Pink Floyd - The Later Years 1987-2019 (2019) [18-Disc Box Set] Updated

The Later Years 1987-2019 is an explicit sequel to The Early Years 1965-1972, the 2016 box set that rounded up nearly all the loose ends and detours from the first era of Pink Floyd, the fearless period when they were figuring out what the band could do. The Later Years covers a different time, when their most pressing challenge was demonstrating that they could thrive artistically and commercially without the presence of Roger Waters, the bassist/songwriter who charted Floyd's direction between 1973's Dark Side of the Moon and 1983's The Final Cut. In the parlance of these deluxe box sets, that decade amounts to "The Middle Years," a period far more prolific than 1987-2019, when the group released just two studio albums along with two live albums and a posthumous project that didn't arrive until 2014, by which time the group had largely been inactive for 20 years.

This is a roundabout way of explaining that the source material for The Later Years isn't as rich as it was for The Early Years, a problem that has been addressed by emphasizing the luxurious aspects of this decidedly lavish box sets. As a package, The Later Years eclipses The Early Years, containing replicas of tour programs, laminates and posters, a hardcover book of photos, and a folio of lyrics, all housed in a heavy 12x12 box. The video material is similarly thorough, containing all the promotional clips from A Momentary Lapse of Reason, The Division Bell, and Endless River, along with assorted documentary and behind the scenes footage, films projects at concerts, and, best of all, footage from the 2007 tribute to the departed Syd Barrett which featured the last live performance of David Gilmour, Nick Mason, and Rick Wright together. This version is also presented as one of the two 7" singles included in the set, but unheard aural rarities aren't necessarily the point of the set. To be sure, there are some, including a clutch of seven largely instrumental outtakes from the Division Bell sessions in 1994, but much of The Later Years consists of tweaks to the existing catalog. Most dramatically, A Momentary Lapse of Reason is revised so it's stripped of shiny '80s accouterments and sounds more like The Division Bell. Some of these alterations are subtle, some are startling, and the overall effect is striking: Momentary is now softer and streamlined, sounding more like a Floyd album than a Gilmour solo effort. The rest of the box is devoted to live material, available on CDs and Blu-Rays and DVDs that mirror each other. Delicate Sound of Thunder is remixed and its film is restored, P*U*L*S*E isn't here as an album but the film has been re-edited, Live at Knebworth 1990 – a concert previously excerpted on a various-artists compilation – is here in full, along with live B-sides released between 1987 and 1994, and a 1989 concert in Venice that is an exclusive on the Blu-Ray/DVD portion. Another Blu-Ray/DVD exclusive is a 5.1 mix of The Division Bell, whose absence feels even stronger when the rest of the box has so much live material that generally follows the same set lists and arrangements. The repetition is noticeable but ultimately minor for the box's target audience of dedicated Floyd fans, who will surely appreciate the care given to both the remastering and the packaging. On that level alone, The Later Years is something of a wonder, which means it's certainly worthwhile for those who have the interest and the cash to partake.

by Stephen Thomas Erlewine, allmusic

Tracklist CD1 - A Momentary Lapse Of Reason:

Updated And Remixed 2019
01 Signs Of Life
02 Learning To Fly
03 The Dogs Of War
04 One Slip
05 On The Turning Away
06 Yet Another Movie
07 Round And Around
08 A New Machine Part 1
09 Terminal Frost
10 A New Machine Part 2
11 Sorrow



Tracklist CD2-3 - Delicate Sound Of Thunder (Live):

Remixed 2019
01 Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Parts 1-5
02 Signs Of Life
03 Learning To Fly
04 Yet Another Movie
05 Round And Round
06 A New Machine Part 1
07 Terminal Frost
08 A New Machine Part 2
09 Sorrow
10 The Dogs Of War
11 On The Turning Away



01 One Of These Days
02 Time
03 On The Run
04 The Great Gig In The Sky
05 Wish You Were Here
06 Welcome To The Machine
07 Us And Them
08 Money
09 Another Brick In The Wall Part 2
10 Comfortably Numb
11 One Slip
12 Run Like Hell



Tracklist CD4 - Live Recordings 1987 & 1994:

Unreleased Studio Material
01 One Of These Days (Live In Hannover 1994)
02 Astronomy Domine (Live In Miami 1994)
03 The Dogs Of War (Live In Atlanta 1987)
04 On The Turning Away (Live In Atlanta 1987)
05 Run Like Hell (Live In Atlanta 1987)
06 Blues 1 (Unreleased 1994 Recording)
07 Slippery Guitar (Unreleased 1994 Recording)
08 Rick's Theme (Unreleased 1994 Recording)
09 David's Blues (Unreleased 1994 Recording)
10 Marooned Live Jam (1994 Recording)
11 Nervana (Unreleased 1994 Recording)
12 High Hopes (Early Version / 1994 Recording)



