Customer Reviews

In the Flesh Live

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This live, 2 CD set has a multi-channel layer, but I don't have a multi-channel SACD player, so this is a review of the Super Audio stereo version. First, my bias: I think Pink Floyd, post-Roger Waters, has put out some great sounding stuff, and I have never liked Roger Waters' solo material. Having said that, this is an excellent album. The songs consist of a handful of Waters' solo stuff (the album slows down a bit during these songs), but for the most part, it's some of the best of classic Pink Floyd. The cast is typical Floyd with a large ensemble, including Jon Carin who has toured with Floyd before, and a trio of female backup singers. They all sound fantastic, especially the backing vocals and some beautiful sax in "Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun" (yep, he really opened up the 'way-back' machine). Unfortunately, David Gilmour's guitar is sorely missed, although they come pretty close in a few songs. His vocals, however, are well-replaced, especially in "Dogs" and "Comfortably Numb." The DSD recording blew me away. I wish there was some other Floyd on SACD to compare it with, but this is truly an audiophile recording. There is a very small audible hiss, typical of a live recording, but I only heard it during the few moments of silence and did not find it intrusive at all. If you're a Pink Floyd fan, this is a must have for your Super Audio CD collection.

This "live" performance almost sounds "too perfect" to be live. A great bunch of musicians and a great sounding cd going through the popular Pink Floyd catelog of hit songs and covering the most popular solo material as well. Almost a bit too "commercialized" similar to the Pink Floyd "Echoes" greatest hits release, but overall a great sounding cd/dvd. I would recommend this but would also recommend buying the Pink Floyd and Roger Water albums individually and listening to them from start to finish to get the concept of each recording. Hard to do when these songs are divided up on "greatest hits" and/or a live "greatest hits" recording.

The show is amazing, sound and video quality are great. You've got to see it live on a big screen, I listen to the PCM track on all 5 speakers instead of the DD track.

I don't understand the motivation between spending $25 on an SACD album of In the Flesh when the DVD is half the price. You're not buying an SACD to listen to in your car; instead it presumes that you're listening at home, on your nice surround sound system. That system probably has a DVD player, right?

I don't understand why I would buy the SACD when the DVD is half the price and presumably sounds on par with the SACD. Can someone explain to me why I wouldn't just pop in the DVD and leave the TV off for the same experience, at half the price (with the added bonus that I COULD watch it if I wanted to, instead of just listening)?

Is the SACD really that much better in sound quality that it's worth spending an extra $25 for?

i saw waters on this tour and i am a huge floyd fan but the sound on this sacd is awful!!!!!!!! it is so bad i actually unplugged all my cables and re-plugged them and it still sounded the same.the rear channels just sound fuzzy and ecoey,the bass is non-existent and the centre channel is not used on every track.i find it difficult to believe that the sound can be this bad having already got the normal cd which is infinitely better,especially when played through the concert/live processor on my amp. the music is great,though a bit clinical at times. could and should have been so much better.

I am a big Pink Floyd fan and I have most of their albums. As far as post Waters Floyd goes, it's ok. I think it's pretty good but it's nothing like Floyd in their Prime, but I still enjoy Pulse.

I had been waiting a while for a surround sound Pink Floyd CD and I bought an SACD player just so I could listen to the new AMAZING Dark Side Of The Moon. While I was on this kick, I decided to buy Roger Waters' live solo album In The Flesh. I was a little worried at first, because this is Roger Waters and not PINK FLOYD, even though Roger was part of Floyd in a BIG way. But I decided to give it a chance. Also, there are a good amount of Floyd songs on here that I hadn't heard performed live by the original Pink Floyd, so I thought this would be the next best thing.

And it IS. I thought the old Floyd stuff was done very well. I don't really care for the Waters solo stuff too much but the Floyd stuff is great. The only problem with this SACD is the surround sound mix. About 80% of the audio comes from the left and right speakers, leaving the rear speakers for audience cheering, sound effecs, and once in a while, an instrument or two. As far as I could tell, the center speaker was not used at all, and the sub woofer was used at a minimum. No instruments came from the woofer, just a slight rumble of effects. THIS MIX LACKS BASS! When i listen to it, it's like the audio is coming from 4 transistor radios, and not an 80 watt surround sound system. The strangest thing of all is that this mix was done by James Guthrie, who mixed the Dark Side Of The Moon SACD. DSOTM sounds AMAZING. It is probably the best sounding SACD/DVD-Audio that I have ever heard. In The Flesh sounds like .... I can harldy believe that the same man mixed both albums.

In my opinion, (and I'm sure there will be many who disagree) an SACD isn't worth your time (to locate, they are not popular yet) or money unless they are multichannel. I paid $$$ for this when I could have gotten the regular CD version for $$$, would be able to play it in ANY cd player, AND would be able to adjust eq. The CD version would cost less money AND sound better.

Roger has pointed the finger at the establishment
in almost every album he's ever done.He cannot stand
the rudimentary level of consciuousness that
most of society operates under.He has been
pointing out the pigs to anyone who will listen
and waitng for the rest of the world to wake up.
I praise him for that,but he belongs with Pink-
Floyd.This CD shines when it covers Rogers solo
numbers,but I cringed when I heard the classics.
It becomes clear(as if it werent already)who the
music was in Pink Floyd and who was the words.If
you're a true Floyd fan you probably won't care for
it.SACD,though,is mind blowing.Wow,so much more
resolution in the recording,I was smoked!! It's like
being in the studio.Crystal clear sound that is just
dripping with power.I can't even listen to 44.1khz now!
This format retains the power and warmth of analog and
the clean sound of digital.SACD is capable of over100khz
frequency response and a sensitivity of 120db over the entire
listening range.You've never heard anything like it and it
will change you in ways you can't imagine.You will be able to
feel the music,perceive it as you do in a live show,mind blowing! you will need a SACD player,the one I got is the
SONY DVP-NS755V.It can play any CD(SACD,CD,CDR/RW,Data,Video)
as well as DVD's.Amazon.com didn't have it yet so I ordered from [a local store].It was at my door 4 days after ordering.....Hooked up to my Yamaha HTR5540 and
my stereo is no longer being used.ABT is an awesome company if
you're wondering.In fact there arent very many companies like
them left anymore.

Set the control for the heart of the problem, and you'll find out, that Waters days are over. You can sing as you used to in PF, you can hire good players to play as PF used to, but it just wouldn't work. Fans can find in the CD good moments to enjoy, but the taste is not the same, though everybody plays well and does his job, and the quality is great, as usual. "Set the control for the heart of the sun" is the best here, but doesn't justify buying 2 CD's. Sorry, Roger, but I know just the perfect band for you.