David Gilmour: Live in Gdansk (2CD & 2DVD)

Introduction

Following up from his excellent "On An Island" album and subsequent DVD release "Remember That Night", David Gilmour's "Live in Gdansk" may originally have been thought to have been a step into overkill, even for fans of the Pink Floyd frontman.

Any thought in that direction, however, was swept aside by the death of keyboard player Richard Wright in September 2008 - unlike Gilmour, Wright was actually an original member of Pink Floyd. This 2-disc CD release (with bonus double-DVD, in this one-of-many versions of the release) thus acts as a tribute, in being the last recording of Wright's self-taught playing.

"Live in Gdansk" was recorded in Gdansk, Poland, on 26th August 2006, the final night of the "On An Island" tour.

Compact Disc

The double-album itself kicks off with four tracks from the most famous of all Pink Floyd albums, "Dark Side of The Moon", with the beautiful guitar harmonics on "Time" particularly spectacular as they lead into that familiar, crunching riff.

From there, the heavenly sound of the instrumental "Castellorizon", featuring some gorgeous guitar work from Gilmour, opens up the first of ten consecutive tracks from the "On An Island" album, on the remainder of Disc One.

The guitar almost sings on "The Blue", before being followed up by a beautiful saxophone intro on "Red Sky At Night". The very different, banjo-led "Then I Close My Eyes" conjures up thoughts of a free-form Rory Gallagher concert, while "Smile" shows off how well-accented, slow guitar playing can mean so much more than a bevy of notes thrown from all directions. The same can also be said for the piano melody of "A Pocketful of Stones".

Disc Two contains nothing but Pink Floyd classics, opening with the epic "Shine On You Crazy Diamond", before moving seamlessly into the still-progressive "Astronomy Domine". The monstrous "Echoes" plays out in its full 25-minute pomp, and "Wish You Were Here" sees the late Richard Wright's melodic keys take the lead in the track's outro.

Last but not least is the magnificent "Comfortably Numb", complete with extended guitar solo ending, which really brings together the power of the entire band here, even if it is hard to ignore Gilmour pulling out all the stops across the fretboard. It's a track that has finished so many Gilmour shows, but one that is consistently worthy of that status.

DVD

Important note: Before examining the DVD extras in this package, it should be noted that the four-disc (two CD, two DVD) copy that arrived at Reviewer Towers stated that the DVD extras were "not the final version". MyReviewer.com policy is to review only what we are sent, which in terms of extras was a 15-track DVD concert on Disc Three, and a 37-minute documentary on Disc Four.

As you might expect, the two-hour DVD concert (PAL) bears much resemblance to the "Remember That Night" release, although perhaps in an even more dramatic venue than the Royal Albert Hall, especially in consideration of the 50,000 fans in attendance (which translates to about 9% of Gdansk's entire population).

The production values of the concert are quite spectacular also, with six big screens above the stage, allowing viewers to see each member of the band playing "alongside" one another. The DVD production is very good too, with few quick cuts, allowing a little bit of focus on each band member, as well as the orchestra. The video transfer to DVD is virtually flawless, and the Dolby Digital 2.0 track is very nicely balanced indeed.

The "Gdansk Diary" documentary is an interesting look into Gilmour's reasons for wanting to play this venue in particular, as well as into the production of the show. There's quite a lot of transplanted footage from the DVD concert here too, which fits in well, although some may find it a little repetitive, having watched the full version on the previous disc. As usual, it's the interview footage with Gilmour that is the most interesting part of the featurette, as he speaks about, amongst other things, how musical inspiration comes to him.

Overall

Overall, despite its resemblance to the "Remember That Night" DVD release, there are few David Gilmour fans that are going to want to be without what is another spectacular concert from the Pink Floyd guitarist. Melodic, creative, and well-crafted, the tracks from the "On An Island" have never sounded better, and the Pink Floyd classics, despite Roger Waters being nowhere to be found, aren't far off that distinction, either.

With CD audio and DVD video available as a choice here, you also can't argue with how encompassing this release. Whether you prefer the CD for your car, for example, or the DVD for your home cinema, you simply can't go wrong on this one.

As noted, the album is the last known recording of keyboard player Richard Wright, who passed away in September 2008, following a short battle with cancer. "Live In Gdansk" is most assuredly a fitting epitaph.