LIVE AT POMPEII (THE DIRECTOR'S CUT)

As I've said before in another review: I'm not very much into live albums and that includes videos, but "Pink Floyd Live at Pompeii" is an exquisite and unique piece that I enjoy a lot every time I watch it. In 1972, Pink Floyd played in the ruins of Pompeii, Italy; it was a concert without an audience and they released an amazing film showing those performances that had become a whole classic among the Pink Floyd fans all over the world.

Absolutely brilliant, the film shows the four members of the band in their better years, when they were swimming in the waters of experimentation and creating that solid style that they kept growing through the becoming years. They selected some of their most ambitious songs from the "A saucerful of secrets", "Ummagumma" and "Meddle" albums, and they exploded the songs into very strong and precise performances.

1.- Echoes, pt. 1: The first song in the video is the first part of the main suite from the "Meddle" album; it shows beautiful graphics of space since the idea is that somebody from outer space is coming to Earth to see the show; while the band is playing, we can see shorts from the studio recordings, showing both David Gilmour and Richard Wright giving their voices to the piece. The cuts from the air and the whole performance are amazing. The scene ends with shootings of the London subway and the front door of Abbey Road studios, then the music stops and we can see the guys having a tasty lunch.

2.- Careful with that ax, Eugene: The song that was originally released as a single and then recorded live in the "Ummagumma" album appears again in Pompeii but now with video added to the music. This performance is great and shows how misty and violent their music could be.

3.- A saucerful of secrets: This song comes from the same-titled album released in 1968. It is a great experimental suite that goes from insanity to tranquility and ends with the unbelievable vocalizing of David Gilmour.

4.- One of these days: The opening song of "Meddle" was also part of the Pompeii soundtrack. The most interesting here are the mind-blowing drums of Nick Mason (the scene when he loses one of his drumsticks and replaces it in a second has become a classic itself).

5.- Set the controls for the heart of the Sun: Another "A saucerful of secrets" original song, reminding their most obscure (musically) days.

6.- Mademoiselle Nobbs: The video also features a short improvised song with a fluffy dog as a guest; I'm not sure if it is the same dog as in "Seamus" (which would make sense since it is a similar song recorded almost at the same time), similar to that song this is also a blues, only without any lyrics.

7.- Echoes, pt. 2: The album ends with the second half of "Echoes" and the spaceship leaving to its origin. It's just a beautiful ending.

The film also shows scenes of Pink Floyd just chilling as a group of friends (more than a group of musicians) in the Abbey Road studios, short interviews that evidences their thoughts about the direction of the band, some shots from the recording of "The dark side of the Moon" and all of this fits really well into the film. This is an obligated stop to any Pink Floyd and Progressive Rock fan.

SONG RATING: Echoes, 1, 5 Careful with that ax, Eugene, 5 A saucerful of secrets, 5 One of these days, 5 Set the controls for the heart of the Sun, 5 Mademoiselle Nobbs, 4 Echoes, 2, 5

AVERAGE: 4.86

PERCENTAGE: 97.14

I ranked this album #30 on my TOP 100 favorite Progressive Rock albums of all time.

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