Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd - Pulse

"A live performance from October 20, 1994, Pulse records the great psychedelic band Pink Floyd rocking out like only they can. Renowned for their hallucinatory special effects and lighting schemes, Pink Floyd goes all out at this spectacular (and very long) concert. Twenty-one of their classics are performed, including classic rock radio staples Dark Side of The Moon and Wish You Were Here.

At long last Pink Floyd: Pulse has arrived on DVD, and Floyd fans already know it's a major cause to celebrate. The original VHS release was a milestone bestseller, but it seemed to take forever for the DVD to arrive, with numerous delays while Floyd guitarist David Gilmour and long-time Floyd producer James Guthrie labored to restore, re-edit, and remix this legendary concert video in 5.1-channel Dolby Surround Sound. The resulting two-disc set was well worth the wait: While the limitations of the original video source are still evident in the sometimes-hazy image quality (Gilmour would later admit the concert should have been captured on film), Floyd fans will unanimously agree that Pulse has never looked or sounded better, and only the absence of group co-founder Roger Waters prevents this from being the ultimate document of Pink Floyd in performance. (Even without Waters, it's easily one of the group's most impressive stage productions.) Gracefully directed with minimal intrusion by veteran music video and concert director David Mallet, and shot on video during Pink Floyd's two-week stint at London's Earls Court Exhibition Centre in October 1994, this 145-minute performance (from Floyd's Division Bell tour) is a sonic marvel to behold. Under a massive arch festooned with then-state-of-the-art laser, lighting, and projection systems, the 1987 incarnation of Pink Floyd (Gilmour, keyboardist Richard Wright, and drummer Nick Mason) and their stellar supporting band kicks off with "Shine on You Crazy Diamond" (a loving tribute to Floyd co-founder Syd Barrett), followed by four tracks from The Division Bell, two from 1987's A Momentary Lapse of Reason, "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)" from 1979's magnum opus The Wall, and leading into intermission with an absolutely stunning performance of "One of These Days," the timeless opening track from 1971's Meddle.

The centerpiece of Disc 2 is a near-perfect performance of 1974's Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety--reason enough to make this a must-have DVD for even the most casual Floyd admirers. And while no one will ever re-create the sheer magnificence of Clare Torry's original tour de force vocals on "The Great Gig in the Sky," it's safe to say that backup singers Sam Brown, Claudia Fontaine, and Durga McBroom deliver the next best thing, in addition to seamless contributions throughout the concert. After the closing heartbeat of "Eclipse," the concert ends with encore performances of "Wish You Were Here," "Comfortably Numb," and a no-holds-barred, pyrotechnically explosive rendition of The Wall's "Run Like Hell," all showcasing Gilmour's guitar mastery with frequent close-ups of his picking and fret-work as seen throughout the concert. (Like Gilmour, Mason and Wright were never dynamic onstage, and that's true here as well, but their technical precision is fully evident, and while guitarist Tim Renwick and saxophonist Dick Parry are each given moments to shine, bassist Guy Pratt is a worthy substitution for Waters, especially when vocally sparring with Gilmour on "Run Like Hell.")

With beautiful packaging, an 8-page booklet, and menu designs by long-time Floyd associate Storm Thorgerson, the DVDs offer an abundance of bonus features including "Bootlegging the Bootleggers," featuring surprisingly good-quality "boot" video performances of "What Do You Want From Me?," "On the Turning Away," "Poles Apart," and "Marooned." The surreal round-ratio screen films seen throughout the concert can all be viewed independently (still in round format, and several offered in both original and alternate versions). Music videos for "Learning to Fly" and "Take It Back" are included on Disc 1, along with "Tour Stuff" including maps, itineraries, and stage plans for the 1994 tour. "Say Goodbye to Life as We Know It" is a playful backstage video (mostly involving the production staff's ongoing quest for a good pint of beer), and after delivering a heartfelt introduction to Pink Floyd's 1996 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (with Roger Waters and Syd Barrett acknowledged by Gilmour), Smashing Pumpkins leader Billy Corgan joins Gilmour and Wright for a moving acoustic performance of "Wish You Were Here" (directed at Waters, perhaps?). Additional features include album cover art, a photo gallery, and the concert-only audio choice between a 448kbps audio bitstream or a higher-quality 640kbps stream for higher-quality DVD players. The system set-up feature ensures that audiophiles will achieve optimum speaker performance in keeping with Pink Floyd's exacting technical standards. In tandem with the superior concert presentation, these features make Pulse one of the best--if not the best--music DVDs of 2006, guaranteed to satisfy Floyd fans for many years to come. --Jeff Shannon

