Classical Composer Reacts to Echoes-Live in Gdansk (David Gilmour) | The Daily Doug (Episode 127) 

Pink Floyd wasn't playing Phantom of the Opera, Phantom of the Opera was playing Pink Floyd

You really MUST watch 'Echoes' Live in Pompeii 1972. Watch them play this masterpiece while they were young. An awrsome experience.

Considering this was the last time Echoes was played, and will ever be played by David Gilmour since the passing of Richard Wright, makes this so poignant and beautiful. Richard Wright deserves more credit for pink floyds sound than he is given. my favorite song of all time.

In case nobody has noted Doug, Echoes was released in 1971 on the album Meddle. Phantom of the Opera was released in 1986.

Keyboardist is Richard Wright, original Pink Floyd player. This show was the last time they played the song before Richard died, after that David Gilmour said he won't play this song without him

You called it "The Phantom of the Opera progression"... In reality, the Phantom should be called the "Echoes" Progress as it was written 15 years prior to POTO Musical release.

David likens this song to a “conversation between two old friends” meaning himself and Rick. He has said that he will no longer perform Echoes. In his words, “Not without Rick”. Thank God for RU-vid so we can still enjoy the talents of all the great performers who’ve passed away but that were recorded on video to be enjoyed forever! RIP Rick!

I live in Gdańsk and I watched it live. Amazing concert :)

In a press release when David Gilmour announced he would be playing at the Pompeii ruins (after 45 years or so since the Live at Pompeii film), many fans were asking and begging him to play Echoes there (as they did in 1972). He declined to. His reasoning was solid and relevant to your analysis. He said that Echoes (musically) was always intended to be a "musical conversation" between himself and Richard Wright. Since Rick had passed from cancer a few years prior he added "regrettably, that's a conversation which can never happen again." My two cents worth. Thanks, Doug!

That beautiful exchange at the end between Rick and David, it was them saying goodbye to each other, they knew it was going to be the last time they played the song together. They kept Rick's cancer hidden from the public. I've never seen anything so solem and moving in all of music.

"lyrics are just as good as everything else" One of the main reasons I love PF so much. No show-offs and virtuosisms, just a full dose of art!

I think this was the last time David Gilmour and Richard Wright played together. Wright was terminally ill here. And there is a couple of moments in this concert, where they are looking and smiling to each other as saying "Thank you old friend. It's been a blast!" Very very moving. RIP Richard! BTW. Richard Wright on keys was one of the founding members of the bands that eventualy became Pink Floyd along with Nick Mason and Roger Waters (and Bob Klose). Guy Pratt on bass has played with Pink Floyd/Gilmour since 1987, and also played with Madonna and Michael Jackson. Phil Manzanera on guitar was a member of Roxy Music. Steve DiStanislao on drums was a drummer for Crosby, Stills, Nash ans Young. Jon Carin on keys has played with Pink Floyd/Gilmour since 1987, and has also played with Roger Waters, Pete Townsed, Eddie Vedder and Kate Bush. Quite a band.

Dogs from Pink Floyd needs to be your future friday's listening

In 2 weeks, Shine On You Crazy Diamond! Please?!

24:20 "The Patience" Pink Floyd was a very patient band. They knew how to properly develop a theme. David Gilmour didn't have to hammer the guitar like Eddie Van Halen to connote great emotion. He could get a lot more out his guitar with far, far fewer notes. The precision with which he chose which notes to play (or not) is the magic behind his solos.

I have always felt Live in Gdansk was David Gilmours' finest solo moment. I've seen him in every tour he has done 1984-2015

Very moving performance, two old friends playing toghether for the last time. R.I.P. Richard Right.

Gilmour has that uncanny ability to evoke emotion from that guitar that I have never heard anyone else achieve.

The Pompeii version is too powerful in my head, my mind, my heart, and reminds me of a unique event in my life that no other version of it can ever replace.

RIP richard Wright. An absolutely beautiful composition from these two legends. Thanks Doug for reviewing this song

Small correction: Phantom of the Opera was playing Echoes. I think there was a legal battle over it, but it may have not escalated to that.

I have to admit, my eyes were welling up a little as I watched Richard play.

I know this is all about the song and the amazing music being played but has anybody noticed just how quiet, just how engaged and just how respectful the crowd is? Here they are, playing in front of 50,000 (or more) people and you can't even hear a peep ( 23:00 through 27:00) . They are that engrossed into what the band is playing. Amazing.

I grew up in the Seventies in Spain. I didn't know a word of English (My second language was French). I was mesmerized by their artistry, their depth, their simplicity and later in my life (I learned English), their amazing lyrics. They have been the symphony that soothed my soul throughout the years and I am dismayed at the lack of substance of the music nowadays. Thank you so much Pink Floyd and Great Britain for such an amazing trip!

