Customer Reviews

Us & Them: Symphonic Pink Floyd

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Pink Floyd is one of my all time favorite bands, watching their concerts on a television screen is an exhilarating experience but this album is a whole new animal. I simply adore when my favorite artists do symphonic albums, few others that are good at this are Metallica and Jean Michel Jarre, now if only Juno Reactor could do a symphonic album I would pass out from joy.

All the songs on this album translate beautifully into symphonic music, who knew that they sound like perfect movie scores from movies I wish could exist, I can almost picture made up scenes happening. Someone doesn't have to be a fan of Pink Floyd or even worry if they would like it to really enjoy this album. If I could get into a space ship and travel to deep space I would have this as my soundtrack, it's just an incredible mélange of sounds, one can hear colored dust and clouds, sparkles and rich harmonies - it's simply magical.

Few of my favorite tracks (but oh they are all so good! )

Time - time travel captured in musical notes, relaxing and fantastic. One minute its dusty deserts and next I feel like I'm floating in outer space, totally mesmerizing.

Comfortably Numb - I get goosebumps from the neck down to my toes when this starts. The flutes and French horns in this are stunning, and as a flute player it touches me, almost as if a thin silver needle poked my heart. This is so elegant and sparkling at the same time, its music one can seriously fall in love with. The violins and trumpets give it depth, it almost sounds like an ocean waking up to fresh sun rays peaking out over the horizon.

Nobody Home - sounds like a sunrise in a Hollywood movie.

Breathe in the Air - reminds me of music from Spirited Away, one of my favorite anime movies, totally fantasy dripping into hears like honey.

Us and them - beautiful finish to this artistic creation, at times it reminded me of a mixture of a soundtrack from a Hitchcock movie and the unicorn film, Legend - but still had its own uniqueness, very bold and mysterious at the same time.

Whenever I sit down at night to sketch and draw I put on certain music that puts me in a specific mood, this album really gets my creative juices flowing, it rarely gets any time off from being played.

- Kasia S.

Jaz Coleman, the arranger behind "Kashmir:A Symphonic Tribute to Led Zeppelin," is the mastermind behind the less successful "Us and Them." In theory, this should have been the better of the two CDs; Floyd used orchestras as useful adjuncts on both their "Atom Heart Mother" and "Wall" albums. However, two problems keep this CD from being a must-have. Firstly, the song selection is drawn almost entirely from "Dark Side of the Moon" and thereby lacks variety. Several songs from "Wish You Were Here" would have lent themselves better to a classical treatment. Secondly, Pink Floyd so heavily relied on specific, readily identifiable electric guitar and synthesizer timbres that the music often seem "wrong" without them. It's like listening to one of Bach's harpsichord pieces on a banjo; even if you get it technically correct, it still sounds wrong to the listener.

That said, there are a few standouts. "Time," "Nobody Home," and "Comfortably Numb" are good orchestrations of slower Floyd songs and easily as cinematic-sounding as Coleman's work on the "Kashmir" CD. These are the songs on the CD that I can return to, and enjoy. The rest of the material seems incomplete without Floyd's trademark sound effects and electronic instruments. Still, this makes a good companion piece to David Gilmour's recent solo DVD, in which he reinterprets many Floyd classics within the parameters of chamber music.

When a friend of mine told me about "Us and Them", I thought it would be an insult to Pink Floyd to do classical interpretations of their songs. Although I love classical music, I also think that there are certain things that shouldn't be touched. So I bought the CD as a Floyd fan ready to criticize it - and then I heard it. This, without a doubt, is one of my most-played CDs because it perfectly captures the essence of Pink Floyd's major works. As a fan of Pink Floyd, I was pleasantly surprised. And as a fan of good classical music, I was blown away. Songs like "Us and Them" and "Comfortably Numb", with so much drama in the original versions, are duplicated note for note by the London Philharmonic Orchestra - these guys are good at what they do. If you enjoy listening to a good classical CD all the way through while you are working or relaxing or anything, this is the one to listen to. Don't let the name fool you - Symphonic Pink Floyd is just as good as the rest of Floyd's works. Buy it now!

Being a fan of Pink Floyd, I am oftentimes simultaneously curious and leary of Floyd tributes or treatments. Previous to this recording, I have purchased two different performances by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. I was somewhat disappointed with those recordings. At times it seemed as if it were a performance by a "cover band" with a back-up orchestra. They included electric guitar, electric bass, full trap set and even some vocals. Not so with this recording. This is pure symphony at its finest. Jaz Coleman's arrangements of timeless songs composed by Roger Waters and David Gilmour do not cease to amaze with their brilliance. The brief and unfortunate sound clips offered above do no justice to the recording as a whole.

Standout movements include "Comfortably Numb", "Breathe" and "That Great Gig in the Sky". This album is perfect for someone looking for a purely orchestral version of some of Pink Floyd's most proficient work.

