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/_|___|___|___|___|___|__\ Frequently Asked Question (FAQ)
/|___|___|___|___|___|___|_\ List
/___|___|___|___|___|___|___|\ -= Part 2 =-
/__|___|___|___|___|___|___|___\
/_|___|___|___|___|___|___|___|__\ Version 3.6b (August 1995) [06/97 bear]
Originally compiled by David Schuetz
Currently maintained by Matt Denault
([email protected])
or ([email protected])
-=-
With help from all over the world!
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
The FAQ is broken down into four sections, as follows:
Section 1 - General Information
The first section is general information, and
includes stuff like lists of albums, videos, tour
personnel, set lists, etc.
Section 2 - The Early Years
The second section covers their "early years," that
is, _Piper_ through _Obscured by Clouds_.
Section 3 - The Glory Years
The third section is the "glory years" (and any
discussion regarding this time frame *not* being
the time of their greatest glory will be ignored).
This section covers DSotM through _The Wall_.
Section 4 - After the Wall
The fourth section covers TFC through _Pulse_ and
beyond, the various solo albums, and general trivia
that doesn't fit anywhere else.
In addition to these four parts, there is the "Pink Floyd Internet Reference
List," which details how to access various other Internet sources of Floyd
information, such as FTP sites, WWW servers, IRC channels, Usenet newsgroups,
and the echoes mailing list.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
Section 2 - The Early Years
[-] 01. "What's being said at the beginning of 'Astronomy Domine'?"
[*] 02. "How do you pronounce 'Domine'?"
[+] 03. "What does 'Pow R. Toc H.' mean?"
[-] 04. "What was 'Let's Roll Another One'?"
[-] 05. "What is 'Chapter 24' about, anyway?"
[+] 06. "What was the song list for the original US _Piper_ release?"
[*] 07. "When was Syd's last gig with Pink Floyd"
[-] 08. "What did Syd do after being ousted from Pink Floyd?"
[*] 09. "Did Syd play on the Beatles' 'What's the Shame Mary Jane'?"
[-] 10. "I heard a different lyric to 'Point Me at the Sky'!"
[-] 11. "Who is 'Eugene,' and why should he be careful with that axe?"
[-] 12. "What are the parts of 'A Saucerful of Secrets' called?"
[-] 13. "Does Syd Barrett play on any tracks on ASoS?"
[*] 14. "Is it 'knowledge' or 'one inch' of shadow?"
[-] 15. "What's happening in the middle of live versions of 'Cymbaline'?"
[-] 16. "What does the Pict say in 'Several Species....'?"
[-] 17. "What were 'The Man' and 'The Journey'?"
[*] 18. "Who plays the horn (trumpet/trombone) in 'Biding My Time'?"
[-] 19. "Where do the parts of the 'Atom Heart Mother Suite' start/end?"
[-] 20. "Who is 'Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast' written for?"
[*] 21. "Did Pink Floyd really do the music for a ballet?"
[-] 22. "Is Relics available on CD?"
[-] 23. "What is said at the end of 'Fearless'?"
[-] 24. "'One of These Days' tidbits..."
[+] 25. "I heard a concert recording with a different verse for 'Echoes'!"
[+] 26. "What was played on the BBC's John Peel show?"
[-] 27. "The lyrics to 'Echoes' on the server are wrong!!!"
[-] 28. "There's a different verse for 'Free Four' in the movie."
[+] 29. "The running order on the OBC tape is wrong."
- Same as last version
+ Changed since last version
* New since last version
This Document Copyright 1994, 1995 by the Echoes Mailing List
For questions on distribution, contact: [email protected]
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[-] 01. "What's being said at the beginning of 'Astronomy Domine'?"
That's Peter Jenner (the Floyd's manager) listing a bunch of stars, galaxies,
and other stuff through a megaphone. Exactly what's being said is real hard
to decipher, but here's what Mark Brown and I have managed:
"Moon in both [houses]..."
"...Scorpio, [Arabian Skies], Libra..."
