If Pink Floyd's producer had been granted his wish, their 1987 comeback album would have been packed full of rap. David Gilmour was apparently the only thing standing between Bob Ezrin and a hip-hop version of A Momentary Lapse of Reason.
Ezrin first worked with Pink Floyd on The Wall, co-producing the record with Gilmour, Roger Waters and James Guthrie. Eight years later, after Waters left the band, Gilmour asked Ezrin to produce their comeback. Not only was he keen: he hoped to integrate his newfound love of hip-hop.
"I became fascinated with [rap] in the Afrika Bambaataa days," Ezrin told Spinner. "I'm an early adopter … [I] brought some in when we were doing A Momentary Lapse of Reason … going, 'Boy, I think this stuff with a rock beat would be awesome.'"
Gilmour appreciated Ezrin's tastes and talent: the producer was co-writing two of the LP's songs. But the bandleader was not, it seems, a rap-rock pioneer. "He said, 'Oh my God, that would be terrible,'" Ezrin recalled. "He couldn't believe it. He hated the idea."
In a way, hip-hop's influence is still felt on A Momentary Lapse of Reason. The record uses samples and drum machines, and the opener, Signs of Life, features Nick Mason's murmured (but definitely not rapped) spoken vocals. But Ezrin's rap fantasies were mostly put on hold until 2010, when he put together a Canadian all-star charity version of K'naan's Wavin' Flag. "I'm an old white guy," Ezrin said, "but then a lot of old white guys have been involved in urban music."
Although you would be hard-pressed to find a Pink Floyd fan for whom A Momentary Lapse of Reason is their favourite album, the record reached No 3 in the charts and has sold 10m copies worldwide. The band's most famous LP, The Dark Side of the Moon, celebrates its 40th anniversary this week.
