PIGS & PYRAMIDS - An all star lineup performing the songs of Pink Floyd

Often when someone has a band in his heart, it's hard to review a tribute album. Pink Floyd represent a season in everyone's life, or a life in everyone's seasons... they are a quality standard for many young bands. They create dreams, and make people dream. People like myself!

So I was sceptic, at the start, but confident in that a tribute has to be made with great attention, to respect every fan that loves the original songs. In this sense, important are: an accurate choice of the artists; an appropriate tracklist for that artists; and most of all the quality of arrangements. These are the three parameters I used to review this album.

So I will try to highlight every artist that figures in this album and to picture each one's background. Between the brackets are the bands of which the artist has been or is part of.

ANOTHER BRICK IN THE WALL pt.II

Who doesn't know this song? Vocals by Fee Waybill (The Tubes) accompanied by David Glen Eisley (Giuffria) and Alex Ligertwood (Santana, Dixie Dregs, Voices Of Classic Rock); on guitars Ronnie Montrose (Montrose, Edgar Winter Group), bass Mike Porcaro (Toto) and drums Greg Bissonette (Vai, Satriani, Sheehan, ecc.). I think that this song is quite weak, it doesn't take off, and the solo by Montrose is too heavy. This is the kind of songs that wouldn't fit in a tribute. Too risks.

WELCOME TO THE MACHINE

Voice Doug Pinnick (King's X), guitar Gary Hoey (Tony Franklin, Frankie Banali, Ricky Wolking), bass Mike Porcaro, drums Greg Bissonette, keybs Derek Sherinian (Dream Theater, Planet X); this song offers many tips, and it's really good arranged. Doug Pinnick screams as Roger Waters but spreads his great qualities at the same time, and that increases the score. Very good the keyboard work by Sherinian; it's not easy to carry on the performance with which Rick Wright times ago made this song great. Ok.

COMFORTABLY NUMB

Really sweet version of this classic song that Pink Floyd brought to perfection in their live performances. Voice & guitar Billy Sherwood (Toto, producer for Yes), bass & choruses Chris Squire (Yes), drums Alan White (Yes). The absolute experience of this three sacred monsters comes out, and this is one of the songs I prefer, because balances the respect for the original piece with the creativity of the musicians. Choirs by Sherwood are the state-of-the-art in vocal arrangement.

SHINE ON YOU CRAZY DIAMOND

Eeeh... other luxury trio for this "standard", Steve Lukater (Toto) voice & guitar, Marco Mendoza (Thin Lizzy) on bass & synth, on drums the superb Vinnie Colaiuta (a list would be too long, say only GRP). The intro solo by Lukater will make every guitarist go crazy, I was falling down in front of my hi-fi. This version of Shine On You Crazy Diamond makes me think to a magma eruption, sleeps in it an hidden power. The voice of Steve Lukater has a fantastic timbre echoing David Gilmour. Mendoza plays a fretless bass that gives a mystical mood to the situation. And last but not least Vinnie Colaiuta with few shots makes us understand what means to be a drummer that breaks. Don't miss the guitar arrangement of Lukater, one of my favourite guitarist. Another great song for this Pigs & Pyramids.

US & THEM

Jeff Scott Soto (Panther, Malmsteen, solo albums) on voice, Jimmy Haslip (Yellowjackets) bass, Pat Torpey (Mr. Big, Impellitteri) on drums, and Scott Page (Pink Floyd, Supertramp) at the sax. Scotty has been for several years a Pink Floyd live sessionman, and a master of the hard saxophone. Who knows Jeff Scott Soto loves his vocal arrangements and his clean, linear vocality. Haslip and Torpey make the ordinary work (the songs itself doesn't offer too much choices), and who can create creates: Soto comes out with magnificent three-voiced choruses, and Page covers the pauses with extraordinary sax solos from the heart; you can hear the saxophone's physics ever! Don't miss the "Aaaaahhhhh" at the end of every solo ride... Pleasuring.

