Customer Reviews

Pink Floyd - Dark Side [VHS]

5 star:		(92)
4 star:		(29)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(8)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

If you are a fan of Dark Side of the Moon (DSotM) then you will love this disc. The feature runs as long as the actual album and gives insight into the development of each song. It's amazing to see the Floyd seperately playing bit pieces of each song. What is amazing on this DVD is Alan Parsons and his explanations and demonstrations of all the details we have grown to love on this disk. The bonus material rocks just as hard. Over 10 bonus tracks including additional interviews, insight and music. Pink Floyd is the best!!!!

For the most part I was happy with this DVD, and in actuality I would give it a 4.5, but even with the slightly flawed parts, there were some that were simply so stunning that I can't help but give a 5.

The best parts belong mainly to Richard Wright, who offered a very interesting look at the music itself, and his composition process. Furthermore, he gave wonderful demonstrations of parts of "Breathe", "The Great Gig in the Sky", and "Us and Them". Even though some may notice that he can have a slightly tentative interview style at times, this does not diminish in any way what he is saying--in fact, he is actually the most engaging narrator of the four. His piano demos, especially the one for "Us and Them" are moving, to say the least (I do wish he'd sung, because he really does have a beautiful voice, but that's all right--his playing was truly graceful). One very nice thing about the way the demos are done in this DVD is that they are often blended in and out of the original recordings. Quite frankly it amazes me that Richard Wright and David Gilmour are able to play demonstrations that have an original twist to them--and yet they can be successfully be blended to the originals.

I will admit that there were a few sections that grated on my nerves, and the culprit was usually Roger Waters. Once in MOJO Magazine, Nick Mason said that the bassist made the most "dreadful demos", and his attempt at "Money" was a strain to listen to, to say the least...I probably will return to that bit as infrequently as possible! On my first listening I also found that Mr. Waters went on a bit much, and I didn't really have the patience to want to listen to it, as I thought the musical aspects were by far the more unique and interesting feature of this DVD. The thematic aspects have been discussed numerous times in interviews.

Finally, I'd like to add that some customers' failure to read the description of the DVD and understand in advance what one is purchasing is no excuse for a poor rating. Such a rating says nothing about the quality of the DVD as what it is intended to be--a documentary, not a live concert or anything else. Please, before you buy this, KNOW what you are purchasing! But if you are interested in a documentary about The Dark Side of the Moon, I think you will be very satisfied.

After watching this documentary on the making of the Dark Side of the Moon, one question kept popping into my mind: Why can't these two legendary musicians (Waters & Gilmour) put aside their differences and reconcile? It has been over 20 years since the bitter split of Pink Floyd, yet we, the fans are left with little to no hope of ever seeing this band reform and play their classic music just one last time. Alas, I digress, the DVD itself is a fascinating look into the making of the Dark Side of the Moon album, track by track. All four members are featured in extended interviews giving their memories of making what would become one of (if not THE) greatest rock albums ever recorded. Roger Waters, David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Richard Wright look like old men, wait a minute, they ARE old men; nevertheless it is shocking to see the then and now pictures of the band. Roger Waters has some very lucid memories concerning the meaning of his lyrics for Time, Brain Damage and Money. David Gilmour not only speaks of the recording and mixing of the album, but he also plugs in and plays some classic Dark Side tunes. Richard Wright, as well, plays some of The Great Gig in the Sky and Us and Them while opining about how he discovered the chord progressions that would become history. Nick Mason is scattered throughout the film but certainly states that this was the best that the band had ever gotten along. Was this the creative apex of Pink Floyd? It certainly was the most democratically made Pink Floyd album with all four members getting their ideas through, as opposed to the later years (The Wall and The Final Cut) where Waters basically ran the show. Some other points of interest include an extended interview with Alan Parsons who was the session engineer and mixed the album almost perfectly. Throughout the film, Waters speaks of the duality of man and of empathy and how the world is sorely lacking it today. Mr. Waters, why can't you show some empathy for your former band mates and legions of fans around the world and put the Floyd to bed properly? Highly Recommended to any classic rock fan, but an absolute must for Pink Floyd diehards.

Being that Dark Side Of The Moon is my favorite album of all time, I was very excited to hear about the release of this DVD. I absolutely love it. This DVD tells the story of Dark Side of The Moon from it's creation, to it's aftermath with live performances, acoustic performances, early demos, music videos, rehearsal tapes, individual tracks from Alan Parsons mixing board(very cool), and in depth interviews with band members. My only complaint is that they did not even mention one of my favorite instrumental tracks from the album entitled "Any Colour You Like". Why it was forgotten in the DVD baffles me.

