So, Roger Dean finally did a Pink Floyd album cover. Sort of. Believe it or not this was a #1 charting album in 1995. Of course the chart in question was the Classical Crossover chart, and the timing was pretty good too, with The Division Bell still relatively fresh. I never sought out this album; it was a gift from my parents, who were trying to relate to the kind of music I was listening to in the mid-1990's. While Iron Maiden was barely tolerated and Metallica could only be played when they were away, Pink Floyd intrigued them. Maybe their was hope for their son after all, but a little classical music appreciation couldn't hurt either.
Oddly enough the masterminds behind this are Jaz Coleman and Youth, from the post-punk outfit Killing Joke (and in the case of Youth, one half of The Fireman alongside Paul McCartney). I know next to nothing about Killing Joke beyond the name, but I'm pretty sure this doesn't sound like their music, so that's kind of weird. However this isn't muzak Pink Floyd. There are some pretty clever arrangements here, especially "Money" and "Another Brick in the Wall (Part 2)" which, in original Floydian form do not exactly scream classical music. On the other hand, there is also a pronounced lack of imagination in exclusively going after only songs from Dark Side of the Moon and The Wall. Hell, "Comfortably Numb" is already rocking orchestration in its original form. As an added bonus there is a remix of the opening track "Time", stuck to the end of the proper album, that would make anyone crazy if playing "Name That Tune" as it's now two steps removed from its origins. Overall, this is not that exciting an album, but if it falls at your feet, you might as well pick it up and give it a spin.
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