OK, well it’s actually 50 years old – from November 1971 – and I’d imagine in bootleg circles it’s not very new at all. What is unusual is that this recording from Quebec City has made it on to Spotify. It’s not part of the band’s Early Years or Immersion series of releases. It’s the original bootleg. I’ll be honest: although this is my favourite period for the band, this isn’t the best recording or show. It seems a little slow (either the band are lethargic or it’s the way it was mastered), and the four songs featured – Embryo, Fat Old Sun, One of These Days and Echoes – can all be heard in more pristine form on the Paris Theatre recordings from earlier in the year. Still there are slight difference here and there, and it’s a great pleasure to spend an atmospheric hour in the company of these recordings. Apologies if anyone’s posted about this already; I literally just found it today. But I’d click now if I were you, because it’s also likely to be gone tomorrow.
https://open.spotify.com/album/20dC9drHoMTOmQMffStkXw?si=3JhEv-FCQcWo6-NkjmMWhA
Christ almighty. I’ve just clicked on their Spotify discography and they’ve put a shitload of live recordings up. That’s my weekend sorted, then.
If it’s the one that went out on Radio 1, the Floyd Paris Theatre boot (Eclipse is the version I’ve got) is indeed terrific.
Ah, a copyright renewal dump. 50 years old, meaning that the owner has to republish or will lose the rights. (probably an oversimplification but something like that).
Yes, this is an explanation that’s been put to me by a Floyd podcaster. As they’re out of copyright, the bootleggers can release them, so this is EMI reasserting it’s ownership and controlling the distribution through a channel the bootleggers won’t have access to. Great for the fans, though.
Harvested?
Nowt taken out… Or meddled with.
Umma gonna listen to it, definitely.
This is a great haul. Perfect timing as well, as I have just been getting into early Floyd again, and Spotify have been bugging me with an advert for three months for a tenner. Seems like time to cash that in!
Thanks for the alert but, having said that, the audio quality is appalling. Stating this isn’t the best recording or show touches on the problem but I found it unlistenable after a couple of minutes.
That’s why the Harvested titles are so good – mostly the sound is fine. Off to the eels!
Over the past few days there has been an avalanche of Floyd bootlegs tumbling into the Eel Markets. The one that switches between Leeds and Washington is particularly brill and I’m not particularly fond of Floyd unless I’m trying to remember those halcyon days sitting in front of Hard Boil’s giant speakers, smoking Jess’s enormous spliffs and saying things like “Wow, the cow just moved from left to right. Far out!”
Tough listening, this. I’ve browsed through them but the sound quality is very off-putting. And I was never that familiar with Floyd’s live stuff, but sounds like they were very loose and messy, and only really honing a more polished sound when in the studio. Glad I had the chance to hear them, but I don’t think I’ll listen more than once, and I think I’ll stick with the albums. You probably had to be there!
Small update for anyone thinking of ploughing through these recordings. Although they’ve now disappeared from Pink Floyd’s discography on Spotify, they can be found by searching “Pink Floyd 1971”. There are 12 in total, and they’ve now been given matching swirly oil light artwork by someone within the Floyd machine.