It is one of the great debates in rock music. Any self respecting music fan holds an opinion. Nobody likes to make the choice, but you have to side with one or the other. Who is your favorite member of Pink Floyd: Roger Waters or David Gilmour?

I hadn’t thought about this for ages, but somehow I stumbled upon a Rolling Stone review from 1984 of Roger Waters’ Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking album today by none other than Kurt Loder. Don’t get me wrong, Kurt Loder can write a mean review (super witty double entendre intended), but man was he way off the mark here. Loder not only berated the album, but he crossed into the hot zone.

Throughout the entire review, Loder offers up a savage beat down of ol’ Rog, but here’s the crux of his stance:

“The Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking suggests several things. First, that the most important musical component of Pink Floyd is actually guitarist David Gilmour (whose latest solo album assumes new luster in comparison to this turkey). Second, that Waters should have a long session with his therapist before making any future public utterances about the human condition. And third, that even the most exalted English rock legend shouldn’t try to sell swill to a public that’s demonstrably less piggish than the pop star himself. Think Pink, Roger.”

Well, it might be 18 years late, but I am a Roger Waters man, so I am here to defend. For starters, Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking is an epic masterpiece and Loder should have been fired on the spot for missing the mark so embarrassingly. But more to the point, here’s ten more reasons to aid you in your internal, eternal debate of whether to side with Roger Waters or David Gilmour. Disclaimer: Don’t get me wrong, I love Gilmour too. In fact, I actually bought a butt ugly cherry red Stratocaster in high school because I liked Gilmour’s so much. Nevertheless, I side with the whisperer.

10. Marv Albert – In Amused to Death’s It All Makes Perfect Sense, Marv Albert appears as himself providing in-game (song) commentary of a submarine captain zeroing in and firing missiles on an oil rig. READ ON for more on why Roger wins…

9. Simplicity – The haters will probably say it’s because he couldn’t play bass for shit, but Roger’s song writing illustrates an appreciation for a simple song as much as one with a dozen changes. Maybe it’s true what they say that Gilmour played bass on the trickier parts, but the man could write a beautiful song. He also exhibits unparalleled understanding of what his surrounding musicians could add to his compositions.

8. Attention to Detail - Waters is the playful one who masterminded all of those brilliant background sounds like the soft rustles of nature, wood chopping, military machines, and my personal favorite, screaming at the top of his lungs at very low volume behind the music. Ultimately, Waters is an artist who loves the theatrics and it comes through both on stage and even more so in the studio.

7. Solo Career – For my money, there’s far more mileage in Roger Waters solo albums, the Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking, Amused to Death, the soundtrack to When the Wind Blows, and the Final Cut (give or take) than Gilmour’s solo collection with the phony Floyd. I’ll admit, Radio K.A.O.S. sucked ass, but everyone gets one mulligan. Plus, he wrote an opera in 2005, so that counts for something right? No? Well, regardless Gilmour’s albums are more pick and choose, while Waters has gripping concept albums that are solid end to end.

6. Pronunciation / Enunciation – There’s nothing more fun about listening to Roger Waters than singing along as he carefully enunciates his words, forming sentences like, “When Brezhnev took Afghanistan, Begin took Beirut, Galtieri Took the Union Jack.”

5. Backing Musicians – With bonafide superstars like Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, and David Sanborn adding the technical chops to the solo albums, it’s almost possible to get over the fact that there is no Gilmour filling out the sound. Clapton in particular on Pros and Cons lays down some incredibly poignant otherworldly guitar leads.

4. He Got Jipped on the Band Name and Most Song Rights – Despite David Gilmour not being a founding member, he continued to tour with Nick Mason under the Pink Floyd moniker. Sure, Roger Waters seemingly behaved like a prick in the later years, but they still should have let the Pink Floyd name lie. As for the song rights, I’d say they both acted pretty bitchy in fighting over them, but they actually divided them up with Gilmour and his Pink Floyd getting the majority.

3. He’s a Badass – Anybody who calls Andrew Lloyd Webber a bastard and accuses him of stealing his most famous melody, the opening of Phantom of the Opera, from Echoes, has big cajones.

2. His Voice – Not only is his singing voice soothing like mentho-lyptus and his whispers mesmerizing, but it turns into a saxophone on call (Post War Dream).

1. The Wall – I rest my case.

Now I leave it up to you. Who’s your favorite of the two?