Talk:Is There Anybody Out There?

Doubt over Gilmour's claim that 'Ezrin wrote it' according to Schaffner

I've just listened to Waters' original home demo of the track from the recently released 'Immersion Edition'. This is what was presented to the rest of the band long before Ezrin was hired. I think it should be noted in the article that this version is remarkably similar - virtually identical - to what is heard on the finished album. Decampos (talk) 20:21, 2 April 2012 (UTC)

I was just on my way over here to say that! You are, of course, right. And Gilmour is, perhaps unsurprisingly, wrong.

He's been telling us for years that Roger's home demos were "shitty" and "unlistenable", and Bob Ezrin's claimed he "re-wrote the record" overnight -- and now we find, that though they're seriously rough, the songs are all there in Roger Waters's home demos.

How do we cite an album box set? Particularly vexing in my case, as I do not own the damned thing; just listening to it on YouTube.

Worse, it's taken two years just for a second person to come along and agree with you! Somebody has to be WP:BOLD and make an edit (though it's sure to be reverted).

--Ben Culture (talk) 22:57, 20 July 2014 (UTC)

James Bond?

Is there any other concensus (apart from me), that suggests the guitar part was heavily influenced by the James Bond Theme? Or vice versa?

no. they sound similar, but that's hardly encyclopedia worthy. --Progjunky 12:04, 23 November 2006 (UTC)

I don't even agree that they sound similar, apart from the fact that they both feature a tone which rises chromatically twice and then descends to its starting point. If that's all it takes for you to think you're hearing the same song, your brain is crude, almost reptilian in its simplicity. I don't even know how you function, how you remember where to void your bladder and bowels on a daily basis. Honestly. These songs sound nothing alike. --63.25.21.154 (talk) 13:44, 7 March 2008 (UTC)

Although completely out of order, this was pretty fucking specialist! Pissed myself laughing LOL _Fortuna ^{Imperatrix Mundi} 16:51, 14 September 2015 (UTC)

I think your response to this question is right out of order. Since you never give your username or even initials and your IP address changes, it's impossible to know exactly who you are but I think I recognise your conceited arrogance from other comments on Wikipedia Pink Floyd pages. Especially when you have talked utter rubbish at times (if you are the same person I think you are). If you wish to insult people go to YouTube. If not grow up.NH78.147.110.3 (talk) 21:40, 20 June 2008 (UTC)

Parts II and III

Should the demo's parts II and III be mentioned here? Rotring 20:22, 13 June 2006 (UTC)

I think you can add a little sentance.--Mastercheif 22:14, 22 July 2006 (UTC)

ooh man, don't you think those awful things should best be forgotten? haha --Progjunky 12:04, 23 November 2006 (UTC)

No, and how is that funny? --63.25.21.154 (talk) 13:35, 7 March 2008 (UTC)

YES. As much as you want to write! Quote the lyrics -- The usual copyright restrictions may not apply to unreleased demos. Anything!

--63.25.21.154 (talk) 13:35, 7 March 2008 (UTC)

The live version

Who play the classical guitar on the live version, from the Wall live? Is it Gilmour, or were they assisted by another guitarist? 129.241.28.132 14:16, 21 February 2007 (UTC)

it's gilmour. he said that when they were recording the album, he thought he couldn't play it, so another guitarist was brought in, but ironically he played it himself during the tour and had no trouble with it. i forget which interview this was, sorry, but it was a video interview, perhaps some tv documentary about the wall.--Progjunky 10:10, 4 July 2007 (UTC)

The deal is, Gilmour couldn't play it fingerstyle, the appropriate style for a "Spanish" sounding piece like this. With fingerstyle, you pluck down with your thumb, and upwards with your fingers. Not many rock guitarists use their fingers, even with arpeggio parts. Some use hybrid picking, in which the 2nd, 3rd, and 4th fingers are used, but a pick is also used in place of the thumb. Almost none of them (Mark Knopfler being a notable exception) use their thumb for strumming or plucking. Gilmour recorded a version in which he used a leather pick (I've never heard of leather guitar picks, but one would assume they produce a softer, more "human" sound than regular plastic picks), but decided it just wasn't good enough.

I'd add this to the article, but I don't know where I read it. I trust my memory, but I wouldn't expect anyone else to rely on it.

I would bet that the version you hear in the film is Gilmour's version.

Anyway, I'm sure he has no difficulty playing it with a pick (leather or otherwise). It isn't really a difficult piece, if you don't insist on fingerstyle. --63.25.21.154 (talk) 13:27, 7 March 2008 (UTC)

Found the source -- Musician magazine. Worth a read as the classic example of what a dick Gilmour was in interviews. Really, it seems people automatically think of Waters as the asshole and Gilmour as the nice guy, but the fact is, Waters didn't devote his interviews to slagging off Gilmour. In fact, Musician interviewed Waters just a few months after this, and Waters talked about . . . Amused to Death, and the philosophical concerns that drove him to write it. Seriously, compare the post-1985 interviews. Waters has certaintly said a few unkind things about Gilmour, but generally he's the one who wants to discuss his WORK -- since it has sincerity and intrinsic value -- whereas Gilmour is happy to keep the topic on how beastly Roger was to work with. And the man had no shame, slagging off The Wall in Berlin show, which can only hurt the charity. Nor did he care about hypocrisy, frequently denigrating Waters's abilities as a bassist, then going on to complain that Waters criticized Mason and Wright's playing too much. Poor fragile Richard has been a mediocre keyboardist all his life, but somehow that's really Roger Waters's fault. What a complete asshole.

