Music Week) | style="text-align:center;"|25
style="width:20em;"| Chart (2014) ! Peak position
{{album chart|Austria|40|artist=Pink Floyd|album=The Division Bell|rowheader=true|access-date=9 June 2016}}
{{album chart|Denmark|31|artist=Pink Floyd|album=The Division Bell|rowheader=true|access-date=9 June 2016}}
{{album chart|Netherlands|64|artist=Pink Floyd|album=The Division Bell|rowheader=true|access-date=9 June 2016}}
{{album chart|France|93|M|artist=Pink Floyd|album=The Division Bell|url=http://www.lescharts.com/weekchart.asp?cat=a&year=2014&date=20140712|title=Les charts francais (12/07/2014)|work=lescharts.com|rowheader=true|access-date=9 June 2016}}
{{album chart|Germany4|12|id=1800|artist=Pink Floyd|album=The Division Bell|rowheader=true|access-date=9 June 2016}}
{{album chart|Italy|19|artist=Pink Floyd|album=The Division Bell|rowheader=true|access-date=9 June 2016}}
{{album chart|Hungary|6|year=2014|week=27|artist=Pink Floyd|album=The Division Bell|rowheader=true|access-date=9 June 2016}}
{{album chart|New Zealand|37|M|artist=Pink Floyd|album=The Division Bell|url=https://charts.nz/weekchart.asp?cat=a&year=2014&date=20140714|title=New Zealand charts portal (14/07/2014)|work=charts.nz|rowheader=true|access-date=9 June 2016}}
{{album chart|Sweden|54|M|artist=Pink Floyd|album=The Division Bell|url=http://www.swedishcharts.com/weekchart.asp?cat=a&year=2014&date=20140711|title=Swedish charts portal (11/07/2014)|work=swedishcharts.com|rowheader=true|access-date=9 June 2016}}
style="width:20em;"| Chart (2018) ! Peak position
{{album chart|Poland|35|id=1144|rowheader=true|access-date=14 June 2018}}
style="width:20em;"| Chart (2019) ! Peak position
{{album chart|Flanders|83|artist=Pink Floyd|album=The Division Bell|rowheader=true|access-date=24 October 2021}}
{{album chart|Wallonia|29|artist=Pink Floyd|album=The Division Bell|rowheader=true|access-date=9 June 2016}}
{{album chart|Spain|49|artist=Pink Floyd|album=The Division Bell|rowheader=true|access-date=24 October 2021}}
style="width:20em;"| Chart (2021) ! Peak position
{{album chart|Portugal|24|artist=Pink Floyd|album=The Division Bell|rowheader=true|access-date=24 October 2021}}

{{col-2}}

class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" |+1994 year-end chart performance for The Division Bell ! Chart (1994) ! Position
scope="row"|Australian Albums (ARIA){{cite web|url=https://www.aria.com.au/charts/1994/albums-chart|title=ARIA Top 100 Albums for 1994|publisher=Australian Recording Industry Association|access-date=24 October 2021}} | style="text-align:center;"|19
scope="row"|Austrian Albums (Ö3 Austria){{cite web|url=https://austriancharts.at/year.asp?cat=a&id=1994|title=Jahreshitparade Alben 1994|website=austriancharts.at|access-date=24 October 2021}} | style="text-align:center;"|2
scope="row"|Dutch Albums (Album Top 100){{cite web|url=https://dutchcharts.nl/jaaroverzichten.asp?year=1994&cat=a|title=Jaaroverzichten – Album 1994|website=dutchcharts.nl|access-date=24 October 2021}} | style="text-align:center;"|8
scope="row"|German Albums (Offizielle Top 100){{cite web|url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/charts/album-jahr/for-date-1994|title=Top 100 Album-Jahrescharts|language=de|work=GfK Entertainment|publisher=offiziellecharts.de|access-date=24 October 2021}} | style="text-align:center;"|3
scope="row"|New Zealand Albums (RMNZ){{cite web|url=https://aotearoamusiccharts.co.nz/archive/annual-albums/1994-12-31|title=Top Selling Albums of 1994|publisher=Recorded Music NZ|access-date=9 February 2022}} | style="text-align:center;"|3
scope="row"|Swiss Albums (Schweizer Hitparade){{cite web|url=https://hitparade.ch/charts/jahreshitparade/1994/alben|title=Schweizer Jahreshitparade 1994|website=hitparade.ch|access-date=24 October 2021}} | style="text-align:center;"|3
scope="row"|US Billboard 200{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/charts/year-end/1994/top-billboard-200-albums|title=Top Billboard 200 Albums – Year-End 1994|magazine=Billboard|access-date=24 October 2021}} | style="text-align:center;"|20

