Roger Waters’ ‘Lockdown Sessions’ Album to Get Physical Release

A piece of Roger Waters’ pandemic experience will soon be available to own. His recently dropped The Lockdown Sessions will be getting a physical release in CD and vinyl formats.

Recorded from May 2020 through 2022, the album features songs—Pink Floyd classics and Waters’ solo material alike—that he tracked at his home in England during the COVID-19 lockdown.

The Lockdown Sessions features Waters’ “The Bravery Of Being Out Of Range,” one of his solo tunes from his 1992 album, Amused To Death. It also includes takes on Pink Floyd’s “Mother” and “Vera” from the 1979 release, The Wall, “Two Suns in the Sunset” and “The Gunners Dream” from the 1983 album, The Final Cut, along with his recently reimagined version of the Floyd classic “Comfortably Numb,” which closes out the album.

Before the lockdown, Waters apparently had plans for an album of encores in which he would compile the most effective closing songs he had played live throughout his career. “Our Us and Them Tour lasted three years,” he explained (via SFWeekly). “At every gig, we did an encore after the main show closed with ‘Comfortably Numb’… the encore was always ‘Mother’… I can’t remember why I decided to start doing other songs?…

“Anyway, at some point after the end of the tour,” he continued, “I started thinking, ‘It could make an interesting album, all those encores’…’The Encores’. ‘Yeah, has a nice ring to it!’ Then… I’m in England doing the Ginger Baker tribute gig one Tuesday night at the Hammersmith Odeon with Eric Clapton and…the following Saturday marching from The Australian Embassy to Parliament Square to make a speech in support of Julian Assange, when bugger me, Covid… Schlummmm! For me, it was Friday, March 13, 2020. Lockdown! So much for the ‘Encores’ project.”

The idea evolved into what would be The Lockdown Sessions. “We’ve tacked ‘[Comfortably] Numb’ on the end of the collection,” he explained, “as an appropriate exclamation point in closing this circle of love.”

Set for release on June 2, The Lockdown Sessions CD and vinyl are available for pre-order now.

Photo by Brian Lima / Rogers and Cowan