LIVE AT POMPEII (THE DIRECTOR'S CUT)

This is really the only glimpse into Pink Floyd you can get in their prime. They had just finished Meddle when this was made, and Meddle is the basis of Dark Side of the Moon. They had just found a clear path of what they wanted to do. This video is an excellent view of what they were up to. It starts out with a downright magnificent Gilmour solo on "Echoes Pt.1", and they really really get rocking here. Definitely the best part of the film. That floats on to "Careful With That Axe, Eugene" which is not exactly their best performance of it. By this point in their career that had perhaps played it one too many times and they seem to kind of rush through it. The 9 minute version on Ummagumma is superior to any other versions. A lot of drifting, but a lot less rocking and heavy stuff. A Saucerful of Secrets does not have all 4 parts I believe, and is nicely put together, great singing on Gilmour's part. Then a few interviews with the band, there are interviews between every song and it goes to the poorly lit studio where they try to lay down bits for "Us and Them". One of These Days is really the low point of the whole disc. Why? Because it's only Nick Mason. They don't show Gilmour rocking out or anything, it's just Nick Mason from about 20 different angles. That's really the only dissappointment in the whole package. "Mademoiselle Nobs" is a bluesy harmonica piece with a collie on lead vocals. Basically, "Seamus" from Meddle with a new title. There's not much of studio Brain Damage, just David Gilmour trying 3 or 4 times to get a little guitar fill right. "Set The Controls..." is nicely done, however the Ummagumma version is superior. "Echoes Pt.2" is a bit boring and lengthy, it starts in the middle of the piece, where it's very very slow and dreamy. It just kind of floats around while footage of landing on the moon rolls. That fades out to the credits. Towards the end of the film, footage of the actual wrecked city of Pompeii starts to roll, such as a virtual walkthrough of the town, closeups of some sculptures and paintings on the wall, etc. [THE BOTTOM LINE] -- Even if you're not a big fan, you definitely need to get this. It's a spectacular look at the band in their prime, before fame got to them and they made genuinely good music.

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