David Gilmour: Remember That Night-Live At The Royal Albert Hall 2006 (DVD) Edition Audio 48/24 2007 16:9 DTS 5.1

* SECOND DISC SAME CONCERT NOT DOCUMENTARY DISC SO PRICING IS BELOW COST -GIVE IT TO A FRIEND

 Product Reviews

David Gilmour's third solo album, On an Island, had already topped the U.K. chart when he launched a European tour in March 2006, set to climax at the Royal Albert Hall with the show captured here. It goes without saying that it is stunning, both visually and aurally; how could any Pink Floyd-related project fail to be? But how stunning? It was less than 12 months, after all, since Floyd themselves re-formed for Live 8, and the fan club's heartbeat was still bumping fit to bust.

1. Speak To Me

2. Breathe (In The Air)

3. Time

4. Breathe (In The Air) (reprise)

5. Castellorizon

6. On An Island featuring Crosby & Nash

7. The Blue featuring Crosby & Nash

8. Red Sky At Night

9. This Heaven

10. Then I Close My Eyes featuring Robert Wyatt

11. Smile

12. Take A Breath

13. A Pocketful Of Stones

14. Where We Start

15. Shine On You Crazy Diamond featuring Crosby & Nash

16. Fat Old Sun

17. Coming Back To Life

18. High Hopes

19. Echoes

20. Wish You Were Here

21. Find The Cost Of Freedom featuring Crosby & Nash

22. Arnold Layne featuring David Bowie

23. Comfortably Numb featuring David Bowie 

This concert video release offers up three audio choices for your auditory pleasure. Off the top is a very good 5.1 Dolby TrueHD encode at a 24/48 kHz bit and sample rate, followed by a 5.1 Dolby Digital lossy encode at 640kbps, and lastly a LPCM stereo track at a 24/48 kHz bit and sample rate. All the tracks sound really good, but I chose the TrueHD track for its terrific spatial envelopment, and coherent 360 degree sound stage. Vocals are well recorded, with both solo and harmony work that is always clear and well balanced. There are a lot of instruments used in this recording, but they never sound crowded or congested. Bass is ample without being bloated or out of control. All the electric samples from the digital keyboards sound as they should, with no distortion or odd harmonics added. The front sound stage is deep and wide, and folds back coherently into the surrounds. Crowd noises emanate from the surrounds in a very realistic fashion, and occasional they are used within the production for atmospheric effects. Each guitar Gilmour uses has a different sound to it that is easily discernable, and both Manzanera and Gilmour guitar work is easily distinguishable from each other. The center channel while low in level, ties the left and right channels together creating a complete sonic picture of the band.

But Gilmour transcended everything that his bandmates had conspired to reawaken, with a set that opened with a lush and lengthy slab of Dark Side of the Moon and then meandered through his own solo work (On an Island naturally dominates the set list) before flickering back to Floyd again. A heartfelt "Shine on You Crazy Diamond," a heartbreaking "Wish You Were Here," a surprising "Fat Old Son," and a stately "Echoes" reminded us that Roger Waters may have been the band's wordsmith, but Gilmour and keyboard player Rick Wright (who is also present here) were always the musical linchpins. Guest appearances from David Crosby and Graham Nash, Robert Wyatt, and David Bowie are exciting but ultimately unnecessary -- the Thin White Duke turns in a grand "Arnold Layne" and a smart "Comfortably Numb," but it is Gilmour's show, and no star can outshine him. Move on to disc two and the magic continues with a clutch of less-expected showstoppers, ranging from "Astronomy Domine" and "Wots...Uh the Deal" to the solo Syd Barrett's "Dark Globe"; a couple of watch-'em-once documentaries and a few other odds and ends round up the package. But it's the first disc's concert that you will return to again and again, and the sudden realization that, with Gilmour in this sort of form, we don't need no Floyd reunion.... ~ Dave Thompson, Rovi

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