Description
The best AUD sound source from the final stage of Pink Floyd’s 1994 “THE DIVISION BELL” tour will finally be revived in its ideal form this weekend! If we consider Floyd as a live activity, its de facto end was the tour from March 1993 to October 1994 with the release of the album “Tai”. In terms of popularity and demand, it cannot be denied that the 1970s ones are overwhelmingly more popular, but the 1994 performance was a big topic because it included “The Dark Side of the Moon”, which was completely reproduced for the first time in 19 years since 1975, in the second half of the show, and it was something that fans of 1970s Floyd could enjoy. (窶ｻ This complete reproduction was attempted not for all of the 1994 performances, but only twice in the United States and only six times in various parts of Europe, making it a very rare set). The official live album “p.u.l.s.e” is considered important as a live recording from this period, but while the video version contains the performance at Earl’s Court in London on October 20, 1994, the audio-only album version was a collection of the best parts from multiple performances in 1994 in Europe and the UK, so in a sense the album version was an “edited best live”. Of course, it is still a wonderful live album that has not faded, but since it is not composed purely of the performance of that day, it is also true that there is a slight sense of incongruity. The only unofficial recordings that can be heard are the original performances of that day, but the most representative title is the superb quality “DEFINITIVE TORINO 1994”, which is the only SBD leaked sound source from the “vs” tour and exceeds the official quality. However, it is true that the sound sources that represent 1994 are not only this monumental SBD title, but also many sleeping in AUD recordings, the royal road of live recordings. However, even though the live performances during this period were extremely musically complete and the performances were very mature, fans tended to avoid the recordings from this period, perhaps because of this. However, among them, there are also excellent sound quality albums such as “OPTICAL ASTRONOMY” and “BELL ENDS AT COURT”, which feature some of the best performances that could only be achieved in 1994, so it would be a shame to pass them up without listening to them. On the other hand, when it comes to 1994 titles that include rare sets of a complete reproduction of “The Dark Side of the Moon”, there are not many releases of AUD recordings. So this weekend, a very connected 1994 AUD recording that will make a splash will be released. This is the latest work, which is a complete recording of the performance in Modena, Italy on September 17, 1994, but in fact this recording was also previously released as a two-disc CD titled “DARK MOON ARISE” in 2006. At the time of its release, it was highly praised as an excellent record that vividly conveyed the 1994 Floyd at the very end of their live activities, but the only drawback was that the bass input was a little too loud overall, which resulted in some songs sounding muddy and tiring to listen to after one disc. However, apart from that point, it was an outstandingly excellent AUD recording among the 1994 sound sources, so leaving it as it is would be a huge loss in the history of Floyd sound sources. Therefore, this time, the sound source provider at that time reconsidered the sound quality from the ground up and tackled the various sound quality issues head-on with the latest equipment and software of 2016. I will omit the details as they are a list of technical terms, but roughly speaking, the master volume was lowered by about 40%, the excessive bass was reduced, and the treble was carefully raised. As a result, the sound that was too loud was transformed into a hard and tough appearance, and the balance was tightened, resulting in a dramatic improvement in sound quality in which the original potential of the original sound appeared in its ideal form! The drum and bass sounds, which were already prominent in the previous releases, are now even more balanced, and you will be amazed by the superbly transparent sound image that does not tire your ears even though it is a close-up sound. Another feature of this Modena performance is that “Time” and “Money” performed on this day are included in the official album “p.u.l.s.e”. Only the intro of “Time” was used in “p.u.l.s.e”, but if you listen to the whole song, most people will wonder why only the intro was used (窶ｻ As you know, most of the song you can hear on “p.u.l.s.e” is from the Rome performance on September 20th, and the part where the plane explodes and the ending are from Earl’s Court on October 20th). On the other hand, “Money” is an original performance that was used in “p.u.l.s.e”, and you can enjoy the difference in the perspective of listening to that performance from the audience side with a very high quality sound. The tension created by Dick Barry’s saxophone and Gilmour’s guitar is more vivid than on the official version, and the musical transformation of the final song, which is handed over to “Us And Them”, can be perfectly followed. So what is the vivid sound that the audience can follow? Also, how has the sound changed and improved from the previous release? From here, let’s take a note of the sound quality aspects that concern us. First of all, in “Shine On You…” on Disc 1, the depth and breadth of the synth introduction is more mellow than on the previous release, but the difference is clearly noticeable when the drums come in (from around 4 minutes 02 seconds). The excessive bass that was cracked in the previous release has been transformed into a moderate, fat sound. Gilmour’s voice still appears from a very close position, but this is the ideal sound that should have reached your ears, and you can see that the ease of listening has improved dramatically. The drum approach and bass sound at the beginning of “Learning To Fly” have also changed considerably. The musicality that seeps out from the mid-tempo is now easier to grasp, and you will feel that the listening comfort has improved dramatically. “High Hopes” no longer has the excessive shrillness of the bells that are played throughout, as in the previous release, and the original depiction of the recording, which changes and fluctuates in the large flow of