Live in Montreux 1970 – Pink Floyd

Vinyl Double LP

Available now from http://www.1960s.london

Side  One

1. Astronomy Domine (Syd Barrett)
2. Fat Old Sun (David Gilmour)

Side Two

1. Cymbaline (Roger Waters)
2. Embryo (Roger Waters)

Side Three

1. Green Is The Colour (Roger Waters)
2. Careful With That Axe, Eugene (David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Richard Wright, Nick Mason)
3. Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun (Roger Waters)

Side  Four

1. A Saucerful Of Secrets (David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Richard Wright, Nick Mason)
2. Just Another Twelve Bar (David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Richard Wright, Nick Mason)

Recording Details

All tracks recorded live at the Super Pop 70 VII music festival at the Montreux Casino, Switzerland on November 21^st 1970 and broadcast on RTS Radio

Personnel

Dave Gilmour – Guitar, Vocals

Roger Waters  – Bass, Vocals

Richard Wright – Keyboards, Vocals

Nick Mason – Drums & Percussion

Sleevenotes

Following the departure of founder Syd Barrett in 1968 the Floyd began their journey from psychedelic pop group to internationally-renowned rock band, one capable of producing concept albums and film soundtracks. Syd’s erratic brilliance was replaced by the more grounded approach of new guitarist Dave Gilmour. However since Syd had written the Floyd’s hit singles See Emily Play and Arnold Layne his absence meant that a new creative direction was necessary. This release illustrates the band in transition with some early material supplemented by more recently written songs, some of which would never appear on a Pink Floyd album.

Pink Floyd spent much of 1970 touring America and Europe, so that by the time they played Switzerland in November their set was thoroughly road-tested.  An enthusiastically-received Astronomy Domine serves notice that this would be a powerful performance with extended song lengths allowing all four musicians to fully participate. Fat Old Sun was sung by Dave Gilmour and was taken from the album Atom Heart Mother, which had been released the previous month. The studio version clocked in at five minutes plus but the version here is over twice as long with much guitar / organ interplay.Cymbaline was taken from the Floyd’s soundtrack to the film More, as was Green Is The Colour.On Cymbaline the recorded footsteps section comes through very clearly together with a variety of other nightmarish noises courtesy of the Floyd’s near-mythical Azimuth co-ordinator. The studio version of Embryo was released on the Harvest compilation LP Picnic – A Breath Of Fresh Air, the live version features Dave Gilmour’s impersonation of a seagull, followed by a jazzy interlude. Careful With That Axe Eugene, Set The Controls For The Heart Of The SunandA Saucerful Of Secretswould have been well known to this crowd as they featured on the live portion of the 1969 double album Ummagumma. The pastoral Green Is The Colour is played as a medley with a menacing, whispered Careful With That Axe, Eugene. An ethereal Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun pulses around Nick Mason’s steady beat. A Saucerful Of Secrets starts quietly and builds inexorably to a wordless finale. Finallythe encore ofJust Another Twelve Bar is exactly that – based on the bass riff from Biding My Time it would never appear on a studio LP and is a rare example of the Pinks playing the Blues and gets the fans clapping along. Audience participation at a Pink Floyd gig? It’s a good thing that someone recorded it…

Sleevenotes: Lucy Fersam