IS THERE ANYBODY OUT THERE?

If you buy only one Live FLOYD album, buy this one and forget all the rest ("Ummagumma", "Delicate Sound Of Thunder", or "P-U-L-S-E"). Better than anything else officially released by the band, this collection of songs taken variously from the 1980-1981 Wall tour is a snapshot of the FLOYD at their musical apex, right before they self-destructed.

"Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall Live 1980-81" is not just simply "The Wall" music live, but a testament to what it was like to be at the travelling "The Wall" stage show. Besides being a huge musical phenomenon (Top 5 selling record of all time!), "The Wall" as a movie, and as a travelling stage show/tour was just as important to its creator, ROGER WATERS. His idea of building a wall between the band and the audience was the whole basis for writing all these angst-filled tunes in the first place. To see it performed live must have been something. Ironically, WATERS' first vision for the stage show involved a simulated 'bombing' of the audience (hence the plane screaming across the stage). But unfortunately for Roger, and fortunately for New Yorkers, Angelinos and Londoners, killing paying audience members was, and still is, frowned upon.

The live music itself is generally better than its original studio versions. On that, most reviewers agree. Although 'Young Lust' falls horribly short of its already poor studio version, the haunting guitar on FLOYD staples like 'Goodbye Blue Sky', 'Mother', 'Is There Anybody Out There?', 'Hey You', the remarkable a cappella 'Outside the Wall', 'The Show Must Go On' and especially 'Comfortably Numb' sounds incredibly fresh, raw and if you love the original Wall, you will be floored by what these songs sound like Live! I'm as tired of hearing 'Comfortably Numb' as the next guy, but GILMOUR's vocal and solo performance here are arguably his best.

There are a number of 'extra' tracks on "ITAOT?", although they are really not 'extra' at all. They are integral parts of the Live stage show, that were never intended to be on the studio album. There is an MC who baits the crowd in the two sections prior to 'In The Flesh', as well as two other instrumental pieces of music ('The Last Few Bricks' and 'What Shall We Do Now?'). These two songs were necessarily added in order to give the roadies more time to build the actual wall in front of the audience before the first half of the show ended.

A masterpiece of live music. Highly recommended.