The latest version of this document can always be found on http://www.meddle.org

01 : Who is Pink Floyd anyway ?

Who is Pink Floyd anyway?

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),

Roger Keith (Syd) Barrett 6 January, 1946 George Roger Waters 6 September, 1943 % Richard William Wright 28 July, 1945 Nicholas Berkeley Mason 27 January, 1945 David Jon Gilmour 6 March, 1946

% See the section on "Roger's Birthday"

For a full and detailed history of the pre-Floyd band, we suggest you read the In The Flesh book, by Glenn Povey and Ian Russell. A short, abridged, and therefore incomplete listing is included below. The most important names are given though.

Early 1964, the Floyd-to-be formed as "Sigma 6." They then changed to "The T-Set" ("Tea Set"), then "The Meggadeaths," "The Screaming Abdabs," and simply "The Abdabs." At this point, the band's membership consisted of:

Roger Waters, lead guitar

Clive Metcalf, bass

Richard Wright, keyboards

Nick Mason, drums

Juliette Gale, vocals

Keith Noble, vocals



NOTE: contrary to popular belief, and previous issues of this FAQ, the band was never known as "The Architectural Abdabs" this was merely the headline from an article about the band in the polytechnics school paper. The article is reprinted in the "In The Flesh" book.

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 Klose and Syd Barrett for guitars, followed by Chris Dennis to be the lead vocalist. Dennis was soon called for duty by the Royal Air Force, however, and several months later Klose 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 Carolina blues artists, Pink Anderson and Floyd Council, who were in Syd Barrett's collection.

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 follow up 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.

For a much better and more detailed description of the early years, we recommend Julian Palacios' book "Lost In The Woods."

The success that followed their first two singles and _Piper_ proved to be too much for Syd, however, as the vast quantities of drugs he was taking, the blind worship of his fans, the pressure of writing hit singles (his third attempt, "Apples and Oranges," was a flop), 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".

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 while with the group.

For a detailed history of this, please see either "Lost In The Woods" or "Crazy Diamond."

Pink Floyd, meanwhile (having shed the "The" part of their name along with Syd), went on to be fantastically successful, following 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. 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 little more than a session musician, though the album contains some of his finest guitar work. 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 the section on "when did Waters leave." 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 laid to rest, sued them over its use. The two parties eventually reached a settlement before the matter ever reached court.

Waters also remained active musically, following up his first solo album, _Pros and Cons of Hitchhiking_, with contributions to the 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 its commercial hype. This was to the great disappointment of many of his fans, who thought that ATD was his best work yet. At this point in time (July 1999) a Waters solo tour through the U.S. has been announced (see http://www.roger-waters.com for full details).

Meanwhile, Pink Floyd (now consisting of Dave Gilmour and Nick Mason) did not die, certainly not legally. Their first post- Waters release, _A Momentary Lapse of Reason_, was a commercial success, and the two member Floyd followed it up with an extensive world tour. In 1994, after several years off, the group, now with a full three members, released _The Division Bell_, and embarked on another tour. A live recording from this tour is the content of their most recent release, _Pulse_.

...which is where things stand right now, pretty much. For the latest rumors of what lies ahead, check out the the section on "Rumor Mill".

Family Tree

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" "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, bass guitar | keyboards drums upto ----------------------------+------+------------------- THE WALL | | | | | +--------------------+ | | | "Pink Floyd" | Roger Waters David Gilmour | Nick Mason TFC | bass guitar | drums |"Zee" IDENTITY ----------------------------+------------ Dave Harris| Rick Wright | guitar| keyboards | | +---+ -------+-------- | | | "Pink Floyd" # | David Gilmour | Nick Mason AMLOR DSOT | guitar | drums | --------------+------------- | | | | +-------+ | | | "Pink Floyd" # | David Gilmour | Nick Mason Richard Wright TDB, guitar | drums keyboards PULSE --------------+------------------------------ | | ????????

