Pink Floyd - "Delicate Sound of Thunder" (1988)

You can't really complain much regarding this album. Of course, it's of high quality, the musicians among the best, the sound is great, (most of) the songs are really good. Hey, it's Pink Floyd. But is it a necessary record to own? Not really.

I found the album at a local book & record second hand store, and bought it partly to perfect my Pink Floyd collection, and partly because the only Floyd album I don't have, from their official studio releases, is A Momentary Lapse Of Reason, and many of those songs you find here. This way I can continue to justify I haven't bought A Momentary ... (I just don't like that album). That album's highlight, On The Turning Away, you'll get here in a great version, you'll also find Learning To Fly, A Momentary's ... other OK song. So why not? The album wasn't so expensive.

But otherwise it's Pink Floyd's earlier works that appeal to me on the album. It's a double album and the second disc contains only Floyd's earlier material, while the first contains only new songs (new, the year of 1988), except the opening song Shine On You Crazy Diamond. The songs are taken from five concerts the band performed at Long Beach, NY, the summer of 1988.

But I'd say there's no huge reason to have this album in your shelf. At least not if you have the original albums. The live versions don't really bring any new and exiting spices to the songs, and at least I tend to be negatively affected by hearing their previous works performed by only three-quarters of the group that created them (Waters had left PF long before this live album was recorded). It's like something is missing. I am also somewhat twofold when artists play their old songs, the fans favorites, probably mostly because that's what people want to hear. You're leaning against old, safe songs you've played a thousand times, and on the inside probably long ago left for new musical creations. But of course these are the songs that also I like the most and want to hear. Yes, it's twofold.

But again, there really isn't much to complain about regarding this album. Despite that, I will continue to listen to the original songs, most days. Knowing that the context was different when they were recorded, they were new creations the band worked on and recorded, makes them more interesting. And the "new" songs on the album, I have never been particularly interested in.


Tracklist

Side A
1. Shine On You Crazy Diamond 11:45
2. Learning to Fly 5:07
3. Yet Another Movie 7:03
4. Round And Around 0:33

Side B
1. Sorrow 9:44
2. The Dogs Of War 7:13
3. On The Turning Away 7:35

Side C
1. One Of These Days 6:17
2. Time 5:18
3. Money 9:42
4. Another Brick In The Wall Part II 5:17

Side D
1. Wish you were here 4:50
2. Comfortably Numb 8:42
3. Run Like Hell 6:42