Good news for the fans of the iconic rock band. Pink Floyd have just revealed in the greatest secrecy 18 concerts played throughout Europe, Asia and the United States in 1972. These concerts feature many of the songs from the album The Dark Side of the Moon, released a year later !
Two French concerts
While the legendary British band is currently plagued by inner turmoil, it can still count on its loyal fans. The streaming platform Spotify has announced that over 15 million listeners are enjoying Pink Floyd songs every month. A colossal number for a band whose last album was released in 2014 (The Endless River).
It is on these streaming platforms that the rock band has just released surprise content. In the greatest secrecy, Pink Floyd have released 18 live performances dating from 1972. Among them are songs that would become legendary a year later thanks to the worldwide success of The Dark Side of the Moon.
Two of these concerts took place in France. The first at the Palais des Sports in Poitiers on November 29, 1972, then the second the next day at the Palais des Sports de l’Île de Jatte in Saint-Ouen. Through this list of concerts, we can travel with the artists from London to New York via Tokyo and Zurich.
The 18 concerts released by Pink Floyd:
- Live at Southampton Guildhall, UK, January 23, 1972
- Live at Carnegie Hall, New York, February 5, 1972
- Live at the Rainbow Theatre, London, February 17, 1972
- Live at the Rainbow Theatre, London, February 18, 1972
- Live at the Rainbow Theatre, London, February 19, 1972
- Live at the Rainbow Theatre, London, February 20, 1972
- Live at the Taiikukan, Tokyo, Japan, March 3, 1972
- Live at Osaka Festival Hall, Japan, March 8, 1972
- Live at Nakajima Sports Centre, Sapporo, Japan, March 13, 1972
- Live at Chicago Auditorium Theatre, USA, April 28, 1972
- Live at the Deutschlandhalle, Berlin, Germany, May 18, 1972
- Live at the Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, September 22, 1972
- Live at the Empire Pool, Wembley, London, October 21, 1972
- Live at Ernst-Merck Halle, Hamburg, Germany, November 12, 1972
- Live at the Palais des Sports, Poitiers, France, November 29, 1972
- Live at the Palais des Sports de L’Ile de la Jatte, Saint Ouen, France, December 1, 1972
- Live at the Vorst Nationaal, Brussels, Belgium, December 5, 1972
- Live at the Hallenstadion, Zurich, Switzerland, December 9, 1972
A gift for nostalgic fans
It should be noted that this surprise is aimed towards nostalgic fans, rather than informed audiophiles. The tapes are published as they were recorded almost 50 years ago. A far cry from the tracks that have been remastered using new technologies. These 18 live performances will bring back memories for those lucky enough to have been in the audience in 1972.
But the surprise doesn’t stop there! In addition to the 18 live performances, a track entitled Alternative Tracks 1972 features five songs from The Dark Side of the Moon. This collection includes two remixes and a superb alternative version of Us and Them led on saxophone. The icing on the cake is a raw demo version of On the Run that allows us to listen in on the debates that animated the band in the studio.
To complete the picture, scraps of the studio recording of The Dark Side of the Moon named Eclipsed by the Moon, also appeared on all streaming platforms. These include two Brain Damage outtakes and an alternative version of The Travel Sequence.
What’s with all the secrecy?
Why didn’t Pink Floyd want to communicate on this surprising initiative? As is often the case, the main reason is financial. While the British band is looking to sell its catalog, they also wanted to make money from their precious recordings. As copyright in Europe is now limited to 50 years, all the live performances of 1972 risked being lost. Now online, the Pink Floyd performances appear under copyright of Pink Floyd Music Ltd and are therefore official releases from the band.
Whatever the reasons, there’s never a bad time to enjoy a track by Pink Floyd, the absolute masters of psychedelic rock. From A Saucerful of Secrets to A Momentary Lapse of Reason and the iconic The Wall, rediscover the discography of one of the greatest bands in history.
