Pink Floyd: The Later Years Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		5.0
Extras		5.0
Overall		5.0

Pink Floyd: The Later Years Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 24, 2020

Let’s face it: 2020 has been a pretty horrible year for many of us, and downright tragic for some. For those who may be feeling overwhelmed by it all, but who may be willing to fork over some frankly considerable dough in order to provide either someone they love (very much) or even themselves with a pretty awesome gift to help ameliorate the stress of everything, Pink Floyd: The Later Years may be just the ticket (albeit a golden ticket, considering the price of the set). I’ve had the great good fortune to be able to review the often extravagantly produced deluxe editions put out by Pink Floyd, including Pink Floyd: The Dark Side of the Moon , Pink Floyd: Wish You Were Here, Pink Floyd: The Division Bell, and Pink Floyd: The Endless River, but I have to say Pink Floyd: The Later Years arguably puts even those stuffed to the gills sets to shame in both sheer amount of material as well as non disc swag and the overall impressive design of the package. Now, this being the "later years" of Pink Floyd, there may be some ready to decry the effort simply because of the personnel involved (or lack of personnel, as the case may be), and my hunch is some diehard Floyd fans may prefer the even spendier Pink Floyd: The Early Years over this release for that reason, especially if they've already forked over piles of cash for some of the other deluxe sets linked to above. That said, this is still a really awesome set that has so much to offer I can't imagine most if not all Pink Floyd fans not appreciating what this contains.

The following will list the complete contents of all six of the Blu-ray discs, but be aware that because there are also five CDs in this set which are assigned the numbers 1 through 5, the "first" Blu-ray disc is officially designated as Disc 6.

Blu-ray Disc 6
Surround & Hi-Res Audio Mixes

• A Momentary Lapse of Reason Remixed and Updated (51:10)
  Audio Options: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (96/24), LPCM 5.1 (96/24), LPCM 2.0 (96/24)

  Signs of Life

  Learning to Fly

  The Dogs of War

  One Slip

  On the Turning Away

  Yet Another Movie

  Round and Around

  A New Machine Part 1

  Terminal Frost

  A New Machine Part 2

  Sorrow

  
  Produced by Bob Ezrin and David Gilmour
  2019 audio remix by Andy Jackson with David Gilmour assisted by Damon Iddins

• The Division Bell Remixed (1:06:31)
  Audio Options: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (96/24), LPCM 5.1 (96/24)

  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

  
  Porduced by Bob Ezrin and David Gilmour
  Remixed in 2014 by Andy Jackson and Damon Iddins

• Unreleased Material (34:13)
  Audio Options: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (96/24), LPCM 5.1 (96/24), LPCM 2.0 (96/24)

  The Division Bell Sessions:

  Blues 1

  Slippery Guitar

  Rick's Theme

  David's Blues

  Marooned Jam

  Nirvana

  High Hopes (Early Version)

  Produced by Bob Ezrin and David Gilmour
  2019 audio mix by Andy Jackson with David Gilmour assisted by Damon Iddins

Blu-ray Disc 7

• Delicate Sound of Thunder Restored & Remixed (1080p; 1:55:27)
  Audio Options: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (96/24), LPCM 2.0 (96/24)

  1. Shine on You Crazy Diamond, Parts 1-5

  2. Signs of Life

  3. Learning to Fly

  4. Sorrow

  5. The Dogs of War

  6. On the Turning Away

  7. One of These Days

  8. Time

  9. On the Run

  10. The Great Gig in the Sky

  11. Wish You Were Here

  12. Us and Them

  13. Money

  14. Comfortably Numb

  15. One Slip

  16. Run Like Hell

  Directed by Wayne Isham
  Audio Produced by David Gilmour, assisted by Damon Iddins
  Editor 2019 version: Benny Trickett
  Creative Director 2019 version: Aubrey Powell/Hipgnosis

Pink Floyd has subsequently issued this in two standalone Blu-ray releases, Pink Floyd: Delicate Sound of Thunder and Pink Floyd: Delicate Sound of Thunder (which includes a DVD and CD).

Blu-ray Disc 8

• P-U-L-S-E Restored and Re-Edited (1080p; 2:23:53)
  Audio Options: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (96/24), LPCM 2.0 (96/24)

  Shine on You Crazy Diamond, Parts 1-5, 7

  Learning to Fly

  High Hopes

  Take It Back

  Coming Back to Life

  Sorrow

  Keep Talking

  Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2

  One of These Days

  
  The Dark Side of the Moon

  Speak to Me

  Breathe (In the Air)

  On the Run

  Time

  The Great Gig in the Sky

  Money

  Us and Them

  Any Colour You Like

  Brain Damage

  Eclipse

  
  Encores

  Wish You Were Here

  Comfortably Numb

  Run Like Hell

  Directed by David Mallet
  2019 edit by Benny Trickett
  Creative Director: Aubrey Powell
  Music production James Guthrie and David Gilmour
  Mixed by James Guthrie, assisted by Joel Plante
  Filmed live on 20 October 1994 at Earls Court, London, UK
  Restored and re-edited from the original tape masters in 2019

