Roger Waters - Flickering Flame (The Solo Years Vol.1) (Music CD)

The 2002 Australian collection Flickering Flame is a useful cross-section of highlights from Roger Waters' post-Floyd solo albums, augmented by a couple of rarities. This collection doesn't strictly follow the charts -- there are songs released as singles that aren't here, such as "Radiowaves" -- but it does contain most of the major moments from The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking, Radio K.A.O.S., and Amused to Death, which makes it a nice introduction/summation for the curious. But, it also is useful for the collector, since it contains two brand-new songs -- the title track, here billed as a "new demo," plus a cover of Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" -- and two rarities: "Towers of Faith," originally featured on the soundtrack for the 1987 film When the Wind Blows, plus a demo for "Lost Boys Calling," which was written for the film The Legend of 1900. Overall, it's a good summation and accessible introduction to Waters' solo recordings. ~ Stephen Thomas Erlewine