Rating: Summary: Now it makes perfect sense Review: If you got the CD, you missed out. The music is half the point. Roger Waters was never that much of a musician, but is a master writer and virtually invented the concept album. Here he has a killer band, who stand out more now that we can get a clear idea as to who is doing what, and has found the apt way to visualise his songs - such as "Perfect Sense," wherein the voice of Marv Albert sports-casts a nuclear war. While Roger's acting is wooden, he puts a genuine feel into his songs that nonetheless comes through quite well. Only picking point is the visuals for his excellent concluding song (hear it nowhere else) "Each Small Candle" come off too much as a push for Amnesty International, unintentionally dimishing the song's deep message. However, those of us who were too late to get tickets for Roger's tour will be able to see what we missed...
Rating: Summary: An exceptional concert video from Roger Waters and company! Review: I put off buying Roger Waters live double-CD "In the Flesh", knowing that there was to be a DVD release of the same material later on. Well, once the DVD was released I popped it in my player not really knowing what to expect musically or visualy, now all I can say is...WOW!!! This is an EXCEPTIONAL concert DVD with detailed, crystal-clear audio (perhaps the best I've ever heard), excellent stage visuals, creative direction and camera work, and of course, an EXCELLENT band of musicians that really breathe new life into Waters/Floyd's music! Snowy White, Doyle Bramhall II, and Andy Fairweather Low make for a fine guitar trio, more than covering for the absence of the David Gilmore's, Eric Clapton's, and Jeff Beck's who played on the original versions of these songs. The keyboard work of Andy Wallace and Jon Carin captures all of those little details and "nuances" from the old Pink Floyd recordings. Graham Broad is a strong, dynamic drummer (superior to Pink Floyd's Nick Mason in my opionion), and the three female backing vocalist really help to beef-up the arrangements on several occassions - in fact, the Floyd classic "Mother" seems all the more appropriate with a woman's voice singing the chorus! As the master of ceremonies, Roger Waters mans his bass guitar for most of the show (occassionaly strumming rhythm guitar while Fairwheather Low handles bass duties), and his dark, unique voice (although some may criticize it's lack of range) bristles with real emotion and energy here...it's obvious that Roger FEELS the words as he sings them! Being a fan and follower of Waters solo career, I was quite happy to see several songs from his excellent "Amused To Death" album included here ("Perfect Sense", "The Bravery of Being Out of Range", "It's A Miracle", and the title track), these songs are probably the highlight of the show for me - and the strong anti-war messages of the "Amused To Death" songs seem all the more relevent and thought-provoking when listened to in post-September 11th America! (Although sometimes seen as a "ranting radical", Waters is probably one of the most wise and brave voices in music today; using his art to promote peaceful solutions to the world's ills...instead of the mindless jingo-ism of, say, Paul McCartney's popular pro-war jingle "Freedom"!) Of the extensive Pink Floyd material covered here one big highlight was the emotion-packed full-length version of "Dogs" - this version even includes the atmospheric keyboard/drum duet in the middle, and surpasses the excellence of the original studio version in my opinion! I also felt that "Set Control For the Heart of the Sun" sounded more bright and vital here than I've ever heard it before. Some other Floyd highlights (for me at least) would have to include "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", "Time", "Southhampton Dock", and "Mother"...I only wish that "The Final Cut" would have been included right after "Southhampton", like it is on the original album! For an encore we are treated to a new Waters song, titled "Each Small Candle". The lyrics of "Candle" are a thoughtfully-crafted call to wage mercy instead of fear, and peace instead of war; and the darkly-colored music adds intensity to the message, and grows stronger with repeated listens. Do I have any criticisms of this DVD? Well, I would have liked to have heard MORE of Waters solo material (nothing is featured here from "Radio KAOS", and only one track is featured from "Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking"), since there seems to be a very uneven balance between Floyd and solo tracks here (around 90 minutues of Floyd, but only 45 minutes or so of Roger's solo work.) There are already several high-quality official live recordings of MOST of these Floyd classics - but Roger's live solo work is much more of rariety, isn't it? However, any small disappointment aside; this is an EXCELLENT concert DVD, and should NOT be missed by any Roger Waters fan! Oh' and one other thing; if your DVD machine has a headphone jack, listen to this disc through a good set of stereo headphones...the mix, channel seperations, and clarity of sound is AMAZING!!!
Rating: Summary: Jason, Roger Can Play FLoyd Tunes 'Til The Day He Dies Review: With all due respect to Jason Frekot, Rogers Waters performs his Pink Floyd and solo material on this DVD to perfection. OK, it's not Pink Floyd, but his band is excellent. He has made every effort to be true to the original Floyd recordings, which in and of itself is a tribute to his old bandmates, including Syd. Would we say that Paul McCartney or Ringo Starr can't sing any Beatles songs in concert, and that we should condemn them any time they do? No! This concert is a wonderful trip through Roger Waters' musical history, well played, well produced and well worth owning.
