| Live At Pompeii |
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| Directed by: Adrian Maben Running Time: apprx. 80 minutes Ranking: #3 out of 5 videos Video Highlight: Echoes part I Video Weak Point: Mademoiselle Nobs Average Song Rating: ***** Comments: One of the great things about this video is its relative obscurity. Many Pink Floyd fans have never even heard of it, so it's a great addition to the collections of anyone who has. This film features not only 6 great classic Pink Floyd songs, but an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the making of Dark Side of the Moon, where you gets interviews with the band members, and footage of them actually recording early versions of the songs that would make up the greatest album of all time. The songs selected for this video are great, and give you a great sampling of Pink Floyd's earlier work. The quality is lower than the usual Pink Floyd standards, but they still sound good enough to enjoy. And while it's true you can recreate this entire repertoiure of songs by using only Meddle and the Ummagumme live album, seeing them performed is the beauty of this video. This is an excellent video for all true Floyd fans. |
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| Echoes part I Written by: Mason, Gilmour, Waters, Wright Running Time: 11:24 From: Meddle Best Version: Meddle RANKING (different version): #2 (this version ******) Comments: The second best Floyd song ever written, this video gives you the privelege of watching the band as they make this incredible music. Before the song starts, the video opens with shots of Pompeii to give you an idea of the atmosphere. Once the opening titles are over, the distinct "ping" sound is heard, and you see the band from high up in the empty ancient stadium, and you slowly zoom in on the band as the song continues. The sound quality is low, but it sounds a bit more "spacey" than the studio version. Once the drums come in, the camera cuts to shots of ancient artwork and sculptures. When the lyrics begin, the camera cycles between showing Rick in all is bearded glory, and Gilmour in all his shirtless glory, as they sing. There are then some shots of the band walking through the landscape which are very effective to the mood, though obviously choreographed. When the instrumental begins, the director does us the favour of never taking the camera away from Gilmour's hands as he works that magic with his guitar. The next portion of the song also focusses on Waters's bass playing, and it's a good feeling to see them together on the same screen. This is a truly amazing song, and while it doesn't sound as good as the perfect studio version, it is fascinating just to see it. Lyrics: overhead, the albatross hangs motionless upon the air and deep beneath the rolling waves in labyrinths of coral caves the Echo of a distant time comes willowing across the sand and everything is green and submarine and no one showed us to the land and no one knows the wheres or whys but something stirs and something tries and starts to climb towards the light strangers passing in the street by chance, two separate glances meet and i am you and what i see is me and do i take you by the hand, and lead you through the land and help me understand the best i can and no one calls us to move on and no one forces down our eyes and no one speaks and no one tries and no one flies around the sun |
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| Careful With That Axe, Eugene Written by: Waters, Wright, Mason, Gilmour Running Time: 6:27 Best Version: Ummagumma (live album) Rating: **** Comments: This is one of the true classics when it comes to Pink Floyd. It sounds better on Ummagumma, but the video gives it something extra. The band is now not in broad daylight but in the dark of night. When the music begins, a still-shot of a piece of art bearing a skull-like image fills the screen. When you see the band, they are all bunched together, and you can see all of them at the same time. There are more shots of the band hiking over the misty landscape as you hear Waters whispering. The music gets faster, and you then get to see Roger screaming at the top of his lungs and making the most horrible yet fascinating noises, as the camera cuts away to some volcanoes erupting. There is lots of lava flowing as Waters does some more whispering, and the music dies away to a shot of a piece of art with the image of a fearful man. (no lyrics) Words: Careful...Careful...Careful With That Axe, Eugene |
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| A Saucerful Of Secrets Written by: Waters, Wright, Mason, Gilmour Running Time: 9:40 From: A Saucerful Of Secrets Best Version: Ummagumma (live album) RANKING (different version): #19 (this verion *****) Comments: This would be the best song of the video if Echoes was not on it. In fact, of all the songs on the video, this is the least dissappointing version in relation to others, not that the other songs are dissappointing. But this version is much better than the studio version, and the only reason it's not better than the Ummagumma version is because of sound quality. But that aside, this is one of the most fascinating songs to see performed. It is shown in daylight, with Roger at the cymbals, lightly beating them with drumsticks. The sound effects go on until they can be built up no more, and they finally all die away as Nick Mason kicks in with his awesome drum-solo. During this, Waters experiments with the cymbals, and the rest of the band experiments with their instruments. You can't help but grin as Water get up and walks over to the gong. He starts pounding on it like there's no tomorrow, and soon, the sound dies down as quickly as it came on. This is when the song actually gets good. Rick Wright plays a few notes, and the new melody slowly comes in and grows. This has always been one of my most favourite melodies, and it really reaches you hear, as you see the wind blowing in the faces of the band, and some excellent wind-images appear behind the band as they play. Finally, in comes David Gilmour's booming voice as he belts out the vocals. Words cannot describe this beauty. And this isn't even as good as it gets! Anyone who has never heard the live version of this song has truly been missing an experience. This is practically perfection. (no lyrics) |
