Pink Floyd: The Division Bell Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		4.5

Pink Floyd: The Division Bell Blu-ray Movie Review

Will you want to add 'Division' to your collection?

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 16, 2014

It may not have the word “immersion” in its title, but in every other way this new 20th Anniversary Edition of Pink Floyd’s The Division Bell offers a sumptuous package that is every bit the equal—and perhaps even more—than the so- called Immersion Editions of Pink Floyd: The Dark Side of the Moon and Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here which came out almost three years ago. The Division Bell never quite achieved the renown that some of Pink Floyd’s earlier work did, but it’s notable (no pun intended) that the album easily captured the vaunted top chart position on any number of international sales rankings, including the United Kingdom and United States, and it didn’t take long for the original album to be certified gold (and very soon thereafter, platinum). Still, The Division Bell seems remarkably tame at times, at least for listeners who aren’t completely paying attention to the dense layering of instruments that David Gilmour, Richard Wright and Nick Mason (with a little help from their friends, a category which did not include Roger Waters) achieved. The album was reportedly born (or at least gestated) by a series of improvisations the guys recorded, and there’s a definite “jam” feel to even spaced out instrumentals like “Marooned”, which basically serves as a showcase for Gilmour’s potent guitar soaring over a bed of synth washes and acoustic piano by Richard Wright (“Marooned” went on to win a Grammy Award as Best Rock Instrumental Performance in 1995, and a new video treatment of the tune is one of the highlights of the Blu-ray disc included on this expansive new deluxe edition).

For a complete assessment of the contents of the box, see the Supplements section below. The Blu-ray disc contains:

2014 Film of 'Marooned' (1080p; 5:25). This fascinating piece was directed by Aubrey Powell and produced by Fiz Oliver, and alternates between absolutely thrilling views of our planet and its surrounding starry ecosystem, alternating with slightly more troubling views of what appears to be an abandoned spacecraft and (even more strangely) old Soviet Era buildings which have fallen into disrepair. Understandably given the disparate source elements, video quality is variable here, but the outer space footage is magnificent. The soundtrack is available in 96/24 in LPCM 2.0 and either DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 or LPCM 5.1 (the 5.1 mix is previously unreleased).

The Division Bell as an audio experience (static menus show track names against a gray background). The album is available in LPCM 2.0 (96/24) and (as above) a previously unreleased surround mix available in either LPCM 5.1 or DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (both 96/24).

While it's a nice bonus to get some actual video content on the Blu-ray (something Pink Floyd has regularly provided with their releases in this format), the chief allure here will be the lossless accountings of the actual album, and fans will definitely not be disappointed with the results (albeit with one minor caveat which I'll discuss in the audio section of the review, below). The Division Bell might seem to be pretty low key almost all of the time, but hearing the album in lossless audio only reveals how immaculately layered virtually every song on the album is. Despite the abundance of both vintage keyboards and then au courant synth patches, the album has a timeless quality to it, especially in terms Gilmour's guitar solos, notably on tunes like "Marooned" and "Keep Talking". The album's subtext of forgiveness and reconciliation is tempered by some angry outbursts that seem to suggest all waters (pun intended) have not been calmed.

The album's songs are:

• Cluster One
• What Do You Want From Me
• Poles Apart
• Marooned
• A Great Day For Freedom
• Wearing the Inside Out
• Take It Back
• Coming Back to Life
• Keep Talking
• Lost for Words
• High Hopes

Pink Floyd: The Division Bell Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The chief video element here is the inclusion of the 2014 quasi-music video for "Marooned", which is presented in 1080p and 1.78:1 via the AVC codec. As mentioned above, this engaging if somewhat bizarre film is pieced together from various source elements (the credits thank everyone from NASA to some Ukrainian filmmakers). What I presume is the NASA footage looks spectacular, with amazing shots taken from what looks like the International Space Station that gives a really resplendent view of our planet (including the Aurora Borealis as seen from space, which is truly amazing). Some video of an abandoned spaceship is much more raggedy, while the Russian (Ukrainian?) footage falls somewhere in between.

