Pulse [Live]

Before even slipping the CD into your player you can't help but be impressed with Pulse. The case and inner sleeve contain great shots taken by the legendary Storm Thorgerson. And inside the inner sleeve is a book of ohotos from the tour that realy capture the atmosphere and scale of Pink Floyd in concert (well, I can only assume that, having been too young to have ever been to see Floyd live).

The first disc is essentially a collection of "Greatest Hits" (if one may be so crude), starting with Shine On You Crazy Diamond. Gilmour provides the vocals, backed up ably by bassist Guy Pratt and an array of backing singers. Gilmour revives and makes his own Syd Barrets classic Astronomy Domine. next follows a selection of tracks from A Momentaryt Lapse of Reason and The Division Bell, all taken to another level in live performamce. Disc One ends with the Floyd hit ANother Brick in the Wall Part Two. This is a little disappointing in my opinion, but still a great listen.

What can I say about Disc 2? Well, very little, in fact. Dark Side of the Moon live was the perfect ending to the carrer of Pink Floyd spanning nearly forty years. The tone is warm and rich, with many moments exceeding the studio version and some not quite delivering the perfection of the 1973 album. "Time" is a fantastic development on the original, with the immense solo bettered in Concert.. Great Gig in the Sky is the best attempt since 1973 and easily matches the vocals of Clare Torry. "Money" is a little disappointing, despite the extended guitar solo. Gilmour, after immense build up, refuses to push his Strat up to top E (you know the bit!) and it becomes a bit of an anti-climax. He does redeem it with some rather special playing a litle later in the solo, however. Eclipse meets the expectations of the audience, matching the album version in spite of Waters' absence.

But that isn't it for the concert. Gilmour serves up a triple encore. Wish You Were Here was briliantly captured- the audience joining in the vocals is something special. Comfortably Numb is taken by Gilmour and made perfect. The Wall version is put to shame by the musicaliity of this version. The verses are sung the same as on Delicate Sound of Thunder (sung in three part harmony) and chorus by Gilmour harmonised by one of the backing singers. The first solo is as the album, but it is the second solo that really makes the album, for me. The solo is about 5mins long and exploits all of the fretboard and all of the equipment Gilmour has to offer, all complimented by some great keyboards and organ by Rick Wright and incredible drumming from Mason.

Even after this solo has left you Comfortably Numb, Floyd aren't finished yet. Run Like Hell tops off the album and does not disappoint after such an awesome solo in the previous track. Everything is built up towards the end of the track and Nick Mason puts the icing on the cake by throwing in some spectacular drum fills, leaving the audience thirsty for more. But alas, Pink Floyd are only human and retire from the stage after over 2 hours of brilliant music.

Well worth the Anti Social Behaviour Order you get for playing this far too loud at an unreasonable hour. A brilliantly played and produced album. A must have for anyone, let alone Floyd fans.

(Appologies for any typos!)

When I first heard about this album, I was a little unsure of whether to get it or not. This concert was after all done by a Waters-less Pink Floyd, and I thought what is Pink Floyd without the genius that is Roger Waters? But, after hearing p.u.l.s.e, no offence to the man, but you don't notice that he isn't there. Guy Pratt does an excellent job filling in, and even on songs such as Money and Comfortably Numb, where Rogers' superb bass playing and distinctive vocals respectively make the songs what they are, you don't realise that it is someone else playing or singing, which I think is a good thing.

Disc one is mainly post-Waters stuff, but with a handful of 'classic' Floyd songs scattered here and there, and all performed brilliantly, I might add! It kicks off with a spine-tingling Shine on You crazy Diamond, a tribute to ex-band mate Syd Barrett, who went insane. Dave Gilmour really does give it his all in this song, and it gives me goose bumps every time! The next song is the very early Syd-era Astronomy Domine, again performed brilliantly. The next highlight on disc one (after Shine on You crazy Diamond) is Hey You, from their classic album The Wall. It starts off with that amazingly eerie guitar intro and then towards the end, spectacularly builds up into one of my favourite Floyd solos!! We end the first disc with Another Brick In The Wall; a song often associated with Waters, but carried off superbly.

Disc two is a real treat, Dark Side Of The Moon in its entirety, LIVE!! Dark Side of the Moon, is of course Floyd's most famous album, and as spectacular an album it is, nothing can prepare you for how incredibly awesome it all sounds live. Time, with its famous alarm clock introduction, sounds like you've never heard it before, and Breathe, On The Run, The Great Gig In The Sky, Money, Us And Them, Any Colour You Like, Brain Damage and Eclipse also sound just as excellent as you'd expect them to be. And then, just as you think its all over, the Floyd return for an encore consisting of three more songs! The first encore is Wish You Were Here, not only my favourite Floyd song, but my favourite song of all time! It starts with that simple and beautiful guitar intro, and then Dave comes in and sings with all his heart. The crowd certainly give him a helping hand, sometimes even drowning him out!! Then comes that sweeping Comfortably Numb intro, and at this point I was thinking, can anyone sing it like Roger can?! The answer is, yes, and it sounds just as good as when Roger sang it, with the ever impressive solo by David Gilmour making it even better!! The final song is another track from The Wall, Run Like Hell. Sang extremely well by David, this is a great way to end the album, even though you don't want it to end!!

No Pink Floyd fan should be without this album, and anyone who isn't sure of what all the fuss is about should definitely check this out, nothing beats the sound of the Floyd live!!

To make a long story short and not to sound like a pink floyd freak if I could give this album 10 stars I would......tips: GET IT