I’ll admit that when I first started watching the recently released Blu-ray Disc of Peter Gabriel’s Taking the Pulse, it all felt very familiar. If you saw his orchestral tour around the time of Scratch My Back, or already own New Blood: Live in London on Blu-ray, a sense of déjà vu might set in. Look a little closer, however, and the differences start to emerge. What initially feels like a continuation of the same orchestral concept reveals a number of subtle but meaningful changes that aren’t immediately obvious.
In fact, the Blu-ray Disc packaging and frankly most of the press materials I had read, don’t offer much reason why fans should rush to add this show to their Peter Gabriel collection. Fortunately, I found more clues on Mr. Gabriel’s website, where his daughter Anna, who directed the film, offers some insight into her approach:
“When I spoke to my dad about shooting one of his shows I jumped at the chance of shooting at the Roman amphitheatre in Verona, Italy. Italians have always been very enthusiastic audience and give a lot back to the performer and to the camera. I made this film with my friend Andrew Gaston who was truly my collaborator throughout the process. It is always fun for me to shoot my father as I know the material and his performances so well I feel that I can capture a side to him that feels more personal. I also wanted to shoot the orchestra in an exciting way and along with Andrew’s editing I think we really captured the energy of the entire performance. I look forward to sharing this film.”
Indeed, Taking the Pulse offers a fresh visual perspective on this remarkable music when compared to New Blood: Live in London. Happily, it also delivers a different sonic experience, with a more immersive 5.1 surround sound presentation that better envelops the listener.
Presented in 24-bit/48 kHz resolution, the DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack is generally quite rich. But my appreciation grew once I realized that the surround channels were being used for more than just crowd noise and venue ambience. One of my recurring complaints about many concert videos is that the surround mixes often feel lazy, failing to take full advantage of what the technology can actually deliver.
While most of the action resides in the front channels, the audio for Taking The Pulse nearly wraps around the listener. I imagine this perspective is bit more like what I’d like to think the orchestra conductor was hearing on stage or — perhaps better still — Peter Gabriel himself!
The sometimes dark, moody lighting looks great (expect lots of blues and reds as well as bursts of light and sparkle). In general, I think I preferred the intercuts and perspective offered in Taking The Pulse over New Blood Live In London (which, mind you, I’ve long enjoyed!).
All in all, Taking The Pulse is a winner Blu-ray video and for $18.29 on Amazon it seems to be an easy decision to pick this up if you are a fan.
Mark Smotroff is a deep music enthusiast / collector who has also worked in entertainment oriented marketing communications for decades supporting the likes of DTS, Sega and many others. He reviews vinyl for Analog Planet and has written for Audiophile Review, Sound+Vision, Mix, EQ, etc. You can learn more about him at LinkedIn.
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