Disco de Pink Floyd: “Delicate Sound of Thunder”

As the years went by, PULSE somewhat made a lot of people to "forget" this jewel.

Of course Pulse has been more publicized in the media, has more songs and the complete performance of DSOTM, but...

Delicate Sound of Thunder was released by the time legal conflicts were still ongoing against Roger Waters. So the remaining Floydians, Mason and Gilmour had the enormous challenge of completing a new tour without Waters and originally Wright, and the not-less-important task to cash in on pretended success to cover expenses originated from the numerous legal affairs occuring at the same time (Mason had to sell one of his many collection cars to finance part of the tour, a sad goodbye for him to one of his most beloved -and expensive- collector items).

Rick Wright was legally separated from the band previously by Roger's attorneys and had to appear as a contractor, rather than as a permanent member of the band, situation that was corrected later, in time for the release of The Division Bell.

So, against all odds, Pink Floyd (read Gilmour & Mason + Wright and a whole bunch of session musicians) returned with a vengeance, the most successful tour of 1987, even more than the Roling Stones'.

All that sort of repressed anger became loose and transformed itself into unbelievable playing that, luckily for us, was trapped in Delicate Sound of Thunder.

If you had (I hope you will) the chance to watch the VHS of the same name (when will we have the DVD? Now that Pulse has been announced for DVD release, my hope returns), you'll notice that Gilmour has a big smile on his face most of the time, you can tell they are enjoying themselves and having fun. That sort of environment is felt in its audio portion, the CD.

Go buy it in case you're still "one of the few" "obscured by clouds". Unless you have "brain damage" or have been "eclipsed" by Pulse, you gotta get your hands on this excellent item.

What "Delicate Sound of Thunder" has that "Pulse" doesn't is originality, and more notably, a purpose. Released in 1988, in the wake of the post-split trauma and legal battles with former member Roger Waters, this ably recorded double live set was the group's first release of live material since the psychedelic-era "Ummagumma" in 1969. After the phenomenal success of "Dark Side of the Moon" in 1973, Pink Floyd became an essential live act, their grand stadium/arena shows becoming a musical and visual spectacle that aficionados went so far as to call "a necessary experience in life." So naturally, after the bitter split with Waters, who had asserted himself as the band's principle visionary, Pink Floyd was presumed dead, until longtime members David Gilmour, Nick Mason, and (slightly later) Richard Wright regrouped (but not without a fight). A resulting studio album "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" hit the Top 10 in both the US and UK, and the next step was a no-brainer; Floyd had proved they were still alive in the studio, now it was time for a 200-date concert tour to regain their territory as live kings.

"Delicate Sound of Thunder" contains many features that make it an essential piece in the Floyd catalog. The first disc is mostly made up of material from the "Lapse" album, and what makes them so spectacular is that the presence of Mason and Wright is much more abundant and notable than they were in the studio versions (due to that album's long list of session players). Mason's skilled drumming is "all over the album" as Gilmour proudly put it, and Wright's keyboards make these songs sound much more like Pink Floyd music than they did on the studio album. 'On the Turning Away' is given such a magical treatment that is becomes a full-blown stadium anthem. The second disc is dedicated to familiar Floyd classics, and the results are predictably startling. Session player Scott Page's saxophone compliments and makes variations on the original sax contributions of Dick Parry, and Guy Pratt's bass is much more flexible and notable than that of Roger Waters (especially on 'Another Brick in the Wall Part 2'). It's interesting to see 'Us and Them' placed before 'Money' due to the fact that on the original "Dark Side" album, the latter segued into the former, but it still works and sounds great. The midsection of 'Money' is turned into a much more funky, loose jam, complete with fitting female backing vocals. Speaking of vocals, the verses of 'Comfortably Numb' replace Waters with a more slow, haunting, ghostly-melancholy rendition, which is very appropriate to the mood of the song, making it the best live version of the Floyd classic, complete with Gilmour's extended, emotional guitar solos. The closing crowd-pleaser 'Run Like Hell' even features synthesizer work in short notes that replicates high pitched strings.

This is the document of a great band reclaiming their place in music, and reminding everyone of the power and startling feeling each musician placed into his performance. 1995's double live "Pulse" contained several of the same songs featured here and a less than perfect live rendition of "Dark Side of the Moon" (and the first pressings had a blinking light on the packaging for extra measure), but it was nowhere near as inspired as "Delicate Sound of Thunder," an essential document that saw a legendary band breathing with new life.

