Maps of Music

Pulse (1995)

Where the lyrics of Pulse take you, and where it was really made.

Early CD copies of Pulse had a flashing red LED on the case, powered by a single AA battery that was stated to last over six months.

Key places

Earl's Court, London (1995)

Recording site Earls Court Exhibition Centre — Pulse includes a recording location at Earl's Court Exhibition Centre in London. The video version features an almost complete performance from the 20 October show there. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Recorded during the 1994 European leg (1995)

Recording site Heinz-von-Heiden-Arena — Pink Floyd recorded parts of Pulse during the European leg of the Division Bell Tour in 1994, and this arena is one of the recording locations. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Pulse: third live album by the English rock band Pink Floyd
• Released 29 May 1995 by EMI in the United Kingdom
• Released 6 June 1995 by Columbia in the United States
• Recorded during the European leg of the Division Bell Tour in 1994
• Includes a performance of the entirety of The Dark Side of the Moon
• Also features 'Astronomy Domine', a Syd Barrett song not performed since the early 1970s
• 'Another Brick in the Wall, Part II' includes small portions of three other songs

Background

• Previous Pink Floyd live album: Delicate Sound of Thunder
• Recorded during the band's Division Bell Tour, European leg, 1994

Recording

• Unlike Delicate Sound of Thunder, no parts were re-recorded in the studio
• Band and producer James Guthrie fixed songs with bad notes by lifting solos from other performances
• Corrected vocal lines were taken from other performances as the band recorded most of the European leg
• Album mixed in QSound, which produces a 3D audio effect even on a two-channel stereo system

Cover

• Early CD versions had a flashing red LED on the side of the case
• LED designed by EMI contractor Jon Kempner using the now discontinued LM3909 LED flasher IC
• Circuit powered by a single AA battery; battery life stated to be over six months
• Some versions used two AA batteries; later CD editions did not feature the blinking LED
• Idea by Storm Thorgerson, relating to Dark Side and the pulse, with the live album making the box 'alive'

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Disc 1

Disc 2

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Formed in London in 1965 by Syd Barrett, Nick Mason, Roger Waters and Richard Wright; David Gilmour joined in 1967.
• Among the first British psychedelic groups, gaining an early underground following at the UFO Club.
• Known for extended compositions, sonic experiments, philosophical lyrics and elaborate live shows.

Members

• Nick Mason on drums (1965–present).
• Roger Waters on bass and vocals (1965–1985), becoming the primary lyricist after Barrett's departure in 1968.
• Richard Wright on keyboards (1965–1981, 1987–2008), who died in 2008.
• Syd Barrett on vocals and guitar (1965–1968), who died in 2006.
• David Gilmour on guitar and vocals (1967–present).

Career

• Concept albums The Dark Side of the Moon (1973), Wish You Were Here (1975), Animals (1977) and The Wall (1979) made them one of the best-selling acts of all time.
• Pink Floyd – The Wall (1982) won two BAFTAs.
• Reunited with Waters for Live 8 in 2005; the last studio album The Endless River came out in 2014.
• Released 'Hey, Hey, Rise Up!' in 2022 in protest of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
• Sold over 250 million records; inducted into the US Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1996 and awarded the Polar Music Prize in 2008.

Reception

At release

• NME: Paul Moody called the album a rehash of the usual prog meanderings
• NME: Moody criticised the packaging LED as a commercial rehabilitation of Pink Floyd
• Rolling Stone: Rob O'Connor argued that the studio perfection of The Dark Side of the Moon did not translate well to live performance
• Rolling Stone: O'Connor criticised the loud, annoying audience

Records

• Billboard 200: debuted at number one in the week of 24 June 1995 with 198,000 copies sold
• First multidisc album to top the Billboard 200 since the chart began using SoundScan data in May 1991
• Fell to number three the following week; stayed on the chart for 22 weeks
• RIAA: certified two times platinum on 31 July 1995 for one million units shipped
• Video version debuted at number one on Billboard's Top Music Videos chart on 1 July 1995 with 16,500 units sold
• Video certified eight times platinum by the RIAA on 31 July 2006 for 800,000 units shipped

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• The Dark Side of the Moon is performed in full on this live album, which is the album's central content.
• The LED on early CD cases was designed by EMI contractor Jon Kempner, who was awarded a platinum disc.
• The album's release was promoted by a light show from the top of the Empire State Building in New York City.
• The vinyl version was released as a four-LP box set.
• The video version also featured 'Take It Back' and an almost complete performance from the 20 October show at Earl's Court, London.
• A re-release on DVD and a first-time Blu-ray release came on 18 February 2022, and the packaging brought back the blinking LED from the 1995 CD.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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