Blu-ray Disc 9
Venice Concert 1989 / Knebworth Concert 1990

• Venice Concert 1989 (1080p; 1:29:47)
  Audio Option: LPCM 2.0 (48/24)

  Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Part 1

  Learning to Fly

  Yet Another Movie

  Round and Around

  Sorrow

  The Dogs of War

  On the Turning Away

  Time

  The Great Gig in the Sky

  Wish You Were Here

  Money

  Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2

  Comfortably Numb

  Fireworks

  Directed by Wayne Isham, Egbert van Hees
  Filmed in Venice, Italy on 15 July 1989


• Knebworth Concert 1990 (1080p; 57:07)
  Audio Options: LPCM 2.0 (48/24), DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (48/24)

  Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Parts 1-5

  The Great Gig in the Sky

  Wish You Were Here

  Sorrow

  Money

  Comfortably Numb

  Run Like Hell

  Directed by Larry Jordan
  2019 edit by Gavin Elder
  2019 audio remix by Andy Jackson with David Gilmour assisted by Damon Iddins Filmed at Knebworth House, Hertfordshire, UK, on 30 June 1990 in aid of the Nordoff Robbins Music Therapy Centre an the BRIT School for Performing Arts and Technology
  A further donation has been amde to Nordoff Robbins on behalf of Pink Floyd and all the musicians who performed with them at the Knebworth 1990 concert

Blu-ray Disc 10
Unreleased Live Films, Music Videos & Concert Screen Films

• Music Videos (1080p; 31:59)
  Audio Option: LPCM 2.0 (48/24)

  Learning to Fly 1987

  Marooned 2014

  Take It Back 1994

  High Hopes 1994

  Louder Than Words 2014

  Learning to Fly (Alternate Version) 1987

• Bonus Live Tracks from Delicate Sound of Thunder (1080p; 15:38)
  Audio Option: LPCM 2.0 (96/24)

  Yet Another Movie

  Round and Around

  A New Machine Part 1

  Terminal Frost

  A New Machine Part 2

• Pulse Tour Rehearsal 1994 (1080p; 15:49)
  Audio Option: LPCM 2.0 (96/24)

  A Great Day for Freedom Version 1

  A Great Day for Freedom Version 2

  Lost for Words

• Concert Screen Films 1987 (1080p; 30:51)
  Audio Option: LPCM 2.0 (96/24)

  Signs of Life

  Learning to Fly

  The Dogs of War

  One of These Days

  Speak to Me

  On the Run

  Us and Them

  Money

  Brain Damage + Eclipse

• Concert Screen Films 1994 (1080p; 31:54)
  Audio Option: LPCM 2.0 (96/24)

  Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Parts 1-4, 7

  Speak to Me

  Time

  The Great Gig in the Sky

  Money

  Us and Them (Black & White)

  Us and Them (Colour)

  Brain Damage + Eclipse North America

  Brain Damage + Eclipse Europe

  Brain Damage Earl's Court, London

• The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame 1996 (1080p; 10:28)
  Audio Option: LPCM 2.0 (48/24)

  Wish You Were Here with Billy Corgan

Blu-ray Disc 11
Documentaries & Unreleased Material

• Arnold Layne Live 2007 (Syd Barrett Tribute Concert) (1080p; 4:40)
  Audio Option: LPCM 2.0 (48/24)


• A Momentary Lapse of Reason Album Cover Shoot 1987 (1080p; 8:47)
  Audio Option: LPCM 2.0 (48/24)


• The Division Bell Album Cover Photography 1994 (1080p; 6:11)
  Audio Option: LPCM 2.0 (48/24)


• Pulse TV Ad 1995 (1080p; 1:02)
  Audio Option: LPCM 2.0 (48/24)


• The Endless River Film by Ian Emes (1080p; 52:59 )
  Audio Options: LPCM 2.0 (96/24), DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (96/24)

  Side 1

  Things Left Unsaid

  It's What We Do

  Ebb and Flow

  Side 2

  Sum

  Skins

  Unsung

  Anisina

  Side 3

  The Lost Art of Conversation

  On Noodle Street

  Night Light

  Allons-y (1)

  Autumn '68

  Allons-y (2)

  Talkin' Hawkin'

  Side 4

  Calling

  Eyes to Pearls

  Surfacing

  Louder than Words

• Documentary Material
  Audio Option: LPCM 2.0 (48/24)

  David Gilmour & Storm Thorgerson Interview (A Momentary Lapse of Reason Album Cover Photo Shoot 1997) (1080p; 1:49)

