Poll: How do you rate Pink Floyd's "Pulse" album?

Discussion in 'Music Corner' started by Johnny Reb, May 24, 2017.

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  1. Johnny Reb

    Johnny Reb Résident du forum Thread Starter

    Location:
    MA
    "This thing they call soul, is there with a Pulse, it's louder than words..." It's time for this poll!

    As usual, the rules: this poll is designed for people familiar with the album in question and with at least some familiarity with some of their other catalog (for comparison purposes). If the poll doesn't interest you, please kindly move on to a thread that does. Please simply consider how YOU would rate the album in question, in comparison with the rest of the Floyd's discography! And as always, a shout-out to member mrjinks for creating all the groundwork for this series.

    Note: this is the first of three live albums in our series of polls. Please use the same criteria for rating these as the studio albums.

    So, how do YOU rate this album?

    Album history: "Pulse (stylised as p·u·l·s·e) is a live double album by the English progressive rock band Pink Floyd. It was originally released on 29 May 1995, on the label EMI in the United Kingdom and on 6 June 1995 by Columbia in the United States.[3]

    The album was recorded during the band's Division Bell Tour in 1994, specifically the UK and European leg, which ran from July to October 1994."


    Tracklist:
    1-1 Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts I-V, VII) 13:35
    1-2 Astronomy Domine 4:20
    1-3 What Do You Want From Me? 4:10
    1-4 Learning To Fly 5:16
    1-5 Keep Talking 6:52
    1-6 Coming Back To Life 6:56
    1-7 Hey You 4:40
    1-8 A Great Day For Freedom 4:30
    1-9 Sorrow 10:49
    1-10 High Hopes 7:52
    1-11 Another Brick In The Wall (Part II) 7:08

    2-1 Speak To Me 2:30
    2-2 Breathe (In The Air) 2:33
    2-3 On The Run 3:48
    2-4 Time 6:47
    2-5 The Great Gig In The Sky 5:52
    2-6 Money 8:54
    2-7 Us And Them 6:58
    2-8 Any Colour You Like 3:21
    2-9 Brain Damage 3:46
    2-10 Eclipse 2:38
    2-11 Wish You Were Here 6:35
    2-12 Comfortably Numb 9:29
    2-13 Run Like Hell 8:36

    (Tracks 2-1 through 2-10 comprise the entirety of The Dark Side of the Moon, performed live.)

    [​IMG]


    Previous polls:
    The Piper at the Gates of Dawn. Currently 462 people have voted, with an average of 4.26.
    Ummagumma. Currently 305 people have voted, with an average of 3.07.
    The Wall. Currently 743 people have voted, with an average of 3.98.
     
  2. PretzelLogic

    PretzelLogic Feeling duped by MoFi? You probably deserve it.

    Location:
    London, England
    In 1995-97, I listened to it endlessly, and bought it on vinyl. Replaced the batteries in the CD so the light blinked for about a decade.

    Can't say I've given it much attention recently, but consider it the second-best Floyd live album after Is There Anybody Out There.

    Packaging-wise, and design-wise, it's a gem.

    I only found out about the 22 minute bonus track on the cassette about five years ago. Now *that* needs a wider release.

    Sidenote: the version of 'One Of These Days' on the LP and cassette is a different one than the live B-side of 'High Hopes'.
     
    NunoBento, LarsO, kendo and 4 others like this.
  3. sparkmeister

    sparkmeister Forum Resident

    Location:
    Abergavenny UK
    I can't vote for this because I've never heard it. In fact it's the only PF album I don't own, which perhaps says something in itself.

    I went to see them in Earl's Court on that tour and I recorded the televised concert around that time, so would know what to expect. I just don't think I'd play it if I bought it. Give me Pompeii instead any day of the week.
     
  4. Sean

    Sean Senior Member

    Location:
    Ottawa
    I have a cd copy with the flashing light. I thought it was a solid effort and a good listen. I still listen to it once in a while.
     
    Xabby likes this.
  5. The Hud

    The Hud Breath of the Kingdom, Tears of the Wild

    I didn't buy Pulse when it came out because I wasn't much of a Pink Floyd fan at the time, but now I am a fan, and wish I had the version with the blinking light.
     
  6. BadJack

    BadJack doorman who always high-fives children of divorce

    Location:
    Boston, MA
    It's listenable and a nice souvenir of the only Pink Floyd tour I ever got to see, but I never put it on and usually forget it exists, honestly.

    The live version of "Astronomy Domine" on the "Take It Back" single is better, in my opinion. In fact, I didn't even have a ticket to the show until I heard they were doing that song.
     
  7. PJayBe

    PJayBe Forum Resident

    Great live album, prefer the DVD, further prefer the "Total Pulse" 3 disc set I picked up online with all the songs in a sort of concert order.
     
    andrewskyDE likes this.
  8. Sytze

    Sytze Senior Member

    To each his own I guess. It's 22 minutes of vague ambient noises, no more, no less.
     
  9. PretzelLogic

    PretzelLogic Feeling duped by MoFi? You probably deserve it.

    Location:
    London, England
    It has its charms, in an Orb-lite* way. Stacked up against what Queen tried to do in a similar vein around this time, though, it's a masterpiece.

