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Lets take a look at the two disks separately.

The first is a Live EP, showing the remarkable talent these guys have as musicians. Despite the long, jam- like lengths and structures of the songs, the songs are constructed in such a way, where they can actually be considered individual compositions of their own, as opposed to random improvisation. Each of the songs 'goes somewhere.' Of particular note is the epic finale to 'A Saucerful Of Secrets' which manages to perfectly translate the drama and emotion of the original into a live setting. For a live recording (especially at the time) the sound quality is amazing.

On the other hand, we have the Studio disc. Each band member wrote their own 'epic' composition for this album. Unfortunately, with the exception of the Gilmour tracks, the songs are boring, and at times downright ear-hurting. From the scratchy sounds of 'Sysyphus Part III' to the inane, pointless (albeit whimsical) drone of '...Grooving With A Pict' to the monotonous rhythmic pulse of 'Grand Vizier's Garden,' there just isn't enough here to keep interest. The Gilmour songs, along with 'Grandchester Meadows' are decent, but are by no means anything incredibly fantastic.

Of these two CDs, I would give the excellent Live recording a 4, and the boring studio session a 2. Average it out, and you get 3. Simple enough?

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