Part of the fun that comes from Pink Floyd live shows is the visual experience. You can see it at work in their Live at Pompeii release or the charming spots of Roger Waters’ live movies, Us + Them, particularly. What the live albums fail to convey is the occasion, the massive experience which makes a Pink Floyd gig what it is. Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall: Live 1980-81, should not have struggled with that. It is a visually reliant album, a rich tapestry of intense political statements and cool riffs from the Roger Waters and David Gilmour partnership. For those who know the thrills of The Wall, this will be no surprise. But for those wanting to understand it a little better or want to be wowed by it for the first time, Is There Anybody Out There? is the right place to start.
Cutting off the Master of Ceremonies warning feels inherently cool, if staged. It is all part of an instrumentally slick plan. In the Flesh? is a thoroughly cool experience, delivering The Wall track with the confidence it needs, the sound effects adding a louder experience which the album can only hint at. It does not take long to consider Is There Anybody Out There? the superior experience. There is an instrumental freedom for Gilmour and the rest of the band to enjoy with this performance, and as such The Wall is given a desperately needed overhaul. Waters, for all his conviction at that time, is ham-fisted with his message, and it needs trimming. It is what Is Anybody Out There? gives his message. It does not strip it of worth, just streamlines it to the essential bits and allows for some brilliant percussion and keyboard sections, something so sparse on the studio album. Groovy bits like Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2, suggest an instrumental overhaul may not be enough, however.
What remains is the catchy and memorable moments of Pink Floyd’s narrative album, though it is a narrative tinged by the slick instrumental sounds Gilmour presents. He gives it his all, as does Richard Wright. Pangs of pre-war anxiety in a post-war world are reflected on far better with this version of Goodbye Blue Sky, it has a Coming Up for Air by George Orwell feel to it, a man out of step and a time out of mind. That is the story at its best, the high point reached with the slick and cool instrumentals found on The Last Few Bricks. There are moments of brilliance throughout Is There Anybody Out There?, from the brass of Comfortably Numb to the stretch of songs before the final act, a confirmed purpose to the story. It all comes together with a thrilling effectiveness which makes it better than The Wall.
Pink Floyd’s best official live release so far. Pompeii is just around the corner. Is There Anybody Out There? features some instrumental high points from Gilmour. The qualities of The Wall and Waters’ characters, which were featured decades later in his adaptation of The Soldier’s Tale, find their roots here. The band brings out one of their best moments together, and likely the last. The Final Cut was not far off, and the meltdown it, and various internal issues would bring meant Pink Floyd’s dip, their loss of balance, threw them off. Hearing Is There Anybody Out There? for the first time is to hear the band at their tightest. It is of a quality close to the Wembley show, which was released alongside another remaster of The Dark Side of the Moon. Capturing the storytelling command of The Wall but elevating it that little bit more is a tremendous achievement from Pink Floyd, and it unfolds here on this overlooked, enjoyable live album.
