+ Changed since last version
* New since last version
This Document Copyright 1994, 1995 by the Echoes Mailing List and its Members. For questions on distribution, contact: echoes-faq@fawnya.tcs.com
Yes! The main reason behind having a FAQ is so that people don't keep asking the same old questions day after day after day..... It frees up fans for discussions about new topics & such, and keeps them from having to rehash old debates/arguments for the 252nd time. Yes, there's a helluva lot of stuff to read here, but there's a lot that new fans may want to know right off that they'll find right here.
This FAQ is rapidly turning from a list of common questions to a net-generated Pink Floyd Reference Work. It is heartily recommended that you keep a copy nearby, either on-line or printed.
In early 1991, David Schuetz began to tire of seeing the same questions appearing in public forums. In late April, the FAQ was formally begun, and it was his "baby" for nearly three years. In those years, it grew from just a few pages to more than 60! In late 1993, it became apparent that David just didn't have the time to work on it anymore (for reasons far too numerous to mention). In early 1994, David published the final version of the FAQ that he'd be responsible for (version 2.9).
Then bear (H.W. Neff, the administrator of the echoes mailing list) ran it for several months, before passing it on to me (Matt). Which is where things now stand...
Let me know! Send me email at: mdenault@pomona.edu or echoes-faq@fawnya.tcs.com
I should write back to you within a week to let you know I received your letter.
Whenever I get enough material to justify a new version, I'll post to both echoes and the newsgroup to discuss anything that may be controvertial. Assuming there are no serious objections, they'll then go into the next version. My judgement is, of course, final in all FAQ matters.
On the net, and throughout this FAQ, there are in use quite a few abbreviations. We're lazy people, and don't like to type more than we have to. So, to help you understand what follows:
Any others should (hopefully!) be understandable from the context.
Pink Floyd is not a person, they are a band. There are five main people that are associated with the name Pink Floyd. These are (along with their birthdays),
About 1965, the Floyd-to-be formed as "Sigma 6." They then changed to "The T-Set" ("Tea Set"), then "The Meggadeaths," "The Architectural Abdabs," "The Screaming Abdabs," and simply "The Abdabs." At this point, the band's membership consisted of:
The Abdabs mostly played rhythm and blues songs. Juliette later married Wright, and she, Noble, and Metcalf all quit the band. Waters then brought in Bob Close and Syd Barrett for guitars, then later Close left, leaving the original recorded Pink Floyd lineup. In late '65, they became "The Pink Floyd Sound," then just "The Pink Floyd." The name Pink Floyd came from albums by two blues artists, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council, that were in Syd Barrett's collection. It had often been said that using the name came to Syd in a vision.
The Floyd began to attract attention in mid-1966, frequently playing such underground hangouts as The UFO Club and The Marquee Club's Spontaneous Underground. It was during this time that they made the transition from playing psychedelic R&B covers to doing their own songs; almost exclusively Syd Barrett compositions. As Floyd biographer Miles has said about this period, "The Floyd were the loudest band anyone had ever heard at that time. They were also the weirdest. They were the underground band."
The Floyd's growing underground popularity led to a single, "Arnold Layne," released in March of 1967. It entered the British charts at #20, resulting in national media exposure for the band. Their followup single, "See Emily Play," stayed on the charts for 7 weeks, reaching #6. The Pink Floyd's first LP, The Piper at the Gates of Dawn, also remained on the charts for 7 weeks, and also reached #6.
The success that followed their first two singles and Piper proved to be too much for Syd, as the vast quantities of drugs he was taking in, the blind worship of his fans, and other factors all made him unpredictable on stage and in the studio. The other members of the group decided to bring in an additional guitarist to cover for Syd, and thus David Gilmour was asked to join the band (Jeff Beck was also considered, but the band was in awe of him, and thought he would command too high a price). Gilmour (not the same as jazz musician David Gilmore ;) had established a reputation as a guitarist and vocalist in the group "The Jokers Wild" (see Q6).
With the addition of Gilmour and Syd's declining state, it was shortly decided that the band could carry on without him, and so one night they simply didn't pick him up on the way to a show. Barrett went on to record two solo albums (with the assistance of the Floyd's members), and while he remained (and remains) a cult hero, he never achieved the musical popularity on his own that he did with the group. (See P4Q34 for more on Barrett.)
Pink Floyd, meanwhile (having shed the "The" part of their name along with Syd), went on to be fantastically successful, follwing a somewhat rough start sans Barrett. They continued as a foursome from Saucerful through Animals; it was during the Wall sessions that Rick Wright was forced out of the group (See P3Q30). By this time as well the lyrical and conceptual ambitions of Waters were clashing full on with the musical ideas of Gilmour; on the subsequent Final Cut album, Gilmour acted as essentially a session musician. At that point, it seemed impossible that they would ever work together again, and thus Pink Floyd was seen as dead. To heighten this impression, both Waters and Gilmour produced solo albums, neither of which did terribly well on the charts or as draws for the tours the two embarked on.
What happened next is more fully detailed in P4, Q7. In short, Waters decided to officially leave the group; Gilmour and Mason subsequently decided to record an album under the Pink Floyd name. Waters, who thought the name best layed to rest, sued them over its use.
Waters also remained active musically, following up his first solo album, Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking, with contributions to the little known movie soundtrack, "When the Wind Blows." His next solo album was Radio KAOS, for which he again toured. Again, neither was a great success commercially; certainly not by Pink Floyd standards. Later, in 1990, he staged what was certainly one of the more memorable music "events" in recent history, with his Wall in Berlin charity concert. His most recent work, Amused to Death, was not the sales success it was hoped it would be, despite much commercial hype. This was to the great disappointment of many of his fans, who thought that AtD was his best work yet. See P4Q33 for some information on Waters' current activities.
Meanwhile, Pink Floyd did not die, certainly not legally, and in the minds of many fans, not in spirit either. Their first post-Waters release, A Momentary Lapse of Reason, went on to become a major success, and the 2 1/2 member Floyd followed it up with an extensive world tour. After several years off, the group, now with a full three members (see P4Q25), released The Division Bell, and embarked on another tour.
