View source for The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking

{{Redirect|Running Shoes|the athletic footwear|sneakers}}
{{For|the single of the same name| The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking (song)}}
{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2023}}
{{italic title}}
{{Infobox album
| name         = The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking
| type         = studio
| artist       = [[Roger Waters]]
| cover        = Roger_Waters_Pros_Cons_HH.jpg
| alt          = a nude back-view image of a blonde woman wearing a red backpack and red stilettos sticking her thumb out, her buttocks clearly visible
| released     = {{Start date|1984|4|30|df=y}}
| recorded     = February–December 1983
| venue        = 
| studio       = {{ubl|[[Olympic Studios]] (London)|[[Eel Pie Studios]] (London)|The Billiard Room (London)}}
| genre        = {{hlist|[[Progressive rock]]|[[blues rock]]}}
| length       = 42:14
| label        = {{hlist|[[Harvest Records|Harvest]]|[[Columbia Records|Columbia]]}}
| producer     = {{hlist|Roger Waters|[[Michael Kamen]]}}
| prev_title   = [[Music from The Body]]
| prev_year    = 1970
| next_title   = [[When the Wind Blows (soundtrack)|When the Wind Blows]]
| next_year    = 1986
| misc         = {{Extra chronology
 | artist     = Roger Waters studio
 | type       = studio
 | prev_title =
 | prev_year  =
 | title      = The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking
 | year       = 1984
 | next_title = [[Radio K.A.O.S.]]
 | next_year  = 1987
}}
{{Singles
 | name        = The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking
 | type        = studio
 | single1     = [[The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking (song)|The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking]]
 | single1date = 9 April 1984
 | single2     = [[Every Stranger's Eyes]]
 | single2date = 11 June 1984<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.worldradiohistory.com/UK/Music-Week/1984/Music-Week-1984-06-09.pdf|title=Music Week|page=12}}</ref>
}}
}}
{{Album ratings
| rev1      = [[AllMusic]]
| rev1Score = {{Rating|4|5}}<ref>{{cite web|url={{AllMusic|class=album|id=r21602|pure_url=yes}} |title=AllMusic review}}</ref>
| rev2      = ''[[Rolling Stone]]''
| rev2Score = {{Rating|1|5}}<ref>{{cite web|url= https://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/322060/review/5940693 |title= Roger Waters : The Pros & Cons of Hitch Hiking |magazine= [[Rolling Stone]] |date= 7 June 1984 |access-date= 26 October 2009 |author=Loder, Kurt|authorlink=Kurt Loder|url-status= dead |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080604134507/http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/album/322060/review/5940693 |archive-date=4 June 2008 }}</ref>
| rev3      = ''[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide]]''
| rev3Score = {{Rating|2|5}}<ref name="Cross">{{cite book|last=Cross|first=Charles R.|author-link=Charles R. Cross|editor1-last=Brackett|editor1-first=Nathan|editor2-last=Hoard|editor2-first=Christian|title=[[The Rolling Stone Album Guide|The New Rolling Stone Album Guide]]|publisher=[[Simon & Schuster]]|edition=4th|year=2004|isbn=0-7432-0169-8|chapter=Roger Waters|pages=[https://archive.org/details/newrollingstonea00brac/page/864 864]}}</ref>
| rev4      = ''[[Sputnikmusic]]''
| rev4Score = 4/5<ref>{{cite web|title=The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking|url=https://www.sputnikmusic.com/review/45517/Roger-Waters-The-Pros-and-Cons-of-Hitch-Hiking/|website=Sputnikmusic.com}}</ref>
}}
'''''The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking''''' is the debut solo studio album by [[Roger Waters]], bassist/songwriter and co-founder of English rock band [[Pink Floyd]]; it was released in 1984. The album was certified Gold by the [[RIAA|Recording Industry Association of America]] in 1995.