More from Pink Floyd and David Gilmour

Pulse (CD)	Is There Anybody Out There?/The Wall Live Pink Floyd 1980-81	Pink Floyd--The Wall 25th Anniversary (DVD)
The Division Bell, Pink Floyd	Delicate Sound of Thunder, Pink Floyd	A Momentary Lapse of Reason, Pink Floyd
Live 8 on DVD--Featuring Pink Floyd	Pink Floyd--Live at Pompeii (Director's Cut) (DVD), Pink Floyd	On an Island, David Gilmour

Pink Floyd - The Wall 25th Anniversary (Deluxe Edition)

No Description Available.
Genre: Music Video: Concerts
Rating: NR
Release Date: 25-JAN-2005
Media Type: DVD

By any rational measure, Alan Parker's cinematic interpretation of Pink Floyd: The Wall is a glorious failure. Glorious because its imagery is hypnotically striking, frequently resonant, and superbly photographed by the gifted cinematographer Peter Biziou. And a failure because the entire exercise is hopelessly dour, loyal to the bleak themes and psychological torment of Roger Waters's great musical opus, and yet utterly devoid of the humor that Waters certainly found in his own material. Any attempt to visualize The Wall would be fraught with artistic danger, and Parker succumbs to his own self-importance, creating a film that's as fascinating as it is flawed.

The film is, for better and worse, the fruit of three artists in conflict--Parker indulging himself, and Waters in league with designer Gerald Scarfe, whose brilliant animated sequences suggest that he should have directed and animated this film in its entirety. Fortunately, this clash of talent and ego does not prevent The Wall from being a mesmerizing film. Boomtown Rats frontman Bob Geldof (in his screen debut) is a fine choice to play Waters's alter ego--an alienated, "comfortably numb" rock star whose psychosis manifests itself as an emotional (and symbolically physical) wall between himself and the cold, cruel world. Weaving Waters's autobiographical details into his own jumbled vision, Parker ultimately fails to combine a narrative thread with experimental structure. It's a rich, bizarre, and often astonishing film that will continue to draw a following, but the real source of genius remains the music of Roger Waters. --Jeff Shannon

Pink Floyd - Live at Pompeii (Director's Cut)

Conceived by the French director Adrian Maben as "an anti-Woodstock film," Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii was shot in October 1971 in a vacant, 2,000-year-old amphitheater--a venue chosen to accentuate the grandeur and spaciousness of the band's Meddle-era music. This disc contains a new, 90-minute director's cut as well as the original 60-minute concert film, whose production and effects feel inescapably dated. Maben's cut goes to great lengths to lend the film a more contemporary feel, but it's the earlier version that makes this disc such a gem, being more focused on the music and more wholistic in vision. The anamorphic, 16:9 director's cut interweaves the Pompeii performances with fascinating but distracting interviews and music snippets filmed later (mostly during the recording of Dark Side of the Moon). The movie was originally prepared in a 4:3 aspect ratio, however, and the widescreen version crops perfectly framed images like the nine-square mosaic of drummer Nick Mason in "One of These Days." The original offers plenty of closeups of fingers on frets and keys, with shots that are often luxuriously long in duration. And the picture quality from Pompeii is revelatory: outstandingly sharp and clear, rich in subtle grades of light and color.

Generous extras include everything from original posters, reviews, bootleg album covers, and song lyrics to a 24-minute interview with Maben. But for all the director's talk of the glorious acoustics in Pompeii's amphitheater, there's little natural ambience to be heard. The Dolby Digital 2.0 sound is clear, dry, and two-dimensional, though notably better than any previous video release. --Michael Mikesell

Pink Floyd - The Wall

By any rational measure, Alan Parker's cinematic interpretation of Pink Floyd: The Wall is a glorious failure. Glorious because its imagery is hypnotically striking, frequently resonant, and superbly photographed by the gifted cinematographer Peter Biziou. And a failure because the entire exercise is hopelessly dour, loyal to the bleak themes and psychological torment of Roger Waters's great musical opus, and yet utterly devoid of the humor that Waters certainly found in his own material. Any attempt to visualize The Wall would be fraught with artistic danger, and Parker succumbs to his own self-importance, creating a film that's as fascinating as it is flawed.

