Come consuetudine per i Pink Floyd e per i vari ex-membri dello storico gruppo inglese, viene sempre ricercata una coniugazione, una sinergia, tra la musica proposta ed il periodo storico vissuto, quasi come se non si fosse già sicuri che le loro visioni sonore ed il loro grandioso approccio musicale non basti a consacrarli nella storia.

Questa volta David Gilmour per la conclusione del tour in supporto al suo album solista 'On an island' ha scelto Danzica. Lo storico porto polacco sul Baltico si presta come una incredibile ambientazione, in parte quasi da film d'azione tra capannoni d'acciaio in disuso ed enormi gru di cantieri navali sullo sfondo. Il perchè della location è presto spiegato in un filmato diario/documentario circa la volontà di fermare nella storia questo luogo, che presto sembra verrà ridestinato ad altri usi industriali o civili. Luogo ove è nato il movimento sindacale capitanato da Lech Walesa, che come sottolinea lo stesso David, è stato uno dei movimenti che hanno favorito il vento di cambiamento non solo in Polonia ma in tutta l'area del blocco sovietico. Il prodotto dato alle stampe diventa così un documento epocale.

Vi sono due versioni in commercio, una con due CD audio ed una con due CD audio e due DVD. Inutile puntualizzare che ascoltare solo l'audio sia limitativo, per quanto possa essere limitativo ascoltare David Gilmour e Pink Floyd chiaramente!

Davanti ad un'oceanica folla entusiasta, a tratti attenta e silenziosa, a tratti emotivamente coinvolta, accondiscendente e rumoreggiante, lo storico chitarrista inanella una per una come preziose perle scaramazze su un filo multicolore tutti i brani del suo più recente disco solista, che vengono ulteriormente impreziosite dallo sfondo di contrasto della zona portuale e dei sei enormi schermi posti sul frontone di questo palco che appare come un tempio innalzato agli dei della musica.
Ma soprattutto i brani proposti vengono impreziositi dalla Baltic Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra che li mettono sotto una luce nuova ed inattesa, probabilmente la più azzeccata per canzoni che altro non sono che un'opera rock.

Questa presenza orchestrale si rivela ancor più fondamentale nei brani colti dal repertorio pinkfloydiano, soprattutto in 'High hopes' che arriva in questo modo a superare la versione di 'Live Pulse' grazie appunto agli archi che rendono la fusione tra le arie orchestrali e l'estro di Gilmour un amalgama eccelsa. 'Echoes', eseguita in una versione integrale ed ipnotizzante, diventa, assieme alla conclusiva ed immancabile 'Confortably Numb' un voto 'in memoriam', ove la chitarra di Gilmour si confronta e a tratti si unisce dialogando con le tastiere di Richard Wright, diventando il fulcro di tutto il live. Gli estimatori storici non potranno trattenere la malinconia ed a tratti la commozione nel vedere e sentire Richard cantare la prima e la quarta strofa di questo ultimo brano, una di quelle canzoni che sono senza ombra di dubbio alcuno tra le dieci più belle che la Musica contemporanea ci abbia potuto offrire.

Un'opera che punta a colpire con suoni ed immagini assieme, sensi differenti, diventando un must per tutti gli affezionati ma anche per chi, curioso, si affacci per la prima volta alla scoperta di uno dei chitarristi più influenti ed amati della storia. Capolavoro!

Elenco tracce testi e samples

01   Live In Gdansk 26-08-2006 (00:00)

02   Live In Gdansk 26-08-2006 (00:00)

03   Live At The Mermaid Theatre, London, March 2006 (00:00)

04   Live From The AOL Sessions, New York, April 2006 (00:00)

05   Live From Abbey Road, London, August 2006 (00:00)

06   Recorded Live In The UK, January 2007 (00:00)

07   Audio - On An Island (00:00)

08   Bonus Tracks From The "On An Island" Tour 2006 (00:00)

09   Speak To Me (01:23)

10   Then I Close My Eyes (07:42)

11   Smile (04:26)

Would this do
To make it all right
While sleep has taken you
Where I'm out of sight

I'll make my getaway
Time on my own
Search for a better way
To find my way home
To your smile