...which is where things stand right now, pretty much. For the latest rumors
of what lies ahead, check out the "Rumor Mill" question, P 4Q33.
Understandably, all these changes can cause a bit of confusion. Here then is a "family tree" of the band. Band names are in double quotes ("this is a band"), and album names are in all caps towards the right (THIS IS AN ALBUM, sometimes abbreviated).
"The Mottoes"
Geoff Mott (Motlow) Syd Barrett Nobby Clarke Clive Wellham Tony Santi
vocals guitar guitar drums bass
-------+-----------------+----------------------------+---------------+----
| | | |
to "Boston Crabs" to "Hollering Blues" +---+-----------+
(vocals) (bass) |
|
|
|
"The Ramblers" |
"Joker's Wild" |
John Gordon John Altham |
David Gilmour rhythm guitar, sax, Clive Wellham | Tony Santi
guitar guitar keyboards drums | bass
-----+----------------------------------------------------+-----------
|
|
to "The Flowers" "Sigma Six"
and then "Bullitt" "T-Set"
"Megadeaths"
"Architectual Abdabs"
"Screaming Abdabs"
"Abdabs"
Richard Wright Clive Metcalf Keith Noble
Roger Waters rhythm g. Nick Mason bass Juliette Gale vocals
lead guitar drums vocals
-----------.-.-.------------------------------------------------------------
\|/
| "Blues Anonymous"
| |
| "The Pink Floyd Sound" |
Roger Waters | Richard Wright Nick Mason Syd Barrett Bob Close
bass | keyboards, cello drums guitar guitar
-------------+--------------.-.-.--------------------------------------
\|/
|
|
| "The Pink Floyd"
Syd Barrett Roger Waters | Richard Wright Nick Mason PIPER
guitar bass | keyboards drums
----------------------------+-+---------------------------
|
|
"Bullitt" |
| | "Pink Floyd"
Roger Waters David Gilmour | Syd Barrett Richard Wright Nick Mason ASoS
bass guitar | guitar keyboards drums
----------------------------+---------------------------------------
|
|
|
| "Pink Floyd"
Roger Waters David Gilmour | Richard Wright Nick Mason MORE, UMMAGUMMA,
bass guitar | keyboards drums AHM, MEDDLE, OBC,
----------------------------+------+------------------- DSotM, WYWH,
| | ANIMALS, WALL
| |
| +------------------------+
| |
| "Pink Floyd" |
Roger Waters David Gilmour | Nick Mason TFC |
bass guitar | drums | "Zee" IDENTITY
----------------------------+------------ Dave Harris | Richard Wright
| guitar | keyboards
| ------------+-------+--------
| |
| "Pink Floyd" |
David Gilmour | Nick Mason AMLoR |
guitar | drums |
--------------+------------- |
| |
| +---------------+
| |
| "Pink Floyd" |
David Gilmour | Nick Mason Richard Wright DSoT, TDB
guitar | drums keyboards
--------------+------------------------------
|
|
?????????
Without starting a detailed discography, here is a list of all albums released by Pink Floyd as a band. Following that is a list of other albums on which Floyd appears, then a list of solo albums:
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn 5 August 1967 A Saucerful of Secrets 29 June 1968 More 27 July 1969 Ummagumma 25 October 1969 Atom Heart Mother 10 October 1970 Meddle 11 November 1971 Obscured by Clouds 3 June 1972 The Dark Side of the Moon 24 March 1973 Wish You Were Here 15 September 1975 Animals 23 January 1977 The Wall 30 November 1979 The Final Cut 21 March 1983 A Momentary Lapse of Reason 8 September 1987 Delicate Sound of Thunder 22 November 1988 The Division Bell 30 March 1994NOTE: Release dates are for original UK issues.
[a "#" indicates that the collection is not currently available on CD]
#Best of Pink Floyd 1970* (compilation, Dutch) #Relics 1971 (compilation w/"Biding My Time") #A Nice Pair 1973 (Piper & ASoS as double-lp) #Dark Side of the Moon 1973 (DJ Promo EP w/4 songs) #Tour '75 1975+ (DJ Promo--studio tracks) #Off the Wall 1979 (DJ Promo EP) A Collection of Great Dance Songs 1981 (compilation) Pink Floyd Hits 198?% (compilation, Brazilian) Works 1983 (compilation, w/"Embryo") Shine On - Special 9 CD Box Set 1992& (re-masters and early singles) Shine On - Selections from the Box 1992^ Dark Side of the Moon XX 1993 (special 20th anniversary ed.)* Rereleased throughout Europe as "Masters of Rock, Vol. 1" in 1974
Objects of Fantasy/Orchestral Maneuvers 1989 [See Q8] Hits of PF: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra 1994 [See Q8] Beyond the Wildwood: A Tribute to Syd Barrett 1987* Trance Remixes 199? [See Q20.5] ?Discoballs: A Tribute to Pink Floyd 19??^* Features "No Good Trying" (The Mock Turtles), "Octopus" (Plasticland), "Arnold Layne" (SS-20), "Matilda Mother" (Paul Roland), "She Took a Long Cold Look" (Fit and Limo), "Long Gone" (The Shamen), "If the Sun Don't Shine" (Opal -- inspired by "Jugband Blues"), "Baby Lemonade" (The Ashes in the Morning), "Wolfpack" (The Lobster Quadrille), "Golden Hair" (The Paint Set), "No Man's Land" (Tropicana Fishtank), "Apples and Oranges" (The TV Personalities), "Two of a Kind" (The Soup Dragons), and "Scream Thy Last Scream" (The Green Telescope).
Tonite Let's All Make Love In London (soundtrack) 1968
Zabriskie Point (soundtrack) 1970
#Picnic (Harvest label sampler - "Terrapin," "Embryo") 1970
Rock Goes to the Movies (Z-Point songs) 19??
?Harvest Heritage - 20 Greats ("Octopus") 19??
