1995 - Pink Floyd's Pulse Album

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Keith Jordan
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1995 - Pink Floyd's Pulse Album

Post by Keith Jordan »

5 June 1995

Pink Floyd released a live album, P.U.L.S.E., in the UK and US. The album artwork was notable for a flashing LED on the spine of the packaging.

Tracklisting: Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Parts, 1-6; Astronomy Dominé; What Do You Want From Me; Learning To Fly; Keep Talking; Coming Back To Life; Hey You; A Great Day For Freedom; Sorrow; High Hopes; Another Brick In The Wall, Part 2; The Dark Side Of The Moon; Wish You Were Here; Comfortably Numb; Run Like Hell.

The album reached No. 1 in the UK and US. A video release of the P.U.L.S.E. concert was released in the UK and the US a week later.
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Re: 1995 - Pink Floyd's Pulse Album

Post by Hudini »

I always found some of the choices for this set list rather curious. The full version of DSOTM was pretty much unexpected back in 1994/95, and so was a rendition of 'Hey You' by the "Three Man Floyd". Also, the choice of ending the set with both 'Comfortably Numb' and 'Run Like Hell' the same way they used to end the set during the AMLOR tour made it a bit anti-climactic. However, 'Run Like Hell' sounded better in 1995 than in 1988, while the last solo in 'Comfortably Numb' was better in 1988, which might had something to do with cocaine.

And shouldn't that be 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond Parts 1-5'? As far as I can remember, they didn't play Part 6. They didn't even play the second half of Part 3.
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Re: 1995 - Pink Floyd's Pulse Album

Post by azza200 »

Its an ok album but too polished some songs are edits from 2 different nights from europe that i see as pointless. Also i find Brick P2 on this rather awful out of all the versions from the european leg they picked that one when there are far better ones out there.

The live B sides from the tour also sound better then the album more raw and i find alot is hidden in the mix for being to polished.
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Re: 1995 - Pink Floyd's Pulse Album

Post by UsNotThem »

It's nice to have a live recording of Dark Side in full, a few Division Bell tracks and few unexpected ones like Astronomy Domine and Hey You, but the whole album is over produced, there's no feeling or emotion (the only emotion I can sort of feel is when Jon Carin sings the last verse of Hey You) in any of the tracks.

Delicate Sound of Thunder was much better in terms of production, it had a warmth and rawness, which Pulse lacks.

But hey, I still listen to it regularly.

:)
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Re: 1995 - Pink Floyd's Pulse Album

Post by FreeFour »

Wow, 20 years ago today. 20.10.1994

I was at Earls Court on the 12th Oct (briefly!!) 14th Oct (DSoTM performance) and the 17th Oct (reschedule)

The gig on the 14th is still my all time best gig....I have recordings from 17th and 12th (although the 12th is more a bunch of announcements by Harvey Goldsmith!) and still searching for a recording from the 14th.

Nice memories of a brilliant run of concerts.
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Re: 1995 - Pink Floyd's Pulse Album

Post by jambo »

Hudini wrote:And shouldn't that be 'Shine On You Crazy Diamond Parts 1-5'? As far as I can remember, they didn't play Part 6. They didn't even play the second half of Part 3.
Live Shine on is:

1975 is embryonic

1977 is full Parts I-V and then VI-IX with extended jams for Part VIII getting longer and longer as the tour went on.

1987-90 is Parts I-V but with the guitar solo from Part III removed.

1994 is Parts I-V but with the guitar solo from Part III removed and on the later part of the tour part VII (vocal return) was added on.
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Re: 1995 - Pink Floyd's Pulse Album

Post by The Crazy Diamond »

Does anyone know how many pressing were produced of the vinyl box set , everyone seems to thinks it a rare set and usually fetches silly money on ebay and the like.
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Re: 1995 - Pink Floyd's Pulse Album

Post by DarkSideFreak »

The CD has the better setlist, but the DVD is much better. The Pulse CD is seriously overproduced and feels lifeless.

DSOT is rawer, but it has its own issues as well - and not just the shortened setlist.

Incidentally the PULSE CD was my introduction to Pink Floyd.
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Re: 1995 - Pink Floyd's Pulse Album

Post by Follix »

I know I am gonna be alone on this but beside DSOTM material I pretty much prefer everything on Pulse than the original version... Especially ''Sorrow'' it's a thousand time better than on AMLOR imo.
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Re: 1995 - Pink Floyd's Pulse Album

Post by DarkSideFreak »

Follix wrote:I know I am gonna be alone on this but beside DSOTM material I pretty much prefer everything on Pulse than the original version... Especially ''Sorrow'' it's a thousand time better than on AMLOR imo.
I'll need to listen to it again - but I think I remember that "Sorrow" never made much of an impact on me in the Pulse version. It sounds too smoothed out, I think. The same is true for "Learning to Fly", which just sounds dull. "Coming Back to Life", always hated it until I heard the studio version. "High Hopes" - no dynamics. It goes on and on like that. We might agree about "What Do You Want From Me", "Keep Talking" and "A Great Day for Freedom".
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Re: 1995 - Pink Floyd's Pulse Album

Post by Hudini »

The best version of 'Sorrow' is the one on 'Delicate Sound of Thunder', very raw and powerful. In fact, I hold most DSOT versions of AMLOR songs for the definitive versions.
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Re: 1995 - Pink Floyd's Pulse Album

Post by DarkSideFreak »

Hudini wrote:The best version of 'Sorrow' is the one on 'Delicate Sound of Thunder', very raw and powerful. In fact, I hold most DSOT versions of AMLOR songs for the definitive versions.
Performance-wise, I agree, but the mixing isn't optimal. I've got an unofficial CD called "Shine on LIVE" which is, basically, the audio track from the VHS and while some of the edits are unfortunate, you get a lot more of the audience (plus some songs not on the CD DSOT). Also, why did they edit out the "Terminal Frost" section... now here's an idea for a future PF project/release.
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Re: 1995 - Pink Floyd's Pulse Album

Post by Hudini »

I prefer mixes of live shows where you can hear little to no audience at all. That way you can focus on music itself. And while it can sometimes be fun to listen to random people shouting "Yeeshkul!" or something like that all it really does is distracts from the actual performance.
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Re: 1995 - Pink Floyd's Pulse Album

Post by Follix »

^ I agree with that, except I really enjoy ''WYWH'' on Pulse when you hear the crowd singing, it's different and I just prefer the way the instrumental is done.

I am probably alone on this but again, I prefer pretty much everything on Pulse than the original in term of arrangement at least. Again DSOTM is untouchable to me, the production of this album is so perfect that it can't be topped live... except maybe for a lick or two during ''Money'' solo.
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Re: 1995 - Pink Floyd's Pulse Album

Post by Hudini »

Follix wrote:^ I agree with that, except I really enjoy ''WYWH'' on Pulse when you hear the crowd singing, it's different and I just prefer the way the instrumental is done.
Agreed, crowd singing can be a nice touch sometimes.