Hi-Res Downloads

96kHz/24-bit FLAC*, Warner Music Group/Columbia (supplied by www.highresaudio.com)

This is either the long-awaited 15th and final album from Pink Floyd, or a collection of edit-suite sweepings lashed together with some new material and, given the variable sound-quality on offer here, the latter description isn’t without justification. Based on recordings for The Division Bell in 1993/4 (and already rejected for release back in 1994 as The Big Spliff), it’s intended as both a tribute to Richard Wright and what Dave Gilmour calls ‘a 21st-century Pink Floyd album’, and while it has delighted Floyd fanatics, it adds little to the collection of the casual listener. In fact, it’s more a case of ‘spot the source’ if you’re familiar with the back catalogue, and comparing this 96kHz/24-bit version with the standard CD-quality release, there’s not much gained, and arguably the slightly rag-bag nature of the content is more obviously revealed. AE

Sound Quality: 70%

Hi-Fi News Lab Report

Tracks 19-21 are upsamples of 44.1kHz material while the remainder, in addition to betraying various spuriae [see Graph], are 96kHz encodes of mixed content including archive analogue tape and digital recordings made at 48kHz. PM