?Supertracks ("Money") 19??
?The Summit ("Welcome to the Machine") 19??
?The Harvest Story Vol. 1 ("Love You") 19??
?Filmtracks - The Best of British Film Music (ABitW) 19??
?Rock Legends (edited "Money" from US single) 19??
?The New Spirit of Capitol ("Astronomy Domine") 19??
?Before the Fall ("Baby Lemonade" from BBC sessions) 19??
#The Heavyweights ("Have a Cigar") 19??
#Quadrafile ("Money") 1976
#Four Temas De Film (BtBBH - Wall movie version) 198?
Knebworth: The Album ("Comfortably Numb" and RLH) 1990
A CD Full of Secrets 199?
Superstar Concert Series: Pink Floyd at Knebworth 1990 1992
Syd Barrett The Madcap Laughs 1970
Syd Barrett Barrett 1970
Roger Waters Music from The Body 1970*
#Syd Barrett Syd Barrett 1974**
David Gilmour David Gilmour 1978
Richard Wright Wet Dream 1978
Nick Mason Ficticious Sports 1981^
David Gilmour About Face 1984
Roger Waters Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking 1984
#Zee Identity 1984+
Nick Mason Profiles 1985++
Roger Waters When The Wind Blows (sndtk) 1986&
Roger Waters Radio Kaos 1987
Syd Barrett The Peel Sessions (EP) 1988&&
Syd Barrett Opel (compilation/rare tracks) 1988
Roger Waters The Wall--Live Berlin 1990
Syd Barrett Octopus ("Best of") 1992
Roger Waters Amused to Death 1992
Syd Barrett Crazy Diamond (Box Set) 1993^
* With Ron Geesin, a soundtrackThere are also several interview picture discs floating around, both on vinyl and on CD, but beware--some of them feature pictures of old (Syd-era) Floyd, but contain interviews with AMLoR-era Floyd members.
[example: the "Limited Edition Picture Disc Interview," part of the TALKING
PICTURE series, lists two tracks:Interview 1981 [discussing The
Wall & beginnings of film]
Interview 1986 [discussing AMLoR]
The disc has pictures of very young Roger, Nick, Syd, and Rick.]
[If anyone has any transcripts of these or other interview discs, I'd like a copy for the archives.]
In addition to what's listed, the music of Pink Floyd and its members has appeared in several films of uncertain availability (Music Power, Stamping Ground, Rock 'n Roll--The Greatest Years:1967, San Francisco, Rock City, White of the Eye, Life Could be a Dream), and members of the group have made several guest appearances at concerts (Deep End, Amnesty International Big 30, The Secret Policeman's Third Ball, Columbian Volcano Concert, Seville, Walden Woods benefit show, etc.), some of which are available. There have also been a bunch of other short "cameos" (like Gilmour on Popquiz (on several occasions), and on Saturday Night Live (12/12/87)). Finally, music from Pink Floyd is used fairly frequently as "incidentals" on TV shows, news programs, and feature films.
Available only on video: VHS and LaserDisc (NTSC/PAL)
Available on video only: VHS and LaserDisc (NTSC/PAL)
A deluxe letterboxed version from a new transfer on LaserDisc is now available (in CLV format). Also includes the "Original Theatrical Trailer."
Available on video: VHS (NTSC)
Available on video: VHS Hi-Fi (PAL).
Available only on video: VHS (NTSC)
Available on video: VHS and LaserDisc (CAV)
Available on audio and video: VHS and LaserDisc (NTSC/PAL) (PAL versions omit "Money") Audio versions have slightly modified track lists. Also available as an MPEG-1 "multimedia" CD-ROM.
Available on audio and video: VHS and LaserDisc (NTSC/PAL)
Available on audio and video: VHS and LaserDisc (Both feature only "Comfortably Numb" and "Run Like Hell") The full audio is available on Westwood One's "Superstar Concert Series." Also, video of all but TGGitS and "Money" were broadcast by MTV.
Available on video only: VHS and LaserDisc (NTSC)
Available on Japanese 8" LaserDisc and VHS
Neither audio or video has ever beleased.
Two full soundtracks are available; one with bits and pieces of Floyd performing, and the other with the complete "Interstellar Overdrive" and "Nick's Boogie." A "Mini-Promo" soundtrack is also availble on CD, with the complete versions of these two songs.
Video was scheduled to be released, but I don't know if it has been.
Available on video: VHS Soundtrack available as part of Floyd's regular catalog (but slightly different -- lacks "Seabirds" and "Hollywood" found in the movie, and has Dave singing "Cymbaline" {with slighly different lyrics as well}. Also note that the lyrics to "Seabirds" are different than those in the songbook).
Available as soundtrack and on video: VHS
Soundtrack (re-recorded) available.
Available on video: VHS
Soundtrack available as part of Floyd's regular catalog (with slightly different lyrics on "Free Four." -- see P2Q22)
Available on video: VHS
Available (though out-of-print) on video: VHS
Soundtrack available (though rather rare). Was available on video: LaserDisc (out of print), VHS (Live Home Video, 1-800-326-1977)
First, a list of official promotional videos:
There are also several rare, rather short film clips of interest. One is "Syd Barrett's First Trip," and is a short 8mm film of just that. It was taken by Nigel Gordon, a student friend of Syd's. Another is a recording of the Floyd outside Abbey Road Studios in April 1967, after signing their first EMI recording contract. The final one is a short promotional film for Gilmour's first solo album, and features him in the studio performing "No Way," "There's No Way Out Of Here," "I Can't Breathe Anymore," and "So Far Away."
Finally, there's lots of stuff out there in the non-official markets. A popular example of such material is the "Video Anthology" which collects many of the visual works by Pink Floyd. Unfortunately, it is a RoIO, and lacks as much in terms of quality as it does legality. However, here is the listing of bits on that tape, if only to provide a better idea of what videos Floyd have done [provided by Scott Frank]:
This is a list of some of the films that Pink Floyd have shown in concert:
"We got hold of some liquid LSD bottles, laid out hundreds of sugar cubes in rows and put two drops on each. But the stuff was so strong we were absorbing it through our fingers, or more likely by licking it off them. As it took effect we had no idea which cubes we had done, so many of them probably got double doses while the rest did not have any. Syd had his plum, orange and matchbox and was sitting staring at them during his trip. Whatever he was into was his whole world - to him the plum was the planet Venus and the orange was Jupiter. Syd was floating in space between them."