the ensemble, has increased significantly. “Take It Back” has an ideal sound image of the guitar and vocals that resonate in the massive bass, and you can feel its sweetness and flexible mobility at a high level. In addition, the spatiality unique to this song also shows a natural spread, and the attractive sound diffusion unique to AUD recording is felt even more. “Coming Back To Life” is a sound image that will give you a deeper musical ecstasy than ever before. In particular, the midrange has been tightened, so Gilmour’s voice has a sweet sound without unevenness, and the guitar solo ends with a crisp sound that is exquisite. “Sorrow” has improved the strength and weakness of the ensemble, which had been a bit muddy until now, to a neat sound, stimulating the listener’s five senses even more. Gilmour’s guitar, which roars from the beginning, also has a neat sound with a perfect focus, so it’s worth checking out. “Keep Talking” has a female chorus chasing with a canon that has regained its natural tone, and the keyboard melody that comes in at 3 minutes 26 seconds has become much sharper. Please note that Gilmour’s voice, distorted by the vocoder in the second half, also comes out with a sound that does not tire your ears. In “Another Brick…Part 2,” the chorus and guitar jump in with a close sound, breaking through the singalong that fills the venue, but this is also a scene where you can clearly see the difference in the sound image due to the elimination of bass muddiness compared to the previously released version. Even in the second half of the guitar solo, where the baton is handed over from Gilmore to Renwick (Gilmore from 4 minutes 00 seconds, Renwick from 5 minutes 14 seconds), the difference in the touch and tone of the two is revived with an even easier to grasp sound. In “One Of These Days,” Guy’s bass sound, which was too direct, is transformed into a rich textured sound, and the power of the mid-to-low range of the ensemble behind it can be felt without muddiness. In the second half, when the music starts to move at once with Nick’s monologue, you can feel the close sound with the core of the sound becoming even harder. Disc 2, which is the second half of the show, is a rare set that includes a complete reproduction of “Madness,” which has been revived only eight times in 19 years since 1975. This is also a disc that allows you to fully enjoy the 1994-style crisp and organized performance with the strongest AUD sound, and is a disc that allows you to fully enjoy musical considerations. In “Breath In The Air,” the surrounding clapping at the beginning, which was somewhat harsh on the already released version, was turned off, and the sound visibility was greatly improved, and in “On The Run,” the low-frequency components were relaxed, eliminating the sense of pressure, and the collage feeling that the performance originally emitted on this day reached the ears with a natural sound. “Time,” which was partially adopted in the official album “p.u.l.s.e,” has more consistency in the sound output, and you will get a straight satisfaction that is different from the official album that was composed of multiple performances on multiple days. On the other hand, “Money” is an original performance that was adopted in its entirety in “p.u.l.s.e,” but this is also revived with a straight-ball sound that is completely different from the already released version, and the fresh excitement of listening to it from the audience side is the best listening experience ever, and it pierces your heart. “Us And Them” also has a thick wall of sound in the quiet parts and chorus parts that is simpler and thicker than ever before, and you are sure to be intoxicated by the 2016 version sound image that has been carefully examined with the latest equipment. In addition, “Any Colour You Like”, which has been given a new interpretation with ornamental sounds, has a synthesizer main melody spelled out in canon that has been reborn into a sound that is easy on the ears, and the hook guitar that comes in from the middle part has a sound that is easier to empathize with due to the effect of raising the mid- to high-range components. “Brain Damage” and “Eclipse” have a sense of consistency in the sound that was somewhat unbalanced in the previous releases, so the musical convergence of the perfect reproduction is felt even deeper, and you will surely be shaken by the open feeling of the 1994 model that goes beyond what was shown in the 1970s. In “Wish You Were Here”, the sound quality becomes even sharper and fresher, perhaps because the microphone direction has been changed. The pleasant sound of the acoustic guitar explodes at close range, and a chorus of people singing along to Gilmour rises from the entire venue. This familiar scene from overseas performances is revived with a vivid sound directly connected to the site. In “Comfortably Numb,” the heavy mid-to-low range movement and the treble range where the guitar dances are well fused, and in the guitar solo that continues from the second half, you will be able to resonate even more with the extension of the melody and the dense sound. On this day, “Run Like Hell” was sung by Guy as per the standard at the end of the second verse (窶ｻ As you know, on this tour, it was standard to sing “笙ｪ Send You Back To 笳銀雷” at the end of the second verse, with 笳銀雷 being the performance location at that time), and this can also be heard with the most textured sound image ever. Towards the end of the song, you can hear fireworks going off several times and the performance being concluded with the roar of pyro, and even these visual information from the venue on the day jump out at you with the new sound. This is the first 1994 title to be recorded on AUD, and the consistent, transparent sound and the euphoric feeling of the performance make it a fitting finish. In fact, looking at all the existing AUD recordings of the entire THE DIVISION BELL tour, this is without a doubt one of the best, and it is the best 1994 recording that will meet the expectations of a wide range of listeners, from beginners to hardcore collectors. If you are a beginner listener, we recommend that you take this opportunity to pick up this album and also have the only SBD definitive edition from 1994, “DEFINITIVE TORINO 1994”, on hand. And “
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