Richard Wright and David Gilmour's voices always complimented so nicely.

David Gilmore describes this song as a conversation between his guitar and Rick Wright's keyboard. With Rick's passing, David has said he will never perform it again.

I'm trying to immerse myself into the music and you are interrupting with your analysis. Having followed them for 50 years, I know how great they are. I also know that their music will live forever. Their like will never be seen again. I have perfect pitch and play the violin. Your non-stop analysis detracts from the music and spoils a wonderful performance.

Wright on the keyboard is absolutely amazing!! The progression of this song gives goosebumps every time.

The seagull effect was discovered by accident when David’s wah pedal had the cables accidentally reversed & it caused feedback sounding like a bird (for whatever reason people call it a seagull). David found it musically useable. As a result he ended up having Pete Cornish (the man responsible for his pedalboard wiring for years upon years) rewire his wah pedal specifically for this effect alone. The effect is varied in intensity by manipulating the second tone knob while on the bridge pickup, which requires having the second tone pot wired up on the bridge pickup as well as the middle pickup.

I love the way the crowd reacts to the very first sound. Just ONE note and everyone is always screaming. Love it.

the final part is a emotional farewell to Rick. Goosebumps.

My all time favourite Pink Floyd song! The 1st time I heard this was driving back to Boston very late at night on a pitch black deserted 2 lane highway. It must have been in the early 70's. I had an FM radio in my car and this song came on. It was totally ethereal. Driving this moonless night with only my driving lights and my instrument panel providing me with any illumination, it was easy to imagine that it was an airship I was guiding rather than my trusty Datsun 510. The next day I had to seek out this exceptional album and purchase it from my local record store.

The Keyboard player is one of the original members of Pink Floyd, Richard William Wright (28 July 1943 - 15 September 2008)

Yep....Lloyd-Webber totally ripped off that part for Phantom. Roger was asked about it in an interview once and said he couldn't be bothered suing him lol.

The bird effect is done live, by plugging the wah-pedal in reverse and closed tone knob, if you turn on wah pedal and turn the tone knob from 0-10 gives this bird effect - you can check it yourself!

In my opinion one of the most beautiful rock songs ever, poignant and deep. Great show when the likes of Gilmour and Wright play. Rest quiet Rick your talent will remain immortal

The "bird" guitar part was accidental in the studio when some one hooked up David's WahWah backwards and found those sounds. The rest is Echo's history.

this is an exceptional live version...however, the studio version is by far superior...it contains so much more nuances...pure perfection. my personal favorite song of all time, and always will be.

Richard Wright is such a master keyboardist and so dearly missed. Love Pink Floyd and Echoes.

To this day I think this is the best version of Echoes ever. I don't know what it is but it feels the most alive.

They didn't "record the guitar to make it sound like a bird"...that is David playing that live, right here, right now. He was simply a God on making whatever sound he wanted from his guitars.

David said he couldn't possibly play this song again without Rick. A fitting end. What a performance.

One wonderful thing about experiencing Pink Floyd in concert is that they understand how special it is for the audience to be there and they put forth such an effort to make it phenomenal.

Echoes was our ROLEPLAYING SOUNDTRACK for "you are in a swampy area".

Stage left is Phil Manzanera, guitarist for Roxy Music, stage right on keyboards and vocals is Richard Wright (who was on the original studio recording).

The synergy between David and Rick was something out of the ordinary. Rest In Peace.

David and Richard do a remarkable conversation with each other with their playing….absolutely brilliant

It’s like a communication between guitar and keyboards.. Definitely one of their masterpieces

That Live in Gdansk is one of the best live albums around

From 17.00 still brings tears to my eyes. Richard Wright is a genius. God Bless him.

I was in Gdańsk in 2006 on this concert. in the 2nd row... and this was the dream come truth, because I saw a half of Floyds live on stage with their classics and... with Gdańsk Baltic Orchestra conducting by Zbigniew Preisner himself (!!!) and Leszek Możdżer on piano in few song from Gilmours "On an Island" songs. This was amazing! I've cried meny times on this "show". I never swa Pink Floyd live because... well.. they never came to Poland, and I was to young to go to another country to see them. So... after 15y from Gdańsk... I still have a huge felling about this live. very sentimental.

Music doesn't get much better than this...a fantastic master piece 🌞

This version is important as it was the last time Rick Wright played Echoes before his passing, although credited to the whole band Echoes is a Wright composition. I second the recommendation below from Alan Tattersall about the Pompii version, a must listen.

Glad you enjoyed and appreciated this stunning piece of music. David Gilmour and Richard Wright had a strong empathy both as musicians especially their harmonies but also as great friends. David never really got over Richard's untimely death. Whilst Roger Waters wrote the piece it is how all four Floyd members interpreted this glorious avant-garde rock piece that makes it so special.

