AT HAMMERSMITH ODEON

I borrowed this DVD from library. I'm actually reliefed I didn't run to it on a second-hand shop and buy it, because honestly this is so weak as a concert film I even pressed the skip button a few times, and feel no wish to view this ever again, since there are much better Gilmour DVD's available -- also on my own shelf. What makes me wonder the most is the fact that the original VHS release from 1984 contains some (seemingly pretty worthy) extras that are lacking here. Why? Usually the DVD re-releases are fuller in contents compared to the VHS, not the other way round! I believe I'd follow the VHS reviewers' concensus and rate it with three stars, but this 62-minute concert film alone does not deserve more than two stars.

In 1984 Gilmour released his second solo album About Face which I concider terribly lacklustre in its straight, progless pop-rock. Naturally this Hammersmith gig from 30th April 1984 concentrates heavily on the then-new album. But that's not the only reason for the overall weakness. The visual quality is rather poor and the camera work uninspired. Obviously the filming equipment wasn't of very high quality. The cheap nature of this DVD is evident the very minute you start viewing it. The irritating and criminally too long publisher's insert (Crime Crow; the cartoon figure snapping its fingers to blues music) is directly followed, in a clumsy VHS manner, by the beginning of the first track of the live set, 'Until We Sleep'. Both that song and the next one, 'All Lovers Are Deranged', totally failed to interest me much. Two songs from the debut David Gilmour (1978) improve things a bit. It's nice to see Roy Harper joining David on their collaboratively written 'Short and Sweet', even though the song itself is pretty boring. The audio quality is OK and the musicians do their jobs just fine, but as I said, don't expect any prog finesse. The sax and keys are very much of the time. Even the lead instrument, Gilmour's guitar, is not as impressive as on later DVD's.

'Run Like Hell' understandably receives enthusiastic applause from the audience; The Wall had only a little earlier been a mega success for Pink Floyd. The song certainly brings some needed spark here. Three more songs from About Face, and the main body of the set is over. The encore 'Comfortably Numb' is musically the ultimate highlight, and Nick Mason enters behind the drum kit.

I can't seriously recommend this DVD to anyone except for a completionist and a diehard Gilmour fan who greatly enjoys even his weakest solo output. What's best here, ie. the two concert favourites from The Wall, are present on most other Floyd/Gilmour DVD's. As for the About Face stuff, well, you either have the studio album or you don't care of it enough to own it, and in both cases this live set is not that necessary to get.