(Eagle Rock Entertainment)
Pink Floyd
The Story of Wish You Were Here
Eagle Rock Entertainment
By David Chiu
After making probably the most commercially and artistically successful album of all time, how does a band live up to that for the next record? In the case of Pink Floyd, the result was 1975’s Wish You Were Here, the follow-up to the mammoth record Dark Side of the Moon. View full article »
Pink Floyd
The Wall (Immersion Edition)
Capitol/EMI
By David Chiu
Although they were part of the progressive rock movement by the time The Wall was released in 1979, Pink Floyd—particularly Roger Waters—crafted something that is arguably punk in attitude and spirit. The Wall conveys the themes of isolation and detachment with both venom and poignancy. View full article »
(amazon.com)
Pink Floyd
Animals
The Final Cut
A Momentary Lapse of Reason
Capitol/EMI
By David Chiu
No doubt that Pink Floyd’s legend can be attributed to the mammoth success and popularity of hit records such as The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, and The Wall. But during the period from Dark Side to The Division Bell, Floyd also made records that perhaps weren’t as popular, critically-acclaimed or commercially huge than the aforementioned albums, but in retrospect are underrated and deserve another listen. With Animals, The Final Cut and A Momentary Lapse of Reason—which were recently reissued individually and as part of the Discovery boxed set, this is a good time to look back on them. View full article »
(amazon.com)
Pink Floyd
Wish You Were Here (Immersion Edition)
A Foot in the Door: The Best of Pink Floyd
Capitol/EMI
By David Chiu
Pink Floyd’s 1973 album The Dark Side of the Moon is regarded as the band’s undisputed masterpiece, but the follow-up, Wish You Were Here (1975), is on an equal level or a close second in that distinction. View full article »
(amazon.com)
Pink Floyd
The Dark Side of the Moon (Immersion Edition)
Capitol/EMI
by David Chiu
One of the greatest albums in rock got a massive upgrade. For those who have listened to The Dark Side of the Moon many times and have purchased its various reissues over the years will be pleasantly overwhelmed with this new six-disc Immersion Edition. View full article »
The Making of Pink Floyd: ‘The Wall’
By Gerald Scarfe
Foreword by Roger Waters
Published by Da Capo Press
Review by David Chiu
For its time Pink Floyd’s The Wall represented the band’s most ambitious concept: a double album that spoke of the divide between rock stars and their fans, not to mention alienation and isolation. The subsequent tour that followed was groundbreaking in which an actual wall was constructed throughout the show that obscured the audience’s view while the band was performing. And of course there was the memorable grotesque-looking animation and artwork provided by Gerald Scarfe. Scarfe’s recollection of that period in Pink Floyd’s history is the basis for this wonderful, visually striking retelling of the making of The Wall, and it is perfectly timed with former Pink Floyd bassist Roger Waters’ current Wall tour. The book documents how Scarfe met Pink Floyd in the early ‘70s and became immersed in the development of The Wall as far as the visuals were concerned. (There are some sketches and drawings that showed how the fantastic-looking characters such as Pink, his wife, mother and the teacher evolved). Scarfe also provides insight to the staging of the tour (which was only performed in four cities 30 years ago) as well the making of the 1982 movie version of The Wall and the tension among the principals involved, including himself, Waters and director Alan Parker. He also interviews the surviving members of Pink Floyd and Parker to get their take about the work. For fans of the album and the tour past and present, Scarfe’s book is a must-read.
Arcadia
So Red the Rose
Capitol/EMI
by David Chiu
When Duran Duran went on a brief hiatus in 1985, it split into two offshoot groups: the Power Station (John Taylor and Andy Taylor) and Arcadia (Simon LeBon, Nick Rhodes and Roger Taylor). Of the two, Arcadia came close to sounding more like the parent group than the hard rock/funk Power Station through its slick synthpop sound and arty lyrics. Arcadia’s only album, So Red the Rose, which has just been reissued, is an underrated gem–All Music Guide’s Kelvin Hayes appropriately called it “the best album Duran never made.” The intro of “Election Day,” the album’s only major U.S. hit single, is divine, and is followed by some other strong tracks such as “The Flame” (the 7-inch single eclipses the original album version) and the funky “Goodbye Is Forever.” So Red the Rose also indulges into some avant garde (progressive pop) sounds such as the ethereal ballad “Missing,” “Lady Ice” and “El Diablo.” The uniqueness of the album is marked by the guest appearances of Herbie Hancock, Sting, Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour and Grace Jones. There is more to Arcadia and So Red the Rose than just being anomalies in the history of Duran Duran. This new edition of the album, which turns 25 this year, also contains a wealth of remixes, alternate versions of songs as well as a DVD containing the singles’ videos.
(photo by David Chiu)
Record Store Day has now come and passed. This year’s event on Apr. 17 seemed more memorable compared to last year’s as far as special items and rarities were concerned, from a numbered 45 single of the Rolling Stones’ “Plundered My Soul” to the Flaming Lips’ tribute to Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon.
So taking a page from my Microphone Memory Emotion coverage of the event from last year, I returned back to the two places participating on Record Store Day. First I waited on line at City Hall’s J&R Music World a half-hour before the store’s open behind 10 other people who were already there. I was glad to arrive early since the Village’s Other Music wasn’t going to open until 11 a.m. View full article »
