Welcome to the darkside of the boot…
Continuing with the bootleg theme, Pink Floyd is a difficult band to collect. Fortunately there is a an incredible amount of documentation of their live performance throughout the years. Unfortunately some of the great performances can cost quite a bit. Drummer Nick Mason has always been strictly appose to bootlegging and his mission to abolish them have made many of the floyd recordings go underground.
I am currently trying to get one full tour from each of their major tour legs. With 14 studio albums, and their liking for being on the road, you can imagine how daunting this task can be.
Bootleg feature one
Title: Crackers
Label: Oscar Records (though it has been issued by several labels)
Date and Location: Sept 22nd, 1972
This is an early show from the Dark Side tour that commences with the whole album. This is one of my favourite live recordings of the album, as it is both flawless and clear sounding. This boot is a triple album and features the full versions of Echoes, A Saucerful of Secrets, as well as a unique extended version of ‘Set the Controls for the Sun”. Crackers is an expensive recording- sometimes catching upwards of 200 dollars for the set, though you should be able to find it for 100 if you check eBay regularly.
Bootleg feature two
Title: Take Linda Surfin'
Label: Wizardo
Date and Location:Early 1970, London England
This show is a monster. Containing full interpretations of A Saucerful of Secrets and Atom Heart Mother this boot showcases a nice balance of early Floyd creativity with later Floyd 'Tightness'. Wizardo is a great label to lookout for;They released many of the early Floyd shows. Uber Rare!
Bootleg feature three
Title: Germersheim
Label: GLC (Great Live Concerts)
Date and Location: 1972 Germany
This double live show was recorded just before the band put out Dark Side. Though fans often lambaste me for saying it, this is the end of their psychedelic sound. Great Live Concerts were known for the psych/prog releases so keep your eyes open for their Hendrix, King Crimson and Yes boots.
Endless doesn't begin to describe the obscurity of collecting Pink Floyd bootlegs. In the past 2 years a dozen new bootleggers have successfully pressed quality boots that have become both readily available and modestly priced. Though these rare items are my gems in terms of sound quality- Rarity doesn't always mean quality!
