David Gilmour
Live in Gdansk
Columbia
By David Chiu
With the recent passing of keyboardist Richard Wright, Pink Floyd may never perform again on stage. So this recent album by guitarist David Gilmour, recorded in Poland from his 2006 solo tour, is the closest one will ever get to hearing a piece of Floyd live either by him or bassist/chief songwriter Roger Waters. This 2-CD set draws material from Floyd’s back catalog (“Breathe,” “Shine On You Crazy Diamond,” “Wish You Were Here,” and the 26-minute epic “Echoes”) and tracks from Gilmour’s most recent album On an Island. The musicianship is absolutely superb in recreating Floyd’s atmospheric and dense sound live, and Gilmour’s underrated yet brilliant soaring guitar work continues to dazzle (Check out the solos during his performance of “On an Island,” and of course “Comfortably Numb”). What makes this recording also poignant is the appearance of Wright here—Live in Gdansk was just released around the time of his death. Until something else comes out of the archives, Live in Gdansk will satisfy fans appetite for new Floyd stuff.
NewBeats 