Of all the permutations that Pink Floyd went through, none were ever commercially successful. The only band which even released anything was Joker's Wild, Gilmour's old band. Their record was a one-sided LP, which contained all cover versions:
It has been reported that this "LP" was limited to only about 50 copies, and has recently sold for as much as #1000 (approx. $1800 US).
They also recorded two singles. One was Sam & Dave's "You Don't Know What I Know" with Otis Redding's "That's How Strong My Love Is." But the original version of "You Don't Know" became popular at about the same time, and the single was "dead on arrival." There was also a single from the above LP, "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?" with "Don't You Ask..." as the b-side.
Here is a list of (perhaps) all the known non-album Pink Floyd tracks. Many of these are available illegally. Some have never been heard by the general public. Some may not even exist.
...and a few other items, mostly just instrumental jams from concerts and
edited versions of songs for radio airplay.
* This piece has many live
recordings, and a studio version was finally released on Works demo
version was accidentally released on Picnic (a Harvest label sampler).
Originally intended to be a part of Ummagumma.
** These songs were
found in a volume of copyrighted musical works. "Seabirds" had lyrics, while the
others were instrumentals. They appeared in the film, but were omitted from the
album. Also, the music for "Seabirds" has apparently been published in a music
book at some time (though the lyrics were different than in the movie).
+
"Violent" was originally written for the movie Zabriskie Point and was
performed during some of their tours of the period as a part of a 20 minute
piece including bits of "Heart Beat, Pig Meat." [From Gerhard]:
There are currently two albums of orchestral cover versions of Pink Floyd
songs, both played by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. The band itself was not
involved with either album.
There have been several books published regarding Floyd. It is also rumored that Nick Mason is working with Storm Thorgerson (of Hipgnosis fame) on their own book. Here is a listing of some of them, with a few comments:
Backstage Workshop
PO Box 1017
1440 BA Purmerend
Netherlands
Many music books are available, mostly exclusively through Music Sales Corporation. Here's info on most of them:
Exclusive distributors:
Music Sales Corporation Music Sales Limited 225 Park Avenue South 8/9 Frith Street NY, NY 10003 USA London W1V 5TZ England Music Sales PTY. Limited Pink Floyd Music Publishers LTD 120 Rothschild Street, Rosebery 27 Noel Street Sydney, NSW 2018 Australia London W1V 3RD
The main Pink Floyd fanzine currently running is "Brain Damage." For details, send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to:
In UK/Australia/NZ/ Japan/Hong Kong/ South Africa: | In Europe/Eire: | In the Americas: --------------------+------------------------+------------------------- Glenn Povey | Michael Perricone | Brain Damage Magazine PO Box 385 | Witikonerstasse 460 | P.O. Box 109 Uxbridge | CH 8053 | Westmont, IL 60559 Middlesex, UB9 5DZ | Zurich | England | Switzerland | TEL: 0895-833413 | |
[From Servaas te Brake:]
There's also a Dutch general-interest Pink Floyd
fanzine, called "Echoes" (not to be confused with the echoes mailing list).
Echoes is published 3 times a year in January, May and September. A single issue
costs 6,50 guilders. A subscription for a year costs 17,50 guilders; prices are
postage inclusive and apply only for the Netherlands.
For subscriptions remit the subscription costs to account Rabobank 15.11.52.543, M. Lourens in Tiel, concerning Echoes.
The subscription costs for foreign countries is 20 guilders or US$ 12,00 for Europe and US$ 14,00 for the rest of the world. Money can be sent by registered letter or by International Money Order. Inside Europe you can also send a Eurocheque addressed to M. Lourens, concerning Echoes.
The correspondence adress is:
Echoes
P.O. Box 156
4000 AD Tiel
The Netherlands
NOTE: Make sure they get your name and address. Not all the banks send
your name and address along with the money; if you're not sure about this just
send them a postcard with your name, address and account number on it to the
above address. There is a fanzine published by REG, the International Roger Waters Fan Club. Subscription Info:
Membership Rates: The cost of REG Fanclub membership is currently $20.00 for members in the U.S. and because of increased postage costs is $27.00 for international members. Membership includes club initiation fees, yearly club dues, yearly subscription to the REG newsletter/magazine, and club card fee. The (20-40 page) REG Newsletter/Magazine will be published 3-4 issues per year. Membership applicants may pay by; U.S. bank check; International check (cheque) made out in U.S. dollars, or U.S. Postal Money Order, all made payable to:
Michael Simone 112 Bennett Rd. Aptos CA 95003 U.S.A.
Or you may pay by cash (U.S. currency if at all possible is preferred, but you may pay the equivalent membership amount in the currency of your country with an additional $10.00 for bank charges).
...and for Syd Barrett fans, you can learn more about the "Chapter 24" Sydzine by sending a SASE to:
Chapter 24 c/o John Kelly 101 Amersham Road Terriers, High Wycombe Bucks HP13 5AD England
There are also two out-of-production fanzines that can still be obtained. The chief early Syd Barrett fanzine was "Terrapin," and a boxed set of all the "Terrapin" issues has recently been made available.
The chief Pink Floyd fanzine was for long "The Amazing Pudding," until it ceased production in early 1994. Back issues (the last was #60) are still available; send a self-addressed, stamped envelope to:
Andy Mabbett
61 Meynell House
Browns Green
Birmingham B20 1BE
UK
The Pink Floyd Archives was created in the mid-seventies by collector Vernon Fitch to provide a centralized place for Pink Floyd information and collectibles. The Archives includes collections of numerous Pink Floyd items, but is best known for its Collectors Guides to Pink Floyd recordings and videos in which Vernon has documented the band's history through detailed listings of actual concert recordings. The Archives has worked with numerous publishers of Pink Floyd books and magazines, has helped the band members out with various requests and has been involved in assisting MTV with their Pink Floyd specials.
