Customer Reviews

Wall: Live in Berlin 1990

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

Undoubtedly this by far one of the biggest live musical extravaganzas of all time. Waters and his band truly explode every single musical derivation and extension of every song in the album to the extreme. Bryan Adams delivers as well as Van Morrison in "Comfortably Numb." Michael Kamen arrangements and choral and orchestra conducting is more than superb. Perhaps, for me the greatest asset of this album is that it proves by far the artistical magic of the Wall and gives us at the end, instead of a sad conclusion, a hope-charged and powerful message in Roger Water's "The Tide is Turning." Surely, that song after hearing the whole CD will give you the extra-satisfaction you need to be happy to add this disc to your collection. Please WATCH THE VIDEO of the concert. If you watch the actual concert on video you will definetely want to feel like one of the hundreds of thousands Berliners who witnessed the concert, and the joy of hearing the album's will exponentially grow in you.

I don't know how anyone can possibly not like this album. Perhaps the only reason i can see is the fact that they are to rapped up in their picture perfect versions of the wall by the original Pink Floyd Wall. A live performance such as this is not about playing that ablum exactly as it appeared on Record, it is about re-exploring it, bringing it to new levels. Sometimes these changes are for the best, and sometimes they are for the worst. In this case, they were definitely for the best. This is an album that gets better after every song, and is even more incredible when viewed on video. Some of the great aspects of it are the orchestral masterpiece heard at the end of Aother Brick in the Wall II, the INCREDIBLE display of a band that played for Vera Lynn and Bring The Boys Back Home. That (the "Bleeding Heart Band") was made up of the combined forces of the Rudfunk Orchestra and the Combined Military Orchestra of the Soviet Army, and most of all THE TIDE IS TURNING. This song was a complete masterpiece, perhaps not in its original form, but in this form it is ellevated to new heights of power. A truly amazing album, and although a good time is not guaranteed for all (as some people feel that it has to be exactly as it appeared on the record) , this is an incredible album, an incredible experience.

I agree with those who find some of the guest stars to be a bit dated (Bryan Adams, The Hooters) but can you argue with their performances?

To me, not having heard some of these songs since the heady days of high school, this is a revelation. Kudos especially to Garth Hudson, of The Band, who delivers a great sax and accordian solo. Joni sounds amazing, Van The Man rocks it, and while I can do without Jerry Hall, in context it really doesn't sound too bad.

But the songwriting, and arrangements, sound as great as ever.

If you like the original, you really should pick this up for a second look at these timeless classics.

I remember being so excited when Roger Water broadcast his The Wall: Live in Berlin during the summer of 1990 that I taped it off the radio; of course, this double CD set is a vast improvement. For those looking for the original sound of Pink Floyd's The Wall, you won't find it here--obviously, that album is a peerless classic. However, the Roger Waters version is great in its own right, and I think that fans of his style will definitely find plenty to like in this set.

Several songs on this album seem almost perfectly matched to their cover performers, including Bryan Adams with "Young Lust" and the Joni Mitchell version of "Goodbye Blue Sky." On a few tracks, however, I really missed Gilmour's soulful voice, especially "Mother" and "Hey You." But with Waters himself still doing lead on several of the songs (who else could sing "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 1?"), this album captures enough flavor of the original to make it worthwhile. It will probably appeal more to fans of Waters than to Gilmour's followers, but I'd recommend it as a valuable addition to any Pink Floyd collection.

I only saw this show on television, and I must say the production was wonderful. It was a spectacular event, extremely well done. But frankly, I see no reason to buy this on CD. If you want the Wall, get the studio version, one of the greatest albums of all times. If you want a live version, get the new Is There Anybody Out There release. All of the songs performed by Roger Waters are done wonderfully of course, but not very different from the studio version, except for the notable absence of Dave Gilmour's brilliant guitar playing and also the work of Rick Wright and Nick Mason. The guest stars, although they add some color and fill some empty spaces, are mostly quite terrible.

There are good moments: 'Mother' is performed beautifully by Sinead O'connor and The Band, with some nicely added accordion sounds (although I couldn't help but laugh hearing O'connor sing enthusiastically "mother do you think they'll try to break my balls?"). The wonderful Joni Mitchell's work on the beautiful 'Goodbye Blue Sky' is also great, and she sings as always with all her heart. Paul Carrack on 'Hey You' is not bad either. And the Trial sequence is all done well, with Tim Curry doing a great job as the prosecutor (though the entire sequence is far more impressive when seen). As I already mentioned, the production is great. The costumes are wonderful, as is the wall itself. But you can't hear that on CD, can you?

On the other hand, most of the guest stars really don't make it. Cindy Lauper, though I have nothing against her solo music, is certainly not the person to sing 'Another Brick In The Wall part 2'. Bryan Adams, who sings on both 'Empty Spaces' and 'Young Lust' (not my favorite songs on the album but still good ones) manages to destroy them completely. Van Morrison, though I love his solo music, doesn't make it with Gilmour's part in 'Comfortably Numb'. The Scorpions make a mess out of 'In The Flesh?'. Ute Lemper is very annoying on 'The Thin Ice'. And Jerry Hall's shameful display, desperately trying to steal the show on the spoken intro to 'One Of My Turns' which has somehow became a track by itself called 'Oh My God-What a Fabulous Room' is simply awful.