Wasting days and days
On this night
Always down and up
Half the night

Hopeless to reminisee
Through the dark hours
We'll only sacrifice
What time will allow us
You're sighing... sighing

All alone
Though you're right here
Now it's time to go
From your sad stare

Make my getaway
Time on my own
Needing a better way
To find my way home
To your smile

12   Take A Breath (06:47)

Take a breath
Take a deep breath now
Take a breath
A deep breath now
Take a breath

When you're down is where you find yourself
When you're drown there's nothing else
If you're lost you'll need to turn yourself
Then you'll find out that there's no one else

To make the moves that you can do
When you fall from grace your eyes in blue
Your every breath becomes another world
And the far horizon's living hell

Take a breath
A deep breath now

This kind of love is hard to find
I never got to you by being kind
If I'm the one to throw you overboard
At least I showed you how to swim for shore

When you're down is where you'll know yourself
Then if you're drown there's nothing else
When you're lost you need to find yourself
Then you'll find out that there's no one else

13   A Pocketful Of Stones (05:41)

14   Where We Start (08:01)

Where we start is where we end
We step out sweetly, nothing planned
Along by the river we feed bread to the swans
And then over the footbridge to the woods beyond

We walk ourselves weary, you and I
There's just this moment

I light a campfire away from the path
We lie in the bluebells, a woodpecker laughs

Time passes slowly our hearts entwined
All of the dark times left behind

The day is done
The sun sinks low
We fold up the blanket, it's time to go

We walk ourselves weary, arm in arm
Back through the twilight
Home again

We waltz in the moonlight and the embers glow
So much behind us
Still far to go

15   Breathe (02:49)

Breathe, breathe in the air.
Don't be afraid to care.
Leave, don't leave me.
Look around and choose your own ground.

Long you live and high you fly
smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry
all you touch and all you see
Is all your life will ever be.

Run, rabbit run.
Dig that hole, forget the sun,
And when at last the work is done
Don't sit down it's time to dig another one.

For long you live and high you fly
But only if you ride the tide
And balanced on the biggest wave
You race towards an early grave.

16   Time (05:38)

17   Breathe (Reprise) (01:32)

18   Castellorizon (03:47)

[ INSTRUMENTAL ]

19   On An Island (07:26)

Remember that night...
White sails in the moonlight
They walked it too...
Through empty playground, this ghost's town
Children again on rusting swings getting higher
Sharing a dream
On an Island.... it felt right
We lay side by side,
Between the moon and the tide
Mapping the stars for a while
Let the night surround you
We're half way to the stars,
Ebb and flow
Let it grow..... feel the warmth beside you

Remember that night,
The warmth and the laughter
Candles burn...
Though the church was deserted
At dawn we went down through empty streets to the harbour
Dreamers may leave ...but we're here everafter...
Da da da da da....
Let the night surround you
We're half way to the stars,
Ebb and flow
Let it grow..... feel the warmth beside you...

20   The Blue (06:39)

21   Red Sky At Night (03:03)

22   This Heaven (04:33)

All the pieces fall into place
When we walk these fields
And I reach out to touch your face
This earthly heaven is enough for me

So break the bread and pour the wine
I need no blessings but I'm counting mine
Life is much more than money buys
When I see the faith in my children's eyes

I've felt the power in a holy place
And wished for comfort when in need
Now I'm here in a state of grace
This earthly heaven is enough for me

So break the bread and pour the wine
I need no blessings but I'm counting mine
Life is much more than money buys
When I see the faith in my children's eyes

23   Shine On You Crazy Diamond (12:07)

24   Astronomy Domine (05:02)

25   Fat Old Sun (06:40)

26   High Hopes (09:57)

Beyond the horizon of the place we lived when we were young
In a world of magnets and miracles
Our thoughts strayed constantly and without boundary
The ringing of the division bell had begun

Along the Long Road and on down the Causeway
Do they still meet there by the Cut

There was a ragged band that followed our footsteps
Running before time took our dreams away
Leaving the myriad small creatures trying to tie us to the ground
To a life consumed by slow decay

The grass was greener
The light was brighter
With friends surrounded
The nights of wonder

Looking beyond the embers of bridges glowing behind us
To a glimpse of how green it was on the other side
Steps taken forwards but sleepwalking back again
Dragged by force of some inner tide

At a higher altitude with flag unfurled
We reached the dizzy heights of that dreamed of world

Encumbered forever by desire and ambition
There's a hunger still unsatisfied
Though down this road we've been so many times

The grass was greener
The light was brighter
The taste was sweeter
The nights of wonder
With friends surrounded
The dawn mist growing
The water flowing
The endless river

27   Echoes (25:26)

Overhead the albatross hangs motionless upon the air
And deep beneath the rolling waves
In labyrinths of coral caves
The echo of a distant time
Comes willowing across the sand
And everything is green and submarine.