"...Pluto was not discovered until 1930..."
And then a bit that seems to be a pre-flight countdown:
"...[two/ten] seconds to [ignition]..."
"...all systems satisfied..."
Then, in the middle section of the song, you can hear something like:
"...just completed orbital..."
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[*] 02. "How do you pronounce 'Domine'?"
The question here is whether it should be "dom-in-ee" (to rhyme with
"astronomy") or the Latin "doh-mi-nay" (meaning to rule, or have dominion
over).
The basic answer is that there is evidence for both pronunciations. I
have RoIOs where band members announce it as "doh-mi-nay," and I've heard
interviews where they pronounce it "dom-in-ee." At one early Free School
performance, it was listed on the concert announcement as "Astronomy
Domini" -- yet Syd's song sheet for same the night's performance had it
as the usual "Domine." So I guess just go on pronouncing it as you have
been...
The pronunciation of _Ummagumma_ also seems to be a little up in the
air, BTW. I've heard (on the BBC Omnibus Pink Floyd special) Nick Mason
pronounce it "oo-mah-goo-mah," but there's also a RoIO where Roger
announces a song from "uh-ma-gum-a."
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[+] 03. "What does 'Pow R. Toc H.' mean?"
Well, most people seem to feel it means "Power Toke" or "Power Tokage" or
something along those lines. Another suggestion is "Power Touch," but the
problem with that is that the space is between the C and H, not between O
and C.
Here's something that might shed some light, courtesy of Steve South and
the Longmans Encyclopedia:
Toc H, an interdenominational Christian fellowship of men and women
of every social background, with branches throughout the world, which
seeks to promote an understanding of the meaning and purpose of life
through unreserved involvement in the community. Founded in 1915, it
started its work in a soldiers' club at Talbot House (Toc H was the army
signalers' designation of the initials TH) at Poperingtie, Flanders.
Incorporated by royal charter in 1922, it is organized in groups and
maintains residential houses called 'marks'.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[-] 04. "What was 'Let's Roll Another One'?"
The flip side to Pink Floyd's first single, "Arnold Layne," was originally a
song called "Let's Roll Another One." Now, the Floyd were already known to
be heavily connected with the drug-influenced psychedelic underground, but
their record company wasn't about to release anything with such a blatant
drug reference. So they had Floyd change the song.
The extent of the changes made are purely a matter of speculation, as no one
I've talked to has ever heard the original. Waters has said they "had to
change *all* the lyrics" (emphasis added). However, a line of the original
song, as quoted by Mason, was "tastes right if you eat it right." This is
awfully similar to a lyric ("tastes good if you eat it soon") in the revised
version of the song, "Candy and a Currant Bun." So most probably, the
changes were in detail; and not a total reworking.
There are some RoIOs that claim to include this song, but to the best of my
knowledge, none of these are actually the original song. Mostly, they're just
bad recordings of disconnected guitar phrases, with a lot of noise, wow,
flutter, and general garbage all about. And no lyrics whatsoever.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[-] 05. "What is 'Chapter 24' about, anyway?"
[From a posting by Gerhard:]
Well, since we've been discussing this a lot, I have found the answer.
As I was going to my local bookstore I found a book called I Ching (the
book of changes) in an English translation, and I did look up Chapter 24
and guess what?
It's called "Fu" meaning Change/success (like in "change become success"
and is a very nearly transcript of this song. It contains lines like "a
movement is accomplished in six stages, and the seventh brings return,"
only paraphrased.
Also from the same chapter:
"The 7 is the number of the Young wise, it forms when darkness [.. == 6 ..]
is increased by 1."
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[+] 06. "What was the song list for the original US _Piper_ release?"
The US release of _Piper_ was a bit different than the UK release. Here
are the track lists for both of them [from a posting by bear]:
us release of 'piper at the gates of dawn'
* see emily play
= pow r. toch
= take up my stethoscope and walk
lucifer sam
matilda mother
the scarecrow
the gnome
chapter 24
interstellar overdrive
uk release of 'piper at the gates of dawn'
* astronomy domine
lucifer sam
matilda mother
* flaming
= pow r. toc h.