% Sometimes Syd Barrett's Pink Floyd is referred to as The Pink Floyd, though the band members (and promoters) occasionally kept refering to the band as The Pink Floyd long after # David Gilmour's Pink Floyd is sometimes referred to as Pink Floyd 1987 Ltd

[Thanks to Daniel Cotten (dcotten@wt.net)]

One would hate to impeach such an unimpeachable authority as Mr. Fitch over such a trivial matter, however, the REG site claims to have the correct date through Water's manager:

Roger's birthday confused to death

I am often getting asked: "When is Roger Waters Birthday?" As any well read fan I used to reply: Why on Sept. 9, 1944 of course. Wrong!

Little did I know that I had been dispensing inaccurate information for years! Because of the confusion regarding the year of Roger's birth, I reported the truth of the matter in REG issue #15. There had been a publishing discrepancy regarding the year that Roger was born. Some books reported that Roger was born in 1944, others reported that it was 1943. I learned that it was statistically impossible for Roger to have been born in 1944. The correct year of Roger's birth is in fact 1943.

However, the confusion did not stop there. I understand that he was born in 1943, but on what day? A number of reliable sources list September 6th as his birth date, while other reliable sources list September 9th as his date of birth.

September 9, is listed as Roger's birth date in various promo materials. Even though they list conflicting years, September 9, is also listed as Roger's birth date in the book Pink Floyd, A Visual Documentary by Miles, and in Schaffner's Pink Floyd - A Saucerful of Secrets biography.

However, Roger's birth date is listed as September 6, 1943 in the Pink Floyd - In the Flesh book by Glenn Povey & Ian Russell, as well as in a number of magazine articles, and in the Encyclopedia of Rock Stars book.

To solve this dilemma, I called up an unimpeachable source, Mark Fenwick, Roger Waters' manager. Asked about the truth regarding this matter he replied; Roger Waters was born September 6, 1943!

So there you have it, the true birth date of Roger Waters, almost from the horse's mouth so to speak.

02 : Did the bands that preceded Pink Floyd make any records ?

Did the bands that preceded Pink Floyd make any records?

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:

"Why Do Fools Fall" In Love (Frankie Lymon) "Walk Like A Man" (The Four Seasons) "Don't Ask Me (What I say)" (Manfred Mann) "Big Girls Don't Cry" (The Four Seasons) "Beautiful Delilah" (Chuck Berry)

This "LP" was limited to only about 50 copies, and has recently sold for as much as £1000 (approx. $1800 US). A copy is held, and can be heard, at the British National Archives.

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 Ask Me" as the b- side.

The EP is currently available on a variety of RoIOs, and can be found as MP3 files on the Internet.

03 : What Albums Have Pink Floyd Released

What Albums Have Pink Floyd Released

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. [other songs] lists songs only available on singles, and all known unreleased material. Section 0 tells where to find a listing of all "guest work" done by members of Pink Floyd; explains how to get a list of artists that have covered PF songs.

For a detailed discography (by country), including album covers and much more, please check out the Pink Floyd archives web site.

"Pink Floyd Albums"

Regular Catalog 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 1994 Pulse 6 June 1995 NOTE: Release dates are for original UK issues.

@ Remastered version available in Europe and the UK

& Remastered version available in the US

% Remastered version planned

* Remastered LP version available (30th anniversary edition)



Special Releases #Pink Floyd 1967@ (first American release) #Best of Pink Floyd 1970* (compilation, Dutch) Relics 1971** (compilation) #A Nice Pair 1973 (_Piper_ & ASoS as 2-LP) #Pink Floyd Milestones 197? (_Piper_ & ASoS, Dutch 2-LP) 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& (w/ early singles) Shine On - Selections from the Box 1992^ Dark Side of the Moon XX 1993 (20th anniversary ed.) The Piper at the Gates of Dawn 1997 (30th anniversary ed.)

@ The initial US version of _Piper_, but with "Arnold Layne" and "See Emily Play" instead of "Flaming" and "Astronomy Domine." * Rereleased throughout Europe as _Masters of Rock_ Vol. 1 in 1974.

