A Viewpoint

    For a longtime fan of the legendary Pink Floyd, I've always felt that like a lot of other iconic Rock bands, many of their songs sounded even better in Live situations than in the studio especially given David Gilmour's skyscraper Guitar solos which really came to life during live improvisations. And as Gilmour's uniquely melodic and evocative playing comprises a large part of the sonic atmosphere of all Pink Floyd classics--from the poignant Shine on you crazy Diamond to the ethereal Comfortably Numb, it had always seemed to me that the band's catalogue really needed a few live albums that could capture the very best renditions of those classics.   Sure P.U.L.S.E is a great Live Album containing some of the best versions of several of the band's most beloved songs, and Gilmour's extended Guitar solos really take the already great studio versions to whole new heights of musical richness. But even with all the pristine live recordings, there were several reas...

Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb is undoubtedly one of the greatest pieces of music ever composed on the electric guitar. And if you’ve heard the studio version, it’s literally impossible to not get blown away by the myriads of live versions of the solo that David Gilmour has played through the years (or decades). And the great thing about the live renditions is that each of them brings a distinctly characteristic feel to the solo--making all of them memorable and unique by their own, it’s almost like entirely different takes on the original studio version. For example, the Delicate Sound of Thunder (DSOT) version has an overall darker and tormented feel, and there are parts of the solo where it’s unlike anything ever heard from Gilmour. This version is also the most ‘badass’ and raw version of the Comfortably Numb solo, which was how Gilmour played it during the Momentary Lapse tour in the late 80’s. And until Live in Gdansk came out, this was my favorite version of the solo....