= take up thy stethoscope and walk
interstellar overdrive
the gnome
chapter 24
scarecrow
* bike
Note also that in the US the double-album _A Nice Pair_ has almost, but not
quite, the complete _Piper_. The version of "Astronomy Domine" that appears
on the original US Capitol pressings of ANP is not the original (studio)
version, but was instead the live version that appears on _Ummagumma_.
Other than that, it is identical to the original UK _Piper_.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[*] 07. "When was Syd's last gig with Pink Floyd"
[Thanks to Jon Rosenberg and Ray O'Hara]:
Shortly after New Years, 1968 (probably the 5th or 6th of January) David
Gilmour was asked to join Pink Floyd. The original intent was for Dave to
"shadow" Syd on stage, stepping in to cover for him whenever necessary.
This didn't last very long, though; the band played as a five-piece for
about four shows before deciding that they could do well enough without Syd.
So one night, on the way to a gig, they simply didn't pick him up.
The band's first performance as a five-piece was Aston University, on
January 12th. Following that, they played
Weston Super Mare 13 Jan
Lewes Sussex 19 Jan
Hastings Sussex 20 Jan
The next show, at Southampton University on January 26th, was the one Syd
was not picked up for. Following this, the band hoped to keep Syd on as a
songwriter, but have Gilmour be their performing guitarist. But Syd's
songwriting efforts (notably "Have You Got It Yet?") seemed destined for
commercial failure, and the rest of the band didn't agree with his plan to
add banjo and sax players to the group. So it was decided, on March 2, to
break up the management partnership of Blackhill Enterprises, and Syd was
thus formally and officially out of the group. The press wasn't informed
until April 6th.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[-] 08. "What did Syd do after being ousted from Pink Floyd?"
In addition to making the _Madcap Laughs_ and _Barrett_ albums, doing a set
on the Top Gear Show (released on _The Peel Session_ EP), and recording
the songs that were used to make up _Opel_, Syd was also involved in the
following musical activities in his post-Floyd days:
+ Wrote/recorded several songs which have never seen the light of day,
such as "Bob Dylan Blues," "Just Before You Disappear," "Lanky, pt.2,"
"Living Alone," and "Rhamadan."
+ Played with David Gilmour (bass) and Jerry Shirley (drums) at the Olympia
Extravaganza Music and Fashion Festival, on June 6th, 1970. They played
"Terrapin," "Gigolo Aunt," "Effervescing Elephant," and "Octopus."
+ Played guitar at an Eddie Burns show in January, 1972, at the King's
College Cellar. He was joined by Delivery's Jack Monck on bass and Pink
Fairies' drummer Twink.
+ Briefly joined Twink and Monck in a group called "Stars." They made
several appearances in small cafes and such, and did one major gig in
February, 1972 at the Cambridge Corn Exchange. Here they played
"Octopus," "Dark Globe," "Gigolo Aunt," "Baby Lemonade," "Waving My
Arms in the Air," "Lucifer Sam," and some blues 12-bars.
The band's rehearsals were taped, but have never been released.
+ Made several attempts at recording a third solo album, mostly at the
insistence of his management. One attempt had him overdubbing several
guitar parts over each other -- this session was abandoned. Later, in
November 1974, Syd returned to the studio again. Only backing tracks
were recorded; and these, along with any lyrics from this period, have
never been released.
+ Played acoustic guitar with Jack Bruce at a poetry reading performance.
See P4Q34 for info on Syd's current condition and pursuits...
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[*] 09. "Did Syd play on the Beatles' 'What's the Shame Mary Jane'?"
[Thanks to Gerhard and Chris Fleming:]
The song, often appearing on early Floyd RoIOs, is a Beatles outtake. Its
proper title is "What's the New Mary Jane?" and there are (I think) four
versions available by the Beatles. All Beatles-related sources state that
"What's the New" is a Lennon song that is given a Lennon/McCartney song
writing credit for contractual reasons. There is some similarity between
this track and the early Floyd material -- the song sounds like a cross
between Revolution 9 and a normal Beatles song.