==Concept history and production==
<!-- NOTE: Times throughout article are shown in UPPERCASE (AM) contrary to MOS:TIME (am) to maintain consistency with album's track titles, apparently all uppercase (per allmusic, Amazon, last.fm, etc. -->

The concept was originally envisioned by Waters in 1977 and refined in the early 1980s. In its completed form, it rotates around a man's scattered thoughts during his [[midlife crisis]]. These are explored in a dream journey during which he takes a road trip through California, commits [[adultery]] with a hitchhiker he picks up along the way, attempts to reconcile with his wife by moving to the wilderness, and finally ends up alone but with greater insight into a common human compassion. Along the way he also faces other fears and paranoia.

The entire story is framed in [[real time (media)|real time]] as a fitful dream taking place in the early morning hours of 4:30:18&nbsp;am to 5:12:32&nbsp;am on an unspecified day. At the end of the dream, the man wakes up lonely and contrite and turns to his real wife for comfort, presumably having processed his crisis.

In July 1978, Waters presented the concepts and played demos of ''The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking'' as well as what was then titled ''Bricks in the Wall'', which became ''[[The Wall]]'', to his bandmates in [[Pink Floyd]], asking them to decide which should be a group album, and which should be his solo album.<ref>{{cite book|last=Blake|first=Mark|title=Comfortably Numb: The Inside Story of Pink Floyd|year=2008|publisher=Da Capo|location=Cambridge, MA|isbn=978-0-306-81752-6|pages=[https://archive.org/details/comfortablynumbi00mark/page/258 258–259]|chapter=Why Are You Running Away?|chapter-url-access=registration|chapter-url=https://archive.org/details/comfortablynumbi00mark/page/258}}</ref><ref name=BobWall>{{cite book|last=Carruthers|first=Bob|title=Pink Floyd – Uncensored on the Record|year=2011|publisher=Cooda Books Ltd|isbn=978-1-908538-27-7|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=qrwU8wouZX4C&q=pros%20and%20cons%20of%20hitch%20hiking&pg=PT115|edition=E-book|access-date=1 October 2012|chapter=The Wall}}</ref><ref name=Kendall/> After a long debate, they decided that they preferred the concept of ''Bricks in the Wall'',<ref name=BobWall/> even though their manager at the time, [[Steve O'Rourke]], thought that ''Pros and Cons'' was a better-sounding concept,<ref>Roger Waters quoted in Mojo Magazine issue 193 (December 2009)</ref> and [[David Gilmour]] deemed ''Pros and Cons'' stronger musically.<ref name=BobWall/>

Waters declared:
{{bquote|Well, the idea for the album came concurrently with the idea for ''The Wall'' – the basis of the idea. I wrote both pieces at roughly the same time. And in fact, I made demo tapes of them both, and in fact presented both demo tapes to the rest of the Floyd, and said "Look, I'm going to do one of these as a solo project and we'll do one as a band album, and you can choose." So, this was the one that was left over. Um...I mean, it's developed an awful lot since then, I think.<ref name=Kendall>{{cite web| title=Shades of Pink – The Definitive Pink Floyd Profile| work=The Source Radio Show| author=Kendall, Charlie| url=http://www.pinkfloydfan.net/t1483-gilmour-waters-mason-wright-shades.html| date=1984| access-date=27 July 2011| url-status=usurped| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120927080840/http://www.pinkfloydfan.net/t1483-gilmour-waters-mason-wright-shades.html| archive-date=27 September 2012| df=dmy-all}}</ref>}}

''Bricks in the Wall'', retitled ''The Wall'', became the next Pink Floyd album in 1979, and Waters shelved ''Pros and Cons''. In early 1983, Waters undertook the shelved project himself.<ref name="Mabbett">{{Cite book| publisher = Wise Publications| isbn = 978-1-84449-870-3 | page = 128| last = Mabbett| first = Andy| title = The Complete Guide to the Music of "Pink Floyd"| date = 9 October 2007}}</ref> It was recorded in three London studios between February and December 1983: [[Olympic Studios]], [[Eel Pie Studios]] and Waters' own Billiard Room, where his demos were constructed. The album features conductor [[Michael Kamen]], actor [[Jack Palance]], saxophonist [[David Sanborn]] and guitarist [[Eric Clapton]]. Guitar player [[Tim Renwick]] said:

{{Quote| Roger's a very different sort of person [i.e. from Eric Clapton or David Gilmour, described as ''easygoing'']. I have tremendous respect for him. He's a very clever man, but he is very serious. When Eric and I toured with him, he wanted everything exactly the same as the record, which, unfortunately, kind of took the fun out of performing.<ref>{{cite web| title=Tim Remwick: The Great Gig in the Sky – Guitar World, Sep 1994 |website=Pink Floyd Fan Blog |author=Tolinski, Brad| url=http://www.pinkfloydfan.net/t11633-tim-remwick-great-gig-sky.html |date=September 1994 |access-date=13 April 2018 |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120304091122/http://www.pinkfloydfan.net/t11633-tim-remwick-great-gig-sky.html |archive-date=4 March 2012}}</ref>}}

Track 7, "4.50&nbsp;AM (Go Fishing)," includes the same refrain as "[[The Fletcher Memorial Home]]" from Pink Floyd's ''[[The Final Cut (album)|The Final Cut]]'': "''The Fletcher Memorial Home for incurable tyrants and kings''". This song also includes one of the car sounds, and the slightly changed chorus melody, from that album's "[[Your Possible Pasts]]".

"I played through some of the songs from the ''Pros and Cons'' album," Waters remarked in 1992, "and I was struck by how good they sounded. Looking back, that record dragged a little but, individually, some of the material was excellent."<ref>{{cite magazine|first=Mark|last=[[Mark Blake (writer)|Blake]]|title=Still Waters|magazine=RCD|issue= 3 |date= 1992 |volume=1 |page= 57}}</ref> Also the melody first heard in the song [[In the Flesh?/In the Flesh]] from The Wall originated from this album and can be heard sporadically throughout the album 

=== Notes on real time ===
The original album was released in 1984 on the traditional two-sided [[Gramophone record|vinyl LP]] and [[Compact Cassette|cassette]] formats. In keeping with Waters' concept, there are five seconds missing between sides one and two to allow the listener to flip the record (or eject, turn, and reinsert the cassette) in order to keep the second half starting at exactly 4:50&nbsp;AM as planned.

An unintended consequence of the album's release on CD a few years later was that this gap was lost due to continuous play, which moves the start of the second half, "4:50{{nbsp}}AM (Go Fishing)," back to 4:49:55{{nbsp}}AM, and the start of the final track, "5:11{{nbsp}}AM (The Moment of Clarity)," back to 5:10:59{{nbsp}}AM.

Further to this, Track 6 on the first side, "4:47&nbsp;AM (The Remains of Our Love)," actually begins at 4:46:46{{nbsp}}AM.

==Packaging==
<!-- Deleted image removed: [[File:Roger Waters Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking Censored Cover.jpg|thumb|right|The censored cover, which is commonly used on physical editions of the album]] -->
[[Gerald Scarfe]], who had created the album artwork and some animation for Pink Floyd's ''The Wall'' album, created all the graphics and animation for the ''Pros and Cons'' album. Its cover prompted controversy for featuring a rear-view nude photograph of model and [[softcore pornography|softcore porn]] actress [[Linzi Drew]]. Although it was originally released with the nudity intact, subsequent editions distributed by [[Columbia Records]] censored Drew's buttocks with a black box.

==Possible film==
A film based on the concept was proposed, and in 1987 a press release for the ''[[Radio K.A.O.S.]]'' album claimed a film adaptation of ''Pros and Cons...'' had been completed, though nothing has been heard of it since. The screenplay was written by BBC/Radio Times Drama Award winner Pete Ward, who used excerpts from Waters' songs/lyrics from 1967 to 1987 as background to his award-winning play, ''Yesterday's Triumph'',<ref>The title for the play ''Yesterday's Triumph'' is taken from the line "And we'll bask in the shadow of yesterday's triumph and sail on the steel breeze..." from the track "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" on Pink Floyd's album ''[[Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd album)|Wish You Were Here]]''.</ref> exploring the 20-year relationship of two close friends – one who attempts to fake mental illness to be with the other, who is an institutionalized "catastrophic schizophrenic". Ward was commissioned to expand the plot and characters in ''The Pros and Cons'' around the album's 42-minute real-time dream sequence based on Waters' own dreams.

