Poignant recording of Floyd and solo Gilmour
‘Live in Gdańsk’ has already turned into a somewhat poignant album. Not only is it a remarkable recording of an artist at the peak of his creative abilities, but there’s a melancholy air surrounding the whole performance. With ‘On An Island’ and its tour, Gilmour successfully put to bed any rumours of a Pink Floyd reunion. Although listening to this recording you’d be forgiven for thinking that the post-Roger Waters era Pink Floyd had been revived already (both Jon Carin and Guy Pratt are in attendance from the Earls Court line-up). No doubt you’ve asked yourself “Why Gdańsk shipyard?” too, although a quick glance inside the cover would reveal the lyrics to ‘A Great Day For Freedom’. The concert played during the celebration of the 1980 treaty, and somehow the thoughtful Floyd lyrics capture the mood perfectly.
And through it all weave the understated yet powerful keyboards and vocals of the sadly missed Rick Wright, and it’s a gentle reminder that this concert has turned into his epitaph, his last recorded work.
Somehow the whole of Gdańsk shipyard simultaneously takes on both the proportions of an arena, and a more intimate venue, depending on the songs. It opens with four massive crowd pleasers from The Dark Side of the Moon, and the speakers swell with swirling voice-overs and guitars. It’s so vibrant that you barely notice the absence of the usual backing singers. The orchestral touches are organised just right, neither encroaching too far on original Floyd material, but adding the final flourish to Gilmour’s lush solo work. ‘On An Island’ is played in its entirety, almost in order, and the dreamy melodies are at once intimate, spellbinding, and yet gloriously intricate and explosive. The only oddity would be ‘Smile’, which is one of the best tracks on the album, but too acoustic for the surroundings here, especially when the storming ‘Take A Breath’ comes right after it.
There’s a good showing of other Floyd classics too, with ‘Shine On…’ and ‘Astronomy Domine’, apparent favourites of Gilmour and Waters over the past few years since Syd Barrett’s passing, with Gilmour even changing to Barrett’s favoured telecaster from his own strat for the latter. Admittedly, the impromptu randomness has been rehearsed out of ‘Astronomy…’ fitting in more with Gilmour’s carefully measured approach to music. ‘Fat Old Sun’ and the epic ‘Echoes’ provide the surprise hits. ‘Sun’ evokes far more the stripped-back feel of this concert, without the usual kitchen-sink approach of Floyd tours, while ‘Echoes’ is the perfect embodiment of the harmony of the Wright-Gilmour musical relationship, literally and metaphorically. It’s all about pure emotion, a feeling of blissful harmony through the music. More low-key than you’d imagine such a large concert, but without losing any of the power and vitality, not only of the songs, but also of the musicians playing them, this is a must for any Gilmour, Wright, and Floyd fan.