Pink Floyd: The Division Bell Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Pink Floyd: The Division Bell features the original album in both LPCM 2.0 and a previously unreleased 5.1 mix available in DTS-HD Master Audio or LPCM (all 96/24). I didn't hear any major material difference between the two 5.1 mixes, despite a much heftier streaming rate on the LPCM version (nearly 14 Kbps). The fidelity on the 2.0 mix is outstanding, with impeccably clear stereo separation and extremely well prioritized layers, something that's especially important when the band introduces "extracurricular" activity like sound effects of even the voice of Stephen Hawking.

The 5.1 mix is astoundingly immersive from virtually the first moment, but there is one minor quibble I have with this version. Due to so much going on in the surround channels, the vocals on such songs as "What Do You Want From Me" are somewhat diffuse and within the mix rather than as distinctly forward as they are in the simple stereo version.

That said, there's a wealth of really fun effects that are gained in the 5.1 version. Things like that spacy fadeout of "Marooned", or the echoing synths that open "Take It Back" now pulse and bounce between channels, making this in some ways a completely new listening experience. Fidelity is superb, offering crystalline clarity, even when Wright's synth pads are massed in the midrange. Gilmour's guitar(s) offer one of the album's most singular pleasures, and they're both entrancingly liquid and stingingly fiery by turns here. As stated above, the 2.0 mix makes the most of Gilmour's plangent voice, but he almost becomes "just" another instrument in the 5.1 iteration.

Pink Floyd: The Division Bell Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

The only real question in assessing this stuffed to the gills boxed set is: what's a supplement and what isn't? Many consumers will no doubt consider the Blu-ray disc a nice "bonus", but one not intrinsic to the enjoyment of the set as a whole. We here at Blu-ray.com of course treat the Blu-ray disc as the "main event", and everything else as accoutrements. With that in mind, let's detail exactly what this impressive box has to offer:

• Glossy art boxed case measuring 12 3/4" x 12 3/4" x 1 1/2" (slightly larger than the previous Immersion Sets of Pink Floyd classics)


• Double LP in a deluxe, glossy gatefold sleeve with full length tracks cut in 2014 from the original masters, previously unreleased in this format. Though this was probably just a production or packaging glitch, maybe the production team on this set decided to go really retro, for my copy of the gatefold was split across the top, just like old LP covers of yore always used to do back in The Dark Ages.


• CD featuring the 2011 remaster of The Division Bell in a new sleeve with custom art.


• Replica Blue Vinyl 12" featuring a laser etched blue vinyl album in a picture sleeve that includes "High Hopes", "Keep Talking" and "One of These Days" (live performance).


• 7 'Film' Cards. Though this is advertised on the back insert and the actual cover of the blue vinyl album as being "included" with that album, in my set it was actually packaged separately in a small black envelope. These cards are basically post card sized images on heavy cardstock.


• Replica Clear Vinyl 7" comes in a picture sleeve and features "High Hopes" (Radio Edit) and "Keep Talking" (Radio Edit).


• Poster Bag is (as above) advertised as part of the clear vinyl record, but is packaged separately.


• Download Card offers free downloads in both HD (24 bit) and MP3 (320 Kbps) formats.


• Collectors' Prints offers five large (about 12" square) prints of previously unreleased designs by StormStudios/Hipgnosis Ltd.


• 24 Page Lyric Booklet is, like the prints, around 12" square and is printed on glossy stock.

Pink Floyd: The Division Bell Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Hopefully this massive new set will engender a reappraisal of The Division Bell, for it's never quite been accorded the same esteem that some of Pink Floyd's other (earlier) work has. While some of the "swag" in this set is going to be of most interest (let alone use) to those who still have a turntable, overall this is an amazing collection of materials that is both celebratory but properly respectful of the source material. The included Blu-ray disc offers a cool if strange music video for "Marooned" as a kind of "bonus", but the lossless audio on the album is what most fans will flock to. Highly recommended.