{{col-end}}

{{Certification Table Top|caption=Certifications and sales for The Division Bell}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Argentina|type=album|title=The Division Bell|artist=Pink Floyd|award=Platinum|relyear=1994|certref={{cite web |url=http://www.capif.org.ar/Default.asp?PerDesde_MM=0&PerDesde_AA=0&PerHasta_MM=0&PerHasta_AA=0&interprete=&album=&LanDesde_MM=1&LanDesde_AA=1980&LanHasta_MM=12&LanHasta_AA=2010&Galardon=O&Tipo=1&ACCION2=+Buscar+&ACCION=Buscar&CO=5&CODOP=ESOP |title=Gold & Platinum Certifications |work=CAPIF |language=es |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706084844/http://www.capif.org.ar/Default.asp?PerDesde_MM=0&PerDesde_AA=0&PerHasta_MM=0&PerHasta_AA=0&interprete=&album=&LanDesde_MM=1&LanDesde_AA=1980&LanHasta_MM=12&LanHasta_AA=2010&Galardon=O&Tipo=1&ACCION2=+Buscar+&ACCION=Buscar&CO=5&CODOP=ESOP |archive-date=6 July 2011}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Australia|type=album|title=The Division Bell|artist=Pink Floyd|award=Platinum|relyear=1994|certyear=1994|access-date=November 9, 2021}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Austria|type=album|title=The Division Bell|artist=Pink Floyd|award=Platinum|relyear=1994|access-date=11 January 2013}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Belgium|type=album|title=The Division Bell|artist=Pink Floyd|award=Platinum|relyear=1994|access-date=20 September 2018|certyear=1995}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Brazil|type=album|title=The Division Bell|artist=Pink Floyd|award=Platinum|relyear=1994|certyear=1994|access-date=11 January 2013}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Canada|type=album|title=The Division Bell|artist=Pink Floyd|award=Platinum|number=4|relyear=1994|access-date=11 January 2013}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Finland|type=album|title=The Division Bell|artist=Pink Floyd|award=Gold|salesamount=21,183|access-date=11 January 2013}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=France|type=album|title=The Division Bell|artist=Pink Floyd|award=Platinum|number=2|certyear=1995|source=archive|access-date=11 January 2013}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Germany|type=album|title=The Division Bell|artist=Pink Floyd|award=Gold|number=3|relyear=1994|access-date=11 January 2013}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|type=album|title=The Division Bell|artist=Pink Floyd|award=Platinum|number=5|salesamount=560,000|relyear=1994|note=1994-1995 sales|certref={{cite web|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Music-and-Media/90s/1994/MM-1994-11-12.pdf|title=Five Platinum Bells|publisher=Music & Media |page=1|date=12 November 1994}}|salesref={{cite magazine|url=https://ricerca.repubblica.it/repubblica/archivio/repubblica/1995/05/26/anche-il-set-in-vinile-per-nostalgici.html|title=Anche Il Set In Vinile Per Nostalgici|magazine=la Repubblica|date=26 May 1995|access-date=8 February 2021}}}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Italy|type=album|title=The Division Bell|artist=Pink Floyd|award=Platinum|certyear=2019|relyear=1994|note=sales since 2009|access-date=17 June 2019}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Japan|type=album|title=The Division Bell|artist=Pink Floyd|award=Gold|relyear=1994|certyear=1994|certmonth=11|access-date=28 May 2020}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Netherlands|type=album|title=The Division Bell|artist=Pink Floyd|award=Platinum|relyear=1994|access-date=13 September 2018|certyear=1994}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=New Zealand|artist=Pink Floyd|title=The Division Bell|award=Platinum|number=4|type=album|id=2014-07-11|source=newchart|access-date=2024-11-20|certyear=2014}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Norway|type=album|title=The Division Bell|artist=Pink Floyd|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=1994|certyear=1994|access-date=11 January 2013}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Poland|type=album|title=The Division Bell|artist=Pink Floyd|award=Gold|relyear=1994|certyear=1996|note=1994-1996 sales|date=27 February 1996|access-date=28 May 2020|refname=POLcert1996}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Poland|type=album|title=The Division Bell|artist=Pink Floyd|award=Platinum|relyear=2011|certyear=2022|note=2011 rerelease|date=8 June 2022|access-date=8 June 2022|refname=POLcert2022}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Spain|type=album|title=The Division Bell|artist=Pink Floyd|award=Platinum|relyear=1994|id=pink-floyd-the-division-bell|access-date=October 13, 2024}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Sweden|type=album|title=The Division Bell|artist=Pink Floyd|award=Gold|relyear=1994|certyear=1994}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Switzerland|type=album|title=The Division Bell|artist=Pink Floyd|award=Platinum|number=2|relyear=1994|access-date=11 January 2013}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom|type=album|title=The Division Bell|artist=Pink Floyd|award=Platinum|number=3|access-date=25 February 2022|id=17899-1497-2|relyear=1994|certyear=2022}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|type=album|title=The Division Bell|artist=Pink Floyd|award=Platinum|number=3|access-date=11 January 2013|salesamount=3,330,000|salesref={{cite news|url=http://blogs.usatoday.com/listenup/2007/02/sales_questions_1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070218231012/http://blogs.usatoday.com/listenup/2007/02/sales_questions_1.html|title=Sales questions: Pink Floyd|last=Barnes|first=Ken|date=16 February 2007|work=USA Today|archive-date=18 February 2007|access-date=3 March 2018}}}}

