P.U.L.S.E.
Pink Floyd
(Sony C2K 67065)

Anyone who decides to shell out for the lavish limited-edition first run of this otherwise superfluous live set will immediately understand the split rating above.

Quite simply, the packaging that accompanies Pulse is breathtaking: a thick slipcover adorned with a celestial painting and a flashing red light on the spine that blinks on and off precisely 72 times a minute (much like the average human pulse) and will continue to do so for the next nine months, and housing a sumptuous 44-page hardcover book stuffed with spectacular concert photos.

Oh yeah, and two CDs worth of music.

The contents of the latter are considerably less impressive than the wrapping they come in. Recorded on Pink Floyd's 1994 European tour, Pulse features no fewer than 10 songs that also appeared on the band's last double live set, Delicate Sound Of Thunder, separated from this one by exactly one studio album.

If the blinking red light isn't worth 30 or 35 bucks to you, the other big draw is a complete performance of the classic Dark Side Of The Moon, which is inferior enough to send you scurrying back to the original for verification of its enduring power.

Like the rest of Pulse, it works only as a beautiful souvenir for people who experienced the event first-hand. For everyone else, it merely magnifies the distinction between collecting music and collecting CDs.

Track Listing

1. Shine On You Crazy Diamond (London, 20th October 1994)
2. Astronomy Domine (London, 15th October 1994)
3. What Do You Want From Me (Rome, 21st September 1994)
4. Learning To Fly (London, 14th October 1994)
5. Keep Talking (Hannover, 17th August 1994)
6. Coming Back To Life (London, 13th October 1994)
7. Hey You (London, 13th & 15th (last verse) October 1994)
8. A Great Day For Freedom (London, 19th October 1994)
9. Sorrow (Rome, 20th September 1994)
10. High Hopes (London, 20th October 1994)
11. Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2) (London, 21st October 1994)
12. Speak To Me (London, 20th October 1994)
13. Breathe (London, 20th October 1994)
14. On The Run (London, 20th October 1994)
15. Time (Rome, 20th September 1994; Modena, 17th September (intro); London, 15th October (explosition))
16. Breathe (Reprise) (Rome, 20th September 1994; London, 20th October (last edit))
17. The Great Gig In The Sky (London, 20th October 1994)
18. Money (Modena, 17th September 1994)
19. Us And Them (London, 20th & 19th (choruses 2 and 3) October 1994)
20. Any Colour You Like (London, 23rd; 19th October 1994 (ending))
21. Brain Damage (London, 19th October 1994)
22. Eclipse (London, 19th October 1994)
23. Wish You Were Here (Rome, 20th September 1994)
24. Comfortably Numb (London, 20th October 1994)
25. Run Like Hell (London, 15th October 1994)