I just cannot decide if this or the original version is the best ever rendition of the fantastic piece of music. The fact that it was one of Rick Wright’s final live performances makes it even more epic. The way his keyboards and Gilmour’s guitar ending bounce off each other in Gdańsk so well, makes it an equal to the original version for me.

The public audience just continues to grow - marvellous after 50 years - now we have the Tribute Bands to keep us sane! TIMELESS!!!!

I was hoping someone pointed out that Echoes pre-dates Phantom by several years...y’all did not disappoint! Of the matter, Waters said “Yeah, the beginning of that bloody Phantom song is from Echoes. *DAAAA-da-da-da-da-da*. I couldn't believe it when I heard it. It's the same time signature-it's 12/8-and it's the same structure and it's the same notes and it's the same everything. Bastard. It probably is actionable. It really is! But I think that life's too long to bother with suing Andrew f**king Lloyd Webber.”

I think Richard Wright is really saying goodbye to all of us at the end. And Gilmour is already immersed in sadness.

I can forgive someone who isn't a die-hard fan from not knowing Richard Wright, but his contribution to the band should never be under-estimated. He was one of the members from the original band (Syd Barret years) and while he left for a while he truly was the glue. The only memner who actually had professional training and the true one who helped the arrangements come together. Not the greated keyboard/piano there was, but he was definatly the go-between that kept Roger and David from killing each other.

I heard PF play Meddle and Dark Side of the Moon live in 1973 before anybody really knew who they were. I had certainly never heard of them before, but I fell in love with them. I was 17. Today I'm 65 and I've grown up with all of their music, some of which I like more than others -- mainly Meddle, DSotM, and Wish You Were Here, with a handful of songs from other albums. I think it's b/c those three albums were not like any "album" I've ever heard. They're "episodic" -- like one long song. If I was stranded on an island and could only have one music album, it would be Dark Side. The next two would be Wish You Were Here and Meddle. I can listen to them over and over and over ... and never get tired of them. I don't know why that is, but it's the truth. I know nothing about music theory. I suspect anybody with a musical ear (NOT me!) can follow the chord changes in the music, but those comments mean nothing to me. I'm far more interested in hearing your take on the overall composition and flow of the music. Why do you think is this music so damned addictive? And why do you suspect PF's music has been in the TOP-100 charts longer than any other band's music in history?

This song is a journey... and once it starts I have to stay till the end. As proven yet again by this video I clicked on, originally without the intention to listen to it whole. Yet here I am.

This song was written in early 1969. After playing all through the 70's, a PINK FLOYD concert consisted of them playing 2 complete albums, side one , track one all through. Three song encore, at that point they would always end the show by playing the entire ECHOES suite. Leaving the audience stunned! How do I know this? I've seen every show east of the Mississippi starting in October 1968 through the last American tour PULSE 1994

Doug, Meddle was the first Floyd Album I bought when I was 14 years old, 1971. Still one of my favourites, and Echoes timestamps many wonderful memories for me. Glad you enjoyed it.

One of the greatest musical compositions of the twentieth century. So powerful and haunting.

The "bird" or "seagull" portions aren't recorded - they're played live. It was originally an accidental discovery, but after David perfected the "backwards wah" effect, he had whomever was building his effects rigs (either Bob Bradshaw or Pete Cornish depending on the era) put in a reversing circuit for the wah. You trigger it with the wah cocked, and use the tone control and a volume pedal to manipulate the pitch and level. I'm in a Pink Floyd tribute band, and one of our guitar players has the setup to do it. We blend Echoes into One of These Days, and it's during the crossover that he brings this sound out.

Live at Pompeii is the version you need to review to see Pink Floyd in it's prime.

This is my favorite PF song. I was in Gdansk for this concert. I am getting goose bumps watching you nail the chords. And the surprise this song brings you.

DOUG u HAVE to do one for the album version it's so spectacular

Richard Wright and David Gilmour - I always get chills...

You asked, is this version of Echoes similar to the studio version? Answer: yes, very similar. I like this version better because it really features Richard Wright's mastery of the keyboards and, of course, has high-quality video to chronicle the performance. As a young lad I used to listen to Echoes every night in my lightweight Sennheiser headphones, normally falling asleep before the song finished. I also regularly listed "Warren's Top 25" songs, and noted Pink Floyd - Echoes was my #1 on March 1, 1981. You could actually do several good shows using the songs from that March 1, 1981 list.

Thank you for reviewing this, one of my top 5 Floyd songs, and this version is my fave, it's positively an astounding aural experience

I made the mistake of watching the original Pompeii version, then the one in Gdansk. Both superb, emotional works, but the difference in David and Richard physically just brought home how the cruelties of ageing affect us all.

Dont talk while Gilmour's playin his solo

Atom heart mother suite please, underrated gem!