Anyway, here it is: http://www.pinkfloyd-co.com/band/interviews/djg/djgmu.html

--63.25.0.178 (talk) 06:29, 6 April 2008 (UTC)

I agree with you (talk). Gilmour should've been more humble and told the truth in interviews (e.g. refraining from slamming Waters) as well as recant some of the lies, malicious insults about Waters or misleading things he has told the press, such as "I played bass on nearly all of the Floyd's recordings" (a major lie), maligning Waters' musicianship, accusing him of belittling Wright and Mason's playing abilities to the point where they never really recovered and other petty things - Mason and Wright clearly regained their playing abilities and Gilmour should never have made those comments nor claim that the pair were catatonic, because they angered Mason, and if Waters had sued Gilmour for defamation, that would not surprise me. The videos to "Pulse" and "A Delicate Sound of Thunder" as well as the songs on the "The Division Bell" show Mason and Wright in anything but a state of shattered confidence in their own musical abilities, but rather they are in sparkling form.

When I first heard Gilmour's unsubstantiated claim about him playing bass on virtually all of the Floyd's records, it gave me the impression that Waters did virtually nothing in the studio, but I later found the truth that Waters did in fact play the majority of his own bass parts. Gilmour only played bass on "The Narrow Way", "Fat Old Sun", "One of These Days", "Shine on You Crazy Diamond Part 6", "Pigs", "Sheep", "Goodbye Blue Sky", "Run Like Hell", "Young Lust", "Mother", "Nobody Home", "Don't Leave Me Now", "Vera", "The Show Must Go On", "Comfortably Numb", "Waiting for the Worms" and "The Trial" with Waters playing bass elsewhere on the Floyd albums that involved both of them, so as you can plainly see, it's nowhere near the majority and Waters having his own bass style does not make him a bad bassist (e.g. I've listened to the early albums and I cannot detect any faults with his bass playing, let alone his guitar playing). Let's face it: he is not Sid Vicious, who couldn't play bass at all, and an example of Waters refuting Gilmour's propagated ideas came when he said in a 2003 interview, "The idea, which he has tried to propagate over the years, that he is more musical than I am is absolute f***ing nonsense."115.64.25.61 (talk) 02:44, 27 December 2017 (UTC)

is it just me

or does it also sound a bit like call of ktulu/hangar 18 —Preceding unsigned comment added by I'M POOP (talk) 22:18, 12 September 2007 (UTC)

It's definitely just you. Nobody even knows what your talking about . . . or cares.

Remember, the purpose of Wikipedia Talk pages is to discuss the article, and how to make the article better. Not the topic of the article.

--63.25.21.154 (talk) 13:33, 7 March 2008 (UTC)

63.25.21.154 - I see that having "advised" 66.146.157.55 on the purpose of Wikipedia Talk pages, you then saw fit to change his IP address to "I'M POOP", on 7th March 2008. This is vandalism and has been noted.NH78.147.110.3 (talk) 01:45, 21 June 2008 (UTC)

"Ezrin wrote it. Read your Schaffner". No, Waters wrote it, listen to his demo!

I removed the citeneeded regarding the fact of Gilmour's unchallenged assertion that Bob Ezrin composed the guitar instrumental of "Is There Anybody Out There?" [Actually, I went ahead and cited it myself.] I am tired of people who haven't bothered to read Nicholas Schaffner's authoritative biography, A Saucerful of Secrets: The Pink Floyd Odyssey, questioning basic facts that have been available in this book since 1990. Gilmour told Schaffner that Ezrin wrote the piece, and Waters has had 18 years to deny it. He hasn't denied it.

Wikipedians, the next time you go to add a citeneeded to a Pink Floyd article, ask yourself if maybe the problem is you. There are several good books about Pink Floyd (and a ton of bad ones). Perhaps you should try reading one of them? [Wow, what a snotty remark. Sorry. Let me just say, I think contributors to WikiProject Pink Floyd should familiarize themselves with Schaffner's book.]
--63.25.21.154 (talk) 13:56, 7 March 2008 (UTC)

[Edited] --63.25.238.237 (talk) 12:45, 9 March 2008 (UTC)

Gilmour is wrong.Just listen to Roger Waters' demo. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 87.29.148.192 (talk) 10:04, 2 May 2014 (UTC)

You are correct, and it's unfortunate that this falsehood remains in the article ... but, just curious, how exactly could we have listened to Roger Waters's home demo in 2008? The Immersion box set of The Wall hadn't been released yet (it was issued in 2011). All that was available in Wall demos back then was the "Under Construction" band demo. Which didn't prove anything.

--Ben Culture (talk) 00:04, 21 July 2014 (UTC)

Assessment comment

The comment(s) below were originally left at Talk:Is There Anybody Out There?/Comments, and are posted here for posterity. Following several discussions in past years, these subpages are now deprecated. The comments may be irrelevant or outdated; if so, please feel free to remove this section.

Wasn't this song used for the intro to Ultima V (or was it IV?) Vyskol 17:03, 2 February 2007 (UTC)

Last edited at 17:03, 2 February 2007 (UTC). Substituted at 20:02, 1 May 2016 (UTC)