LIVE AT POMPEII (THE DIRECTOR'S CUT)

"Live at Pompeii" is an excellent visual record of the band before they assumed legendary status. The live tag is slightly misleading, as the performance was not in front of an audience (apart from the film crew, and a few kids who managed to sneak in), but took place in the ancient auditorium at Pompeii. The band's latest release at the time was "Meddle", the film thus being book ended by sections of "Echoes". The only other track from "Meddle" to be included is "One of these days", perhaps a reflection of the more disposable nature of the other tracks on that album.

It is wonderfully nostalgic to see the lank, chest length hair of the band members, which is caught by the wind, at times completely obscuring their faces. I love the way how at one point Roger Waters lays down his bass at precisely the right time(!) during a lengthy jam on "A saucerful of secrets", and walks in a slow, dignified manner to a gong, waits for the appropriate moment, and proceeds to beat the sh*t out of it!

For those less familiar with the pre-"Dark side of the moon" work of Pink Floyd, do not expect the tight structured songs of that album. Much of the music here is of an improvisational nature, with long instrumental passages. While there's little interaction between the band members, this was clearly a time when they were very much together with three fine vocalists all pulling their weight, and a wealth of creative energy.

The DVD version of this classic film from 1971 offers the "Director's cut" complete with extra footage of the band working on "Dark side of the moon". With the "Classic albums" series DVD now available which documents in superb detail the making of that album, the footage here is interesting but not essential.

The original version of "Live at Pompeii" is included on the DVD as a bonus feature. The main differences between the director's cut and the original are:

- The extra DSOTM related footage, including the Abbey Road Studios canteen

- The titles have been updated from the quaintly primitive originals

- Some space related film has been added, together with computer images of Pompeii of old. There's also for no apparent reason, a bus and an underground train!

Whether or not these changes are enhancements or detractions is a matter of personal choice, but the fact that both versions are here renders any complaints churlish.

The DVD also includes an interesting interview with director Adrian Maben, who offers many intriguing snippets of information, both about the original recording, and the "Director's cut". One disappointment I have with the new version is that the sound remains in 2 channel stereo, no 5.1 surround sound. That said though, this is an excellent DVD, with a wealth of extras and some fine music.

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