I listened to a lot of your reactions Doug. This was the first one where I thought: don't talk through the music :-).

Their music is like fine wine! It only gets better with age...

and yes, it’s a piano going through a leslie case... an interface that didn’t exist and the engineers at abbey road studios had to build special for richard wright back when

Great reaction, Doug. The musicians on this track: Lead guitar - David Gilmour Rhythm guitar - Phil Manzanera Main keyboards - Richard Wright (RIP) Backing keyboards - John Carin Bass - Guy Pratt Drums/percussion - Steve DiStanislao Phil, Guy, and John have been with David since the Pulse tours (as Pink Floyd, with original drummer Nick Mason).

That's it, Doug!! The piano goes through a Leslie speaker, so the "bubbly" sound.

I personally prefer the studio album version, but to watch them perform this live is a treat. The "conversation" between the keyboards and guitar throughout is epic. To imagine a group of guys in their early 20's composing this masterpiece is mind blowing.

This live version is delightful. The original version is astounding.

So grateful that 300 years from now people will be listening to Pink Floyd with the same reverence as we listen to Mozart, Beethoven ETC today...…..and I got to see David Gilmour live......

Doug, I recently discovered your channel- excellent. One of the people I kinda teach asked me about dynamics the other day. I just showed him the outro to this. It's the most perfect example of light and shade in a song- that interplay at the end is incredible. Keep up the good work.

I'm glad you did this and stopped a few times. This piece is one of my favorites because of EVERYTHING in it. The lyrics, the flow, the way it wants you to feel and the way it sweeps you up inside yourself and then lets you down gently but filled with thought. People that get Floyd, get it. Those that don't...are trying to keep those walls up.

What a lovely and heart felt comment from a man that knows his music

My favorite part is near the end where the guitar and keyboard are talking to each other.

Wow that was really spot on for a live performance! Thanks for getting me back down the Pink Floyd rabbit hole!

I used to meditate to this song a lot in my teenage years. For me, it wasn't just about human beings, but about all life and about the cosmos itself. From the beginning we get deep-sea imagery with the submarine-type ping echoing through the depths, later we get seabird imagery, and cosmic winds, eerily reminiscent of human voices (flashback to the "Celestial Voices" in A Saucerful of Secrets"). The first verse with something stirring without a cause - something from nothing, the original act of creation. The layers of meaning are many in this song, and the musical techniques and psychedelic effects represented Pink Floyd at the height of their creativity. It's a total work of art. It's poetry, music, soundscaping, and in concert also a lightshow all in one. And they were doing this in the early 1970s, when the technology we now use for all those things was still just being developed. They were truly at the experimental edge of their art at the time.

Hey Doug, you really went out on a limb with this one. I loved it! For me, this is an absolute masterpiece, out of the many that this legendary band created, through the years. Probably, people asked you to react to this specific version, because this was one of the last recorded appearances of Rick Wright (the awesome keyboardist) on a concert. This version is pretty close to the original recording, indeed. Loving your work. Perhaps the best thing, for us Rock maniacs, is to actually see someone, with a keen ear like yourself, listening to these fantastic pieces, for the first time - and thus having their minds inevitably blown. By the way, since you have Maiden Mondays (which I love), how about making some Floyd Fridays?

Whilst i watch this video in Scotland on a Friday night with a nice pint of Guinness, i shall compliment Doug on having a great channel.......cheers!

The original Echoes on Meddle is all I want played at my funeral

I just love how the guitar and the keyboard talk back and forth to each other, so cool.

Yes; it’s very close to the recorded version aside from slight variations in timing and noodling on the solos.

The keyboardist is Richard Wright from Pink Floyd. His last performance of this song before he passed.

I really wish I could transport you back to the 70's when all this amasing music was released Pink Floyd, Genesis, Yes et al. It was truly outstanding. Not taking anything away from any other genre of music. It really was, for me at least a ground breaking time. A time that is missed by myself and my friends. Long live the 70's - tongue in cheek

Wanna know how close to the record it is... nearly perfect. THAT is the brilliance of David Gilmour.

Pink Floyd has been my favorite band of all-time. You are right, just let them jam for hours and I'm a happy guy. It can be the same thing over and over and I'm in a magical place. Great band and a fantastic selection!!

This guy got it. Credit also to Roger Waters for those 'heart-warming' and 'life affirming' lyrics that still stand today.

Whoever went to that concert got every penny worth.

So. Now you've heard it. My 2nd best progressive band's #1 favorite song (behind, but almost neck to neck with "Close to the Edge.") I appreciate what u r doing - been watching ur posts for years. Boggles my mind that u haven't heard this before. Now, listen to the studio version. IMHO, this live version kicks ass over the studio version, but the studio version kicks serious ass. That should tell u how awesome it is. p.s. I saw them perform this live in 1974. It was beyond believable.