'The Show Must Go On' and 'Outside The Wall' were left out completely, which is also a shame. The brilliant ending that is 'Outside The Wall' was replaced with Roger's poppish singalong 'The Tide Is Turning', which really doesn't belong there. Much of the irony and twisted humor of The Wall was lost. Watch the video, but buy the original album.

Getting off the train at the Berlin Zoo (train station) I found Berlin teeming with thousands of young concert go'ers from around the world. There was an air of excitement and a carnival like atmosphere I've not experienced since the 1969 Rolling Stones concert at Altamont, California. Bootleg t-shirts for The Wall concert were being sold everywhere. It seemed all of Berlin waited in anticipation for Roger Waters' The Wall; a world wide event of huge magnitude and importance. As the Berlin Wall came down 8 months before, now symbolically, again, in celebration would Pink Floyd's opus be performed in Berlin by it's creator and the genius behind Floyd. The day of the concert was bright and sunny. A perfect day for the concert. As I got off the U-bann in East Berlin you could see Roger Waters' Wall from miles distant, stretching across the landscape, a mammoth white expanse accross the skyline with it's huge cranes reaching out into the blue sky like the tentacles of an octopus. The excitement was contagious the closer to Potsdam Platz we got, and soon the throngs of people were streaming down every street and converging upon the entry gates. A crowd of thousands waited hours before the gates for entry into the Platz at 2 PM. It seemed like Woodstock revisited, but better, for people from around the world, speaking many different languages came together in peace and harmony for this one fantastic event. Before the gate, bags were searched for recorders, cameras, alcohol and glass bottles. At the gate everyone was given a ÔPink' mask and a leaflet for fan-info and the crowd bunched in the thousands at the gates, emptied like the grains of sand in an hourglass onto the acres and acres of Potsdam Platz. All were dwarfed by the many light and sound towers and the huge white monolith wall which stretched to the right and to the left into the distance.

I and my friend Michael from Frankfurt went immediately to the left side of the wall at the front, as the area immediately in front of the wall stage area was already completely packed with people. There we waited through the rest of the beautiful afternoon, basking in the warm sun-shine and visiting with neighboring Pink Floyd fans from around the world. I left once to buy more t-shirts and discovered just how huge the crowd was. I was lucky to find my way back at all, and you really had to be good at making your own paths through the hundreds of thousands of people sitting and standing around.

The show was not to begin till it got dark but the festive atmosphere and watching all the people (and reading our programs of course) were more than enough to keep us from getting bored. But also on stage, to entertain the crowd were various bands. Among them, The Chieftains from Ireland, and the reunion of The Band, who played all of their old great hits. They were really great! (I'd love to have a tape of their performance if anyone can get me one, and also an audience tape of The Wall concert itself!) I wonder why their music wasn't a part of The Wall concert album? It was rather disheartening that most of the crowd were too young to remember The Band and didn't know their music, or appreciate the significance of their reunion after so many years after having disbanded. Many of course did, and we all danced to their hits.

Water was scarce, and in demand at first until you knew where to get it. Restrooms were positioned throughout the rear and up the sides, but for many it was a real trek and a long wait in line. The wait for t-shirts and programs was really unbelievable, at least an hour! First aid tents were set up at the back as were booths with umbrellas to protect you from the sun.

At one point during the afternoon as a band played on-stage, some neighbors pointed to a section high in the scaffolding above the stage amidst the wall near the top center, and shared their binoculars with me. Indeed there was Mr. Waters looking out over the crowd with his wife (I guess) in tow and smiling from ear to ear, dancing to the music atop the scaffolding.

Finally 10 PM came and went, but it still was not completely dark yet. I was amazed how late the sunset. About 9 PM, Michael and I had made our move from the side front of the wall, and skirted through the thronging masses of people toward the center and up front nearer to the stage. We got as far as one or two hundred meters from the stage and the front. We waited there until it was really dark. Then the Mayor of Berlin made a speech after which he welcomed Leonard Cheshire, (the founder of The Memorial Fund For Disaster Relief which is what charity the show was to benefit) who began the show with a toot of his whistle.

Electricity filled the air as did the fireworks carrying mini parachutes (I'll pay for one if anyone has commandeered and extra for a souvenir, let me know), as the Scorpions limo drove up onto the stage and across the front of the wall. Then the "surrogate band" began the show with "In The Flesh" which was really fantastic. Then, as we all know, "The Thin Ice" began and the sound went out. This technical glitch didn't put a damper on the show at all. Roger apologized, saying they would try to do it again later in the show. You could only empathize with him at how he must have felt. He's such a perfectionist and putting a show together of this magnitude was amazing in itself. During "Another Brick In the Wall Part's 1 & 2", and "The Happiest Days of Our Lives," the Teacher, immense and ominous was inflated above and over the wall, as video clips of The Wall movie and stills were flashed across the circular screen high above and behind the stage. (The spectacle was thrilling, though it might have been much more enjoyable without Cyndi Lauper's vocals! )

Russian soldiers began building The Wall brick by brick to fill the gaps, and although the musicians were great, Mr. Gilmour's guitar was missed throughout! Guitarists, Rick DiFonzo and Snowy White were more than adequate however and gave outstanding performances, even at times outshining those of Dave Gilmour!