** also available as remastered LP as part of the 30th anniversary box

% Brazilian version of ACoGDS with "The Gunner's Dream" in place of "One of These Days." & Contains remastered CDs of: ASoS, _Meddle_, DSotM, WYWH, _Animals_, _The Wall_, AMLoR, and a CD (mostly mono) of their first 5 singles. Also includes a hardcover book, several "postcards," and "minimalist" packaging for the albums themselves. ^ Contains "See Emily Play," "Set the Controls...," "OoTD," "Money," "SOYCD [edit]," "Dogs," "Comfortably Numb," "ABITW2," and "One Slip.

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 Fictitious 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 in Berlin 1990 Syd Barrett Octopus ("Best of") 1992 Roger Waters Amused to Death 1992 Syd Barrett Crazy Diamond (Box Set) 1993^^ Rick Wright Broken China 1996

* With Ron Geesin, a soundtrack (rerecorded). Only four of the tracks have vocals, all done by Waters. These songs are reminiscent of "If"; the rest of the album is a bit like the weirder parts of the "Atom Heart Mother" suite. ** _Madcap_ and _Barrett_ repackaged as a double album. ^ Essentially a Carla Bley album -- Mason plays, but wasn't involved in the writing. Bley and her husband, Mike Mantler, are well known and respected in the jazz world. Features vocals by the Soft Machine's Robert Wyatt. + Zee was a band comprised of Richard Wright and Dave Harris. ++ With Rick Fenn of 10cc, and features Gilmour with vocals on one track. Also available in a remastered version as part of the Sony Special Projects Collectors Series. & Second half of album features Waters and The Bleeding Heart Band (the first time his band was called such). Only two of these songs have lyrics -- the rest are short instrumentals. Also on the album are tracks by David Bowie, Hugh Cornwell, Genesis, Squeeze, and Paul Hardcastle. && Features "Two of a Kind," which was written by Rick Wright but credited to Syd Barrett ^^ _Madcap_, _Barrett_, and _Opel_ packaged with alternate takes of the album songs. This was not available in the US until 1994, except as an import.

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?? #Underground ("See Emily Play" and ASoS) 19?? #Listen in Good Health (SSoSFAGTiaCaGwaP) 1970 #A Sampler for Singles Only ("Money") 19?? #Song & Dance Sampler ("Us and Them") 19?? #A Harvest Sampler ("Point Me at the Sky") 19?? ?Rock Connections with Mike Harrison (ABITW2) 19?? ?Psychedelic Psnack ("See Emily Play") 19?? #Rarities 8-23-92 ("Candy and a Currant Bun") 199? #Rarities 9-20-82 ("Point Me at the Sky") 198? #A Good Harvest ("Baby Lemonade") 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? #Westwood One In Concert--David Gilmour 7/12/84 198? Knebworth: The Album ("Comfortably Numb" and RLH) 1990 Flashback -- Rock Classics of the 70s ("Money") 1991 A CD Full of Secrets 199? Superstar Concert Series: Pink Floyd at Knebworth 1990 1992

% rereleased by Rhino records, featuring 4 previously unreleased Pink Floyd tracks.

The list is (much?) longer than this, if you stumble across such an album, be sure to let us know

"Honorable Mentions -- Tribute and Cover Albums"

?Discoballs: A Tribute to Pink Floyd 19??^ Fuck Your Dreams, This is Heaven 19??$ Beyond the Wildwood: A Tribute to Syd Barrett 1987* Objects of Fantasy/Orchestral Maneuvers 1989 Pink Rock -- Super Sounds of the Seventies 1991@ Hits of PF: Royal Philharmonic Orchestra 1994 Trance Remixes 1994 A Saucerful of Pink 1995& The Moon Revisited 1995% Echoes Tribute Tape 1995+ A Saucerful Of Echoes 1998++

