Pink Floyd - Is There Anybody Out There?

[drafsack]

This thread is to discuss Pink Floyds Is There Anybody Out There?.

Feel free to discuss the album!





MC:Atmos
In the Flesh
The Thin Ice
Another Brick in the Wall (Part I)
The Happiest Days of Our Lives
Another Brick in the Wall (Part II)
Mother
Goodbye Blue Sky
Empty Spaces
What Shall We Do Now?
Young Lust
One of My Turns
Don't Leave Me Now
Another Brick in the Wall (Part III)
The Last Few Bricks
Goodbye Cruel World
Hey You
Is There Anybody Out There?
Nobody Home
Vera
Bring the Boys Back Home
Comfortably Numb
The Show Must Go On
MC:Atmos
In the Flesh
Run Like Hell
Waiting for the Worms
Stop
The Trial
Outside the Wall

[J Ed]

this one seemed to come out of nowhere when it was released in the late90s
thered been rumours therd be an official release of the BBC material
as in recent years thered been similar albums for the Beatles, the Who, Hendrix, Queen and Bowie
but the BBC album of course never appeared, instead we got this
its the only archival live release theyve ever given us, and probably the least interesting possible tour they could have chosen since its just the latest album performed live with no encores and no space for spontaneous jamming of any sort
still nice to get official release of Empty Spaces and the instrumental at the end of the old vinyl side 2, as well as the high concept opening speech "I think the band is about to begin now ... no, no theyre not" etc

packagingwise theres two versions of this, the one Draf's posted at top is the simpler of the two

[drafsack]

packaging wise theres two versions of this, the one Draf's posted at top is the simpler of the two

Both versions are there now

[J Ed]

now thats some prompt and efficient service!

[Jimi Dean Barrett]

Is There Anybody Out There> The Wall> Pink Floyd The Wall
Is the order I'd put them in. I'd love more archive stuff to get a release, but this'll do. And I liked the movie as well.
The In The Flesh chord still makes me jump during the MC. No matter how many times I've heard it.

[drafsack]

When I saw the live show the MC was allowed to finish his speach at the start of the show and many people - including me just thought it was the usual anouncments that happened before big shows etc. So when he came back later and did the slowed down version it was amazing. The masks on the surigate band worked really well and fooled a lot of people. I remember walking into the arena and seeing the very basic equipment and lighting arangement and thinking that they had really cut down on the equipment and lighting - after all they were going to build a wall etc. So when the 'band' came on and struck up in the flesh everyone went mental then when the real band emerged with a full set of equipment and a lot more lighting the crowed went even more mental. I remember watching the show for the first time open mouthed and close to tears - I had seen Floyed shows before but nothing they had done previously came clost to this.

[mastaflatch]

When I saw the live show the MC was allowed to finish his speach at the start of the show and many people - including me just thought it was the usual anouncments that happened before big shows etc. So when he came back later and did the slowed down version it was amazing. The masks on the surigate band worked really well and fooled a lot of people. I remember walking into the arena and seeing the very basic equipment and lighting arangement and thinking that they had really cut down on the equipment and lighting - after all they were going to build a wall etc. So when the 'band' came on and struck up in the flesh everyone went mental then when the real band emerged with a full set of equipment and a lot more lighting the crowed went even more mental. I remember watching the show for the first time open mouthed and close to tears - I had seen Floyed shows before but nothing they had done previously came clost to this.

colour me jealous

[danielcaux]

This is the closest thing to a definitive version of The Wall concept IMO. The double appearance of the MC adds another layer of self-reflexivity and entropy to the whole thing. It really underlines the cyclic nature of whole work, together with that spoken part at the end and begin of the studio album. It also has the "misterious" missing song from the album, the kick-ass What Shall We Do Now? and adds a new instrumental, The Last Few Bricks, which works pretty much like a coda recapitulating all the major themes played so far in the piece. We also get to hear a little more of Rick Wright input on the keyboards, which is always really welcomed by fans of the WYWH/Animals sound, including an organ solo on ABITW2 and more funky playing on The Happiest Days Of Our Lives. Add points for longer and complete guitar solo at the end of Confortably Numb and the maniac intro to Run Like Hell, done by "Pink" himself insulting the audience and screeching like Eugene, and you get a release as essential as the studio album.