  The Division Bell Airships 1994 (1080p; 5:56)

  Behind the Scenes (Interviews with the Lead Technicians for the Division Bell Tour) (1080p; 30:00)

  Arnold Layne Rehearsal 2007 (Syd Barrett Tribute Concert) (1080p; 3:53)

  The Endless River Launch Event 2014 (Porchester Hall, London) (1080p; 2:03)

  The Endless River EPK 2014 (1080p; 9:01)

Pink Floyd: The Later Years Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Pink Floyd: The Later Years is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Pink Floyd Records with AVC encoded 1080p transfers in a variety of aspect ratios, though with most video elements tending toward either 1.78:1 or 1.33:1. I've tried to supply a range of screenshots to accompany this review, in the hopes that my kind of generic "quality is variable" statement can be taken in context. A lot of this material looks sharp as a tack, especially some of the concert videos and contemporary interview segments. Even some archival material looks surprisingly spry, with great detail levels and nicely suffused palette. However, some of the older concert material in particular can be pretty ragged looking, and some of it looks upscaled to me, or at least sourced from fairly shoddy looking video. I'd say at its best this set easily approaches 5.0 levels of video excellence, while some of the less impressive moments tend to stray down toward the 3.0 to 3.5 territory, so the above score is an average.

Pink Floyd: The Later Years Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Pink Floyd: The Later Years features a number of different audio options, as outlined above in my list of everything included on the Blu-ray discs. Some of the "new" remixed material, as in A Momentary Lapse of Reason, may not be overly dramatic in terms of radically reinventing the soundstage of earlier presentations, but there's really appealing, almost crystalline, fidelity flowing from the 5.1 tracks in particular. The overall sound of this particular remix struck me as somewhat dryer than the original, but I found it pleasing and maybe even preferable. Those interested can read my thoughts on the audio presentations of some of the other albums and/or efforts in the links to other Pink Floyd releases contained in my opening paragraph, above, including the first link to Delicate Sound of Thunder under that particular listing above. In terms of Delicate Sound of Thunder, it's some of the live material on this set that may capture the fancy of some as much as some of the new remixes, and if the video quality of some of the live performances can look lackluster at times, the audio is typically fantastic throughout, with good balance, excellent clarity and generally fine prioritization (I'm kind of a curmudgeon and often wish audience sounds were mixed further back in things, but on the whole there's not a ton to complain about here in terms of audio). The previously unreleased Knebworth and Venice concerts find the band in great form, and while the Venice concert doesn't offer a surround track, its stereo audio is nicely imaged and offers solid fidelity. I know a number of Pink Floyd fans who are not particular fans of P-U-L-S-E, but again the audio sounds beautifully clear and especially spacious in the surround mix, with problem free fidelity and good, propulsive energy in the accounting of the rhythm section in particular.

Pink Floyd: The Later Years Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Holy moley on rye, one hardly knows where to begin with a set this massive, but let's start with just the basic dimensions of the outer packaging: approximately 13 1/8" wide by 13 3/16" high by 3" deep (in other words, this is probably not going to fit right next to your "regular" Blu-ray collection). Opening the box reveals what turns into an almost archaeological dig through "layers" of material, beginning with three softbound (but gorgeous) tour books and a softbound book of lyrics. An LP sized cardstock envelope contains a treasure trove of memorabilia, including reproduction tickets, two really cool 45 rpm 7" vinyl albums (with embossed undersides like I've frankly never seen before), both in their own heavy cardstock illustrated sleeves. A large (basically just slightly less wide and high than the box itself) hardback book of photos comes next. Finally you arrive at what most folks reading this review will find of greatest interest: what amounts to a digibook containing 5 CDs (A Momentary Lapse of Reason Remixed & Updated; Delicate Sound of Thunder Remixed Part 1; Delicate Sound of Thunder Remixed Part 2; Live Recordings, 1987 & 1994, Unreleased Studio Recordings; Knebworth Concert 1990) and 5 DVDs (Delicate Sound of Thunder Restored & Remixed; P-U-L-S-E Restored & Re-edited; Venice Concert 1989 / Knebworth Concert 1990; Unreleased Live Films, Music Videos & Concert Screen Films; Documentaries & Unreleased Material), in addition to the Blu-ray discs listed above.

Pink Floyd: The Later Years Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Yes, this set is almost insanely expensive, but it will be appreciated by many fans of Pink Floyd, especially if they like "the Gilmour era". This doesn't have the deep dive into archival and/or unreleased material that The Early Years does, perhaps at least due in part to the fact that there simply isn't that much material still unreleased after all of the aforementioned deluxe and/or "immersion" sets I've linked to above. Video quality here is a bit variable, but when it's excellent, it's fantastic looking. The audio throughout is superb, and the supplements in terms of both other media (i.e., CDs and DVDs) and the non disc swag is actually kind of mind boggling. Highly recommended.