Is There Anybody Out There?

...where we came in

There's nothing I love more than a good value deal on a CD/DVD and my local Sam's just supplied me with a great one. Thhe special editon of Pink Floyd's Is There Anybody Out There?, The Wall Live 1980-1981. Comes with two cd's and a very nice booklet with interviews with the band members and staff about the live shows. This lovely set usually costs $50, but Sam's had it for $20, so how could I refuse. I'm a live music fanatic, and a huge Pink Floyd fan.

Well first the booklet. It has a bunch of really cool pictures from the live shows showing the building of the wall during the show up to its destruction at the end. Candid photos from backstage, and diagrams of the stage design are also thrown in. The interviews give a lot of really good insight into creating the show and the hardships of it.

Now onto the music. Now let me first say I'm a big fan of when artists will improvize and change things up from the way they sound on the album. There is some improvizing on this, but don't expect it to be radically different. Due to all the visual effects, pre-recorded parts, and epicness of the show, improvizing was very limited for The Wall. The major differences mainly consist of slightly extended guitar and keyboard solos. Who knows, had the wall been performed more than only 29 times they would have tried experimenting more. This being said, this album is probably best for hardcore Floyd fans. As I said, I'm a live music addict, and The Wall was one of rock's most important and epic tours, so I had to have it, even if it isnt radically different from the album. That doesn't make it bad though, I had always imagained The Wall being perfect for a live setting, which it is.

Well what are the standout songs from the show you ask. Well my favorite at the moment has to be Run Like Hell. It's a bit longer than the album version (7.22 min to 4.25 min) and has the band really cutting loose. Roger's spoken intro to the song alone makes it worth listening too. If you're a Pink Floyd fan who doesn't really want to buy the whole set, I definately recommend you at least get this song off Itunes or someone who has it.
Other stand-outs for me include In The Flesh? (which should open every concert by anyone), What Shall We Do Now (a song which was cut from the original album), Comfortably Numb (the one song where David Gilmour would get to improvize during final solo), and Outside The Wall (you couldn't hear roger's vocals very well on the original album)

Ok there is one key flaw with this release, and it has been pointed out by numerous other Floyd fans. The Wall live show was as much a visual experience as it was a musical one. The band members in the booklet reflect this sentiment as well. So why was a dvd of one of the shows not included? The last few shows at Earl's Court were filmed for use in The Wall movie, and occasionally bootlegs of these filmed scenes appear on youtube. It would have only made sense to include a dvd of a show with this set. Oh well, it will probably show up on a dvd sometime in the future, but ultimately I think it not being included prevents us listeners from fully experiences the performances (well to be honest I think you would have had to have been there to fully experience it, but yet get my point) A key example, The audience erupts when David Gilmour kicks off his first verse in Comfortably Numb, but what leads to this is the fact David is singing and playing his solos from on top of the wall on a crane. This image of David on top of The Wall is famous, and ever since I saw a video of it on youtube, it automatically comes to mind when listening to the live version of the song. Now I am glad that they chose to release a complete Wall live show on cd, but I do think that a dvd should have been included to complete the experience.

Ok final verdict. Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall Live is for hardcore floyd fans, live music junkies wanting a piece of live music history, and for huge fans of The Wall in general who want more of it. Now if you don't fall into one those categories, never fear. Itunes offers 30 second samples of each song, and youtube is filled with videos from the live shows, so you will able to judge whether or not its worth buying the whole album. Oh and also there is a cheaper regular cd version of the live show that doesn't come with the booklet and nice package, so be careful and make sure you are getting the version you want. I strongly recommend the special edition package although I had obstained from spending $50 on it for a long time till I found the $20 version.

Also let me make it clear that Is There Anybody Out There? is NO replacement for the regular Wall album. You should def listen to it first, as it captures the spirit of most of the songs best (in the flesh and run like hell being exceptions)

hmm thinking about it now, this year is the 30th anniversary of the original The Wall album. Hmmmmm do i smell a possible live show dvd/and or remaster of the oringal album?
One can hope :)

hey isn't this...