A film was made in 1984 and 1985 which combined [[Gerald Scarfe]]'s animations and [[Nicolas Roeg]]'s live-action footage with [[slit-scan photography]] created by Peter Truckel at [[The Moving Picture Company]]. Also directed by Nicolas Roeg the film was projected on a backdrop behind the stage as the band played. Three promotional videos were also directed by Roeg. "The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking" features snippets of the live action material from the screen films interspersed with footage of "Shane" and other cowboy films. "Sexual Revolution" also featured screen film material interspersed with footage Waters singing the song and playing his bass. "Every Stranger's Eyes" is identical to the screen projection, except for the fact that footage of Waters is also interspersed here.

==Track listing==
All tracks are written by Roger Waters.<ref name="Mabbett" />
{{Track listing
| title1      = 4:30AM (Apparently They Were Travelling Abroad)
| length1     = 3:12
| title2      = 4:33AM (Running Shoes)
| length2     = 4:08
| title3      = 4:37AM (Arabs with Knives and West German Skies)
| length3     = 2:17
| title4      = 4:39AM (For the First Time Today, Part 2)
| length4     = 2:02
| title5      = 4:41AM (Sexual Revolution)
| length5     = 4:49
| title6      = 4:47AM (The Remains of Our Love)
| length6     = 3:09
| title7      = 4:50AM (Go Fishing)
| length7     = 6:59
| title8      = 4:56AM (For the First Time Today, Part 1)
| length8     = 1:38
| title9      = 4:58AM (Dunroamin, Duncarin, Dunlivin)
| length9     = 3:03
| title10     = [[The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking (song)|5:01AM (The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking, Part 10)]]
| length10    = 4:36
| title11     = [[Every Stranger's Eyes (song)|5:06AM (Every Stranger's Eyes)]]
| length11    = 4:48
| title12     = 5:11AM (The Moment of Clarity)
| length12    = 1:28
| total_length = 42:14
}}

==Personnel==
Credits adapted from the album's liner notes.<ref>{{cite AV media notes|type=Liner notes|title=The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking|year=1984|last=Waters|first=Roger|publisher=[[Columbia Records]]|id=CK 39290}}</ref>

'''Personnel'''
*[[Roger Waters]] – [[lead vocals]], [[rhythm guitar]], [[bass guitar|bass]], tape effects, production, sleeve design
*[[Eric Clapton]] – [[lead guitar]], [[backing vocals]], [[Roland Corporation|Roland]] [[guitar synthesizer]]
*[[Andy Bown]] – [[Hammond organ]], [[12-string guitar]]
*[[Michael Kamen]] – [[piano]], production
*[[Raphael Ravenscroft]], Kevin Flanagan, Vic Sullivan – horns
*[[David Sanborn]] – [[saxophone]]
*[[Madeline Bell]], [[Katie Kissoon]], [[Doreen Chanter]] – backing vocals
*[[Andy Newmark]] – [[Drum kit|drums]], percussion
*[[Ray Cooper]] – [[percussion]]
*[[National Philharmonic Orchestra|The National Philharmonic Orchestra]], conducted and arranged by Michael Kamen

'''Actors (in order of appearance)'''
*Andy Quigley as 'Welshman in Operating Theatre'
*[[Beth Porter]] as 'Wife'
*Roger Waters as 'Man'
*[[Cherry Vanilla]] as 'Hitch Hiker' and 'Waitress'
*Manning Redwood and [[Ed Bishop]] as 'Truck Drivers'
*[[Jack Palance]] as 'Hell's Angel'
*Madeline Bell as 'Hell's Angel's Girlfriend'

'''Technical personnel'''
*[[Andrew Jackson (recording engineer)|Andy Jackson]] – engineer
*Laura Boisan – assistant engineer
*Michael King – SFX boffin
*Zuccarelli Labs – [[holophonics]]
*[[Doug Sax]] and Mike Reese – mastering
* [[Gerald Scarfe]] – sleeve design, illustrations and lettering
*Alex Henderson – photography
*The Artful Dodgers – co-ordination