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| One Of These Days I'm Going To Cut You Into Little Pieces Written by: Mason, Gilmour, Waters, Wright Running Time: 5:25 From: Meddle Best Version: P*U*L*S*E (video) Rating: **** Comments: This song takes place as the daylight is dimming and night is just beginning. The star of this section is undoubtedly Nick Mason. This is one of the things that the director didn't do right, because although Mason has a lot to do with it, this is one of the rare songs driven by the bass, and you hardly see Waters at all. There are lots of amateurish camera effects dealing with Mason and the drums, and some still shots of other people. One effect that I do like is how when the words are spoken, Mason is seen in slow motion, and as soon as they end, the camera jumps into normal speed as Mason explodes with the drums. At one point, he accidentally flings a drumstick away, and then quickly picks up another one and plays as if nothing had happened. (no lyrics) |
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| Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun Written by: Waters Running Time: 9:48 From: A Saucerful Of Secrets Best Version: In The Flesh Rating: ***** Comments: This is one of the rare songs on this video to have lyrics, and unlike "Echoes" all these are sung by Roger. It begins very misty, with Waters at the gong and Mason at the cymbals. The camera cuts to ancient artwork between shots of the band. One subtle difference that I like about this version over the other versions is that Waters sing to the little musical part before he sings the title lines. Once the instrumental comes in, Mason becomes the star once again, and more shots of ancient art work are inserted behind him. The drums end abruptly as the bass comes in, and once the bass dies down, the keyboard comes in. Soon, all the instruments are back, and the song concludes. It's beautiful song, and this is one of the best versions of it you'll find, beaten only by the top-quality, fast version from In The Flesh. Lyrics: little by little, the night turns around counting the leaves which tremble at dawn lotusses lean on each other in yearning under the leaves the swallow is resting Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun over the mountain, watching the watcher breaking the darkness, waking the grapevine one inch of love is one inch of shadow love is the shadow that ripens the wine Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun the Heart of the Sun, the Heart of the Sun... witness the man who raves at the wall making the shape of his question to heaven whether the sun will fall in the evening will he remember the lesson of giving? Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun the Heart of the Sun, the Heart of the Sun... |
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| Mademoiselle Nobs Written by: Mason, Gilmour, Waters, Wright Running Time: 1:44 Rating: *** Comments: The first thing you'll think of when you hear this song is "Seamus" and that's probably where this song came from, but there are some rather large differences between the song on Meddle and this song. First and most obvious is that there are no lyrics here, and second is that the featured instrument is the harmonica, which is not in "Seamus". Nevertheless, the song does revolve around the vocal improvisations of a canine. Some might call this a waste of tape, but it doesn't really sound bad, and you have to have a sense of humour. (no lyrics) |
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| Echoes part II Written by: Mason, Gilmour, Waters, Wright Running Time: 12:42 From: Meddle Best Version: Meddle RANKING (different version): #2 (this version ******) Comments: The images you get when listening to the sound effects portion of "Echoes" are usually very spacey, and if you're done 2001: Echoes, you'll see those incredible landscapes of Kubrick's Jupiter and Beyond the Infinite. Here, you see a different landscape, much more down-to-earth, yet they also seem to fit. You see misty landscapes, mud-flows and rivers. You see the band playing with these images inserted behind them, and then more shots of them hiking, then running along the landscape. As soon as the sound effects begin to die down, and the music can be heard through them, the screen cuts to behind the wall of speakers, and stays there to build up suspense as the music slowly builds. It then peaks up over so you can see the empty arena. Richard Wright then becomes the star for a few moments as he is shown working the magic with his keyboards, and then Mason comes in with his cymbals. The whole band is soon shows as the music has built up to what seems like it's maximum, but it keeps on building after that. It cuts back to Wright and then finally the whole band as the climax roars in with Gilmour's guitar. Mason pounds the hell out of the drums, and then it goes back to the cycle between Rick and David as they sing the last verse of the song. As the lyrics end, the camera fades to ancient sculptures, and then back to the band as it zooms out from where it began at the beginning of the video, to bring things to a full-circle and a close. Lyrics: cloudless every day you fall upon my waking eyes inviting and inciting me to rise and through the window in the wall comes streaming in on sunlight wings a million bright ambassadors of morning and no one sings me lullabyes and no one makes me close my eyes so i throw the windows wide and call to you across the sky |
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