You can contact the Archives by mail at
Vernon Fitch Pink Floyd Archives P.O. Box 13844 St. Petersburg, FL U.S.A. 33733...or e-mail to "Vernon_Fitch@notes.cch.com" See also Q9.
A lot, as any serious Floyd collector can probably tell you. Following are several lists dealing with variations in the album artwork, colored vinyl, CD artwork, etc.
Note that this list does not include Japanese pressing differences, as there are many weird variations of things found from Japan, many of which include lyric sheets that are often completely wrong!
In addition to all these variants, there are the Tower pressings of Piper, ASoS, and More, plus all the albums that later had Universal Product Codes added to them.
And in Japan the first 6 albums (except for Ummagumma) were all pressed in red vinyl (each as a limited edition of 500 copies)
As long as we're talking about album artwork, here's a list of some of the original "label" artwork from the LPs:
Here is a quick list of what the Harvest CD's have (most from from Dave Cowl)
Also of note, where the writing on the album covers is in some special script, the title on the actual CD is in the same script. (WYWH, Animals, The Wall, Dance Songs, The Final Cut, Pro's and Cons)
There are many more Pink Floyd posters than is feasible to list here, including many of the album covers, in many different sizes. Here's the address of the company that distributes most of them:
Anabas
Bridge Close
Romford, Essex
RM7 0AU
England
Aside from the list of rare music above, some other Pink Floyd rarities that have been discovered are:
+ Capitol's attempt to get back catalog moving. Contained: "The Gold It's in
the....," "Wots...Uh The Deal," "Free Four," "Fat Old Sun," "One of These Days,"
"Astronomy Domine," and "Careful With That Axe, Eugene."
@ Four-track promo
sampler for the David Gilmour LP, with "Deafinitely," "Mihalis," "Short
And Sweet" and "So Far Away."
% Contains:
The original releases of some Pink Floyd albums used inferior masters; and, in the case of some CD releases, featured poor analog-to-digital conversions. Thus there have been a fair number of "special" releases that attempt to correct these deficiencies.
Remastered versions of ASoS, Meddle, DSotM, WYWH, Animals, and The Wall have been available since 1992 as part of the Sony/EMI Shine On box set. More recently, these remastered albums have been made available seperately; and additionally, most other Floyd albums have been or are scheduled to be remastered in the same manner (see Q4). The only exceptions are the compilation albums and MLoR, DSoT, and TDB.
These remasters are based on the original master tapes, and were done by Doug Sax (supervised by James Guthrie) at the Mastering Lab, in Los Angeles. They generally represent a higher level of quality than the previous Harvest discs (which in turn were generally superior to the Capitol discs sold in the US). In addition to the hightened sound quality, the remastered editions feature (in almost all cases) expanded booklets with new artwork and lyrics (even on the early albums!); the discs themselves are all picture discs.
NOTE: There has been some disagreement over whether the new EMI discs that have
Shine On
counterparts are or are not identical. The general consensus is that they are; and if they are not, then they were at least done by the same people, at the same location, with the same equipment, at the same time, and for the same company.
These "Ultradiscs," produced by Mobile Fidelity Sound Labs, have three main selling points:
There's a lot more info on Mobile Fidelity at their WWW page: http://nearnet.gnn.com/gnn/bus/mfsl/index.html They also have an e-mail address: mofi@mofi.com
Sony's Super Bit Map (SBM) Process [from Dave Cowl:]
Basically, the
procedure is as follows.
One samples the analogue at 20 bits. (Or one takes a 20 bit master.) Apparently, new digital recorders are being made which will record 20 bit samples - previously a hard disc recording system was required (and seems to be the way they still do it mostly).
Then one analyses the round off bits, to accurately ascertain the quantisation noise.
The quantisation noise spectrum is calculated, and then shaped so that the noise is shifted to be mainly in the higher frequencies, where it is less audible. The total noise level is the same - just the frequency band where the noise occurs differs. This modified quantisation noise is then used to choose the last bit (or 2 bits?) of the 16. So, instead of being white noise added to 14 bits resolution, or (apparently worse) pure quantisation noise, it is an accurately sampled waveform with the noise largely shifted away from the lower frequencies.
The result is supposed to be difficult to distinguish from the 20 bit master.
Several Pink Floyd works had early titles that never made it to album. Some can be found on RoIOs, some are from session logs, etc. Here is a list of those we know about:
This is by no means a comprehensive list of all the gigs Pink Floyd have ever played. Rather, it is a collection of representative performances, important or oft-mentioned shows, and a list of any additional musicians that played. Compiled with great help from the "ASoS" and "Journey Through Time and Space" books
London Free School (Powis Gardens) -- October, 1966:
Pink Theme; Let's
Roll Another One; Gimme a Break; Piggy Back; Stoned Alone; I Can Tell; The
Gnome; Interstellar Overdrive; Lucy Leave; Take Up Thy Stethoscope and Walk;
Flapdoodle Dealing; Snowing; Matilda Mother; Pow R. Toc H.; Astronomy Domine
Top Gear Show (BBC) -- September, 1967:
Flaming; Apples and Oranges;
Scarecrow; The Gnome; Matilda Mother
Top Gear Show (BBC) -- December, 1967:
Vegetable Man; Scream Thy Last
Scream; Pow R. Toc H.; Jugband Blues
Top Gear Show (BBC) -- June, 1968:
Julia Dream; Murderistic Woman; Let
There Be More Light; Massed Gadgets of Hercules
Fantasio, Amsterdam, Holland -- May 31, 1968:
Let There Be More Light;
Interstellar Overdrive; Keep Smiling People; Flaming; Set The Controls for the
Heart of the Sun; A Saucerful of Secrets
NOTE: In many places, this concert is listed as having taken place on Sept 1 of 1968 (or '69). However, this seems unlikely, based on the inclusion of "Keep Smiling People," which was a very mellow early version of "Careful with that Axe, Eugene." In the developmental cycle of the song, KSP appears to be somewhere between the version recorded for "The Committee" in May '68 and "Murtic Woman," first performed sometime before September '68. Thus the May 31 date makes sense. Thanks to Gerhard and Piet de Bondt for clearing this up.
