Rating: 
Summary: Essential stuff for fans of early Floyd.
Review: Live at Pompeii is a fine music movie but also great film in its own right. There are some wonderful moments: the camera zooming in REALLY SLOWLY during the introduction to Echoes, the slow pan along the back of the enormous speaker stacks also during Echoes, the Abbey Road footage during the making of Dark Side of the Moon, the interview with David Gilmour and, most memorably, the superb shots of figures and mosaics in Pompeii ruins, which are at times actually quite frightening (lyseric enthusiasts beware!). It is an artistic film - the film-makers really knew what they were doing - and one which complements Pink Floyd's music perfectly. Unfortunately some of the songs have aged rather badly, and in my opinion should be edited out before the inevitable DVD remaster. Saucerful of Secrets, for example, just about completely bereft of any musical points of interest. The rest, however, is a real treat for early Floyd fans.
Rating: 
Summary: Essential Pink Floyd. At the pinnacle of their career.
Review: Lots of the images of Pompeii and the ruins and of volcanoes and Roger Waters shreiking may seem a bit dated (and the 9 shots of Nick Mason at once, as well). But all-in-all, this video is amazing, I first saw it at a midnight show in a theater and had to get it on video. The performances document most of my favorite Floyd songs incl. Echoes, One of these Days (a particularly awesome version), Careful with that Axe Eugene, and many more from the post-Barrett-pre-Dark Side era. But the video also features some footage of the band working on Dark Side of the Moon in the studio, as well as some humorous mock-interviews and shots of the band eating (w/ Nick being very particular about getting a piece of pie w/out crust, but it is a round pie!)... We get to see a very glazed eyed Gilmour assert that Pink Floyd is not a drug band... much much more here. Your Pink Floyd collection is not complete without this video.
Rating:
Summary: a must have...
Review: This video is a must have bottom line is how fortunate we are in this day and age to have REAL musicians caught on film at the height of their creativity. In the age of inventless self indulged [junky] bands, The FLOYD rule! These guys are musicial geniuses and drummers this is the ultimate drummer's video, AWESOME! I would have liked to see more Waters and Gilmour but I am so happy to at least have this. It made me crave for more footage from these modern day Picasscos. Buy it you'll love it!
Rating:
Summary: Great midnite movie!
Review: This one circulated about the multiplexes on Friday midnites in my formative years, and is BEST witnessed in the proper state of mind!!Those watching on a Tuesday afternoon with unencumbered brain stems may find the drawn out, progressive late '60s -- early '70s rock segments a bit, well, tedious. Non-Pink Floyd fans probably will not be able to sit through the whole film. NOW -- if you are a HUGE Pink Floyd fan, like me, this VHS is indispensible. At least go rent it first. If you have the cash right now (or the, heh heh heh, credit card...) go ahead and order it. It's a must-have. Just seeing David Gilmour's hair wrapped around his face, blowing around in the wind, and getting in his mouth (and he doesn't even bother to wipe it away!!) is worth the price of the movie alone. There was no such thing as a blow-dried phony coif in those days -- these guys were REAL rock'n'rollers... and GREAT artist. Truly masterful artistry on every level. INCREDIBLE drumwork. FANTASTIC acid-tinged 5-minute guitar solos. OVERWROUGHT self-indulgence by the "boring old farts" (as the Sex Pistols referred to them) before it was a crime. These guys wrote the book on progressive guitar rock. Pink Floyd rule!! Enjoy. Eddie
Rating: 
Summary: Learn to play drums watching this video
Review: This is a decent video if you are a drummer. Lots and lots of drums throughout. Not much in the way of seeing Gilmore play guitar. You will see his face a lot but not much finger work. I was especially burned with "One of these days". The version here is great, but you won't see anything but the drummer. If you are a musician and like to see your heros play this isn't the video to watch unless of course you play drums. The sound quality is very good. I WON'T be buying this one on DVD if it ever comes out.
Rating:
Summary: Pink Floyd on Video before anyone ever thought of MTV
Review: This classic 1972 video has been re-mastered slightly since its original release. The audio is a little better but still sounds as Roger Waters' states in one part of the "Dark Side of the Moon" recording segments "A little too toppy." The video quality is better as well but still washed out in some segments. Technical difficulties aside the reason to own this if for the sheer excitement of watching and listening to these four creative talents. You get a chance to see these guys perform in an ancient amphitheater many of their original classics. The play list includes Echoes Part-1 and Part-2, Careful With That Axe Eugene, A Saucerful of Secrets and more. It is fun to see how they created all of the space age sounds in the days before computers, digital samplers, and fully programmable synthesizers. The video segues are creative in that transitions are done using film optics that in later days became staple effects in modern production video switchers. An example of this is the transition to the song "One Of These Days I'm Going To Cut You Into Little Pieces" with little bits of the picture appearing in cut out pieces of paper, which is the modern Matrix wipe effect. As an added bonus you will witness the tracking of "Dark Side Of The Moon" and even hear the voice of Alan Parsons though the studio PL system. A technical note in that the surround effect is good through a Dolby Digital Pro Logic 2 system or with DTS Neo 6.1. Good effects can also be had hooking up your VHS-HIFI audio outputs to a classic Marantz Quad receiver like the model-4300 and using the Vari-Matrix function. Enjoy !!!
