David's been busy

Apparently, David Gilmour of Pink Floyd fame has been keeping busy. Here he is performing with Roger Waters at an event for charity.

Hoping Foundation benefit performance from Hoping Foundation on Vimeo.

While the performance isn't great it's just nice to see these two being civil to one another, let alone playing music together.

Mr. Gilmour has also recently snuck out a collaboration with Orb. Hopefully it won't be too hard to track down the two disc version which has a special surround mix for headphones. Where are those Stax headphones when you need them?

Last, but certainly not least he served as Executive Producer on the new Syd Barrett compilation, not so cleverly titled, "An Introduction to Syd Barrett." Which will mix Syd Barrett era Pink Floyd and solo material, some of it remixed. Sadly, "Vegetable Man" nor "Scream Thy Last Scream" will be included, another missed opportunity. Why not put out these songs officially and give the fans the best quality possible and make a couple of quid in the process, instead of forcing us to continue to listen to sub-standard bootlegs? It would be a win-win for all involved. The big draw of the package isn't even on the disc it's a free bonus download of "Rhamadan,"a 20 minute previously unreleased instrumental. Since it's a download the sound quality won't be what it should. As obsessive as David is about sound this is a very odd choice. A bonus disc on the first pressing would have been a better way to get it out there, maybe even including "Vegetable Man" and "Scream Thy Last Scream". Now that would have been a great.

Favorites of 2008

Don't you hate those best of the year type lists almost as much as rhetorical questions? I know that I do. No one gets to listen to every album so it seems a bit presumptuous to compile a list of "The Best Albums of. . ." list. So my list is a little less self important. While these may not be the best five albums of 2008, they are my favorites of 2008.

Vampire Weekend-"Vampire Weekend" The song "A-Punk" was everywhere this year past year and for good reason. The record is a breath of fresh air full of short, catchy pop tunes. The record was recorded in spacious surroundings and features dripping wet guitar tones. Many songs have a The Clash punk sensibility infused with a Paul Simon world music vibe and feature lots of non-standard rock instruments to keep the listener interested.

Belle & Sebastian-"The BBC Sessions" Those Scottish bastards snuck this one out on me. The first couple of songs sound like they were recorded at the bottom of a garbage can with cassette recorder that has speed stability problems. The rest of the album sounds good enough to enjoy the performances and the last four songs, which to date haven’t been released on any of their studio albums are nice additions to their body of work. Make sure to get the Limited Edition. It contains an extra CD with a live 2001 Belfast performance. The covers of The Beatles "Here Comes the Sun" and Thin Tizzy’s "The Boys Are Back In Town" are well chosen and are very enjoyable.

Black Keys-"Attack & Release" was originally planed as a collaboration between Dan Auerbach, Patrick Carney (or The Black Keys as they are collectively known), Ike Turner and producer Danger Mouse. However with the passing of Ike Turner this became impossible and so it became a Black Keys project. Recorded in just 14 days the album has a strong DIY feel from the water color and pencil cover to the hand built recording console that was used during the sessions. What are any of the songs about? For the most part who cares? This isn’t a record about lyrics. It’s about the sound, the feel, and the groove. An atmospheric tour de force. While moments on the album remind me of this band or that , overall the album doesn’t remind me of anything else. The Black Keys are very much themselves, creating their own art. With little regard for how it will be received. Seemingly unaffected by corporate interests and focus groups. Something all too rare today. For a more thorough discussion please check out my full review.

Supergrass-"Diamond Hoo Ha" I literally couldn't wait for it to be released in the United States so I ordered from amazon.ca in Canada. Every great band has one album that can be viewed as a turning point. The work where they stop being the sum total of their influences and transcend them to become something completely unique. These collections are marked by a confident, self assured sound where risks are undertaken without sounding "risky." "Diamond Hoo Ha" demands to be given that role in Supergrass's catalog. At some point I’ll be reviewing this collection for Big Black Disk.

David Gilmour-"Live In Gdansk" The five disk (Three CD’s and 2 DVDs) version available exclusively from Best Buy. The performance of "Echos" is truly EPIC. The sound is just beautiful on the whole set and the picture quality of the concert is probably the best I‘ve ever seen. The first two of the CD’s contain the majority of the concert. The third CD contains bonus tracks from other stops on the tour, including a great performance of "Wearing The Inside Out" with the late Richard Wright on vocals. The first DVD is an edited version of the concert and a documentary. The second DVD contains a generous offering of performances taped for various TV appearances and the "On An Island" studio album in 5.1 surround. Plus an envelop containing numerous other goodie souvenirs including a postcard, ticket, backstage and artist‘s passes, Custom David Gilmour guitar pick, 7 photo prints, double sided poster and 24 page booklet. This package has immediately become one of the most prized possessions in my library.

Christmas Part 1

Thus far my holiday haul related to music and/or audio is as follows:

1. The 33 1/3 book about The Who-"The Who Sell Out" album. I've skimmed it and it looks like it will be a good read. Although I have a lot of Who albums I don't know a lot about the personal dynamics within the band. For those not familiar with the 33 1/3 series they are short, pocket sized books about ground breaking albums. I've already read the ones that cover Pink Floyd's "Piper at the Gates of Dawn" and The Beatles' "Let It Be" which are both excellent. The one about Led Zeppelin IV isn't as good since the author was unable to coax interviews out of the participants.