Fairfield Hall, Croyden, England -- January 1970:
Astronomy Domine; The
Violent Sequence; Set The Controls for the Heart of the Sun; Careful With That
Axe, Eugene; Embryo; Main Theme (From More); Biding My Time; A Saucerful of
Secrets
Fillmore West, San Francisco -- March 1970:
Atom Heart Mother; Cymbaline;
Green is the Colour; Careful With That Axe, Eugene; Set The Controls for the
Heart of the Sun; Embryo; A Saucerful of Secrets; Interstellar Overdrive
City Hall, Sheffield, England -- December 1970:
Alan's Psychedelic
Breakfast; Embryo; Fat Old Sun; Careful With That Axe, Eugene; Set The Controls
for the Heart of the Sun; A Saucerful of Secrets; Atom Heart Mother
Hunter College, New York -- May 1971:
Embryo; Fat Old Sun; Atom Heart
Mother; One of These Days; Careful With That Axe, Eugene; Cymbaline; Echoes; A
Saucerful of Secrets
Rainbow Theater, London -- February 1972:
The Dark Side of the
Moon; One of These Days; Careful With That Axe, Eugene; Set The Controls for
the Heart of the Sun; Echoes
Radio City Music Hall, New York -- March 1973:
Obscured By Clouds; When
You're In; Set The Controls for the Heart of the Sun; Careful with that Axe,
Eugene; Echoes; The Dark Side of the Moon Players:
Dick Parry saxophone
The Blackberries female vocal duo
American Tour -- Spring 1975:
Raving and Drooling; You've Got to be Crazy;
Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts 1-5); Have a Cigar; Shine On You Crazy Diamond
(Parts 6-9); The Dark Side of the Moon; Echoes
"In The Flesh" (Animals) World Tour -- 1977:
Sheep; Pigs on the
Wing (Part 1); Dogs; Pigs on the Wing (Part 2); Pigs (Three Different Ones);
Wish You Were Here; Money; Us and Them Players:
Snowy White guitar
Dick Parry saxophone & keyboards
The Wall Tour -- 1980-81
In the Flesh; The Thin Ice; Another Brick
in the Wall (Part 1); The Best Years of Our Lives; Another Brick in the Wall
(Part 2); Mother; Goodbye Blue Sky; What Shall We Do Now?; Young Lust; One of My
Turns; Don't Leave Me Now; Another Brick in the Wall (Part 3); Goodbye Cruel
World; Hey You; Is There Anybody Out There; Nobody Home; Vera; Bring The Boys
Back Home; Comfortably Numb; The Show Must Go On; In the Flesh; Run Like Hell;
Waiting for the Worms; Stop; The Trial; Outside the Wall
Players:
First
Series--New York, Los Angeles, and London:
Andy Bown bass
Snowy White guitar
Willie Wilson drums
Peter Wood keyboards
Jon Joyce vocals
Stan Farber vocals
Jim Haas vocals
Joe Chemay vocals
Second Series--Dortmund and London: Andy Bown bass
Andy Roberts guitar
Willie Wilson drums
Peter Wood keyboards
Jon Joyce vocals
Stan Farber vocals
Jim Haas vocals
Joe Chemay vocals
Plus the announcers in each city -- among them Cynthia Fox in L.A. and Gary Udman/Yudman (?) in New York
David Gilmour About Face American Tour -- Summer 1984:
Until We
Sleep; All Lovers are Deranged; Love on the Air; Mihalis; Cruise; Short and
Sweet; Money; Out of the Blue; Let's Get Metaphysical; You Know I'm Right; Run
Like Hell; Blue Light; Murder; Comfortably Numb Players:
Mick Ralphs guitar
Mickey Feat bass guitar
Chris Slade drums
Raff Ravenscroft saxophone
Jody Linscottt percussion
Gregg Dechart keyboards
Roger Waters P&C European and American Tours -- Summer
1984:
Set The Controls for the Heart of the Sun; Money; If; Welcome to the
Machine; Have A Cigar; Wish You Were Here; Pigs on the Wing; In The Flesh;
Nobody Home; Hey You; The Gunners Dream; The Pros and Cons of
Hitchhiking; Brain Damage; Eclipse
Players:
Roger Waters bass
Andy Newmark drums
Eric Clapton lead guitar
Tim Renwick rhythm guitar
Chris Stainton piano
Micheal Kamen keyboards
Mel Collins saxophone
Katie Kassoon backing vocals
Doreen Chanter backing vocals
Roger Waters P&C American Tour -- Spring 1985:
Welcome the the
Machine; Set The Controls for the Heart of the Sun; Money; If; Wish You Were
Here; Pigs on the Wing; Get Your Filthy Hands off My Desert; Southampton Dock;
The Gunners Dream; In The Flesh; Nobody Home; Have A Cigar; Another Brick in the
Wall (Part 1); The Happiest Days of our Lives; Another Brick in the Wall (Part
2); The Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking; Brain Damage;
Eclipse
Players:
Roger Waters bass
Katie Kissoon vocals
Doreen Chanter vocals
Andy Fairweather-Low guitars
Andy Newmark drums
Jay Stapley lead guitar
Michael Kamen keyboards
Mel Collins saxophone
Roger Waters, KAOS Tour -- Fall 1987:
Radio Waves; Welcome to the
Machine; Who Needs Information?; Money; In The Flesh; Have a Cigar; Pigs (Three
Different Ones); Wish You Were Here; Mother; Molly's Song; Me or Him; The Powers
That Be; Going to Live in L.A.; Sunset Strip; Fish Report With A Beat; Pros and
Cons of Hitchhiking; Arnold Layne (video); If; Every Stranger's Eyes; Not Now
John; Another Brick in the Wall Part I; The Happiest Days of Our Lives; Another
Brick in the Wall Part II; Nobody Home; Home; Four Minutes; The Tide is Turning
(After Live Aid); Breathe; Brain Damage; Eclipse
Players:
Graham Broad drums
Paul Carrack keyboards & vocals
Doreen Chanter vocals
Mel Collins saxophones
Andy Fairweather-Low guitars
Katie Kissoon vocals
Jay Stapley guitars
Jim Ladd DJ
With guest appearances by Clare Torrey on "The Great Gig in the Sky" at Wembley Arena and Jim Haas, Jon Joyce and Joe Chemay doing a guest appearance on 20 Sept 1987 on "In the Flesh" and "Outside the Wall."
