Roger Waters
The Wall: Live in Berlin (Mercury) (STAR)(STAR)
The July 21 live re-creation of Pink Floyd`s ”The Wall” in Berlin wasn`t the greatest event for symbolism. First, there was the inescapable irony that in celebrating the reunification of Germany, Roger Waters couldn`t even reunite his own band. Also, with the exception of the ”Tear down the wall” chant, the concept album is a personal rock star saga that doesn`t really resonate against the backdrop of current world events. It also isn`t a project that logically lends itself to the all-star treatment; there aren`t enough characters to go around, so Sinead O`Connor sings ”Mother” and leaves intact the line wondering whether ”they” will break a certain part of the singer`s male anatomy. Ah well, there is the music to consider, which is pretty sluggish, actually; Waters misses his old buddies more than he`ll admit. Several of the songs, like the Van Morrison-crooned ”Comfortably Numb,” retain their majesty, and I guess you have to admire the extent to which Waters and company tried to recapture a studio extravaganza by enlisting orchestras and choirs. Otherwise, there`s little reason not to stick with the original.
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