It costs an eye-watering £55. Talk about “grab that cash with both hands and make a stash”. But, in fairness, you do get a lot for your dosh. The original live album was recorded at London’s Earl’s Court in autumn 1994 on the Division Bell tour and released the following May, selling over four million copies worldwide. The new version is almost absurdly grandiose.
It’s released on Blu-ray and DVD but not (yet) on CD as Warner Music says the new audio mix is higher quality on Blu-ray than it would be on CD.
The sound is exceptional. At its core is Floyd’s 1973 prog classic, The Dark Side Of The Moon, performed live in its world-conquering entirety.
The guitar solo on Time is the only thing that disappoints.
The original was sparse but effective, one of Dave Gilmour’s all-time best. Here, he throws in extra notes that dilute the undiminished brilliance of the studio version. Don’t mess with perfection!
The nine-song build-up to Dark Side includes most of 1975’s Shine On You Crazy Diamond (parts 1-5 and 7) and 1979’s Another Brick In The Wall Part 2 (the single).
There are gems from Meddle and A Momentary Lapse Of Reason, and highlights from The Division Bell (their second album without bassist Roger Waters).
The encores are 1975’s Wish You Were Here, plus Comfortably Numb and Run Like Hell, both from 1979’s The Wall.
The box set comes with music videos, rehearsal footage, documentaries and films, plus the return of the CD’s pulsing light ? now powered by AA batteries. If you’ve got any money left to buy ’em, that’s.
