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David Gilmour - Arnold Layne CD (album) cover

ARNOLD LAYNE

David Gilmour

 

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3.29 | 30 ratings

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Einsetumadur
Prog Reviewer
4 stars This single/EP is one of the appetitizer CDs for David Gilmour's Remember That Night DVD which was releaed in 2007, including Gilmour's Royal Albert Hall concert from 2006 on one DVD and a lot of bonus material of his tour on a second DVD.

Just like other reviewers have already mentioned, the CD is Gilmour's tribute to Syd Barrett who died during Gilmour's tour, in the early July 2006. Musically, this CD is very fine. At first you get two different versions of Barrett's probably most popular song, Arnold Layne. The first recording can be watched on the Remember That Night DVD and includes the great David Bowie on vocals who seems to have won the fight against the drugs and therefore sings much more stable than for example in the 70s; he has a great voice that fits well to this song. Rick Wright's solo on the Farfisa organ (respectively the Farfisa registration of his keyboard) is still very great with all those lydic, doric, modal or whatever scales - they sound quite oriental, however - which made the Pink Floyd music of the late 60s that innovative. A really nice version - just like the recording with Richard Wright on vocals which also comes from the Royal Albert Hall but was recorded a few days before. Unfortunately, it's much shorter, clocking at 3'22'' - contrary to the 4 minute David Bowie rendition.

The next song is a great rendition of Barrett's ballad Dark Globe by Gilmour - just singing and playing the acoustic guitar, just like the original recording which can be heard on Barrett's first solo album THE MADCAP LAUGHS (from 1969) in which David Gilmour participated as a bassist, rhythm guitarist and even as a producer - collaborating with his former band-mate Roger Waters. This recording of Dark Globe was a one-off-tribute-performance to Syd Barrett and couldn't be found on the regular setlist of Gilmour's latest tour. However, he handles the singing and the guitar-playing very well. However, there is no Rick Wright to be heard here, and it's the same version which you can listen to (and watch!) on the bonus DVD of "Remember that Night"!

But now the CD player would stop and go into the standby mode - after two songs, one of them available in two versions.

I don't own this CD and I ask myself if I should have bought it since I know all of its content from the "Remember that Night" DVD. Until its publication in 2007 the single was surely essential. But as an owner of Gilmours "Remember That Night" on which all of those songs are available as videos with full surround sound I have to admit that this CD is rather needless. For a live CD it is too short, but I know, it is a single and not a live album.

The music is good and I also appreciate the tribute character of the single - but I recommend buying "Remember That Night" (or Live in Gdansk) instead. I know that actually I can't criticize a single for being a single, and so I give the music 4/5 stars - but reminding you that it is in fact a CD for completionists - and not recommendable from the purely musical perspective.

Einsetumadur | 4/5 |

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