AMLoR American Tour -- Autumn 1987 (Sept 5 through 25):
Echoes;
Signs of Life; Learning to Fly; A New Machine (Part 1); Terminal Frost; A New
Machine (Part 2); Sorrow; The Dogs of War; Yet Another Movie; On The Turning
Away; One of These Days; Time; On The Run; Money; Another Brick In The Wall
(Part 2); Comfortably Numb; One Slip; Run Like Hell; Shine On You Crazy Diamond
AMLoR American Tour -- Later in Tour, 1987:
Shine On You Crazy
Diamond; Signs of Life; Learning To Fly; Yet Another Movie; A New Machine Part
I; Terminal Frost; A New Machine Part II; Sorrow; Dogs of War; On The Turning
Away; One Of These Days; Time; On The Run; Wish You Were Here; Welcome To The
Machine; Us And Them; Money; Another Brick In The Wall Part II; Comfortably
Numb; One Slip; Run Like Hell (added "Great Gig in the Sky" before WYWH in July
1988) Players:
Jon Carin keyboards, vocals
Scott Page saxophone, guitar
Tim Renwick guitars, vocals
Guy Pratt bass, vocals
Gary Wallis percussion
Margaret Taylor vocals
Durga McBroom vocals
Rachel Fury vocals
Lorelei McBroom vocals (later replacing her sister, Durga)
Roger Waters "Wall in Berlin" -- 21 July 1990:
In the Flesh?; The Thin
Ice; Another Brick in the Wall Part I; The Happiest Days of Our Lives; Another
Brick in the Wall Part II; Mother; Goodbye Blue Sky; Empty Spaces/What Shall We
Do Now; Young Lust; One of My Turns; Don't Leave Me Now; Another Brick in the
Wall Part III; Goodbye Cruel World; Hey You; Is There Anybody Out There?; Nobody
Home; Vera; Bring the Boys Back Home; Comfortably Numb; In the Flesh; Run Like
Well; Waiting for the Worms; Stop; The Trial; The Tide is Turning
Players:
[lots of guests who aren't listed here, plus:
The Bleeding Heart Band:
Graham Broad drums
Rick Difonso guitar
Andy Fairweather Low guitar & bass
Nick Glennie-Smith keyboards
Snowy White guitar
Peter Wood keyboards
Joe Chemay backing vocals
Jim Farber backing vocals
Jim Haas backing vocals
Jon Joyce backing vocals
Knebworth -- June 30 1990:
Shine On You Crazy Diamond; Sorrow; Wish You
Were Here; The Great Gig In The Sky (with Clare Torrey); Money; Comfortably
Numb; Run Like Hell
Roger Waters -- Guitar Legends show in Seville, Spain, November 17,
1991
In the Flesh; ABitW2; What God Wants (pt.1); Brain Damage; Eclipse;
Comfortably Numb (with Bruce Hornsby)
Roger Waters -- Walden Woods Benefit, Los Angeles, April 1, 1992
In The
Flesh; The Happiest Days of Our Lives; ABitW2; Mother; Comfortably Numb
TDB 1994 World Tour -- Set 1
Astronomy Domine; Learning to Fly;
What Do You Want From Me; On the Turning Away; [A Great Day for Freedom/Poles
Apart/Lost For Words/Coming Back to Life]; Sorrow; Take it Back; Keep Talking;
One of These Days; Shine On; Breathe; Time; Breathe Reprise; High Hopes; Wish
You Were Here; Another Brick in the Wall Part II; The Great Gig in the Sky; Us
and Them; Money; Comfortably Numb; Hey You; Run Like Hell
TDB 1994 World Tour -- Set 2
Shine On; Learning to Fly; High Hopes;
Take it Back; Coming Back to Life; Keep Talking; Sorrow; Another Brick in the
Wall Part II; One of These Days; Dark Side of the Moon; Wish You Were
Here; Comfortably Numb; Run Like Hell Players:
Jon Carin keyboards, vocals
Tim Renwick guitars, vocals
Guy Pratt bass, vocals
Gary Wallis percussion
Dick Parry saxophone
Durga McBroom vocals
Sam Brown vocals
Claudia Fontaine vocals
NOTE: Set 2 was performed in the US on July 15-18 (Detroit and New Jersey). Both sets were used throughout Europe. The Oslo shows (8/29-30/94) added "Marooned" as an encore (the only times the song was performed). Consult Piet's tour files for info on specific shows.
For Pink Floyd, from the "Shine On" book:
Steve O'Rourke
EMKA Productions, Ltd.
43 Portland Road
London, W11 4LJ
01-221 2046
And, for Roger Waters:
Mark Fenwick
63a Kings Road
London
SW3 4NT
Not a slip itself, but since it inspired this section... On the inner sleeve of David Gilmour's About Face LP, printed in the bottom right-hand corner, is "Fleudian Slip."
Quadraphonic systems allow the recording and reproduction of four distinct channels of sound (as opposed to the two channels of standard stereo). The system the Floyd used for their three Quad albums (Atom Heart Mother, DSotM, and WYWH) was also known as "the SQ system." The following is an explanation of the system taken from a quad LP, and some additional notes, both courtesy Aaro Koskinen.