And no-one called us to the land
And no-one knows the wheres or whys
But something stirs and something tries
And starts to climb towards the light

Strangers passing in the street
By chance two separate glances meet
And I am you and what I see is me
And do I take you by the hand
And lead you through the land
And help me understand the best I can

And no-one calls us to move on
And no-one forces down our eyes
And no-one speaks and no-one tries
And no-one flies around the sun

Cloudless everyday you fall upon my waking eyes
inviting and inciting me to rise
And through the window in the wall
Come streaming in on sunlight wings
A million bright ambassadors of morning

And no-one sings me lullabies
And no-one makes me close my eyes
And so I throw the windows wide
And call to you across the sky

28   Wish You Were Here (05:15)

So, so you think you can tell
Heaven from Hell
Blue skies from pain
Can you tell a green field
from a cold steel rail?
A smile from a veil?
Do you think you can tell?

And did they get you to trade
your heroes for ghosts?
Hot ashes for trees?
Hot air for a cool breeze?
Cold comfort for change?
And did you exchange
a walk on part in the war
for a lead role in a cage?

How I wish, how I wish you were here.
We're just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl
Year after year
Running over the same old ground
What have you found?
The same old fears
Wish you were here

29   A Great Day For Freedom (05:56)

30   Comfortably Numb (09:22)

Hello,
Is there anybody in there
Just nod if you can hear me
Is there anyone at home
Come on now
I can see you're feeling down
I can ease your pain
And get you on your feet again
Relax
I'll need some information first
Just the basic facts
Can you show me where it hurts

There is no pain, you are receding
A distant ship smoke on the horizon
You are coming through in waves
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying
When I was a child I had a fever
My hands felt just like two balloons
Now I've got that feeling once again
I can't explain, you would not understand
This is not how I am
I have become comfortably numb

O.K.
Just a little pin prick
There'll be no more aaaaaaaah!
But you may feel a little sick
Can you stand up?
I do believe it's working, good
That'll keep you going through the show
Come on it's time to go.

There is no pain you are receding
A distant ship smoke on the horizon
You are only coming through in waves
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying
When I was a child, I caught a fleeting glimpse
Out of the corner of my eye
I turned to look but it was gone
I cannot put my finger on it now
The child is grown, the dream is gone
And I have become
Comfortably numb

31   Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Venezia, August 12 / Wien, July 31) (13:08)

32   A Pocketful Of Stones (Wien, July 31) (06:26)

33   Where We Start (Wien, July 31) (07:36)

34   On The Turning Away (Venezia, August 12) (06:06)

35   Dominoes (Paris, March 15) (04:52)

36   The Blue (Wien, July 31) (06:20)

37   Take A Breath (Munich, July 29) (06:43)

38   Wish You Were Here (Glasgow, May 27) (05:17)

39   Coming Back To Life (Firenze, August 2) (07:09)

40   Find The Cost Of Freedom (Manchester, May 26) (01:27)

41   This Heaven (Wien, July 31) (04:27)

42   Wearing The Inside Out (Milano, March 25) (07:31)

43   Castellorizon (00:00)

[ INSTRUMENTAL ]

44   Where We Start (00:00)

Where we start is where we end
We step out sweetly, nothing planned
Along by the river we feed bread to the swans
And then over the footbridge to the woods beyond

We walk ourselves weary, you and I
There's just this moment

I light a campfire away from the path
We lie in the bluebells, a woodpecker laughs