Then again, during Sinead O'Connors vocals on "Mother," the power on the sound went out. Again the glitch was only a mild hindrance of the overall event and it was soon overcome and the song continued. In the wall, on the right and left sides, were huge video screens where close ups of the stage show were shown for those not close enough to see well And again, halfway back towards the rear of the crowd, mounted upon huge light towers were more mammoth video screens and speakers for those at the back of the unbelievably immense crowd of 500,000 people! Everything possible was done to allow everybody to enjoy the show as much as possible!

Joni Mitchell's rendition of "Goodbye Blue Sky' was surprisingly good and sung with great feeling. Though throughout the first half of the show, it was very strange to see and hear my favorite music performed by strangers. The changes, made for great entertainment and comparisons. However, when I heard Roger's voice during "Empty Spaces," I knew Pink was there to oversee it all.

Then Brian Adams sang "Young Lust" and did a fantastic job. When "One of My Turns" began, the wall lit up with pictures and effects and I looked up to the apartment, inset into the wall to see Roger singing. I was just below him a few hundred yards into the crowd. God, seeing and hearing him sent goose-bumps through me! New videos and pictures were done especially for the show and were shown and projected as Roger continued with "Don't Leave Me Now." All the while, bricks continued to be laid building the wall. Now, the wall almost completely blocking off the back of the stage, the orchestra in the background adding extra music and effects not heard on the original Wall production. After "Another Brick in the Wall Part 3," and at the end of "Good-bye Cruel World," the last brick was laid and the wall completely closed off the musicians from the audience.

During all of this first half, the cranes and lifts were in constant motion, hoisting huge clumps bricks, and moving lights and cameras. It was all so complex, with so many things going on at once! And because of so much sensory stimuli going on at once, it was hard to keep track of it all. No video can even possibly come close to capturing this event. The atmosphere, filled with excitement was contagious. There was an electricity in the air you could actually feel! You had to have been there and have witnessed it all to even minimally understand and experience all the nuance, symmetry and multimedia frenzy. There was so much sensory input and brain candy happening at once that no-one attending the show could even assimilate it all, let alone anything on video.

During the intermission, we were reminde

There have been a lot of criticisms of the 1990 Berlin performance, but they all miss the point. The 1990 Wall concert was a social commentary, and was a part of the historical backdrop. Moreover, it was never intended to be experienced only by the ears. For Floyd purists, the original studio tracks that were laid down cannot be surpassed. If one simply listens to the 1990 performance you will come away disappointed in many respects. If, however, you watch the concert (BTW, it is playing on DirecTV this month, Aug 2003) and THEN listen to the audio tracks with the memory of the visuals, you will have a much greater appreciation of the event. Cyndi Lauper, for example, has been panned by every reviewer here. I think the energy she brought to the performance was exactly what was called for and is a credit to Waters for selecting her. I hate Sinead O'Connor but her performance here was brilliant, as was Joni Mitchell. I do think Van Morrison's performance was the low point of the concert but was not sufficiently bad to detract from the overall effect. The Wall concert in Berlin is one of my favorites, and I grew up listening to Waters & Gilmours sublime perfection in the studio. My recommendation? SEE the concert first. Once you do, you'll want this soundtrack in your audio library, and it won't get old no matter how often you listen to it. If you have both a good sound system as well as video, this is one you'll watch over and over, and like a fine wine it will age well.

Roger Waters went skating on thin ice without his old band mates and sadly, he fell through ... A horrible, horrible attempt at best. Amazon doesn't allow zero star ratings so this album unfortunately recieves one star.

Unless you're a die-hard Cindy Lauper fan, or you enjoy a classic tune like Comfortably Numb hacked by the likes of Van Morrison forget this album.

Fortunately for Floyd/Waters fans, there is a live recording of the original Wall concerts scheduled for release in early 2000! Save your money, the forthcoming release is sure to be an instant classic and Berlin '90 will be a distant memory.

I rented this concert on VHS one day. I love it.

The goods
) Bryan Adams singing Young Lust
Bryan Adams did this song good. He is one of my favorite singers today.
) Sinad o' conner singing mother
I loved this version of the song

Bads
) Cyndi Lauper singing Another Brick in the wall Pt. 2
It wasn't that good
) Hey you
I miss David Gilmore and Roger singing this song

All and All this was an ok cd.

Although many people gave this live concert a low rating due to Roger Waters' choice of substitute singers/musicians for some of the songs from the original Wall recording, after seeing it on video for the first time, it became easier to listen to the recording alone afterward.

What really blew me away at that time was Roger having a "communist" orchestra accompany the music of a rock and roll album!! This was the highlight of the entire event, and their performance was excellent!!!