The film is, for better and worse, the fruit of three artists in conflict--Parker indulging himself, and Waters in league with designer Gerald Scarfe, whose brilliant animated sequences suggest that he should have directed and animated this film in its entirety. Fortunately, this clash of talent and ego does not prevent The Wall from being a mesmerizing film. Boomtown Rats frontman Bob Geldof (in his screen debut) is a fine choice to play Waters's alter ego--an alienated, "comfortably numb" rock star whose psychosis manifests itself as an emotional (and symbolically physical) wall between himself and the cold, cruel world. Weaving Waters's autobiographical details into his own jumbled vision, Parker ultimately fails to combine a narrative thread with experimental structure. It's a rich, bizarre, and often astonishing film that will continue to draw a following, but the real source of genius remains the music of Roger Waters. --Jeff Shannon

Pink Floyd - Welcome To The Machine: The Inside Story

This is the 40th anniversary special edition of the ultimate critical guide to the work of Pink Floyd in concert on record and on film. Using the actual words of the band and critics WELCOME TO THE MACHINE is the definitive review of the music of Pink Floyd from the Syd Barrett era to Pulse. This superb critical guide uses films and recordings of Pink Floyd performances from sound television and radio archives around the world to create an in-depth review of the work of this legendary band. The 136 page book features an in-depth analysis of all Floyd's music on record on stage and on film through the eyes of the band and the critics.System Requirements:Running Time: 100 minsFormat: DVD AUDIO Genre: MUSIC DVD/DOCUMENTARY UPC: 823880026065 Manufacturer No: CLL-DV2606

Live at Knebworth: Parts 1, 2 & 3

Knebworth, Hertfordshire, June 30, 1990. 120,000 fans gathered for an historic concert event to aid the Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy Centre and the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology. This incredible benefit concert was an instant success due to the high-energy, awe-inspiring performances of such rock 'n' roll legends as Paul McCartney, Phil Collins, Pink Floyd, Eric Clapton, Elton John, Mark Knopfler, Robert Plant, Jimmy Page, Status Quo, Tears For Fears and Cliff Richard & The Shadows. The 2002 DVD edition features a new 5.1 Dolby Surround and DTS sound mix.

The Pink Floyd and Syd Barrett Story

The sudden departure of Pink Floyd's founding member Syd Barrett in 1968 marked the closure of the first prolific chapter in the Pink Floyd story. A maverick artist and true individual, Syd Barrett helped forge the British psychedelic scene when he formed Pink Floyd with Roger Waters, Rick Wright and Nick Mason in 1965. This special charts the band's rise to fame under the guidance of Barrett's influence to his premature departure under a cloud of drug abuse and psychological problems. Richly illustrated with rare early footage of the band performing, alongside new interviews with the members of the band - David Gilmour, Rick Wright, Roger Waters and Nick Mason - and their associates, fans and friends including Jerry Shirley (Humble Pie), Graham Coxon (Blur) and original band member Bob Klose. Featuring classic early Pink Floyd songs Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Interstellar Overdrive, Arnold Layne, See Emily Play & Bike. DVD Extras: Approx. 20 minutes of Interviews with Roger Waters, David Gilmour on "Wish You Were Here", Robyn Hitchcock performances - "Dominoes" & "It Is Obvious", Graham Coxon (Blur) performance of "Love You".

Learn to Play...Pink Floyd Guitar Techniques

Learn five Pink Floyd tracks note for note with Jamie Humphries. This excellent 2-DVD set will guide you through the bluesy rock licks of Dave Gilmour, one of the greatest Strat players of all time! Tracks include: Money; Shine On You Crazy Diamond (part 1); Another Brick In The Wall; Wish You Were Here and Comfortably Numb.

Learn the Songs From Dark Side of the Moon: Pink Floyd

A Step-by-Step Breakdown of Pink Floyd's Guitar Styles and Techniques .. A must-have DVD for every Floyd fan, this DVD examines the licks from 8 songs on their classic CD. Each guitar part is played up to speed, then broken down note by note. Analyzes: Any Colour You Like Brain Damage Breathe Eclipse The Great Gig in the Sky Money Time Us and Them.

All My Loving

All My Loving is a groundbreaking documentary on music and its effect on pop culture in the late 60's with previously unseen footage from The Beatles Cream Jimi Hendrix The Who Pink Floyd and many more. Produced and initially broadcasted in 1968 this compelling documentary is just as pertinent and relevant as ever. Now for the first time this 60 minute BBC Film is available on home video. "This is just great; absolutely what we meant." - Paul McCartneySystem Requirements:Running Time: 52 minsFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: MUSIC DVD/CONCERTS UPC: 604388679607 Manufacturer No: TPDVD101