Rating: Summary: The real thing... Better! Review: I've seen this concert in Montreal and let me tell you its one of the best shows I've seen along with The Rolling Stones(Bridges to Babylon), Pink Floyd(Division Bell) and Nine Inch Nails(Downward Spiral). The first thing that hits you when you start listening to this DVD is the sound quality... Wow! Its lound but soooo clear. The concert itself is the exact same thing I've seen "in the flesh"(haha!). The only thing that bugs me about this concert is: Where's the Radio K.A.O.S. songs? Menus are easy to follow and the picture quality is awesome! 170 minutes of pure pleasure...!
Rating: Summary: Bad Bad Bad and Just Plain Horrible For Floyd Fans Review: Are you serious, Roger Waters, if I want Pink Floyd I'll buy anything other than this bad DVD. Roger Waters needs to get over the fact that Floyd Is what it is without him. He may have at one time been an integral part of Floyd back in the hey day, but don't try to ressurect something that can't be done without Gilmour, Mason, Wright and Company. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY
Rating: Summary: Waters band better than Gilmour's Floyd Review: While i think the music in the Pulse video is very good and the lighting show good too, i always thought the Pulse video showed that you need a cozier venue than the Earls court venue. The band seemed elevated too high and the fans so far away that they never really seemed that they were much into the concert. Waters in the Flesh dvd taped in Oregon is much closer to the fans. All of Waters band mates (Jon Carin appears in both) are excellent musicians and every bit as good as the Gilmour PF. All that's really needed is for Gilmour to show up at one of Waters concerts and play lead guitar and you would have the best PF shows ever. White and Bramhall make for a excellent lead guitar duo and it doesnt hurt that 2 of the female singers are good looking. It was also good to hear a couple songs from the "Animals" cd as the Gilmour PF is apparently not allowed to perform those Waters tunes. All in all i would rather see the Waters PF versus the Gilmour PF.
Rating: Summary: Outstanding Review: I first saw this concert on TV last year. I was mesmorized watching so much talent on one stage all at the same time. It was the first time I had ever seen or heard of Doyle Bramhall 11 & I was hooked by his performance. I bought the DVD because I wanted to be able to see the concert over & over whenever I wanted to. This is just a perfect combination of musicians & singers & they ROCK.
Rating: Summary: Powerful stuff. Review: I must say that I thoroughly enjoyed this concert video. Between this and Pink Floyd's PULSE, I couldn't be happier...Seeing and listening to IN THE FLESH brought back wonderful memories. It was interesting to hear how different the arrangements were on a few Pink Floyd standards. While I may prefer Gilmour's guitar playing (who wouldn't?) and Pink Floyd's arrangements of several of these numbers, Roger still made them interesting enough for me to sit up and take notice. And let's face it. Roger's material is pretty strong stuff. Granted, he seems to be in a 60s/70s rut of sorts (still bashing the establishment, still ranting about war), but it doesn't make it any less powerful. My favorite part of the entire concert was when Roger played music from AMUSED TO DEATH. His mixing of old material and his "newer" stuff was spot on and his backup musicians and singers were, for the most part, excellent (I immediately noticed Jon Carin -- a wee bit older looking from the 1994 PULSE concert). It is very evident from this dvd that Roger Waters (like David Gilmour and Pink Floyd) knows how to put on a concert... So if you are thinking about purchasing this dvd, do NOT hesitate. It makes a great addition to your library and a wonderful companion (and comparative) piece to PULSE. There is also some interesting (but not enlightening) back-stage preparations on this dvd. Between 1 and 10, IN THE FLESH gets a 9. Like PULSE, it's not quite perfect (some arrangements were a bit muddied), but as near to perfect as one could hope for in a live concert.
Rating: Summary: The real Floyd Review: having bought the live cd I have been waiting for the dvd to come out for ages - and it still isn't out in the UK - so I got impatient and bought the NTSC dvd. It's awesome, I've got my ticket for when they play in London in June.
Rating: Summary: Loved It! Review: Sit back. Relax. Pop in this disc. Sip on your favorite drink. Crown Royal on the rocks and Roger Waters in the Flesh... The ever memorable sounds of classic Pink and thought provoking lyrics from Mr. Waters make this dvd a must have for any true Pink Floyd fan. I flipped mine on to show subtitles and sang along. One of the greatest bands of the century. Loved It!
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