I like to think of this as the improved version of A Momentary Lapse Of Reason. It's got the highlights from that album and the best songs from the rest of their career. The biggest issue I have with this is David Gilmour's vocals on some of the songs (ex. Another Brick In The Wall). Besides that, it's pretty cool. Probably my favorite song on here is One Of These Days. In my opinion, it's superior to the Meddle version. Another problem I have is Money. I don't like hearing this song live. If you've heard the Pulse version, it's basically the same. It just has too much of that "hoo" vocal stuff on it. Anywho, besides whatever, this is a pretty decent album. If you had to pick between this or AMLOR, go with this.

I own both sets, and listen to them regularly. I even went to see Floyd live during the Division Bell tour. But, the bottom line is the sound of David Gilmour's guitar is much better on Delicate Sound of Thunder. Gilmour's work on Pulse is way over-processed, and that's his doing (you should see the TWO racks of digital processing equipment he uses.) Don't believe me? Do a side-by-side comparison of "Sorrow", "Time" or "Money". His guitar just sounds bigger and clearer on the DSoT versions.

Additionally, he sings with much more passion (compare the versions of "Money", for instance) on this older release. Often times, Gilmour sounds bored on Pulse, even though his playing is as fiery as ever.

While I was a bigger fan of The Division Bell (and the songs from it) than Momentary Lapse of Reason, Delicate Sound of Thunder remains the definitive live Pink Floyd document.

A lot of people didn't think Gilmour and company would (or could) do it, but they did. And, boy, did they! I can remember when Gilmour, Mason, and Wright took it on the road; it was all I heard about for months. I surprised a lot of people by not attending any of the shows myself, but circumstance and money didn't allow it to happen. So, I wound up getting the "Delicate Sound" recording, and the video version on VHS. And, of course, I played them to death.

A lot of this music doesn't sound very different from their studio counterparts, and I see why some would have a problem with this. But even the selections rendered note-for-note, have a different ambience to them, and the mood of these performances is conveyed nicely. Where some detractors say the band is only going through the motions, and Gilmour sounds and looks bored, I would have to disagree. I think he's relaxed. The video version shows the band at ease, smiling and laughing, apparently at some inside jokes, and just enjoying what they are doing. They are good, and they know it. Performing without their full compliment, sans Waters, they seem to be a lesser entity, but they more than make up for this with a stellar roster of support on this particular tour, in 1987-88. On "Momentary Lapse," Waters was replaced with Tony Levin, of King Crimson fame, and here, he is replaced with Guy Pratt. Nick Mason is playing drums, but percussionist Gary Wallis is drumming as well, and is adding all the little percussion parts. Rick Wright is playing keyboards as well as doing some singing (not sounding as good as he once did, but still enjoyable) here, and is backed up by Jon Carin, also on keys and vocals. Scott Page is playing guitar and saxophone, and the astonishing thing about him, apart from his killer sax playing, is he is probably the only rock musician in the world to have never heard "The Dark Side Of The Moon" before joining the band. What rock was he living under? Tim Renwick is playing rhythm guitar, as well as some of the guitar solos, and Gilmour gives him plenty of room to do as he pleases. This line-up is capped off with Margaret Taylor, Durga McBroom, and the stunningly beautiful Rachel Fury on backing vocals.

They go through the repertoire, seemingly by rote, but considering the scale of the production, there is very little wiggle-room. The first half of the set is largely material from "Momentary Lapse Of Reason," the new release at the time, the exception being parts I through V of "Shine On, You Crazy Diamond." There is an authenticity when Waters sings this, but he's not present. And I prefer Gilmour's voice on this song, anyway. They give you "Learning To Fly," "Dogs Of War," "On The Turning Away," "Yet Another Movie," "Round And Around," and "Sorrow," all played competently, but not very different from the originals, only the sound itself. But as I said earlier, the difference in the sound itself is worth hearing, especially if you pay attention to these things.

The second half delves into the vintage material, a good sounding "One Of These Days" kicks it off, leading into "Time," but for some reason, they left out the "Breathe Reprise." It sounds incomplete, because the last line says, "...Thought I'd something more to say...," then trails off. They go through the older songs, to the delight of the die-hard fans, but my huge disappointment here, is the omission of "The Great Gig In The Sky." This, as well as "On The Run" are on the video, but here, they are conspicuous in their abscence. Wright plays the opening bars to "Great Gig," and you see the women gearing up. Rachel Fury takes the first part, and does a good job, the music quiets down, and Durga McBroom takes over, gently singing the middle vocal. THEN! Fasten your seat belt, because Margaret Taylor sings the finale, and if the hair on your arm doesn't stand on end, and your eyes don't tear up, there's something wrong with you. I am really, really disappointed this isn't on the CD or the audio cassette. I'll never know why this was omitted.

And so it goes, until the encores, "Wish You Were Here," "Comfortably Numb," and "Run Like Hell." They are probably very tired of playing these songs, so many, many times, but the fans will always want them. And I still like them. Always will.