To the best of anyone's knowledge, there is no mention of any involvement
by Syd on this track (or any other Beatles track for that matter) in any
Beatles-related book or article. The only places that link Syd to this
song are RoIOs, fanzines and computer forums. Final proof that Syd is not
on this song is given by Chris Fleming, who wrote:
I have Mark Lewisohn's book THE BEATLES RECORDING SESSIONS. It tells
that "What's the New Mary Jane?" was in fact recorded on August 14 1968
during the _White Album_ sessions. In writing the book Lewisohn
listened to the original session tapes, and in the book lists in some
cases musicians hired for the sessions. I am sure that if Syd had
indeed played on this song that Mr. Lewisohn would have found it out
through listening to the tapes, studio documentation, or interviews
with the engineers.
The "famous" meeting between Pink Floyd and the Beatles took place on
March 21, 1967. Syd's 1968 recording dates were May 6th, 14th, 21st and
28th; June 8th and 20th; and July 20th. In other words, Syd does *NOT*
appear on this track.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[-] 10. "I heard a different lyric to 'Point Me at the Sky'!"
When the group sang the song on their 01/14/69 Top Gear performance,
(found on many RoIOs) they used a slightly different second verse.
While the original goes
If you survive 'til two thousand and five
I hope you're exceedingly thin
Because if you are stout
you will have to breathe out
> to let the people around you breathe in
on the Top Gear performance they sang
> so the man next to you can breathe in
Not too big a difference, really, but it tends to surprise people when they
first hear it...
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[-] 11. "Who is 'Eugene,' and why should he be careful with that axe?"
Well, there used to be an interesting story that explained both the
identity of the protagonist and how Jerry Garcia of the Grateful Dead
lost his right-hand ring finger. However, it turns out that the story
isn't exactly true (Garcia is missing the finger, but his brother's
name is not Eugene, it's Tiff.)
Here are two more possibilities:
"Careful with that Axe, Eugene" was the flip side of "Point Me at the Sky."
Some people believe that PMatS starts off with the line
Hey, Eugene
This is Henry McClean
And I've finished my beautiful flying machine
(which, BTW, is another debate, for another time).
Anyway, Chris Coffman mentioned this:
I really don't want to add more fuel to this thread, but I just played
"Point Me at the Sky" (my roomate's first ever exposure to this song).
My roomate seems to remember a book from his childhood called "Eugene
and His Flying Machine," or something like that. He thinks it may have
had another kid in it named Henry. I don't want anyone thinking I'm
setting this forth as fact, but does anyone know of such a book?
Well, this rings a bell for me, and so I've been trying to track it down,
if it indeed exists. The closest I've come so far is a book called "Wizzard
McBean [rhymes with McClean] and his Flying Machine," which is out of print.
Also, R. Brigham Lampert uncovered the following:
In the early 1960's there was a small serial killing spree in the area
of London near the river Thames. After three or four murders, a suspect
was caught. That suspect's name was Eugene Craft. He was tried and
found guilty. Hence, "Careful" might be referring to that incident.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[-] 12. "What are the parts of 'A Saucerful of Secrets' called?"
On the album ASoS, the title track is simply called "A Saucerful of Secrets."
On some pressings of _Ummagumma_, however, the piece is broken down into four
sections. These sections are called:
a. "Something Else" 00:00 (ominous opening noises)
b. "Syncopated Pandemonium" 03:57 (with the drum tape-loop and such)
c. "Storm Signal" 07:16 (organ-based section)
d. "Celestial Voices" 10:14 (closing spacey part with the voices)
(...with times courtesy Charles Saeger)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[-] 13. "Does Syd Barrett play on any tracks on ASoS?"
Gilmour said (in Guitar World, Feb. '93):
He's on three or four...tracks on the album, including "Remember A Day"
and "Jug Band [Blues]". He's also on a tiny bit of "Set The Controls
For The Heart Of The Sun."