    *not being political, I meant musically speaking…
     
    Hattipper likes this.
  10. Sytze

    Sytze Senior Member

    I was disappointed 'One Of These Days' was not on the cd version, only on the vinyl box.
     
    Billy Infinity likes this.
  11. serendipitydawg

    serendipitydawg Dag nabbit!

    Location:
    Berkshire UK
    I voted :
    Not bad - some good/great moments, but overall so-so.

    I invariably construct a playlist consisting only of the "old" mat
    erial before listening to this, which makes it much easier to digest
     
    Bernard hansen likes this.
  12. Rfreeman

    Rfreeman Senior Member

    Location:
    Lawrenceville, NJ
    I enjoy the DVD a fair amount but really the only benefit the album has for me over studio cuts as an aural experience are:

    1. Being able to hear Gilmour sing songs that Waters used to vocalize on

    2. I prefer the live versions of Run Like Hell and Astronomy Domine

    3. The live versions of tunes off Momentary Lapse are improvements
     
    andrewskyDE likes this.
  13. SurrealCereal

    SurrealCereal Forum Resident

    Location:
    California
    I never listen to it. It's one of those live albums that I would have loved to have seen in concert, but have no real desire to listen to as an album. That being said, I don't think it's bad or difficult to listen to, or just doesn't really interest me. Maybe I'll get into it eventually.
     
  14. LitHum05

    LitHum05 El Disco es Cultura

    Location:
    Virginia
    The best live Pink Floyd is still the Pompeii concert. This one feels overproduced in comparison. Pink Floyd had more guts and soul in the early years.
     
  15. dennis1077

    dennis1077 Forum Resident

    Haven't heard this in years but I have a very distinct memory of buying Pulse when it first came out. Wish I knew what happened to my original CD.
     
  16. DreadPikathulhu

    DreadPikathulhu Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    I was pretty stoked when PULSE was announced. This was back in the heyday of bootlegs and the radio broadcast of the 1994 Earl's Court show had been heavily booted and I played the KTS version of that to death.

    [​IMG]

    PULSE was something of a letdown as I found I preferred the rawer sound of the unedited Earl's Court show even though it didn't contain the complete DSOTM. That didn't prevent me from playing it regularly. I still think it's one of the best live albums and perfectly captures Gilmour-era Floyd.
     
    Last edited: May 24, 2017
    andrewskyDE and rockclassics like this.
  17. DreadPikathulhu

    DreadPikathulhu Senior Member

    Location:
    Seattle
    I eventually tracked down the cassette version for the 20 minutes soundscape on side 4 and it's the one remaining cassette from my collection.

    I've also got the even more obscure MiniDisc version, but that doesn't have the soundscape from the cassette. Neither has the blinking light on the spine.
     
    andrewskyDE likes this.
  18. mbrownp1

    mbrownp1 Forum Resident

    Loved it then, love it now...still in heavy rotation on my rig.
     
    andrewskyDE and Kristofa like this.
  19. PJayBe

    PJayBe Forum Resident

    Kicks off the "Total Pulse" set I mentioned above.............
     
  20. Johnny Reb

    Johnny Reb Résident du forum Thread Starter

    Location:
    MA
    I voted the top option ("Clearly one of their best works"). It's actually one of my top live albums of all time. To start, the artwork is beautiful, and the lavish packaging is definitely a big plus (although mine doesn't have the LED). The more complete set helps top The Delicate Sound Of Thunder as well. The mixing is perfect and crystal clear - one of the albums where if you close your eyes, you feel you're right there in the room. Blistering performances all throughout as well. A great listen.

    Oh, I'd never heard of the bonus track on the cassette. What an odd thing! I need to track down a copy for that and One Of These Days...
     
    The Revealer likes this.
  21. andrewskyDE

    andrewskyDE Island Owner

    Location:
    Europe
    The album is perfect! A great companion to the studio LP The Devision Bell.
    When I'm into live albums, p.u.l.s.e is one of the highest candidates in my playlist.
     
    RPOZ51, willy and ponkine like this.
  22. Electric Sydney

    Electric Sydney Forum Resident

    Location:
    Scarsdale, NY
    I remember when it came out, you couldn't miss it because of the flashing light on each one. I never bought any Floyd after The Final Cut, so I would have to rate it "Blinky".
     
    andrewskyDE likes this.
  23. andrewskyDE

    andrewskyDE Island Owner

    Location:
    Europe
    Here's the cassette-only bonus soundscape.

     
    The Revealer, Rocat and mastaflatch like this.
  24. Kristofa

    Kristofa Enthusiast of small convenient sound carrier units

    Location:
    usa
    I periodically change out its batteries to keep the light going and to look for any corrosion, but that is the only reason I have pulled the book out from its case in the past decade.

    When I go live Floyd, I reach for Live At Pompeii or Ummagumma... in that order (I don't own the new box sets yet). Do Nick's Boogie and Interstellar Overdrive count? I don't know if those were one-take cuts. If so, I place that before Ummagumma.
     
    tedhead, ARK and andrewskyDE like this.
  25. duggan

    duggan Senior Member

    Location:
    sydney
    Brilliant comment
     
    keyXVII, JD Aldie, ARK and 1 other person like this.
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