Well at face value this DVD looks like it has lot of potential. First of all David Gilmour takes on his new Album 'On an Island' and decides to play it live in it's entirety. Next he assembles most of the musicians who played on 'On an Island': Richard Wright, Phil Manzanera, Jon Carlin, Guy Pratt, Steve DiStanislao, and Dick Parry. Then he even rounds up special guests: David Crosby, Graham Nash, David Bowie and Robert Wyatt. This almost sounds too good to be true, even in danger of becoming overblown and stultified when considering the big names involved. Things can go horribly wrong with so many big egos involved in a project like this...... so do they?
Not at all - the individuals involved gather around Gilmour as true team members and seem to get on with the business of professional entertainment! The DVD pack that I purchased consists of two discs. The first is the concert DVD. This disc include an entire performance of the 'On an Island' Album which is excellent. The band look relaxed and as if they are enjoying themselves - and the sound is excellent. In fact the concert recording audio and visual are of the highest quality. What about the content? Well 'On an Island' is a pretty relaxed album that made it to 1 in the UK charts, so if you liked that, what's not to like. Then in addition Gilmour also performs some tracks by his usual band, maybe you have heard of them 'Pink Floyd'? Here a broad period is covered from early Syd Barret PF era recordings such as 'Arnold Layne' (done with Bowie on vocals) to later classics such as 'High Hopes'. Also included are some relative 'obscurities' such as 'Fat Old Sun' and 'Dark Globe' amongst others.
All in all one could not ask for more - this disc is excellent.
So still not sure whether to buy the DVD package or not? Check out disc 2 'Bonus Features'!
This disc includes several other (non Royal Albert Hall) live performances, and several Documentaries. The quality of these live recordings varies, but the must haves on this disc are the documentaries. You get to join the tour and travel around with the band through Europe and a little on the USA west coast. You get to see the environment in which Gilmour works with intriguing looks at his house-boat based recording studio nestled somewhere on the Thames, and you get a view of Gilmour and some of the band Jamming in a barn in the middle of nowhere (I think). In addition, a reasonable amount is revealed here relating to Gilmour as an individual. My interpretation: someone with a sense of humour, but also very firm on who is right or wrong in any situation. Another key factor: never compromise on quality! This comes through in the entire DVD package - content is strong on both discs, the packaging is great and in my view value for money too.
Overall recommendation: Buy it!
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