This account is echoed by Malcolm Jones. A February 1992 article in Record
Collector suggests Syd may have been on "Corporal Clegg," which is also noted
in Schaffner's book. The "Crazy Diamond" book notes "See Saw" as another
possibility; early Floyd biographer Rick Sanders agrees.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[*] 14. "Is it 'knowledge' or 'one inch' of shadow?"
Both, actually. In the lyrics to the _Saucerful of Secrets_ album included
with the _Shine On_ set, and in the separately-packaged EMI remaster, the
line in "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" goes
knowledge of love is knowledge of shadow
On the other hand, in the lyrics to the live version on the remastered CD
of _Ummagumma_, it's
one inch of love is one inch of shadow
This discrepancy is actually pretty easily explained; both are correct. On
the studio recording, one can pretty clearly hear the initial "naw" sound of
the word; on _Ummagumma_, and on any other live performance, it's equally
clearly "one inch." So I guess Roger just decided to change the lyrics when
doing the song live, perhaps as a joke.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[-] 15. "What's happening in the middle of live versions of 'Cymbaline'?"
The song "Cymbaline" started out as "Nightmare" in The Man and The Journey
(see Q17). During the middle of the song, the nighmare would begin; the
walking of ghostly footsteps across the floor, the opening of a creaking
door, etc.
All this presented a great opportunity for Floyd to show off their sound
system, the famous Azimuth Co-ordinator. So even after they stopped playing
The Man and The Journey, the would occassionaly still play the nightmare
segment of the song. In addition to their normal quadraphonic setup, they
would (location permitting) also set up speakers on multiple levels -- on
balconies and such. They would then, using a joystick control, send sounds
up and down stairs, around the audience, and all about the concert hall.
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[-] 16. "What does the Pict say in 'Several Species....'?"
First off, what *is* a Pict?
Pict : A member of a possibly non-Celtic people who once occupied
Great Britain, carried on continual border wars with the Romans, and
about the ninth century became amalgamated with the Scots.
As to what's being said, that's hard to say. But I think it's been accepted
that it's somebody (probably Waters) imitating a Scottish accent. The
following are two interpretations, the first by Brian Tompsett, and the
second by Mike Merriam.
Brian Tompsett
-==============-
Aye an' a bit of Mackeral settler rack and ruin
ran it doon by the haim, 'ma place
well I slapped me and I slapped it doon in the side
and I cried, cried, cried.
The fear a fallen down taken never back the raize
and then Craig Marion, get out wi' ye Claymore out mi pocket
a' ran doon, doon the middin stain
picking the fiery horde that was fallen around ma feet.
Never he cried, never shall it ye get me alive
ye rotten hound of the burnie crew.
Well I snatched fer the blade O my Claymore
cut and thrust and I fell doon before him round his feet.
Aye!
A roar he cried
frae the bottom of his heart that I would nay fall but as dead,
dead as 'a can be by his feet; de ya ken?
...and the wind cried back.
Mike Merriam
-=============-
Aye an' a bit of Mackeral (Fagger, wreck'n) fear
Ran it doon by the (haim)
And I (flew).
When I (slapped) me,
And I flopped it doon in the shade,
And I cried, cried, 'n cried.
The fear o' fallen down 'a taken, ne'er back t' raise.
And then cried Mary,
And I took that weighted claymore right out of (---),
And ran doon, doon the mountain side,
And back unt' the fiery horde that was fall'n round y' feet.
Never, I cried,
Never shall ye take me alive,
Y' rotten hound and the (----- --rew).
Well I (snapped fore) the blade o' my claymore,
Cut and thrust,
And I fell down before him.
Right at his feet. Aye!
A roar, he cried,
Fr' the bottom of his heart,
That I would nay fall
But as dead,
Dead as I can, by feat
(D' ya ken?)
And the wind cried Mary.
