THE WALL: LIVE IN BERLIN (1990) *** I have to admit that when I first heard of this, I didn't have the highest hopes. I mean, guests including Cyndi Lauper (and far, far worse, believe me) singing Pink Floyd songs? Um... Upon further reflection, however, it was basicaly a Roger Waters album in the first place, and he's here (which insures that none of his old mates are)! Waters' themes are fairly universal, which strikes you in a manner much different than you would expect, and even has some positive effect, when Lauper sings "Another Brick in the Wall, Part 2." Better guests like the Scorpions, Joni Mitchell, and Van Morrison bring out some other things that you might not have originally noticed, but events are unquestionably at their musical best when Waters is at the the helm. So the musical presentation is interesting and effective, if not Floyd, and there's plenty of compensation in the bizarre and overtly avante-garde theatrical devices. Gerald Scarfe's animation, projected against the wall throughout the production alongside such things as tattered political flyers, is fantastic, even the amorous plants that turn into monsters. The ante is just continually raised, with icons including Marianne Faithfull, Tim Curry, and Albert Finney lending more than a little presence to the proceedings. It turns out that The Wall has always been something of an inherently Berliner piece, not just because there's a wall involved, but more because of the associated inner angst and desperation for redemption. Many learned minds have assured us that they know what this thing's about, and they're no doubt partly right. I, however, understand that no one really understands it, not even Waters, for whom many of the most powerful implications stream subconsciously. That being the case, my only question is this: when the ambulance shows up, is it there to collect a suicide attempt, the individual per sé, a culture, or the entire history of man?
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