| J-Card Comment | But first, a review of this amazing Harvested release.
This is the complete show from Los Angeles, Hollywood Bowl,
recorded on September 22, 1972.
Since the source is "as close to the master as you can get"
(as Harvested said in the announcement), I knew it would
sound better than the previously available RoIOs from this
show ("Crackers", "Staying Home To Watch The Rain", "Scratch
The Silence"...). But I was curious to hear how much the sound
quality has been improved, so I put "Scratch The Silence"
(which I believe is a clone of Great Dane's "Staying Home To
Watch The Rain") on my CD player and compared it with "Bowl
De Luna". Wow! The sound is crystal clear on "Bowl De Luna",
almost no hiss, and good bass rendition! "Bowl De Luna" is
*the* definitive edition of this superb audience recording!
The performance is very hot. The DSOTM set is different from
the previous versions they had played in early 1972, but
it's also different from the final version which would appear
on the album some months later. "The Great Gig In The Sky" is
no more the "Mortality Sequence" from the first gigs, the
piano parts are almost the final version. Only the central
part is different: no Clare Torry vocals, but a very strange
chromatic progression by Roger, during the organ chords by
Rick. I love this version! Of course, the album version is
one of the most beautiful moments in Floyd music, but I was
always disappointed by the live performances of these vocal
parts. Maybe it would have been better if the Floyd had
continued to play this alternative bass & organ version, even
after the album release, instead of trying to reproduce the
magical Clare Torry singing from the album.
"Money" is a very fast and furious version, and David Gilmour
doesn't remember much of the lyrics, so he repeats "I'm
alright Jack keep your hands out of my stack" 3 or 4 times
during the song! "Us & Them" has very interesting keyboard
parts, later replaced with sax solo.
The 2nd set is a strong performance of all pre-DSOTM Floyd
classics. In fact, the songs are the same as the songs
that can be found on "Live At Pompeii" movie (which was
recorded almost one year before the Hollywood Bowl show).
The versions on "Bowl De Luna" have more "life" in them,
especially "One Of These Days", a true killer!
Marc-Olivier
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Review : BOWL De LUNA (Harvested 012) - 2 CDs
Live at the Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, September 22, 1972.
Disc 1 :
The Dark Side Of The Moon :
In a nutshell, an awesome performance (far better than the post '73
performances of Dark Side which were often tired and sloppy). The band is in
great form, that's an obvious fact when you have the chance to hear this
show :-) :
"Breathe" is great, the "Travel Sequence" is great too, a nice
improvisation, energetic, driving jam (the same kind of improvisation than
on "The Best Of Tour '72" Rainbow Theatre, London, 17.2.72, but even so
different). "The Great Gig In The Sky" sans female vocals is a bit strange.
I excepted something like the piano part from the "Violent Sequence" but it
is something rather different.
"Time" and "Money" are particularly brilliant, unlike the dull '74-75
versions of "Money", with Dave really going at it... even if he forgets the
lyrics (he repeats at least three times the same line !).
"Us And Them" is great and moving. The vocals are very good (with the "ahhh
ahhh hhhaaa" harmonies). Nick's drums parts are excellent on this title, as
for the whole show.
Disc 2 :
- ONE OF THESE DAYS really wails ! This is a GREAT version. Roger's bass is
great and its sound is loud, crisp and clear. The drums are crisp and clear
too. Dave's guitar is awesome... sometimes even sounds like an U.F.O engine
which is lifting off :-)
- CAREFUL, WITH THAT AXE EUGENE : The beginning of the song is usual...
until the big scream. Then you can hear an incredible guitar part by Dave :
angular, incisive like a knife (...like an axe ! should I say :). This is
the BEST guitar part of "Careful..." I have ever heard (altough I've already
heard many many versions of this song).
- SET THE CONTROLS FOR THE HEART OF THE SUN : Great version. Reminiscent of
the "Pompei" version with a nice improvisation in the middle of the song
like the "Pompei" version. Roger's vocals are crisp and clear.
- ECHOES : another GREAT version. The vocals harmony are still good, unlike
the post-73 version of "Echoes". Some nice guitar solos in the first part.
- A SAUCERFUL OF SECRETS : another great version. Nick's drum part is good
and its sound is loud (not distant). The "Celestial Voice" part is great,
unfortunately the end - when Dave begins to sing - has too much distorsion
(sounds like it is satured). This is one of the last time that they played
"A Saucerful...".
About THE SOUND QUALITY : since I don't have the Great Dane release "Staying
Home To Watch The Rain", I can not make a comparison. But the sound quality
is very nice : crisp and clear (especially for the vocals, the bass sounds
crisp and clear in most cases, the drums are not too distant). The crow is
very quiet. For an inventory of the "flaws" of the sound quality you can
read "Scott J." <GSJOHN00@UKCC.uky.edu> on 12/05/99 message on
Echoes-digest.
The music (you can notice this particularly with the vocals) sounds a bit
fast though this is not annoying...
But in my opinion, the show is so great that you don't pay attention to
these "flaws" : the sound quality varies between SUP- and EX+ (for the
worst) during the show. I've found that the sound quality of the second disc
was slightly better. If I had to make a comparison in terms of sound quality
with another '72 show, and if BOWL De LUNA is taken as a whole, I would say
that its sound quality is globally (and despite the flaws) as good as the
Swingin'Pig release "The Best Of Tour '72" (but this Dark Side show was not
complete since Us And Them and Time were cut, contrary to BOWL De LUNA).
Excuse me for my *strange* English (I'm French). I hope that you have
understand that this is a GREAT RoIO even so (thanks to the people of
Harvested :-)
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