Track Listing

1. Arnold Layne (1) - Gilmour, David & David Bowie
2. Arnold Layne - Gilmour, David & Richard Wright
3. Dark Globe - Gilmour, David

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #42631 in Music
• Released on: 2006-12-25
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Single, Limited Edition, Maxi

Customer Reviews

Presenting 'Mr ARNOLD LAYNE' the Genius
This is an absolute gem !! A musical snapshot of genius' at work.
David Gilmour performs in his customary style and gives us three memorable 'live' tracks to marvel at.

Firstly, he is joined by David Bowie who performs a charismatic and unique version of 'Arnold Layne',written by the late Syd Barrett.Bowie is one of the few who artistes who could do justice to this seminal 'Pink Floyd' song and the result is a resounding success.

This paves the way for another 'Pink Floyd' stalwart : Richard Wright who delivers an equally enticing vocal.But,this time we are visiting the sounds of early Floyd,with all of the hypnotic appeal that marked out the, largely, Barrett penned 'Piper at the Gates of Dawn'.

Track three 'Dark Globe 'is a total contrast to the previous tracks.
A solo acoustic rendition by David Gilmour.This highly revealing Barrett lyric provokes a hauntingly emotional vocal from Gilmour.It is as if he is singing a last lament to his old schoolboy friend.

This recording is a rare treasure and a worthwhile addition to anybody's collection. Buy it and you will have a permanent reminder of how mid- 1960s British music evolved and developed its own identity.

In this work by Gilmour, Bowie and Barrett you are presented with something that is quintessentially 'English' in its origins. But for today we should just be satisfied with saying the word : Genius'.

Highly Recommended

Zagtag

Haunting but overpriced?
The objection I have to this is the price - three lovely tracks (ok one in two versions) but you listen then want more. For the price of this couldn't they have released more of the actual show?

I am a moderate Floyd fan - can see the genius inside Piper but prefer Echoes and Welcome to the Machine. I bought this on whim having seen it on Amazon a few weeks ago, then found myself in Cambridge this week walking past the house where Syd was born, and then thought better buy that disc.

Both versions of Arnold Layne work, and if I want the original I can play the original. Bowie finds a style of singing that invokes the early 70s (not quite contemporary to the original release, but it works for me) and Gilmour is nicely understated in the mix.

Definitely nice to have - just give me more or charge me a bit less!

Outstanding!
Roger "Syd" Barrett- lost to the world of music long ago but lost to the larger world this year has been honoured by his old friend David Gilmour by the release of this wonderful single. 3 Live tracks taken from David's 2006 tour all of outstanding quality, all from the pen of Syd.

I saw Gilmour and Wright in Glasgow this year and to me, Arnold Layne was one of the star tracks in the show. A similar performance is captured on track 2 of the CD. Track 1 sees David Bowie takes up the lead vocal for a very English, very Syd-inspired take on Arnold Layne which is both faithful to the original work and refreshingly new at the same time. Track 3 is a painfully beautiful solo tribute to Syd by Gilmour which seems to evoke thoughts of Syd's latter isolation.

This short CD is wonderful. If there was any justice, it would chart highly and be a commercial success but it probably won't given the lack of coverage given by the media to Syd's passing this year. Buy it now whilst it's available or you'll be wishing you had once it's only available for excessive amounts on E-Bay!