Ep.14 - Pink Floyd live recordings, The Year 1967

Pink Floyd's 1967 concerts were raw, fast and unpredictable musical experiences. 

Many concert setlists are incomplete or missing. The best-surviving evidence exists in snippets of film, two BBC radio sessions, photographs and three audience recordings captured between September and November 1967.  

In this episode, we reflect on this essential cluster of amateur recordings: who taped them and how, what to listen for, the degree to which they reflect Syd's withdrawal, what's missing and the possibilities for the existing tapes and new discoveries. 

Seek out
• September 10th at Gyllene Cirkeln, Stockholm, Sweden 
• September 13th at Starclub, Copenhagen, Denmark, and
• November 13th at Hippy Happy Fair, De Oude-Ahoy Hallen, Ahoy Heliport, Rotterdam, The Netherlands 

And join us for a Reaction in G.

We start the new year with another wonderful guest, who is a musician, composer and one of the most versatile artists we had on the show so far. He has been a crucial part on every single Roger Waters tour between 2002 and 2016 and if his last name is familiar, that’s because he is also the son of Roger Waters.
We talk enthusiastically about music in general, playing to click tracks, his last shows with Roger Waters at Coachella 2016, his excitement about Chick Corea and his programming work for a Nintendo game. Harry played many show with LES  CLAYPOOL and reveals how much he loves the Album ANIMALS.
We very much respected his wish not to ask him any personal questions about his father so expect a in depth talk about music.

In this X-Mas Special we welcome back Phil Salathé to dive into an analysis of Pink Floyd's music. Phil is a professor and teaches music theory and composition at a state university in northern New York, is a musician and composer himself and is therefore the perfect conversation partner to analyze the music and musical development of Pink Floyd over the years and to examine the band's structures from a creative perspective.
Since Phil is working on a new book, we also have the pleasure of getting a first insights at the book's topics.
Look forward to a great conversation with Phil Salathé and learn what he thinks makes Pink Floyd so special!

Charles Beterams is not only an icon of the Dutch Pink Floyd fan scene but also an author, publisher, and operator of the world's largest web shop for Pink Floyd related items and memorabilia.

Ian met Charles in London and they spoke for over an hour about his love of the band, experiences as a fanzine editor, books and publishing work. Few people in Europe know more about Pink Floyd than Charles, and hardly anyone has attended more concerts or can demonstrate their passion for the band with such sincerity. Enjoy over 60 minutes of in-depth commentary from two Pink Floyd researchers and experts!

Col Turner is an influential and significant figure amongst Pink Floyd fans across the globe who has been following Pink Floyd since 1966.

We discuss Col's UFO Club experiences and the London scene. Col emigrated after the Hyde Park 1970 concert and reconnected to the band in Australia in 1971 and 1988. 

Perhaps best known for 'A Fleeting Glimpse' (www.pinkfloydz.com), Col's website was created 25 years ago and features countless stories, interviews and fascinating Pink Floyd insights.

Col has met Roger Waters on four occasions and, as you will hear, it hasn't always gone smoothly.

Join us to hear Col, Nils and Ian enjoy a warmhearted conversation and stories from this superfan's 57 year Pink Floyd journey.

Facebook ' A Fleeting Glimpse': https://www.facebook.com/PinkFloydAFleetingGlimpse/

Syd Barrett: “An amazingly attractive, energetic, sparkly boy goes the wrong way in life and is lost”

Rosemary Breen knew her brother Syd Barrett better than anyone. They were inseparable as children, and in later years, Rosemary cared for Syd between the early 1980s and his untimely death in 2006. A "bright cookie" and kind, Syd had an unusual brain, and Rosemary became the single individual he could cope with.

Rosemary spoke to Ian Priston on 16 September 2023 to get things on record and encourage youngsters who look up to Syd to carefully think about why and how things happened to him. 

Rosemary eloquently sums up how Syd wanted to play with the other members of Pink Floyd and with sound. He neither sought celebrity nor understood it. When being in the band ceased to be fun, Syd left.

Syd Barrett expressed his true self through his art. After he returned to Cambridge, Syd produced some memorable artworks when he was in a good frame of mind. He had many ideas and would paint enormous canvases, and there was often one in progress when Rosemary visited.

The two used to go on days out. On one occasion, Rosemary and Syd were in central Cambridge, and Syd stopped and feared crossing a road because he felt compelled to get a painting out of his head and onto a canvas. For Syd, art was about much more than simply being creative; according to Rosemary, the process fulfilled a need and was vital.

The interview covers some serious topics, but there is also humour. For example, Rosemary explains how Syd was “Mr. DIY”. Talking about Syd Barrett’s lyrics, Rosemary says, "They make me giggle. He was a clown and was joking. Life was a joke. If anybody took him seriously, he just would giggle away."

It's episode number 8, and we return to the 1977 Animals Tour with our guest David Fidler. David was a good friend of Chris Cockram, whom we had the privilege of interviewing for episode 5. It's David's first-ever interview about his sound engineering work with Pink Floyd. David was primarily responsible for Pink Floyd's quad system, and his memories provide invaluable insights into the challenges Pink Floyd's crew faced as they supported 56 dates in Europe and North America.

Unedited Video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYcb-0L_KrI

“An amazingly attractive, energetic, sparkly boy goes the wrong way in life and is lost.” 
Rosemary Breen, Syd Barrett’s sister, knew him better than anyone and has given a detailed interview to Ian Priston for the Fingal’s Cave podcast. Go to https://fingalscavepodcast.com/ to subscribe and never miss an episode.

In this episode, we are very pleased to be joined by composer and author Ron Geesin. Known to Pink Floyd fans for his collaboration on Atom Heart Mother and Music from the Body, Ron has an extensive discography, a massive collection of adjustable spanners, and nearly eight decades' worth of stories, aphorisms, insights, and witticisms. In a wide-ranging conversation with Phil Salathé and Nils Zehnpfennig, Ron discusses the past and future of Atom Heart Mother, his work for film and television, and the role of the subconscious and humor in art. Along the way Ron speaks of his love for Coleman Hawkins and Edgard Varèse, and recounts how "unintentional brinksmanship" had him facing the wrath of two thousand Scots.

Please find the unedited video here: https://youtu.be/AqGtp7rcT_g

Today we talk to Ian Priston and Phil Salathé about their work on the bestselling book "Pink Floyd BBC Radio 1967-1971". Phil explains how this collaboration came about and Ian talks about surprising finds in the BBC archives and the immense help from the fan community.

Book: https://www.floydstuff.com/product/7245714/pink-floyd-bbc-radio-1967-1971-hardcover-edition