$ Soundtrack to a film of the same name, dedicated to Syd Barrett. Includes

"No Man's Land" (Peter Principle), "Late Night" (Minimal Compact), "Late Night" (Winston Tong), and "Flaming" (Niki Mono and Nikolas Klau). * 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), "Scream Thy Last Scream" (The Green Telescope), "See Emily Play" (The Chemistry Set), "Rats" (What Noise), and "Gigolo Aunt" (Death of Samantha). ^ Album of disco covers by French group Rosebud. Includes "Have a Cigar," "Free Four," "Summer '68," "Interstellar Overdrive," "Money," "One of these Days," "Arnold Layne," and the "Main Theme" from _More_. @ By the Alex Bollard Assembly. Fairly true-to-album versions of "One of These Days (Part 1)", "Arnold Layne," "See Emily Play," "Let There Be More Light," "Atom Heart Mother," "Summer '68," "A Pillow Of Winds," "Obscured By Clouds," "Burning Bridges," "Breathe," "Time," "Money," "Us and Them," "Wish You Were Here," "Shine On You Crazy Diamond," "Sheep," (2:43) "Another Brick In The Wall (Part 2)," "Run Like Hell," and "One of These Days (Part 2)" & Contains techno/industrial covers of "Set Controls for the Heart of the Sun" (Psychic TV), "Another Brick in the Wall" (Controlled Bleeding), "One of these Days" (Spahn Ranch), "Wot's...Uh the Deal" (Sky Cries Mary), "Interstellar Overdrive" (Spiral Realms), "Learning to Fly" (Leather Strip), "To Roger Waters Where Ever You Are" (Ron Geesin), "Jugband Blues" (Eden), "On the Run" (DIN), "Echoes" (Alien Sex Fiend), "Hey You" (Furnace), "Careful With That Ax, Eugene" (Alien Sex Fiend), "Lucifer Sam" (The Electric Hellfire Club), "Pigs On The Wing (pt. 1)" (Helios Creed), "Let there be More Light" (Pressurehed), "Young Lust" (Penal Colony), "A Saucerful of Secrets" (EXP), "Point Me at the Sky" (Melting Euphoria), and "The Nile Song" (Far Flung) % A DSotM cover album, all songs are (almost) exactly like the original version.

Includes "Speak to Me/Breathe" (Cairo), "On the Run" (Rob LaVaque), "Time" (Shadow Gallery), "The Great Gig in the Sky" (Dark Side of the Moon), "Money" (Magellan), "Us & Them" (Enchant), "Any Colour You Like" (World Trade), "Brain Damage" (Robert Berry), and "Eclipse" (Jon-Michael Engard, Rob LaVaque, Robert Berry, Ted Leonard, Trent Gardner Billy Sherwood, Bret Douglas, and Mike Baker) + A tribute tape put together by members of the Echoes mailing list. Contains "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun," "Grantchester Meadows," One of these Days," "Fearless," a PF medley including "Wot's'... Uh the Deal," "The Gunners Dream," "Sorrow," and "Pigs (Three Different Ones)," "Mudmen," "Breathe," "Any Colour You Like," "Shine On You Crazy Diamond (pt.2, live)," "Shine On You Crazy Diamond (pt.9)," "Young Lust," "Hey You," "Is There Anybody Out There?," "Comfortably Numb," "Cluster One," "High Hopes," and "Breathe." This tape was compiled by James Hayward, who lost net access shortly after the fact. ++A new (set of) tribute tapes being put together by members of the Echoes mailing list. Volume 1 was released in 1998. For full details and possible contributions see http://asoe.cjb.net or contact Dave Ward at pink-floyd@writeme.com.

"Has anyone seen these orchestral albums?"

There are currently three albums of orchestral cover versions of Pink Floyd songs, two played by the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, and the other played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The band itself was not involved with any of these.