The packaging and booklet in the large case version is pretty nice and worth getting alone for the great pictures and little essays from each member of the band. I don't know what are the differences between both versions, but it appeared to me that the large case was nicer overall, so that was the one I bought.

Too bad we can only hear the "complete" version of The Wall done live and not in its original studio form. Maybe in the 40th anniversary? Would CDs still exist then?

PS/ One thing I just remembered is that this release had two different mastering jobs that were done around the same time, but I don't remember which one was the better. Anybody knows more about that?

[progo]

The Last Few Bricks is a killer to be a filler!

[Hudini]

probably the least interesting possible tour they could have chosen since its just the latest album performed live with no encores and no space for spontaneous jamming of any sort

Agreed that the tour was less diverse than their previous tours, focusing solely on "The Wall", but it did have a lot of jam sequences, though those were basically used to extend live versions of the existing songs. At least two of their previous tours featured more variety in performed material, but they tended to play the song with minimal differences from the album versions (excluding the songs that were not recorded in studio by the time, such as "You Gotta Be Crazy" and "Raving And Drooling"). "The Wall" live shows feature lots of extended songs, some songs that were omitted from the album, and restored lengths of some songs that had to be cut shorter to fit in the record. In that way, it's probably more interesting compared to the studio version than the 1977 tour, per instance, though the 1977 tour featured much more diverse material.

[drafsack]

The shows were also a reflection of how Rog was feeling towards audiences - you came for the wall and thats what your getting - you don't deserve an encore you horrible little people. I read somewhere at one point he wanted the pig to shit on the crowd etc. I can't remember where I saw it but there is a scene in my mind of a band blowing up their audience and every on clapping and cheering - might have been something floyd related - might not of been but i'm sure thats what rog was feeling at the time.

[Idisaffect]

I read somewhere at one point he wanted the pig to shit on the crowd

That would have been outrageous.

What would they have used for fake pig shit back in '77? Pudding?
If you don't eat your meat you can't have any pudding....

[Hudini]

I can't remember where I saw it but there is a scene in my mind of a band blowing up their audience and every on clapping and cheering - might have been something floyd related

As far as I know, the audience blowing to pieces while cheering has been an original idea for the ending of "In The Flesh" in the film, but the idea has been abandoned because the results of the test shooting were considered hilarious by the production crew. I don't know if any of the shots survived though.

[drafsack]

I can't remember where I saw it but there is a scene in my mind of a band blowing up their audience and every on clapping and cheering - might have been something floyd related

As far as I know, the audience blowing to pieces while cheering has been an original idea for the ending of "In The Flesh" in the film, but the idea has been abandoned because the results of the test shooting were considered hilarious by the production crew. I don't know if any of the shots survived though.

It might have been sid viscous doing my way

[J Ed]

Agreed that the tour was less diverse than their previous tours, focusing solely on "The Wall", but it did have a lot of jam sequences, though those were basically used to extend live versions of the existing songs. At least two of their previous tours featured more variety in performed material, but they tended to play the song with minimal differences from the album versions (excluding the songs that were not recorded in studio by the time, such as "You Gotta Be Crazy" and "Raving And Drooling"). "The Wall" live shows feature lots of extended songs, some songs that were omitted from the album, and restored lengths of some songs that had to be cut shorter to fit in the record. In that way, it's probably more interesting compared to the studio version than the 1977 tour, per instance, though the 1977 tour featured much more diverse material.

listening to the new official live Dark Side you do have a point
aside from the extended Any Colour jam, and some rearrangements to listen for, it is just the studio album with a barely audible audience
this would of course have been different had they given us the full show, instead of just the 2nd set

I still think with the Live Wall, much of what was so cool about the live presentation is missing in an audio only format
this was a highconcept theatrical production unlike anything theyve done before or since (except maybe the Radio KAOS tour) and its a shame that visual part of its still left to our imaginations
but at least in this case the LiveWal album does include essays and personal recollections from the bandmembers about the tour, as well as loads of photos - another bone I have to pick with this new live Dark Side