The sound mix is not in 5.1, but it's one of the best stereo mixes i've ever heard. Hearing Roger Waters explain what the song "Time" is about then hearing David Gilmores' amazing guitar solo was worth the money alone. Thank you Pink Floyd for releasing this DVD and making an album that changed my life! Don't hesitate, buy it now!

This 55 minute documentary was produced without consent of the band, its management, or thier record company. Because of this, it is ALL interview and contains no background music nor live clips (contractual reasons I assume).

The bulk of this tape is comprised of large chunks of a wonderful documentary (Omnibus, BBC) aired in November of 1994. The other bits and pieces are of varying quality and DO give this tape more of a bootleg feel.

Bottom line: if you're a Floyd fan you'll find something of interest here and there, but if you can, track down the Omnibus special. It's widely available in most bootleg circles and is FAR superior to this tape.

In order to get the most out of this DVD, you'll have to watch and listen closely -- some of the most interesting parts are not obvious. But if you deeply enjoy the album, then you are probably good at picking out such important nuances.

For example, the "bonus" material (tucked away in a separate menu) includes interviews and recordings that are sometimes more captivating than the main documentary. These include very personal interviews with Roger Waters on growing up, love, insanity, death, and human kindness, as well as equally personal solo acoustic renditions of "Brain Damage" by Waters ("the lunatic song" as he calls it) and "Breathe", performed by David Gilmour. Gilmour, along with Rick Wright, provides fascinating musical insight throughout the documentary. Snippets of the performances and interviews are included in the documentary itself, but to get the whole picture, you've really got to watch the bonus scenes.

Another reviewer mentioned that while it is fascinating to see some of the behind the scenes work that went into making "Dark Side", this may ruin the mystique. This wasn't the case for me. Perhaps if you've imagined some themes for the album that turn out to be catastrophically different from what Roger was thinking, I could see how you might be disappointed. But as the interviews evince, the album is about the trials and tribulations of being human. I don't see how your version of the meaning could diverge very far from this, in the cosmic sense. Rather, I think any theme you might associate personally with a song is inevitably close to the intended one. Waters himself seems to oscillate back and forth between various meanings and implications.

As far as the meaning of the album goes, this is what I was hoping to learn more about through this documentary. While it did provide very interesting information through interviews, there was no external commentary. That is, the documentary is a primary source of information, not a secondary one. There is no narrator to formulate hypotheses, point out themes and draw conclusions. This is left to the observer, which really is probably a good thing, following the Floyd's lead. It's just that, if you've listened to (and thought about) "Dark Side" many many times like a lot of us have, and have maybe read one or two interviews with Roger Waters, you won't find much new insight here as far as the "meaning" goes. I do have to admit, though, that hearing and seeing the band members (especially Waters) explain their thought processes and interactions in making the album certainly added a new dimension to the story.

The most poignant moment came when Dave Gilmour was showing how he 'accidentally' came up with that speedy, rolling synth vamp for "On the Run", and admitted that "sometimes things just fit together perfectly by accident... and this album was one of those times" (not a direct quote, but close). This is the sense you get from the documentary, that for whatever reason things just fell into place perfectly. For example, the original version of "Us and Them" was written years earlier by Richard Wright as a score for a violent mob scene in the movie "Zabriskie Point". The lyrics by Waters fit naturally with the music, and the music fits gracefully with the rest of the album.

One of the earlier reviewers mentioned that this DVD will evoke memories of tailgate parties that "hammered us into a glorious haze before the concert", and called the documentary "spankin'". I don't get this vibe at all. The concert footage is brief, and usually doesn't include the actual audio (just the album dubbed over). So even though it will inevitably bring back some fantastic memories, don't expect to hear yourself shouting "smoke dope!" in the background. (Of course this same reviewer classified Floyd as "heavy-" and "heavier-metal rock", so form your own opinion...)