Time passes slowly our hearts entwined
All of the dark times left behind

The day is done
The sun sinks low
We fold up the blanket, it's time to go

We walk ourselves weary, arm in arm
Back through the twilight
Home again

We waltz in the moonlight and the embers glow
So much behind us
Still far to go

45   Astronomy Domine (00:00)

46   High Hopes (00:00)

Beyond the horizon of the place we lived when we were young
In a world of magnets and miracles
Our thoughts strayed constantly and without boundary
The ringing of the division bell had begun

Along the Long Road and on down the Causeway
Do they still meet there by the Cut

There was a ragged band that followed our footsteps
Running before time took our dreams away
Leaving the myriad small creatures trying to tie us to the ground
To a life consumed by slow decay

The grass was greener
The light was brighter
With friends surrounded
The nights of wonder

Looking beyond the embers of bridges glowing behind us
To a glimpse of how green it was on the other side
Steps taken forwards but sleepwalking back again
Dragged by force of some inner tide

At a higher altitude with flag unfurled
We reached the dizzy heights of that dreamed of world

Encumbered forever by desire and ambition
There's a hunger still unsatisfied
Though down this road we've been so many times

The grass was greener
The light was brighter
The taste was sweeter
The nights of wonder
With friends surrounded
The dawn mist growing
The water flowing
The endless river

47   Echoes (00:00)

Overhead the albatross hangs motionless upon the air
And deep beneath the rolling waves
In labyrinths of coral caves
The echo of a distant time
Comes willowing across the sand
And everything is green and submarine.

And no-one called us to the land
And no-one knows the wheres or whys
But something stirs and something tries
And starts to climb towards the light

Strangers passing in the street
By chance two separate glances meet
And I am you and what I see is me
And do I take you by the hand
And lead you through the land
And help me understand the best I can

And no-one calls us to move on
And no-one forces down our eyes
And no-one speaks and no-one tries
And no-one flies around the sun

Cloudless everyday you fall upon my waking eyes
inviting and inciting me to rise
And through the window in the wall
Come streaming in on sunlight wings
A million bright ambassadors of morning

And no-one sings me lullabies
And no-one makes me close my eyes
And so I throw the windows wide
And call to you across the sky

48   A Great Day For Freedom (00:00)

49   Comfortably Numb (00:00)

Hello,
Is there anybody in there
Just nod if you can hear me
Is there anyone at home
Come on now
I can see you're feeling down
I can ease your pain
And get you on your feet again
Relax
I'll need some information first
Just the basic facts
Can you show me where it hurts

There is no pain, you are receding
A distant ship smoke on the horizon
You are coming through in waves
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying
When I was a child I had a fever
My hands felt just like two balloons
Now I've got that feeling once again
I can't explain, you would not understand
This is not how I am
I have become comfortably numb

O.K.
Just a little pin prick
There'll be no more aaaaaaaah!
But you may feel a little sick
Can you stand up?
I do believe it's working, good
That'll keep you going through the show
Come on it's time to go.

There is no pain you are receding
A distant ship smoke on the horizon
You are only coming through in waves
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying
When I was a child, I caught a fleeting glimpse
Out of the corner of my eye
I turned to look but it was gone
I cannot put my finger on it now
The child is grown, the dream is gone
And I have become
Comfortably numb

50   Gdansk Diary - Documentary (00:00)

51   On An Island (00:00)

Remember that night...
White sails in the moonlight
They walked it too...
Through empty playground, this ghost's town
Children again on rusting swings getting higher
Sharing a dream
On an Island.... it felt right
We lay side by side,
Between the moon and the tide
Mapping the stars for a while
Let the night surround you
We're half way to the stars,
Ebb and flow
Let it grow..... feel the warmth beside you

Remember that night,
The warmth and the laughter
Candles burn...
Though the church was deserted
At dawn we went down through empty streets to the harbour
Dreamers may leave ...but we're here everafter...
Da da da da da....
Let the night surround you
We're half way to the stars,
Ebb and flow
Let it grow..... feel the warmth beside you...

