3-LockBox
08-13-2004, 01:05 PM
I recently borrowed two DVDs from my oh-so-generous neighbor, <i>David Gilmour in Concert</i> and <i>In The Flesh- Roger Waters Live</i>. There has always been a sort of argument as to which of these two guys do <b>Pink Floyd</b> the best. There are still those who think that <b>Pink Floyd</b> cannot exist without Roger Waters (there are those who think <b>Pink Floyd</b> couldn't exist w/o Sid Barret). But its clear that there is some antimosity between these two one-time collaberators, and maybe a rivalry too. These two discs are as different from one another as night and day, so maybe its not fair to do a comparison, but these two DVDs do emphasize their <i>Pink</i> past, so...
Both discs rely heavily on the past, with the nod going to Waters in that he uses his solo projects to great effect. He nestles songs from <i>Pros And Cons Of Hitch-hiking</i> and <i>Amused To Death</i> in between nearly the whole of DSOTM. His performance as singer is still competant, but he does rely on the other performers for the 'Gilmore' vocals. Waters gives us a good dose of <i>The Wall</i> as well as <i>Animals</i> and <i>Wish You Were Here</i>. He also gets brownie points for including 'Set The Controls For The Heart of The Sun' and 'Dogs' albeit in somewhat condenesed form. The band is tight, the ambience is truely theatrical and powerful. Odd though, is the omission of the <i>Radio KAOS</i> album, which was a bit disappointing. But all in all, this would have been fantastic to see live, or at least on a really big screen.
David Glimour is not out-done however. He gives us stripped down versions of better known 'Floyd' songs, with both accoustic and sparce electrical accompaniment. These are more sedate perfomances, but no less affecting. His versions of 'Comfortably Numb' and 'Wish you Were Here' are superior to Waters'. And the inclusion of a nine person choral instead of keyboard flourishes works astoundingly well throughout the concert. Sure, no 'Floyd' concert would be complete without a Motown-ish, three part female back-up, but the choral flourish is just right for this not-quite unplugged setting (think Story Tellers). Notable here though, is the absense of <i>Momentary Lapse Of Reason</i>. The nine person choir would have sounded great on songs like 'Learning To Fly' or 'The Turning Away', but no such luck. Gilmour instead seems to focus on <i>The Division Bell</i> (which was more like a Gilmour solo than a 'floyd' album anyway) as well some obescure covers. He also deserves a brownie for his inclusion of 'Fat Old Sun', a timeless but lesser known 'Floyd' tune.
Both approaches are different, both performances are passionate and competant. Gilmour's set exemplifies the splendor and majesty of <b>Floyd</b>, while Waters captures the theatrical bombast and spectical. Both discs are essential as all of these ingredients are an important part of the essence of <b>Pink Floyd</b>. But since this is a DVD review, <i>In The Flesh</i> is the winner (slightly), by virtue of its visual offering, which is a times, stunning.
Unless you have a very generous neighbor, you might want to pick both of these excellent DVDs.
Both discs rely heavily on the past, with the nod going to Waters in that he uses his solo projects to great effect. He nestles songs from <i>Pros And Cons Of Hitch-hiking</i> and <i>Amused To Death</i> in between nearly the whole of DSOTM. His performance as singer is still competant, but he does rely on the other performers for the 'Gilmore' vocals. Waters gives us a good dose of <i>The Wall</i> as well as <i>Animals</i> and <i>Wish You Were Here</i>. He also gets brownie points for including 'Set The Controls For The Heart of The Sun' and 'Dogs' albeit in somewhat condenesed form. The band is tight, the ambience is truely theatrical and powerful. Odd though, is the omission of the <i>Radio KAOS</i> album, which was a bit disappointing. But all in all, this would have been fantastic to see live, or at least on a really big screen.
David Glimour is not out-done however. He gives us stripped down versions of better known 'Floyd' songs, with both accoustic and sparce electrical accompaniment. These are more sedate perfomances, but no less affecting. His versions of 'Comfortably Numb' and 'Wish you Were Here' are superior to Waters'. And the inclusion of a nine person choral instead of keyboard flourishes works astoundingly well throughout the concert. Sure, no 'Floyd' concert would be complete without a Motown-ish, three part female back-up, but the choral flourish is just right for this not-quite unplugged setting (think Story Tellers). Notable here though, is the absense of <i>Momentary Lapse Of Reason</i>. The nine person choir would have sounded great on songs like 'Learning To Fly' or 'The Turning Away', but no such luck. Gilmour instead seems to focus on <i>The Division Bell</i> (which was more like a Gilmour solo than a 'floyd' album anyway) as well some obescure covers. He also deserves a brownie for his inclusion of 'Fat Old Sun', a timeless but lesser known 'Floyd' tune.
Both approaches are different, both performances are passionate and competant. Gilmour's set exemplifies the splendor and majesty of <b>Floyd</b>, while Waters captures the theatrical bombast and spectical. Both discs are essential as all of these ingredients are an important part of the essence of <b>Pink Floyd</b>. But since this is a DVD review, <i>In The Flesh</i> is the winner (slightly), by virtue of its visual offering, which is a times, stunning.
Unless you have a very generous neighbor, you might want to pick both of these excellent DVDs.