Following in the footsteps of 2005's
Back Against the Wall
, 2006's
Return to the Dark Side of the Moon
is a star-studded
prog rock
tribute album
to one of
rock
's all-time greatest bands and albums. Producer
Billy Sherwood
has reassembled many of the same players from
for his latest
Pink Floyd
tribute, and the result is the same -- professional renditions of the songs, without a lot of experimentation. As a result, the songs aren't that remarkably different from the originals. On the album opening
"Breathe,"
Adrian Belew
almost perfectly replicates the original's airy vocals,
Styx
's
Tommy Shaw
belts out the vocals to
"Money,"
while
Dweezil Zappa
's brief guitar shredding on
"Us and Them"
doesn't exactly fit the original's laid-back feel. That said, if you're a classic
or
fanatic, you can't argue with the additional renowned names who contribute --
Jeff Baxter
,
Robbie Krieger
Rick Wakeman
Steve Howe
Edgar Winter
Bill Bruford
John Wetton
Tony Levin
, and more. Ultimately however -- as with
--
Return to the Dark Side of the Moon: A Tribute to Pink Floyd
will only appeal to hardcore
Floyd
buffs. ~ Greg Prato