* _Orchestral Maneuvers_ (previously titled _Objects of Fantasy_) Arranged, conducted, and produced by David Palmer, who did similar albums of Jethro Tull, Yes and Genesis. The album includes "Run Like Hell," "Another Brick in the Wall, pt.1," "The Happiest Days of Our Lives," "Another Brick in the Wall, pt.2," "Goodbye Blue Sky," "Money," "Hey You," "Wish You Were Here," "On The Turning Away," "Shine On You Crazy Diamond, pts.1-5," and "When The Tigers Broke Free/Eclipse." Generally, it's not bad, but sometimes it borders on "elevator music." Interesting listening, at the least. A few of the tracks contain vocals. Also on the album are Steve Hackett (from Genesis), and Clare Torry. * _Hits of Pink Floyd_ Arranged and conducted by Hermann Weindorf. It includes "Shine On You Crazy Diamond," "Money," "Us and Them," "Hey You," "Another Brick in the Wall," "Wish You Were Here," "Time," "The Great Gig in the Sky," and "In the Flesh." While such things are, of course, subjective, this album has generally received better reviews than _Orchestral Maneuvers_. It's also, to my knowledge, only currently available in Europe. * Us And Them: Symphonic Pink Floyd Arranged by Jaz Coleman (of Killing Joke); conducted by Peter Scholes; produced by Youth (also of Killing Joke). The tracks are "Time," "Brain Damage," "Another Brick In The Wall, Part Two," "Comfortably Numb," "Breathe In The Air," "Money," "The Great Gig In The Sky," "Nobody Home," "Us And Them," "Time (The Old Tree With Winding Roots Behind The Lake of Dreams Mix)." Overall, a very solid and worthwhile piece of work, surprisingly (and happily) free of the "elevator music" effect usually created by symphonic albums. Many of the tracks resemble the sort of work John Williams does on Steven Speilberg adventure movies, big sweeping movements with soaring instrumentation. Cover art and design was done by Roger Dean (who is known for his distinctive style seen on Yes album covers.) The album's extensive liner notes include Coleman's personal notes on each track.

Also in the area of orchestral versions of Floyd songs, The London Symphony Orchestra recorded an arrangement of "Another Brick in the Wall" for the _Classic Rock - Rock Classics_ album.

"Interview Discs"

Some of these are radio discs, some are promos, and some are legitimate, limited edition official releases.

Limited Edition TDB Interview Disc CD, 1994 Limited Edition Picture Disc Int CD, 1980/1986 Take it Back Interview 2CD, 1980/1986 -- same as above #An Insight into Pink Floyd 2LP, 1987 #An INNER-VIEW Special-PINK FLOYD 2LP #Innerview-PINK FLOYD 2LP, Series 17 Shows #6 and #7 #Pink Floyd-The Rock Years 3LP, hours 25, 31, and 46 #Royalty of Rock-Pink Floyd LP #Shades of Pink-The Legend of PF 6LP, 1984 #The Inside Track with Lisa Robinson 3LP, Week of October 22, 1984 Innerview-David Gilmour 1978 #Off the Record Special-David Gilmour 2LP, 1984 #Innerview-David Gilmour 84 Series #28, Show #2 #Innerview-Nick Mason 85 Series #34, Show #13 #Innerview-Roger Waters 84 Series #28, show #12 #BBC Rock Hour Special #529-Roger Waters 1984 In The Studio: DSotM CD, 8aug88, 12mar90, 22mar93 In The Studio: Wish You Were Here CD, 18sep95 In The Studio: The Wall (parts 1&2) 2CD, 10&17jul89, 9&16jul90,

7&14nov94 In The Studio: The Division Bell 2CD, 19&26dec94 In The Studio: Shine On (box set) 2CD, 2&9may94, 27may & 3jun96

NOTE: Some interview discs feature pictures of old (Syd-era) Floyd, but contain interviews with AMLoR-era Floyd members. For example, the "Limited Edition Picture Disc Interview," part of the TALKING PICTURE series, lists two tracks:

: Interview 1981 [discussing _The Wall_ and beginnings of film] : Interview 1986 [discussing AMLoR]

The disc has pictures of very young Roger, Nick, Syd, and Rick. Also, track 1 is in fact from 1980.

Also, Rockline shows were done with Gilmour & Mason for AMLoR, DSoT, and the Shine On box set. A Rockline special for Gilmour's About Face was done, as well as shows with Waters for his Pros and Cons and Radio KAOS albums, plus a Rockline special for the Berlin performance of The Wall in 1990.

The Album Network broadcast the world premiere of Amused to Death (27aug92) hosted by Bob Coburn, a Division Bell press conference (3feb94) hosted by Coburn with Steve O'Rourke and Mark Brickman, The Division Bell world premiere (30mar94) hosted by Redbeard with the band, and the p.u.l.s.e world premiere (1jun95) hosted by Dan Neer with Gilmour and Mason.