{{Certification Table Summary}}

{{Certification Table Entry|region=Worldwide|nocert=true|salesamount=7,000,000|salesref={{cite magazine|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wgsEAAAAMBAJ&q=the+nominees&pg=PA56|magazine=Billboard|title=Brits around the world – Good news|date= 18 February 1995|page=48|access-date=12 September 2018}}}}

{{Certification Table Bottom|streaming=true}}

Notes

{{reflist|group="nb"}}

Footnotes

{{reflist}}

Bibliography

{{refbegin}}

• {{Citation | last = Blake | first = Mark | title = Comfortably Numb—The Inside Story of Pink Floyd | publisher = Da Capo | year = 2008 | isbn = 978-0-306-81752-6 | url-access = registration | url = https://archive.org/details/comfortablynumbi00mark }}
• {{Citation | last = Browne | first = Pat | title = The guide to United States popular culture | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=U3rJxPYT32MC | publisher = Popular Press | year = 2001 | isbn = 978-0-87972-821-2}}
• {{Citation | last = Di Perna | first = Alan | title = Guitar World Presents Pink Floyd | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=Ui_z1Bxa3doC | publisher = Hal Leonard Corporation | year = 2002 | isbn = 978-0-634-03286-8}}
• {{Citation | last = Mabbett | first = Andy | title = The Complete Guide to the Music of Pink Floyd | publisher = Omnibus Pr | year = 1995 | isbn = 978-0-7119-4301-8}}
• {{Citation | last = Manning | first = Toby | title = The rough guide to Pink Floyd | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=yHsZAQAAIAAJ | publisher = Rough Guides | year = 2006 | edition = illustrated | isbn = 978-1-84353-575-1}}
• {{Citation | last = Mason | first = Nick | title = Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd | publisher = Phoenix | edition = Paperback | editor-first = Philip | editor-last = Dodd | year = 2005 | isbn = 978-0-7538-1906-7| title-link = Inside Out: A Personal History of Pink Floyd }}
• {{Citation | last = Povey | first = Glenn | title = Echoes | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=qnnl3FnO-B4C | publisher = Mind Head Publishing | year = 2007 | isbn = 978-0-9554624-0-5 }}

{{refend}}

{{Wikiquote}}

{{commons category}}

• {{Discogs master|type=album|20683|name=The Division Bell}}
• [https://web.archive.org/web/20140830032221/http://www.divisionbell20.com/ The Division Bell 20th Anniversary Website] (archive)

{{The Division Bell}}

{{Pink Floyd}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Division Bell, The}}

Category:1994 albums

Category:Albums produced by Bob Ezrin

Category:Albums produced by David Gilmour

Category:Albums with cover art by Storm Thorgerson

Category:Columbia Records albums

Category:EMI Records albums

Category:Pink Floyd albums

Category:Albums recorded in a home studio

Category:New-age albums by English artists