Another reviewer had nothing but glowing praise for this DVD. While I think it's great, and would buy it again in a heartbeat, it has its flaws. For one, it seems very formulaic in its presentation: start at the beginning of the album and go through each song with interviews and video footage on top (fade when necessary). This isn't surprising since it is just one in a series of "Classic Albums" DVDs. (In fact, the intro to the DVD isn't even specific to Pink Floyd -- it's a mishmash of rock n' roll sounds and pictures of floating guitars.) Lastly, as I mentioned before, there are no astounding revelations in the interviews or commentary about the meaning behind the album. You are still basically left to form your own opinions on what the lyrics 'really mean' and what this all has to do with insanity, human suffering, and monetary gain. Anyone who has read an interview with Roger Waters will already be acquainted with his view on these themes.

This is a good documentary that I recommend to all Pink Floyd fans. While it has some shining moments, you have to look carefully for them and some might be disappointed by the matter-of-fact presentation by the band members. If you can retain your wonder and imagination, you'll be rewarded with a new appreciation for the thoughtfulness and childlike spontaneity that synergized to make the "Dark Side of the Moon" the greatest album ever created.

First off, let me say I love these "Classic Album" DVD's! They are so informative and I love hearing the master tape going through the board while different tracks are pointed out and enjoyed. This disc is every "Dark Side Of Tne Moon" fan's dream come true. For these reviewers that put down this DVD by saying "Phoey, no live stuff!" I usually read the package before I buy something. Since you can't do that with Amazon or other online stores, these reviews are great. No where did it say this was a live concert. The "Classic Album" series has been around for some time now so if you don't want to chance your hard earned 15 bucks (yikes, haha)on something, maybe it's worth finding out what you are getting!
Other great "Classic Album" DVD's are "The Who- Who's Next", "Elton John- Goodbye Yellow Brick Road", "Fleetwood Mac- Rumors" just to name a few. I have quite a few of them and love them all. A real treat for musicians and fans alike!

First consumer beware! If you are lookng for a DVD with all the fantastic video clips of this legendary recording, this is not what you are looking for. There are short clips taken from the videos on certain selections. If you were interested in what was the mind set of the band members and the driving force behind this great album you found what you are looking for. This is one on one interviews with the band members, production personell, and entertainment journalist of the time. You will learn what makes this recording one of the greatest of all time. After watching this video myself, I have enjoyed listening to the music more. You start to hear the little things that define Pink Floyds music that you may have never really noticed before. understanding the music will bring a greater appreciation to it.

I've now seen 4 of the titles in this series -- this one and Aja (Steely Dan), Joshua Tree (U2) and Face Value (Phil Collins) -- and while I wouldn't give any of the others more than a couple of stars and wouldn't recommend them for anyone except basically hard core fans of the artists in question, this one is a very different story. Of course, the subject matter in this case is a good deal weightier and more interesting to talk about, given the subject matter taken up in the record. That may have been one advantage the makers of this film had as opposed to those other cases. It's simply very interesting to hear Roger Waters and sometimes other members of the band (always shown separately) discussing the ideas and emotions they were trying to express, and just as interesting to hear the other members and those like Alan Parsons, also involved with the project, and occasionally Waters, discuss the musical process, as well.

But those responsible for this film just did a lot more with what they had, as well, covering every track on the record and doing so in keeping with the sequencing it came with (both unlike the other titles in the series mentioned above), seamlessly editing together current playing by any member of the group and the original recordings (done only very occasionally on the other titles), and also providing a lot more -- another 30-40 minutes of bonus material, including full solo acoustic versions of multiple songs and all of it very worthwhile -- where none of the others provided any. The quality of the film is even better, and instead of the cheap-o digipack case, you get a regular plastic version.

Indeed, the extra material is so good that one of the only questionable aspects of the work is why more of it wasn't included in the original film in the first place, or, if the makers were facing time constraints, why the DVD does not come with an option to play the film with the extra parts automatically included. But this is indeed being picky and in fact would not work in the case of the full song versions, given the other commentary going on and the editing done.

In short, venture into the others at your own risk, but don't worry about plunking down the cost for this one, even if you're not a hard-core Floyd fan, as the results are well worth your money and time.

If you think Pink Floyd is some guy that plays old music, this video probably is not for you. But if you are interested in the Floyd and care about the individuals (Gilmour, Waters, etc.) and what they have to say, this video is a must see. It contains interviews of the Floyd from many different time periods. From the beginning with Syd to the Floyd almost present day. I rate it four stars because the audio is less than par on an interview or two (especially one with Roger in Canada in the 80's.) Other than that, if you have all the other videos (Pulse, DSoT, Pompeii, David Gilmour, etc.) than this is a good buy.