Ahead of the Curve: David Gilmour – Live in Gdansk
There are perks to this thing I do, flinging the gushing confessions of my fanboy alter ego all over the web and splashing them before your eyes. One of those perks? I sometimes get cool music before the rest of you. Take for instance the new double live album from David Gilmour, recorded with the Baltic Philharmonic Symphony.
In addition to the Baltic Philharmonic Gilmour was joined onstage by fellow Pink Floyd album Richard Wright, who passed away yesterday at age 65 after a bout with cancer. While never the main creative force behind Pink Floyd, Wright was a founding member whose keyboard work is a vital part of the sound of both the band’s early psychedelic sound during the Syd Barrett era as well as the spacier sound of later albums with Gilmour.
Sadly, this probably places the exclamation point behind what Gilmour has been saying ever since he, Wright, Nick Mason, and Roger Waters reformed for a one-off performance at Live 8: Pink Floyd are not getting back together.
As for Gdansk, it is naturally being released in 100 different variations from a bare bones 2 CD set all the way up to a 3-CD/2-DVD package.
I was sent #2, the 2-CD set. I wish I’d gotten #1, but the truth is I’m 99% more likely to listen to the CDs than I am to watch the DVD and I got this sent in advance and free so I am not complaining. You’ll probably need a star chart and a graduate degree to keep track of this, but here is an outline of 5 different packages of David Gilmour’s Live at Gdansk:
1) David Gilmour Live In Gdansk – 3 Disc set and 12-page booklet, features:
Disc 1 – Concert Audio CD
Disc 2 – Concert Audio CD
Disc 3 – Concert DVD and Gdansk Diary documentary
2) David Gilmour Live In Gdansk – 2 Disc audio only and 12-page booklet, features:
Disc 1 – Concert Audio CD
Disc 2 – Concert Audio CD
3) David Gilmour Live In Gdansk – 4 Disc set and 12-page booklet, features:
Disc 1 – Concert Audio CD
Disc 2 – Concert Audio CD
Disc 3 – Concert DVD and Gdansk Diary
Disc 4 – Extras DVD including three previously unreleased ‘Barn Jams’ and 5.1 audio version of On An Island
4) David Gilmour Live In Gdansk – 5 Disc Deluxe Box set and 24-page booklet with collectable memorabilia items, features:
Disc 1 – Concert Audio CD
Disc 2 – Concert Audio CD
Disc 3 – Concert DVD and Gdansk Diary
Disc 4 – Extras DVD including three previously unreleased ‘Barn Jams’and 5.1 audio version of On An Island
Disc 5 – CD Bonus tracks (live from the 2006 Summer tour).
5) David Gilmour Live In Gdansk (Vinyl) – 5 x LP Box Set and 20-page booklet, plus web-pass to download the album, features:
The full Live From Gdansk concert including ‘Wot’s… Uh The Deal?’, plus extra audio tracks that include two of the private recording sessions known as the ‘Barn Jams’.
Filed under: Tags: David Gilmour, Pink Floyd
it’s ok that they’re not getting back together, because i just can’t imagine anything more interesting than The Wall, Pt 7 coming out of it.
Well, I could have seen a tour as possibly interesting but no I don’t think they would have come up with new music of interest.
Lucky bastard. Can’t wait to hear this.
A couple of tidbits . . .
1. ‘Wot’s… Uh The Deal?’ will be available as a single from indie stores if you buy any version of this.
2. ‘Wot’s… Uh The Deal?’ plays under the credits for the DVD, so if you have a version that has a DVD, and you have DVD-audio ripping software, you have it already.
3. Best Buy will have the exclusive on #4, it will be $49.99 next week.
This and Remember That Night are pretty essential from what I can see. RtN is just beautifully filmed, one of the most gorgeous concert videos I’ve ever seen. It’s Pink Floyd quality, for sure.
Pink Floyd were the last major-league band that could have reunited in its most successful lineup. While I believed Gilmour when he said (last week) that he didn’t wish to be a part of any more reunions, not only did he mean it, he surely knew what was going on with his friend’s rapidly declining health. Wright’s passing puts an affirmative end to any reunion questions for Pink Floyd.
That may lead people (and Jimmy Page) to shift more attention and pressure on a Led Zeppelin tour, which obviously would be a huge deal. It wouldn’t equal the magnitude of what a Pink Floyd reunion offered, however.
I don’t have RtN (or On an Island, for that matter). It looks like the set lists for both shows are damn near identical. I’m not sure I’m going to plunk down the money or not. Of course, I don’t have a DVD of either show and RtN is available in Blu-ray, so… you never know.
Are you getting the SatanBestBuy set, Tom?
That Zeppelin reunion isn’t happening, Donald. I think both of these bands are going away. Thank God I finally saw the two Springsteen shows.
You bet I’m getting that set at SatanBestBuy! I’m praying they actually have the damned thing next week. I’ve been waiting for this for, what, two months since it’s been announced, and a year since RtN came out (a bit of footage from this sneaks into the very excellent documentary on that set, which really whet the appetite.) This should be a very different show, what with the orchestra and all, but it depends on how into Gilmour/Floyd you are, I suppose. I’m also not sure if Gdansk has Stills & Nash on backing vocals, or if Robert Wyatt guests on trumpet, either – this may be his stripped back touring band in Gdansk, supplemented by the orchestra. RtN was such a feature-packed set that I can’t help but say “You NEED this!” but this one also seems to come with a ton of stuff, too.
As for On An Island, well, you get the whole thing, song-by-song on the live set, and it’s played almost exactly like it is on the album. It might be slightly better live, just because Gilmour can really cut loose. It’s one of those albums that is so subtly mellow that it took me a long time to get into it, but now I love it, so if it hasn’t hooked you yet, give it some time. The solos were enough to keep me coming back until the songs themselves really sunk in.
How funny is it that Gilmour makes a record about once a decade, but follows it up with two live sets?
I love Gilmour’s voice and playing. I love Floyd, both with and without Barrett. I’m not an obsessive and can’t tell you all the ins and outs of it all, but I’m a fan. I wasn’t big for Momentary Lapse or Division Bell, although both have a couple songs I like. Even when the songs aren’t great, I love to hear Gilmour play.
You’re getting me dangerously close to unleashing a torrent of cash on this set. I’m a bit stuck, though. Help me through this:
1) I’ve already got the CDs, free.
2) None of the packages have Blu-ray DVD which means
3) I’ll pay for a set I got the “good” part of free and I’ll wind up paying again when the Blu-ray comes out…
4) but that SBB exclusive package looks pretty sweet.
As for RtN, I might have to consider that. I like the songs from Island that I heard on Gdansk. I might have to pick up the studio album, too.
Oh, and can I please say that “Castellorizon” sounds unbelievably cool with the orchestration. Gilmour’s playing is mesmerizing on that one.
Oh, come on man, you know you’re going to buy the 5-disc set. Put the two-disc set up on Amazon, you’ll probably make back close to whatever the lowest price that set is going for (from my experience.)
And if there’s a theater near anyone interested, you can see it on the big screen . . .
Yeah, I’m going to write something up about the theatrical release. I got an e-mail about that from my contact.
You’re probably right. I’m trying to pretend you’re not but I think my history speaks for itself.