PINK FLOYD REVISITED

I like this DVD. It could be even better if things get like the record company initially planned. The announcement told: "On August 26th Mostly Autumn will be performing a unique set of classic Pink Floyd material arranged and performed by Mostly Autumn. It takes place right in the courtyard of Warwick Castle, the finest medieval castle in England. The performance will include a full "V"-style light and laser show!! This is not a concert. It's a private performance which is being filmed before an invited audience. No tickets will be on sale to the public. The only way to receive an invitation is to subscribe for the MOSTLY FLOYD DVD."

But due to some unforeseen circumstances the concert took place in another venue and (what a pity) without laser show. I can say, to Classic Rock Productions credit, the label brought apologizes to each subscriber, and everyone, who pre-ordered the MOSTLY FLOYD DVD, received 2 DVD set instead of single DVD.

Bryan Josh often said that FLOYD music is one of his biggest musical influences. So it is absolutely natural for MOSTLY AUTUMN to play some of PF material. All songs are performed as close to originals as possible, but it is MOSTLY AUTUMN own sound. Bryan's voice and guitar playing style fit to FLOYD songs perfectly. Female backing vocals add some new colors to the songs. It was a surprise for MA fans, Liam Davison "came out of the shadow" and played a lot of guitar solos. And the main thing, the band saved the songs' atmosphere (I think it is the most complicated task for any band making FLOYD covers). Anyway this disc is much better than any of FLOYD tribute albums I've heard.

The show starts with "Pigs On The Wing", the last song is "Pigs On The Wing (Part 2)" (it is not mentioned on the cover). It gives the feel of completeness to the whole programme.

There are no weak tracks at all, but highlights of the concert, in my opinion, are:

- "Echoes" - probably the best moment of the show, with excellent guitar work from Bryan Josh and Liam Davison, keyboards and drums are also very good. Breathtaking performance, only PINK FLOYD themselves made it better!

- "Julia Dream" - Heather's lead vocals, Angela plays whistles. Unusual but nice interpretation.

- "Comfortably Numb" and "Run Like Hell" - lead vocals are shared beautifully between Brian, Heather and Liam. Again great guitar work from Bryan and Liam.

I think this disc can be interesting for PINK FLOYD fans and a is must for fans of MOSTLY AUTUMN.

Disc 2 (free bonus disc) contains MOSTLY AUTUMN songs and a GENESIS cover "Afterglow". It was a good idea to complement FLOYD set with MA own material. Thus people who buy "one more tribute album" can see that MOSTLY AUTUMN is not a one more cover band, but a great band with unique sound. We see here everything what was expected in PF set: screen projections, light and laser show; plus guest musicians, Troy Donockley (pipes, mandolin, guitar) and The Regent String Quartet. The sound is rich, as usual, and visual show gives another dimension to the music. Tracks 1 - 8 and 12 are from the "Passengers" album . In this conceptual album MOSTLY AUTUMN share with us their thoughts of life, death and rebirth.

"Evergreen", "Heroes Never Die", "Never The Rainbow" and "Mother Nature" are truly some of the band's best songs. You can also find in extra features (besides a couple of promo videos) another bands masterpiece, "The Night Sky" - the song which is actually older than the band itself. Old MA fans surely know this story, but for others these memories from 2001 Brian Josh interview might be interesting: "In fact "The Night Sky" ... was done in my head really. I was in the Lake District 10 years ago and I was marvelling at the mountains, the snow and the stars and the whole thing just happened." He also recalled that he imagined each sound of this song, he only didn't have the band to perform it (it was 1991).

All MOSTLY AUTUMN trademarks are here: emotional singing, sometimes gentle, sometimes rocking, wonderful guitar and keyboard solos, good musicianship from all band members and guest musicians. If we remember the history of great rock bands, most of them had a charismatic frontman, which is so important for any band's success. MOSTLY AUTUMN have at least two charismatic persons, Brian Josh and Heather Findlay.

In my opinion artistic level of MOSTLY AUTUMN is close to GENESIS, PINK FLOYD and other great bands. Therefore it is always interesting to listen how the band makes covers. I like MOSTLY AUTUMN interpretation of GENESIS "Afterglow", because of female vocals it sounds even warmer than the original.

Sound quality is good on both discs (stereo, DD 5.1 and DTS options are available). Unfortunately some mistiming between sound and video takes place on disc 1.