Rating:
Summary: Pink Floyd on Video before anyone ever thought of MTV
Review: This classic 1974 video has been re-mastered slightly since its original release. The audio is a little better but still sounds as Roger Waters' states in one part of the "Dark Side of the Moon" recording segments "A little too toppy." The video quality is better as well but still washed out in some segments. Technical difficulties aside the reason to own this if for the sheer excitement of watching and listening to these four creative talents. You get a chance to see these guys perform in an ancient amphitheatre many of their original classics. The play list includes Echoes Part-1 and Part-2, Careful With That Axe Eugene, A Saucerful of Secrets and more. It is fun to see how they created all of the space age sounds in the days before computers, digital samplers, and fully programmable synthesizers. The video segues are creative in that transitions are done using film optics that in later days became staple effects in modern production video switchers. An example of this is the transition to the song "One Of These Days I'm Going To Cut You Into Little Pieces" with little bits of the picture appearing in cut out pieces of paper, which is the modern Matrix wipe effect. As an added bonus you will witness the tracking of "Dark Side Of The Moon" and even hear the voice of Alan Parsons though the studio PL system. A technical note in that the surround effect is good through a Dolby Pro Logic 2 system or with DTS Neo 6.1. Good effects can also be had hooking up your VHS-HIFI audio outputs to a classic Marantz Quad receiver like the model-4300 and using the Vari-Matrix function. Enjoy !!!
Rating:
Summary: True Floyd fan?Then buy this
Review: Absolutely excelent,Pink Floyd in their rawest form.Shows Dark side recording sessions.If you are a big time fan of floyd then buy this!!!!Hopefully will be available on dvd soon.
Rating:
Summary: Best video ever
Review: If you like pink floyd but never got to see them during their early years, than YOU MUST BUY THIS VIDEO. The quality is excellent concidering it was filmed about 30 years ago. This movie got me hooked on the floyd. Buy it! Buy it now!!!
Rating:
Summary: A 'VERY' DRUG ORIENTATED GROUP? OF COURSE NOT!!!
Review: That is a lie if ever was one...Was Dave just being comical? My guess is yes, judging from the general hilarity of this movie. Floyd "share the same sense of humor to some extent" and also "lust after money", or was Nick "only joking" (these are all quotes from the film.) 1972. The Floyd get a wacky idea to take a vacation to the remains of Pompeii and do a gig with no audience. And film it. Wah-la, cinematic history is made. The production is low, low, low budget, some seedy Italian director and skeleton crew. The film is just "loaded" with absurdities, from Nick Mason's sunglasses and butterfly tank top to show off his 95 pound self, to Roger and Rick both apparently visiting a barber for haircut and shave, respectively, during the 3 days this film was shot. (Long hair, beard for "echoes", and a better-groomed look during a later performance, and then behold, the hairy Floyd return again for "saucerful", immediately after. Then there's the famous breakfast scene, where Nick gets his bony arms tangled between his bandmate's as they pass milk around and drink from the same cup. Roger is shown in a super-zoom up with food stuck to his cruddy, ugly teeth. 85 pounder Nick orders a gargantuan amount of food (first, in another super-duper close up looking into the camera, like the cameraman is going to fetch "eggs, sausage, chips (fries), beans, and a tea?")
Then Nick the Stick puts in numerous requests for apple pie without cream and no crust.
Then Roger gets cocky and tries to be sophisticated while being sandwitched in the middle of the Floyd sitting so closely at the bar that they are practically on each other's laps. Fortunately his teeth were free of visible foodstuff this time. The interviews are even funnier. Roger literally has trouble keeping his red, swollen eyes in focus and talks on camera with his eyes shut and head turned away, before blinking in slow motion head on- synopsis: STONED!!!
Nick is asked a question by the interviewer and replies "it's not that we're trying to ghrmontgonmabolgyonmbv...," while his face looks as funny as he sounds. Synopsis: STONED!!!
Dirty Dave seriously states that the Floyd are not a "very drug orientated group, of course we're not, you can trust us", then gives us an evil, guilty grin. STONED!!!
Rick Wright is not interviewed at all. TOO STONED!!!
The interview clips go from one member to another, with no regard for the continuity of ideas. Dave talks about "extentions of what's coming out of our heads, ...the equipment isn't thinking what to do any of the time; it could'nt control itself"
to Roger talking about the great economic colapse, and the phenominally expanding market of rock music, and how they say "rock's dying, with an enormous conviction"... Later, Floyd is seen running through a sand storm, peering into pits of bubbling lava, while giant statue faces, osciloscope gags, stock footage of lava eruptions add to the cheese factor. Nick is showed actually playing the drums (instead of being a glorified timekeeper as seen on "PULSE") and screws up by dropping a stick, then pulls out another. It was not edited out. At least it is realistic, and the moral of the film is that we all make mistakes and must learn to accept them. The Floyd also perform with a guest perfromance by a dog. The amazing thing is that all this works out beautifully. The perfomances are fantastic, the imagery adds to the excitement. A fabulous period piece when people did stuff like this. The performance of "saucerful" is really a hoot, with Roger hitting a pair of cymbals as hard as humanly possible, complete with facial expression, Dirty Dave in the dirt making noises, Nick's twig body side to side on the drums, Rick playing all 88 keys of the piano at the same time. Oh yeah, despite the fact the Rick Wright is shown for a total of maybe 4 seconds in this film, he can be heard during a part when the title of one of the song appears on the screen. The band is out of view, and someone coughs. Then Dave's voice is heard saying "come in here, Rick". He replies ".........I will". STONED!!! "Pompeii" is probably the most accurate documentary of the life of a very talented, but burnt-out psychedelic rock group. I once saw a tv news special about drug smuggling, and as the narrator talked about how drugs could be concealed by many creative ways for smuggling, they showed a clip of this movie, where the camera panned across the huge stacks of amps sitting in the middle of the amphitheater with PINK FLOYD stamped allover them. Now that's creative journalism. You could imagine my reaction to seeing this on tv...
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