YOUNG LUST

On vocals the funkmaister GLENN HUGHES, guitars Elliot Easton (Cars, I think...), on bass the great Tony Franklin (he also has an enormous list of participations, I remember Blue Murder and The Firm, he played in Laura Pausini's last album ever), on drums Aynsley Dunbar (Journey, Jeff Beck, John Mayall, Whitesnake). Our Golden One sings as always. Obviously Glenn doesn't mind of the original David Gilmour interpretation of the song... then he jumps into a great powerful performance, in his high-end vocals, in his low-down hard funky moods. Everything highlighted by the powerful bass lines by Franklin. What can I say?

RUN LIKE HELL

Sings Jason Scheff (Chicago), followed by the guitar of Dweezil Zappa (The Z), bass again by Tony Franklin, the monster drumming by Aynsley Dunbar and the keyboards by Tony Kaye (Yes, Badger). The velvet voice of Scheff follows line by line the song's score, but it's not so powerful as the song would tell. Dweezil Zappa it's a string bending master, and you can hear it in the first part of his guitar solo, but then he shows his monster technique (listen to the final lick!). It's easy to say that's a good song.

ANY COLOUR YOU LIKE

It's also easy to continue to exhalt master formations. This album's beauty must thank the personal taste of every great musician that plays in it. Featuring this instrumental song: on guitars Robben Ford (The Blue Line), on bass the unstoppable Tony Franklin, on drums the almost powerful Aynsley Dunbar, and keyboards are mastered by Steve Porcaro (Toto). I love the sound of Robben's guitar. He's another of my favourite guitarists, for taste, for techique. In this song there's great room for improvisation, so you can only imagine what those four masters can do togheter. One of the best songs. You can't miss it.

MONEY

On and on in souplesse with Tommy Shaw (Damn Yankees, Styx, Ted Nugent) on vocals, Ritchie Kotzen (solo albums, many participations) on guitars, Tony Levin (King Crimson, Liquid Tension Experiment, but a long long list for him) at the bass guitar, Mike Baird (Bob Weir, Timothy B. Schmidt) on drums, and the sax by Edgar Winter (Edgar Winter Group). The first impression is that Tommy Shaw feels weak, but if you get into his performance you will find that's the way he wants. As the structure of the sax solo, I think that Winter is a sentimental jazz player; Ritchie Kotzen instead does the ordinary. As usual he loves to sleep during the song, but when he wakes up he destroys everything... I think that's ok generally.

HAVE A CIGAR

Vocals Bobby Kimball (Toto), guitars Bob Kulick (Wasp, Kiss) & Bruce Kulick (Kiss, Union), bass to Mike Porcaro, drums  Greg Bissonette. I love Bobby's voice. When a song runs, you can see it from the starting measures. Powerful, in some ways it's better than the original version...! Bissonette gives it a trascinating rhythm, and the Kulick(s) solo is really effective. Good, good, good.

BREATHE (IN THE AIR)

The last song is for Robin McAuley (Michael Schenker Group, Twister) on vocals, Jeff "Skunk" Baxter (The Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan) on the guitars, Phil Soussen (Jeff Northrup) on bass, and Eric Singer (Kiss, Black Sabbath, Badlands) at the drums. You can feel the beauty of Baxter's slide guitar. McAuley gives to the song a really personal mood, well his original timbre makes the deal. The songs goes as easy as on butter, a good homework. Really superb the guitar arrangement, but that's not a surprise for the Skunk's past experiences! On an on this way.

It's not easy to review an album like this, because you can easily be involved and transported when reading names of the artists you love. You search for every good thing that's in the song, and your heart misses a shot when you listen to that vocal line, to that guitar lick, to that drum riff you love. You would hear it a thousand of times. So I think that's enough. 62 minutes of dreams, and a hat tip to the Pink Floyd.

Giampiero Frulli

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