2. A book titled "The Dark Side of The Moon-The Making of The Pink Floyd Masterpiece" which I've already read 75% of and while most of the information isn't new to me that isn't the authors fault because I've read a ton of stuff about Pink Floyd.

3. The Ryan Adams & The Cardinals album "Cold Roses" which I haven't had a chance to listen to yet but he's pretty reliable when it comes to putting out good to great albums.

4. Eddie Vedder's CD single "All The Way" which is a song about being a Chicago Cubs fan.

5. A David Glimour promo CD with the song "Wot's. . .Uh The Deal?" from his performance at the Gdansk shipyard. It couldn't fit on the album so it was given to those who purchased the two CD version at independent music retailers. Since I bought the 5 disc version (3 CD's 2 DVD's) from Best Buy I initially missed out on it, but I'm glad to be adding it to my collection now.

A not so cleverly titled album

David Gilmour’s 1978 solo album entitled “David Gilmour” is the missing link between Pink Floyd’s 1977 minor master piece “Animals” and their 1979 Magnum Opus “The Wall.” Many of the guitar tones are reminiscent of Animals, which was recorded a year previous but the playing foreshadows things yet to come on “The Wall.” All of the lyrics were written by David Gilmour with the exception of “There’s No Way Out of Here.” For someone who has always doubted his own abilities as a lyricist he does an admirable job here.

“Raise My Rent” is a slow burning instrumental rocker the guitar tone of which would resurface a year later on “The Wall” on one of the few songs not written entirely by Roger Waters, “Young Lust.” “No Way Out” sounds like a note written by David to Roger Waters. The beginning lines are. “There’s no way I’m gonna let go. There’s no way, because it’s my show. I’m hanging on for a little wile. I won’t go down easy. That’s not my style.” These passing lines give us a glimpse of the inner workings of The Floyd camp during this troubled era. During the recording of “Animals” Roger had begun the process of co-opting control of the creative process, rejecting any contributions by keyboardist Richard Wright. Half way through the recording of “The Wall” Mr. Wright would get the sack and only three of the albums twenty six tracks would grant Mr. Gilmour co-writing credits, which he shared with Waters. The next Floyd album “The Final Cut” was written solely by Waters with no lyrical input from anyone, including Gilmour.

For anyone who loves Gilmour’s contributions on “The Wall” which include “Young Lust”, “Comfortably Numb” and “Run Like Hell” or the Post-Waters Pink Floyd albums “A Momentary Lapse of Reason” or “The Division Bell” This album is most certainly worth a couple of listens. The albums remastering has given the album a fresh sound. Bass guitar is clear with good pitch definition. The kick drum is also clear with just the appropriate amount of force behind it. Cymbals and tambourines have good shimmer without sounding bright on annoying.

A major find!

Written: Wednesday, May 10, 2006

Tonight I found myself inextricably drawn to a used CD store that I rarely visit, because they NEVER have anything worth buying. Well today was a major exception they had not one but TWO copies of "Music From The Body." It's the soundtrack to a medical documentary that has been out of print for some time. I can hear most of you now. "Why in the hell would you want a soundtrack to a medical documentary anyway?" Well, it was a collaboration between Ron Geesin and this chap named Roger Waters (the bassist from Pink Floyd). There are a couple of Roger Water songs that can be found nowhere else. The really compelling track is the last song which has guest appearances by David Gilmour, Nick Mason, and Richard Wright. This makes it a Pink Floyd song, and thus I'm compelled to own it.

I now own almost all Pink Floyd albums and most of the solo albums. Many of the solo projects are hard to find or are out of print entirely. The one that I really want that has thus far proved difficult to find is an album by the keyboard player Richard Wright called "Wet Dream." If any of you see it in a CD store, new or used buy it immediately and I will reimburse you. You will also be promoted to my best friend, for whatever that's worth.


Other obscure albums that I'm looking for:

1. Zabriskie Point-Soundtrack to a film that has four Pink Floyd tracks, the two CD version. Used only I could buy it new easily but I'm cheap.
2. Zee-Identity. A short lived band that keyboard player Richard Wright formed. New or used. EXTREMELY RARE.
3. Nick Mason-Profiles. A solo album by a drummer? If it's cheap why the hell not.
4. Nick Mason-Nick Mason's Fictitious Sports. EXTREMELY RARE.
5. When the Wind Blows. A soundtrack containing solo Roger Waters compositions. Looking for a cheap used copy
6. Snowy White-Gold Top. Pink Floyd's backing guitarist was allowed to release a rare version of "Pig on The Wing" recorded by Pink Floyd on his best of album. Out of Print, looking for New or Used copy.
7. The Legend of 1900 Soundtrack-Containing a single original Roger Waters song with none other than Eddie Van Halen as guest guitarist. Looking for a cheap used copy.
8. Richard Wright-Wet Dream great album I WANT IT, I WANT IT, I WANT IT!!! This one I'd go as high as $30 for the CD.
9. Pink Floyd-A Collection of Great Dance Songs. Remastered. The version of Money is a 1981 re-recording. Cheap used as I could buy it new but I'm just being a skin flint.
10. Pink Floyd-Works. Remastered. Again a cheap used copy because it is easy to buy new but not worth it for three tracks. It contains alternate mixes of Brain Damage and Eclipse from "Dark Side of the Moon" as well as a song called Embryo not available on any other release.

Let the scavenger hunt begin. . . NOW!