Tracklist CD5 - Knebworth Concert 1990:

5 Knebworth Concert 1990
Unreleased And Remixed
01 Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Parts 1-5
02 The Great Gig In The Sky
03 Wish You Were Here
04 Sorrow
05 Money
06 Comfortably Numb
07 Run Like Hell



Tracklist DVD1 - Delicate Sound Of Thunder Film:

2019 Restored & Re-Mixed
01 Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Parts 1-5
02 Signs Of Life
03 Learning To Fly
04 Sorrow
05 The Dogs Of War
06 On The Turning Away
07 One Of These Days
08 Time
09 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



Tracklist DVD2 - DVD2 Pulse Film:

2019 Restored & Re-Edited
Filmed Live On 20 October 1994
At Earls Court, London, UK
01 Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Parts 1-5
02 Learning To Fly
03 High Hopes
04 Take It Back
05 Coming Back To Life
06 Sorrow
07 Keep Talking
08 Another Brick In The Wall Part 2
09 One Of These Days
The Dark Side Of The Moon
10 Speak To Me
11 Breather (In The Air)
12 On The Run
13 Time
14 The Great Gig In The Sky
15 Money
16 Us And Them
17 Any Colour You Like
18 Brain Damage
19 Eclipse
Encores
20 Wish You Were Here
21 Comfortably Numb
22 Run Like Hell



Tracklist DVD3 - Venice Concert 1989 / Knebworth Concert 1990:

Live In Venice 15 July 1989
01 Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Parts 1-5
02 Learning To Fly (with End What)
03 Yet Another Movie
04 Round And Round
05 Sorrow
06 The Dogs Of War
07 On The Turning Away
08 Time
09 The Great Gig In The Sky
10 Wish You Were Here
11 Money
12 Another Brick In The Wall
13 Comfortably Numb
14 Run Like Hell
15 Fireworks
Live At Knebworth 1990 / 2019 Mix
01 Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Parts 1-5
02 The Great Gig In The Sky
03 Wish You Were Here
04 Sorrow
05 Money
06 Comfortably Numb
07 Run Like Hell



Tracklist DVD4 - DVD4 Unreleased Live Films, Music Videos & Screen Films:

Music Videos
01 Learning To Fly (2011 Remaster)
02 Marooned (PCM Stereo Version)
03 Take It Back (2019 Remaster)
04 High Hopes (2011 Remaster)
05 Louder Than Words (Edit)
06 Learning To Fly (Alternate Version)
Bonus Live Tracks From
Delicate Sound Of Thunder
01 Yet Another Movie
02 Round And Round
03 A New Machine Part 1
04 Terminal Frost
05 A New Machine Part 2
Tour Rehearsal 1994
01 A Great Day For Freedom Version 1
02 A Great Day For Freedom Version 2
03 Lost For Words
Concert Screen Films 1987
01 Signs Of Life
02 Learning To Fly
03 The Dogs Of War
04 One Of These Days
05 Speak To Me
06 On The Run
07 Us And Them
08 Money
09 Brain Damage + Eclipse
Concert Screen Films 1994
01 Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Parts 1-4, 7
02 Speak To Me
03 Time
04 The Great Gig In The Sky
05 Money
06 Us And Them (Black & White)
07 Us And Them (Colour)
08 Brain Damage + Eclipse (North American Dates)
09 Brain Damage + Eclipse (European Dates)
10 Brain Damage (Earls Court London Dates)
Wish You Were
(Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction)
01 Wish You Were Here with Billy Corgan



Tracklist DVD5 - Documentaries And Unreleased Material:

PCM Stereo 48/24
01 Arnold Layne Live 2007 (Syd Barrett Tribute Concert)
02 A Momentary Lapse Of Reason - Album Cover Photo Shoot 1987
03 The Division Bell - Album Cover Photography (Ely, Cambridgeshire, UK)
04 Pulse TV Ad 1995
05 The Endless River Film By Ian Emes
DTS Master Audio 5.1 96/24, PCM Stereo 96/24
Side 1
Things Left Unsaid / It’s What We Do / Ebb And Flow
Side 2
Sum / Skins / Unsung / Anisina
Side 2
The Lost Art Of Conversation / On Noodle Street / Night Light
Allons-y (1) / Autumn ’68 / Allons-y (2) / Talkin’ Hawkin’
Side 1
Calling / Eyes To Pearls / Surfacing / Louder Than Words
06 A Momentary Lapse Of Reason Cover Shoot Interview
with David Gilmour And Storm Thorgerson
07 The Division Bell Airships 1994
08 Behind The Scenes - The Division Bell Tour
09 Arnold Layne Rehearsal (Syd Barrett Tribute 2007)
10 The Endless River - Launch Event 2014
11 The Endless River EPK 2014


All thanks go to ALLexxess