04 : What Rare Releases are out there

What Rare Releases are out there ? Here's a list of rare, special, or limited editions, promo items you might find for sale, and other "interesting" releases:

Caveat: This list is by its very nature incomplete, but gives a good indication of the most well-known items.

Promo Singles

Arnold Layne/Candy & A Currant Bun rare picture sleeve See Emily Play rare picture sleeve Apples & Oranges/Paintbox DJ picture sleeve It Would Be So Nice 1983 12" 1 sided When The Tigers Broke Free/ 12" Bring The Boys Back Home

Money 1 sided 12" pink vinyl On the Turning Away/Run Like Hell pink vinyl single Money/Another Brick in the Wall, pt.2 12" pink vinyl Flaming/The Gnome Tower 368, unique "Gnome" Not Now John (obscured) 12" 1 sided DJ Run Like Hell (6:21/3:25) single On the Turning Away/Run Like Hell pink vinyl single Money/Another Brick in the Wall, pt.2 12" pink vinyl Remember a Day/Let There Be More Light single One of These Days single Love on the Air picture disc

Japanese Singles/EPs

A lot of Floyd material has been released in Japan on single/EP, sometimes even on red vinyl.

Promo EPs

Dark Side of the Moon 1973 DJ Sampler 12" Off The Wall 1979 DJ Sampler 12" Pompeii DJ Sampler 12" Tour '75 1975 DJ Promo + '94 Barrett pink EP # David Gilmour 1978 DJ Promo EP @ Selections from The Final Cut DJ Promo % Selections from Pros and Cons DJ promo %

+ Capitol's attempt to get back catalog moving. Contained "The Gold it's in the....," "Wot's...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." This might have been one of the Selections From type promos. # Contains album versions of "Terrapin," "Octopus," "Baby Lemonade," and "Effervescing Elephant" % Selections From XXX promos contain a limited number (usually 4) of songs from the album, which are the ones deemed by the record company to be most suitable for air play. The promos have a low quality (almost Xeroxed looking) cover. I have personally seen the TFC and +-oHH ones, but would not be surprised if these were released for more albums.

Rare Box Sets:

First XI box set of PatGoD through Animals, with original sleeves except DSotM and _Animals_ (picture discs, not in French edition)

Piper-scx 6157 Saucerful-scx 6258 More-scx 6346 Ummagumma-shdw 1/2 AHM-shvl 781 Relics-srs 5071 Meddle-shvl 795 OBC-shsp 4020 Dark Side-shvlp 804 (picture disc both sides) WYWH-shvlp 814 (picture disc both sides) Animals-shvl 815 Pink Floyd--The Box European box set of WYWH through AMLoR CDs (including ACoGDS)

Quadraphonic Albums:

Q4SHVL 781 _Atom Heart Mother_ Q4SHVL 804 _The Dark Side of the Moon_ Q4SHVL 814 _Wish You Were Here_

* The Floyd also apparently spent some time in the studio recording a quad mix of _Meddle_. However, this was never released...

Limited Edition Album Packages

_Animals_ Pig Box pink wooden box ^ _Atom Heart Mother_ Cow Box white wooden cow box ^ _Dark Side_ Prism Box black wooden triangle box ^ _Dark Side_ Pyramid Box black wooden pyramid box ^ _The Wall_ Brick Wall Box wall-shaped box ^ _Delicate Sound_ Light bulb Box wooden box ^ _The Division Bell_ Slip case Australian limited edition The Division Box limited edition TDB promo % The Wall: Live in Berlin Video Box VHS video, the 2CD set, and an expanded booklet

% Contains: A copy of _The Division Bell_ CD

A copy of the "Take it Back" UK CD single

A promotional "Division Bell", which was a little silver-plated bell, about six inches long, with handle

A calculator with TDB artwork

A custom denim shirt/jacket (black) ^ These are all limited editions (1000-2000 made, depending)

05 : All About Quadrophonics

All about Quadraphonics

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.

