Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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48 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A quality live set that seems to lack some energy at times, January 21, 2005
The claim to fame of Pulse, Pink Floyd's two-CD live album released in 1995, is the live performance of Dark Side of the Moon in its entirety. If you're a casual Pink Floyd fan, that's great; if you're a devoted fan, you're apt to be disappointed by the lack of nuance expressed in a concert setting. It has obviously been a few years since I listened to Pulse because my memory told me it was superior to 1988's Delicate Sound of Thunder live two-CD album - my memory was wrong. I'm not saying Pulse isn't a quality performance or that fans won't enjoy it, but to my ears it clearly lacks the sort of passion and energy that was captured on Delicate Sounds of Thunder. The two live albums of the reconstituted, post-Waters Pink Floyd share a number of songs in common, and I prefer the Thunder versions in almost every single case. Here, the long instrumental sections of Shine on You Crazy Diamond, for example, seem to drag on interminably, while on Delicate Sound of Thunder each minute of the music built up toward a pressurized unleashing of vocals.
The first disc features a healthy portion of material originating after Waters' acrimonious exit from the band. There are two tracks from 1987's A Momentary Lapse of Region (Sorrow and Learning to Fly) and five from 1994's The Division Bell (What Do You Want from Me, A Great Day for Freedom, High Hopes, Keep Talking, and Coming Back to Life). These are intermixed alongside some older Pink Floyd tracks: Shine on You Crazy Diamond from Wish You Were Here, Astronomy Domine from 1967's The Piper at the Gates, and two classic cuts from The Wall. Another Brick in the Wall (Part Two) is good but seems to lack a little oomph, but Hey You is delivered with the passion and energy that make it easily the most impressive song on either of the Pulse CDs.
Disc Two takes us through a complete version of Dark Side of the Moon; the live setting does take something away from the purity and magic of these songs, so your appreciation of the live set may depend upon the depth of your commitment to Pink Floyd itself. Three tracks are added on at the end in the form of musical encores. I have a feeling there would be rioting in the streets if Pink Floyd showed up and didn't play Wish You Were Here, Comfortably Numb, and Run Like Hell. I was impressed by the first of these three classic songs, but Comfortably Numb and Run Like Hell seem to fall short of their counterparts on the earlier Distant Sound of Thunder.
At first glance, Pulse looks like a no-brainer, a guarantee of musical nirvana courtesy of one of the greatest bands of all-time. As I listened to it, though, I just felt as if something were missing - something subtle and comparatively minor, but noticeably missing all the same. Still, this is Pink Floyd, and no Pink Floyd recording could ever be bad - but it seems to me that Pulse could have been more intense and musically dazzling than it is.
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One of, if not, the best live Pink Floyd album, October 8, 2000
When I first saw "Pulse" in stores I thought it was a greatest hits album released so that the remaining Pink members could make one last cash grab. Was I mistaken. The live "Pulse" album consists of the entire "Dark Side Of The Moon" album along with some of the best cuts from "The Wall" and "Wish You Were Here". It also includes excellent selections from post-Waters albums, "A Momentary Lapse Of Reason" and "The Division Bell". Another aspect that makes this album even more complete is the appearence of Astronomy Domine from their debut album, "Piper At The Gates Of Dawn". Overall, Gilmour and company belt out great versions of Pink classics with "random precision" and prove they still have what got them called "the best conceptual album writers of all time and one of the top three bands in history". The choice cuts would definitely have to be Comfotably Numb, Wish You Were Here, Run Like Hell, Brain Damage, Eclipse and from the 1994 "Division Bell" album High Hopes. As an added bonus, the two CD set comes in a deluxe slipcase package with an extensive booklet complete with tour pictures, equipment and track listings. An absolute must. Listen and you will understand why.
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11 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
This album made me a Pink Floyd fan, November 23, 2004
Forget the three stars shown -- I voted five, but Amazon's website goofed. This one's a five, believe me!
Somehow, I skipped over Pink Floyd while getting older and never really noticed them. A longing for some good British band music led me to give Pulse a shot and boy was I surprised. I'd always thought their songs that I heard on pop radio were sort of 'down' because of the lyrics. Yes, there are negative themes here, but there are an equal number of passages where the minor keys are resolved into beautiful, shining majors. Gilmour is a stupendous, versatile guitar player. I have to rate him as one of the best lead guitarists I've ever heard -- intelligent work that doesn't rely on cliches that are repeated over and over (Ever take a close listen to Clapton, even going back to the original Layla? I honestly don't know what all the fuss is about him. He's smooth, but not really very inventive -- and he plays off pitch, as well!). These two CD's will satisfy anyone thirsting for guitar elevated to an art form.
At first I was disappointed because Gilmour's voice on these CD's doesn't sound like I was expecting. It's not as clear as the studio versions of these songs that were recorded 25 years ago. But after listening several times, I actually like his mature voice better. It has a nice quality to it.
What amazes me is that these three remaining Floyds have played these songs live countless times. But there is not even a hint of jadedness here. They really put everything they had into the music and that's impressive. The recordings are superb for live recordings.
I could go on -- great backup vocals, great bass, neat interchanges between the fans and the band. The version of "Money" on this album is just really great. It makes the original studio version sound very canned. This one breathes with interesting parts that'll have the darned thing going through your head over and over and over again.
If you're even half interested in Pink Floyd, you won't be sorry with this purchase.
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by Pink Floyd 