52   The Blue (00:00)

53   Red Sky At Night (00:00)

54   This Heaven (00:00)

All the pieces fall into place
When we walk these fields
And I reach out to touch your face
This earthly heaven is enough for me

So break the bread and pour the wine
I need no blessings but I'm counting mine
Life is much more than money buys
When I see the faith in my children's eyes

I've felt the power in a holy place
And wished for comfort when in need
Now I'm here in a state of grace
This earthly heaven is enough for me

So break the bread and pour the wine
I need no blessings but I'm counting mine
Life is much more than money buys
When I see the faith in my children's eyes

55   Then I Close My Eyes (00:00)

56   Smile (00:00)

Would this do
To make it all right
While sleep has taken you
Where I'm out of sight

I'll make my getaway
Time on my own
Search for a better way
To find my way home
To your smile

Wasting days and days
On this night
Always down and up
Half the night

Hopeless to reminisee
Through the dark hours
We'll only sacrifice
What time will allow us
You're sighing... sighing

All alone
Though you're right here
Now it's time to go
From your sad stare

Make my getaway
Time on my own
Needing a better way
To find my way home
To your smile

57   Take A Breath (00:00)

Take a breath
Take a deep breath now
Take a breath
A deep breath now
Take a breath

When you're down is where you find yourself
When you're drown there's nothing else
If you're lost you'll need to turn yourself
Then you'll find out that there's no one else

To make the moves that you can do
When you fall from grace your eyes in blue
Your every breath becomes another world
And the far horizon's living hell

Take a breath
A deep breath now

This kind of love is hard to find
I never got to you by being kind
If I'm the one to throw you overboard
At least I showed you how to swim for shore

When you're down is where you'll know yourself
Then if you're drown there's nothing else
When you're lost you need to find yourself
Then you'll find out that there's no one else

58   A Pockteful Of Stones (00:00)

59   Shine On You Crazy Diamond (10:57)

60   Barn Jam 192 (02:49)

61   Barn Jam 121 (07:32)

62   Castellorizon (03:54)

[ INSTRUMENTAL ]

63   On An Island (06:47)

Remember that night...
White sails in the moonlight
They walked it too...
Through empty playground, this ghost's town
Children again on rusting swings getting higher
Sharing a dream
On an Island.... it felt right
We lay side by side,
Between the moon and the tide
Mapping the stars for a while
Let the night surround you
We're half way to the stars,
Ebb and flow
Let it grow..... feel the warmth beside you

Remember that night,
The warmth and the laughter
Candles burn...
Though the church was deserted
At dawn we went down through empty streets to the harbour
Dreamers may leave ...but we're here everafter...
Da da da da da....
Let the night surround you
We're half way to the stars,
Ebb and flow
Let it grow..... feel the warmth beside you...

64   The Blue (05:26)

65   Take A Breath (05:46)

Take a breath
Take a deep breath now
Take a breath
A deep breath now
Take a breath

When you're down is where you find yourself
When you're drown there's nothing else
If you're lost you'll need to turn yourself
Then you'll find out that there's no one else

To make the moves that you can do
When you fall from grace your eyes in blue
Your every breath becomes another world
And the far horizon's living hell

Take a breath
A deep breath now

This kind of love is hard to find
I never got to you by being kind
If I'm the one to throw you overboard
At least I showed you how to swim for shore

When you're down is where you'll know yourself
Then if you're drown there's nothing else
When you're lost you need to find yourself
Then you'll find out that there's no one else

66   Red Sky At Night (02:51)

67   This Heaven (04:24)

All the pieces fall into place
When we walk these fields
And I reach out to touch your face
This earthly heaven is enough for me

So break the bread and pour the wine
I need no blessings but I'm counting mine
Life is much more than money buys
When I see the faith in my children's eyes

I've felt the power in a holy place
And wished for comfort when in need
Now I'm here in a state of grace
This earthly heaven is enough for me

So break the bread and pour the wine
I need no blessings but I'm counting mine
Life is much more than money buys
When I see the faith in my children's eyes

68   Then I Close My Eyes (05:26)

69   Smile (04:03)

Would this do
To make it all right
While sleep has taken you
Where I'm out of sight

I'll make my getaway
Time on my own
Search for a better way
To find my way home
To your smile

Wasting days and days
On this night
Always down and up
Half the night

Hopeless to reminisee
Through the dark hours
We'll only sacrifice
What time will allow us
You're sighing... sighing

All alone
Though you're right here
Now it's time to go
From your sad stare

Make my getaway
Time on my own
Needing a better way
To find my way home
To your smile

