A TRIBUTE TO PINK FLOYD

On the rare occasion I fall to the temptation to purchase a tribute album, I hope for original interpretations of the classics beings covered. I hope for the covering band to interject their own unique styles into the music and come up with something fresh. I hope for something interesting. Largely, I got none of these things with this album. With a few noteworthy exceptions, these renditions range from passable to downright horrific.

"Money" The first track on the tribute album gets right down to business, omitting the opening cash register sounds. This is a soulless interpretation of the original; Tommy Shaw doesn't sound right singing it at all. The guitar and saxophone playing are certainly competent in every respect, but this sounds like a decent cover band in a smoky bar, nothing more.

"Run Like Hell" The spawn of Frank Zappa gives his interpretation of this song off The Wall. Like the one before, this interpretation is very faithful to the original, with even Scheff's voice panning from one speaker to the other during the verses. The instrumental section is somewhat chaotic, with Zappa nodding at several of Gilmour's leads from The Wall.

"Young Lust" From decent cover band to drunken karaoke singer, that's what's going on here. The music is competent at least (Eliot Easton sounds fantastic), but the singing is absolutely horrid and all over the place, even off-key at times. The vocalist even throws in a few "Michael Jackson" yowls for good measure. After listening to this, one might be tempted to take the previous track's advice.

"Welcome to the Machine" Here we have yet another rendition that lacks the soul of the original and does nothing new. As on the previous track, the vocals are simply awful, grating at times. The singer even sees fit to toss in a few high-pitched screams here and there. The guitar player makes an attempt to be virtuosic, but it just looks like cheap showing off that doesn't regard the context of the song.

"Another Brick in the Wall" And it gets worse. There is no "part" number, because this version blends parts two and three. I don't understand how anyone would want to hear Fee Waybill and his pitchy, strident voice. Sherwood's soloing is sometimes all right, sometimes noisy, and usually sloppy.

"Any Colour You Like" The keyboard work isn't quite as good as the original, but it's at least enjoyable and has its own flavor. Tony Franklin, who popularized the fretless bass in rock music, plays tightly and sometimes over the rest of the music. Aynsley Dunbar, who is normally quite good, sounds a bit shoddy at times. As with many cover versions, the given piece just becomes background music for the soloists to have their way with, which is exactly what Sherwood does during his solo.

"Have a Cigar" Toto's lead singer Bobby Kimball takes to the microphone on this one, and he doesn't do a half bad job. Still, the whole song is uninspired and lacks the rawness that makes the original so good. The guitar playing is down and dirty, but again suffers from treating the piece as the backdrop for extended soloing.

"Comfortably Numb" I bought this collection because of this track; I had noticed Billy Sherwood, Chris Squire, and Alan White were playing it, and so I felt like it was something I had to hear. In all honesty, this is one track that makes the album worth having. I love how Sherwood sings the verse and Squire sings the chorus, and the manner in which the line "this is not how I am" bleeds into the refrain is a great vocal arrangement. The mandolin interlude is especially cool, and Sherwood's guitar playing doesn't choke the rest of the music.

"Shine On You Crazy Diamond" After three minutes of Steve Lukather soloing, he sings. The singing here may be edgier, but not as moving as the original.

"Breathe (In the Air)" The vocals are clean and competent, but nothing unique. The bass guitar and drummer work together well. But what stands out most is how the steel guitar affords this Dark Side of the Moon classic a real country feel.