This is a wonderful album which showcases the genuine musical prowess of the greatest Rock & Roll band of all time: Pink Floyd. There are precious few R & R groups that are taken seriously by classical musicians. The Floyd is one of them, and this CD shows why that is the case. From the spooky "Time" to the elegant rendition of "Comfortably Numb," all of Floyd's familiar hits are included in this compilation. The arrangements are superb, and the performance, as is usually the case with the London Philharmonic, is splendid. This is a must-have for Pink Floyd fans, as well as those who enjoy soothing classical music. This is an ambitious project which extols the musicianship of an incomparable Rock Band. If you're in the hunt for music that is cultured, tasteful and melodious, this one is a can't miss!

As a general rule, I hate new treatments of old music. The original is the Real Deal, and what comes later is seldom anything other than a cash-grab and a poor imitation. In my opinion, Madonna should have been drawn and quartered for her treatment of "American Pie". The rapper that hip-hopped Gordon Lightfoot's "Sundown" should be run through a sausage machine. And if I could get my hands on the creeps that turn everything made between 1960 and 1990 into "muzak", I would gleefully run them over again and again and again -- especially when they do so with anything by Led Zeppelin, the Doors, and the innately progressive and experimental Pink Floyd.

That said, I'm currently listening to Us and Them: Symphonic Pink Floyd, and am surprised to report that it is actually quite good. It is, in a word, powerful. More specifically, it is powerful and dark -- the signature motiff of Pink Floyd. This isn't waterred-down muzak; nor is it a disrespectful rip-off remake. It's something else. It reaches into the feelings underlying the original pieces, and conveys those feelings with an orchestral majesty; lyrics aren't needed, because (aside from the fact that they'll run through your head anyway) the masterful composition takes care of it quite nicely on it's own.

Not that there aren't a few niggling problems. The wavering violin in "Nobody Home", while conveying the feel of someone making one last feeble call for help whilst teetering on the edge of a swan dive into full-blown madness, is bordering on annoying.

But for the most part, the album is simply magnificent. "Time" gets a particularly stunning treatment -- twice, as an extended and slightly different mix closes out the album. Personally, I find the first treatment of "Time" the better of the two; while the latter does a good job of capturing the quirky experimental work that Pink Floyd was known for during their early Sid Barrett days, the band had settled down a good deal by the time they produced Dark Side of the Moon, which makes the psychedelic touches in the extended track seem somewhat out of place.

All things considered, if you are a fan of orchestral, Pink Floyd or both, this is a good buy.

The London Symphony Orchestra has effectively gleaned the most golden kernels of wheat amongst the endless fields of magnificent tracks that Pink Floyd has composed, and ground their essence into a rich, hearty bread. Their interpretation is original, and yet it maintains all the emotional intensity wrought within Pink Floyd's Dark Side of the Moon. Many liberties have been taken to accentuate the potential of the orchestral arrangement. Subsequently, the music is lifted to a completely different level. The sheer genius of Pink Floyd is appreciated, and yet the songs are sometimes nearly indistinguishable aside from the refrain. A paradox you say? Before listening to the CD, I thought so too. Recreating Dark Side of the Moon seemed like an impossible task. Like painting a Monet of a Picaso, I assumed that the separate genres of classical and classic rock would clash inharmoniously, resulting in a bland desecration of a masterpiece. How inexplicably wrong I was! This CD is a monumental achievement.

This is a disc I found by chance for cheap, but it paid off big. As soon as I realized what it was, the London Philharmonic Orchestra covering Pink Floyd songs, it seemed like a good idea. Sometimes these "tribute" type albums are a bust, but this one I like alot. Obviously a liking for both parties helps, but I believe even someone with no knowledge of Pink Floyd would enjoy this (do any of those people exist?). I also think that if a person listening didn't know these were Floyd songs, they might not catch it, yet if you did know, you hear it right away. My favorites on here are "Time", "Breathe", and the simply moving "Comfortably Numb". I could have tossed on another few tracks, but this does run over 70 minutes. Overall, if you're somebody that can stand George Winston covering The Doors, you should love this as well.

This CD is audio pleasure. The smooth sounds of the London Orchestra combined with the music of Pink Floyd enwrap the listener. Its on a par with the Star Wars soundtracks and Symphonic Metallica. It is best enjoyed in surround in the dark. It gives you the chills, in a definitely good way. It is a must have for any Pink Floyd lover or classical music lover.

It's hard to imagine outdoing Pink Floyd at their own music. This symphonic does it. Somehow, the London Philharmonic found sounds which rival PF's own originality. This music will take you elsewhere, so enjoy the journey. All cuts don't have the same power, but each has its own feeling. If you make it through the non-harsh, emotive experience of "Comfortably Numb" without tearing up, you might want to check the connections to the right brain. The second "Time" rendition is a unique trip through the valley of the shadow of death. Just as the CD begins and ends with "time," you should allow plenty of it for yourself.