The SQ systems enables four channels of sound to be reproduced from the left and right hand walls of the groove of an LP record.
To attain this it has been necessary to develop two devices - the Encoder to convert four signals from the quadraphonic master tape to two signals and the Decoder to decipher these complex signals and convert them back again to four separate signals for reproduction from four loudspeakers.
With the two additional channels of the quadraphonic tape, the Encoder produces two additional modulation components.
The SQ disc, then, carries in its grooves four encoded signals.
To decipher these four signals and recreate the quadraphonic sources, the SQ Decoder is needed. The Decoder senses the four basic modulations and produces four signals containing predominantly the sounds of the corresponding original four quadraphonic tape channels.
For the SQ system, these are:
These signals are then directed to power amplifiers and four loudspeakers placed in the respective corners of the listening area, resulting in a realistic reproduction of the original quadraphonic master tape.
However, no special pickup is needed. Stereo pickup cartridges are capable of receiving all of these modulations.
The only special equipment you need is a "SQ decoder", which you place on the turntable (cartridge) output leads. Then you need of course two amps and four speakers.
Apparently the decoders are no longer being manufactured.
BTW, if you play Quad LPs without decoder, the result is just normal stereo.
Recordings of Illegitimate/Indeterminate Origin are the topic of much of the discussion that goes on, on the 'net, and so it seemed wise to make some comments about them...
There are various reasons for this, but the foremost is that, even if your mail is secure, when you post to a mailing list or newsgroup, your words are being broadcast all over the world, to places that are potentially far from secure. Mail involving certain illegitimate items could get you and the recipient of your message into a fair amount of trouble. Also, using the "b" (footwear) word on the various 'net forums (echoes or the newsgroups) could attract unwanted attention to them, to the detriment of everyone.
Local stores are a good place to try first. Avoid the larger chains, such as Tower, Music Plus, Wherehouse, Sam Goody, etc. Instead shop around at the smaller, independent shops. Stores in large cities and college towns are good places to look, as that's where much of the demand is. Try also asking for "rare" or "concert" recordings, "imports," albums made by Great Dane (for example), and that sort of thing.
The other main method of acquiring RoIOs is through tape trades. You'll find many people willing to trade tapes with you -- just ask people to send you their lists. And, for those beginning collections, some nice folks will even take blank tapes in payment, if you have nothing to trade.
NOTE: While we're on the subject, please do not post lists of RoIO dealers and their locations to the 'net. This is a very easy way to make them ex-RoIO dealers -- they are, in general, uncomfortable with a lot of attention. Plus, posting their location could attract the wrong sort of attention (it's rare, but it happens more than you might think). Likewise, if you want to mail a response to someone asking for RoIO dealer locations, a certain amount of circumspection is in order.
While the echoes database (see Q20.6) is good for checking out particular RoIOs, it's cumbersome to use to find a general list of good-quality recordings. With this in mind, Herwig Henseler has put together a nice guide to some of the better RoIOs, for those starting collections or looking for recordings from a certain tour.
You can get this guide by mailing the following to "echoserv@fawnya.tcs.com"
get roio_guide.051294 roio quitOr, using a WWW browser, you can access it in full hypertext format at http://www.informatik.uni-oldenburg.de/~herwig/roio/guide.html You can contact Herwig at "Herwig.Henseler@Informatik.Uni-Oldenburg.DE"
A good source is a book called Hot Wacks. It's not available in most book stores, but you may be able to find it in record shops. Or you can order it directly:
Hot Wacks Press
Owen Sound, Ontario
Canada
N4K 5R1
The 1992 XV Edition has a chapter devoted to Pink Floyd, as well as 20+ pages of PF RoIO listings. Cost is US $16.95 plus $6 surface mail or $16 air mail. Supplements are printed periodically -- Supplements 1 and 2 are available.
They're RoIOs -- but rather than offering live or unreleased "Pink Floyd" music, they feature Floyd songs remixed to sound more "ambient." Such music is difficult to describe -- think of the child of a "Saucerful of Secrets" and "Another Brick in the Wall, pt.2" union...
Trance remix versions are available of many Pink Floyd albums: Meddle, OBC, DSotM, WYWH, Animals, The Wall, and MLoR; as well as remixes that mix and match Floyd albums, such as Welcome to the Remix.
NOTE: Some of these albums are rumored to have been done by such groups as The Orb, The KLF, and Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor. About the only evidence for such claims I know of is that some trance remix albums feature samples from songs done by these groups. And, as some people have pointed out, the quality of these albums isn't altogether what one would expect from the people mentioned.
Thanks to the efforts of the folks on the Echoes mailing list and others around the net, there has been compiled a database of many of the more popular RoIOs. For each item listed, information is (usually) given regarding tracks, playing time, relative quality, and anything else appropriate.
The database can be accessed in two main ways: via the World Wide Web and via
the mail-based "echoserv" database. To use the WWW database, you need the
appropriate software, such as Mosaic. The address of the database is
http://www.informatik.uni-oldenburg.de/~herwig
For those without WWW access, the echoserv database functions via e-mail. For a list of all the RoIOs available in the database, send the following commands to "echoserv@fawnya.tcs.com"
filelist RoIO quit
(commands should be lowercase and left-justified) This will send you back a list of files, with each file describing a particular RoIO. To retrieve information on that RoIO, use the "send" command, followed by the filename, and then the word "RoIO" You can ask for as many files as you like at a time, one "send" request per line. The last command should be "quit"
send <filename1> RoIO send <filename2> RoIO ... quit
The mail-based list processor at the heart of echoserv will then mail you information on the RoIOs you requested.
If have a RoIO that is not in the database, please obtain the "blank" file from the database, which is a blank form. Fill out the form and send it to
RoIO-maint@fawnya.tcs.comor
RoIO@fawnya.tcs.com
If you have additional comments you'd like make about a RoIO already in the database, use the same address.
NOTE: Naturally, none of this should be taken as condoning the actual purchase of this sort of thing where it is deemed illegal -- simply consider all this as just a further collection of Floyd trivia.