==Chart positions==
{| class="wikitable sortable"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1984)
! scope="col"| Peak<br />position
|-
| Australia ([[Kent Music Report]])<ref name=aus>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|author-link=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|page=334}}</ref>
| style="text-align:center;"| 30
|-
| New Zealand ([[RIANZ]])<ref>{{cite web |url=https://charts.nz/showitem.asp?interpret=Roger+Waters&titel=The+Pros+And+Cons+Of+Hitch+Hiking&cat=a |title=charts.nz – Roger Waters – The Pros And Cons of Hitch Hiking |work=charts.nz |publisher=Hung Medien |access-date=16 September 2010}}</ref>
| align="center"| 14
|-
| Norway ([[VG-lista]])<ref>{{cite web |url=http://norwegiancharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Roger+Waters&titel=The+Pros+And+Cons+Of+Hitch+Hiking&cat=a |title=norwegiancharts.com – Roger Waters – The Pros And Cons of Hitch Hiking |work=norwegiancharts.com |publisher=Hung Medien |access-date=16 September 2010}}</ref>
| align="center"| 4
|-
| Sweden ([[Sverigetopplistan]])<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.swedishcharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Roger+Waters&titel=The+Pros+And+Cons+Of+Hitch+Hiking&cat=a |title=swedishcharts.com – Roger Waters – The Pros And Cons of Hitch Hiking |work=swedishcharts.com |publisher=Hung Medien |access-date=16 September 2010}}</ref>
| align="center"| 3
|-
| Switzerland ([[Media Control Charts|Media Control AG]])<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.swisscharts.com/showitem.asp?interpret=Roger+Waters&titel=The+Pros+And+Cons+Of+Hitch+Hiking&cat=a |title=Roger Waters - The Pros And Cons of Hitch Hiking - swisscharts.com |work=swisscharts.com |publisher=Hung Medien |access-date=16 September 2010}}</ref>
| align="center"| 12
|-
| UK Albums ([[UK Albums Chart|The Official Charts Company]])<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.officialcharts.com/artists/ |title=The Official Charts Company – Roger Waters – The Pros And Cons of Hitch Hiking |publisher=[[Official Charts Company]] |access-date=16 September 2010 }}</ref>
| align="center"| 13
|-
| US [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]]<!--ref>[http://www.billboard.com/#/artist/Roger+Waters/chart-history/5989?f=305&g=Albums "Roger Waters Album & Song Chart History"] [[Billboard 200|''Billboard'' 200]] for Roger Waters. [[Nielsen Business Media]].</ref--><ref>[{{AllMusic|class=album|id=r21602/charts-awards|pure_url=yes}} "allmusic ((( The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking > Charts & Awards > Billboard Albums )))"]. allmusic. Rovi Corporation. Retrieved 16 September 2010.</ref>
| align="center"| 31
|}

==Certifications==
{{Certification Table Top}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United Kingdom |award=Silver|type=album|relyear=2003|certyear=2019|artist=Roger Waters|title=The Pros And Cons Of Hitch Hiking|id=15454-1095-2}}
{{Certification Table Entry|region=United States|award=Gold|type=album|relyear=1984|certyear=1995|artist=Roger Waters|title=The Pros & Cons Of Hitchhiking}}
{{Certification Table Bottom|nosales=true|streaming=true}}

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

==External links==
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20061230074627/http://www.rogerwaters.org/Pros.html REG:International Roger Waters FanClub]
* {{discogs master|50041}}
* [https://www.reddit.com/r/pinkfloyd/comments/uasta1/original_ad_for_roger_waters_pros_and_cons_84/#lightbox Original ad for Roger Waters ‘Pros and Cons 84 tour Philly USA’]

{{Roger Waters}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pros And Cons Of Hitch Hiking, The}}
[[Category:Roger Waters albums]]
[[Category:1984 debut albums]]
[[Category:1980s concept albums]]
[[Category:Rock operas]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Roger Waters]]
[[Category:Harvest Records albums]]
[[Category:Obscenity controversies in music]]
[[Category:Albums recorded at Olympic Sound Studios]]
[[Category:Albums recorded in a home studio]]
[[Category:Albums produced by Michael Kamen]]
[[Category:National Philharmonic Orchestra albums]]