70   Wearing The Inside Out (08:09)

71   A Pocketful Of Stones (06:17)

72   Where We Start (06:45)

Where we start is where we end
We step out sweetly, nothing planned
Along by the river we feed bread to the swans
And then over the footbridge to the woods beyond

We walk ourselves weary, you and I
There's just this moment

I light a campfire away from the path
We lie in the bluebells, a woodpecker laughs

Time passes slowly our hearts entwined
All of the dark times left behind

The day is done
The sun sinks low
We fold up the blanket, it's time to go

We walk ourselves weary, arm in arm
Back through the twilight
Home again

We waltz in the moonlight and the embers glow
So much behind us
Still far to go

73   Comfortably Numb (07:20)

Hello,
Is there anybody in there
Just nod if you can hear me
Is there anyone at home
Come on now
I can see you're feeling down
I can ease your pain
And get you on your feet again
Relax
I'll need some information first
Just the basic facts
Can you show me where it hurts

There is no pain, you are receding
A distant ship smoke on the horizon
You are coming through in waves
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying
When I was a child I had a fever
My hands felt just like two balloons
Now I've got that feeling once again
I can't explain, you would not understand
This is not how I am
I have become comfortably numb

O.K.
Just a little pin prick
There'll be no more aaaaaaaah!
But you may feel a little sick
Can you stand up?
I do believe it's working, good
That'll keep you going through the show
Come on it's time to go.

There is no pain you are receding
A distant ship smoke on the horizon
You are only coming through in waves
Your lips move but I can't hear what you're saying
When I was a child, I caught a fleeting glimpse
Out of the corner of my eye
I turned to look but it was gone
I cannot put my finger on it now
The child is grown, the dream is gone
And I have become
Comfortably numb

74   On An Island (06:48)

Remember that night...
White sails in the moonlight
They walked it too...
Through empty playground, this ghost's town
Children again on rusting swings getting higher
Sharing a dream
On an Island.... it felt right
We lay side by side,
Between the moon and the tide
Mapping the stars for a while
Let the night surround you
We're half way to the stars,
Ebb and flow
Let it grow..... feel the warmth beside you

Remember that night,
The warmth and the laughter
Candles burn...
Though the church was deserted
At dawn we went down through empty streets to the harbour
Dreamers may leave ...but we're here everafter...
Da da da da da....
Let the night surround you
We're half way to the stars,
Ebb and flow
Let it grow..... feel the warmth beside you...

75   High Hopes (09:10)

Beyond the horizon of the place we lived when we were young
In a world of magnets and miracles
Our thoughts strayed constantly and without boundary
The ringing of the division bell had begun

Along the Long Road and on down the Causeway
Do they still meet there by the Cut

There was a ragged band that followed our footsteps
Running before time took our dreams away
Leaving the myriad small creatures trying to tie us to the ground
To a life consumed by slow decay

The grass was greener
The light was brighter
With friends surrounded
The nights of wonder

Looking beyond the embers of bridges glowing behind us
To a glimpse of how green it was on the other side
Steps taken forwards but sleepwalking back again
Dragged by force of some inner tide

At a higher altitude with flag unfurled
We reached the dizzy heights of that dreamed of world

Encumbered forever by desire and ambition
There's a hunger still unsatisfied
Though down this road we've been so many times

The grass was greener
The light was brighter
The taste was sweeter
The nights of wonder
With friends surrounded
The dawn mist growing
The water flowing
The endless river

76   The Blue (06:27)

77   Take A Breath (06:20)

Take a breath
Take a deep breath now
Take a breath
A deep breath now
Take a breath

When you're down is where you find yourself
When you're drown there's nothing else
If you're lost you'll need to turn yourself
Then you'll find out that there's no one else

To make the moves that you can do
When you fall from grace your eyes in blue
Your every breath becomes another world
And the far horizon's living hell

Take a breath
A deep breath now

This kind of love is hard to find
I never got to you by being kind
If I'm the one to throw you overboard
At least I showed you how to swim for shore

When you're down is where you'll know yourself
Then if you're drown there's nothing else
When you're lost you need to find yourself
Then you'll find out that there's no one else

78   Echoes (Acoustic) (06:51)

79   Barn Jam 166 (04:49)

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