Even with the volume cranked, there is no discernible surface noise or crackling to distract from what must have been a truly epic performance. It has to be said that the vinyl sounds absolutely amazing. What is not included is rather moot however, and what we do have here is a beautifully packaged and pressed LP, featuring a stunning live version of DSOTM in sequence. While all of this is done with subtlety and care, it is still a shame that a double (or even triple) LP wasn’t considered, given the auspicious nature of the occasion. Moreover, in order to fit onto one LP, a number of songs are truncated, namely Money, Any Colour You Like and Eclipse while The Great Gig In The Sky is subjected to a fade at the end of side one. Given that the audio was released previously, a sensible move would have been to dust off the entire set, which opened with early versions of Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Sheep (titled Raving and Drooling) and Dogs (entitled You’ve Got To Be Crazy) – all of which appeared as part of the Wish You Were Here Immersion set – and the last airing of Echoes for over a decade, notable for its Dick Parry sax solo (found nestled away in the Early Years box set). Both are welcome, although it is a shame that there’s no booklet featuring live shots or liner notes reflecting on the importance of the record.įans have already raged about the fact that this is not the complete Wembley 1974 show and rightly so. These showcase two fantastic pieces of Gerald Scarfe’s artwork – the flying clocks from the Time live screen, and his now-legendary portrait of the band as caricatures. Inside the sleeve, you’ll find the vinyl in a simple, black, poly-lined sleeve and a pair of posters.
It serves as an apt metaphor too, for this live rendition offers a harder edged version of the album than the polished masterpiece recorded at Abbey Road the previous year. Housed in a gorgeous gatefold sleeve, Live At Wembley 1974 is adorned with artwork-in-progress and, like the negative images used to present the Led Zeppelin companion discs, it provides an attractive counterpart to the blank face of the original album sleeve. While the audio has already made an official appearance during the Why Pink Floyd campaign, this is the set’s first official release on vinyl and, with some decent effort put into the packaging, it’s an inexpensive way to celebrate the fiftieth anniversary of an album that has lost none of its ability to inspire in the intervening years. As such, the majority of Pink Floyd Fans will likely head for the separately-released Live At Wembley 1974. Fans have already taken to the forums to air their displeasure, especially as the set contains less content then the last deluxe offering (the much maligned Immersion Edition), bringing nothing new to the table beyond a Dolby Atmos mix (which is also available separately via streaming). Available as a super-deluxe box set, featuring a hardbacked book (thankfully available separately) and various reproduction 7″ singles, Dark Side Of The Moon returns for its 50th anniversary and with a price-tag to match.
0 kommentar(er)