"How the SQ system works"

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:

Front left - major left w/minor feeds to rear left and front right

Front right - major right w/minor feeds to front left and rear right

Rear left - major rear left w/minor feeds to front left and rear right

Rear right - major rear right w/minor feeds to rear left and front right

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.

"What do I need to play Quad albums?"

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 (except the mix is different. e.g. the version of Money in the quad mix features a few seconds of Dave Gilmour scatting at the end of the song that are not on the regular stereo mixes).

06 : What are VariLites ?

What are VariLites?

Taken from a post by D. Jordan Taylor <jordant@mindspring.com>:

VariLites are automated, computer-driven, programmable little spotlights that are capable of changing color, focus, direction, and beam type with near instantaneous speed. They are the lights that were placed on the edge of "Mr. Screen" and hundreds of other places on the lighting trusses. They eliminate union spot-op jobs onstage, leaving the work for those guys in the audience and on the lighting towers.

They are the solution to the problem presented in the late seventies, "How do we get a few hundred very fast and perfectly operating spotlights where we'd like them?" by stage and lighting designers.

They were developed for Genesis and the band had exclusive rights and use of the little robot-like machines for a couple/few years. Showco was the company who brought them "to light" and Genesis is rumored to have bought the company (or at least the VariLite division) shortly after they made millions and millions on tour.

07 : What Are Some Good Sources For Collectors

What Are Some Good Sources For Collectors?

Any major record store should be able to order any of the "normal" releases that they don't carry -- including imports like _When the Wind Blows_ and some of the remastered EMI CDs. You can also use the on-line CD stores for this (www.cdnow.com, www.cdeurope.com, etc.) But if you're looking for promotional items, 7" singles, or other, rarer material, your best bet may be to check one of the places mentioned below.

Record Collector Magazine is a UK publication that specializes in the Record Collectors market (hence it's title). The magazine is roughly half articles, and half for sale/wanted ads. I've seen pretty much every Floyd item for sale in their columns. You should be able to get a copy of Record Collector from the better magazine store.

"Hip Cat Records"

Hip Cat is a good place to get the latest Pink Floyd albums, singles, books, magazine interviews, and concert paraphernalia; as well as older, rare, and foreign releases. Request a catalog from them at:

Hip Cat Records M-Th 11am to 8:30pm CST 1089 W. Dundee Road F-Sa 11am to 9:30pm Wheeling IL 60090-3908 Sun 12pm to 6:00pm USA (1) 708-537-0066

"Crazy Diamond"

A Dutch based record shop, run by Charles Beterams who is also one of the persons behind the Azimuth Coordinator fanzine. Has a large variety of Floydian goodies, albums, CDs, rare vinyl, concert stubs, poster and other memorabilia.

You can contact Crazy Diamond through info@crazy-diamond.nl or at http://www.crazy-diamond.nl

"The Pink Floyd Archives"

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 and the BBC 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 33733

USA PFArchives@compuserve.com http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/PFArchives

08 : Pink Floyd and Musicclubs

Pink Floyd and music clubs

[Edited and expanded from an Echoes posting] The reason involves song copyrights and band contracts. There are two copyrights for most songs: the (c) copyright for the written music, and the (p) copyright for the recorded music. 99% of the times, the record label owns the (p) copyright. In the band's record contract, they agree on royalties based on sales of that recorded music -- through retail, from licensing to compilation records, from use in movies, etc. The royalty for music club sales is low (only about half the regular amount), and *no* royalty is paid on the units the clubs give away for free (those 12 for 1 deals).

This obviously isn't a great deal for the band, then. The clubs make their money from volume, the record companies collect their licensing money as usual, but the band gets ripped. Pink Floyd is one of the few bands that are established enough that they both have no need for the promotional benefits a record club offers, and have the leverage to prohibit music club sales in their recording contract. This is why you don't see any of their albums offered. The only exceptions are items like Roger's _The Wall: Live in Berlin_ (which was done as a one-off by Polygram), and Syd's albums (which aren't nearly the sellers that Floyd albums are).