There has been much discussion on echoes as to whether he is saying "and the
wind cried back" or "and the wind cried Mary" in that last line. I guess
just listen real closely, try to isolate the left and right channels, and
make up your own mind...
Also, from Adam Winstanley:
Regarding Several Species...the most recent edition of the Amazing
Pudding has a short piece on that. Waters does most of it but if you
have one of those old record players that can do 16rpm you can hear
Gilmour in the middle somewhere ["This is pretty avant-garde isn't
it..."] and if you speed it up to 78rpm you can hear "bring back my
guitar." Ron Geesin isn't on the track although he parodied it on a
track called "To Roger Waters, Where-ever you are."
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[-] 17. "What were 'The Man' and 'The Journey'?"
[With much help from Adam Winstanley and others]:
In fact several concert recordings exist of The Man and The Journey and
many people probably possess RoIOs of these pieces without realising it.
The Man and The Journey were two parts of "More Furious Madness From The
Massed Gadgets of Auximenies" and consisted of several well-known Floyd
tunes linked into a concept piece as follows:
MORE FURIOUS MADNESS FROM THE MASSED GADGETS OF AUXIMENIES
PART ONE: THE MAN (representing a day in the life of a man)
Daybreak ("Grantchester Meadows")
Work and Afternoon ("Biding My Time")
[the band was served afternoon tea on stage at this point]
Doing It (instrumental) ("Grand Vizier's Garden Party, pt. 3")
Sleep
Nightmare ("Cymbaline")
Daybreak (reprise)
PART TWO: THE JOURNEY
The Beginning ("Green is the Colour")
Beset By Creatures of the Deep ("Careful with that Axe, Eugene")
The Narrow Way ("The Narrow Way, pt. 3")
The Pink Jungle ("Pow R Toc H")
The Labyrinths of Auximenes ("Moonhead")
Behold the Temple of Light ("Nile Song"-based instrumental)
The End of the Beginning ("Saucerful of Secrets" -- final part)
The complete piece lasted about 70 minutes.
This information comes from the 1969 Pink Floyd tour programme, parts of
which were reproduced in an early Amazing Pudding (No. 13, I think) and
also from listening to RoIOs and tapes from this period:
+ 14 April 69: Royal Festival Hall, London
(I think the original performance.)
+ 8th August 69: Plumpton Festival
(The Journey only -- Roger introduces it as "the second half of...a kind
of concept thing...we did around the country a bit earlier this year.")
+ 17 September 69: Concertgebouw, Amsterdam
(This was broadcast on Dutch radio and versions exist with the radio
announcer saying some of the titles given above. From the recent Amazing
Puddings and Brain Damage I see this is available on CD RoIO. It also used
to on a vinyl RoIO called _The Man_.)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[*] 18. "Who plays the horn (trumpet/trombone) in 'Biding My Time'?"
[Thanks to Conrado Daws and Karl Magnacca]:
Rick Wright did, at least during live performances. We have a picture of him
playing it in a "The Man"/"The Journey"-era concert, and, during the trumpet
portion of the song, you can hear Roger-esque bass but no keyboard.
(This despite what you might read in TAP.)
-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
[-] 19. "Where do the parts of the 'Atom Heart Mother Suite' start/end?"
The "Atom Heart Mother Suite" is a side-long instrumental split into
six different, named parts. Most of the divisions are marked by a return
of the main theme of the piece, played by everybody (group and orchestra).
Beyond this, there is some controversy over where each section starts and
ends. The EMI and MFSL versions of the disc have index markers; they are
essentially the same on both discs (give or take a few seconds), and are
given below. Many echoesians, however, are somewhat unsatisfied with these
divisions, and so have developed an alternative indexing scheme. This is
also given below, along with an explanation...
Section Title EMI/MFSL Index echoes
---------------------------------+----------------+----------------
a. "Father's Shout" | 05:20 | 02:59
b. "Breast Milky" | 10:09 | 05:22
c. "Mother Fore" | 15:26 | 10:11
d. "Funky Dung" | 17:44 | 15:25
e. "Mind Your Throats Please" | 19:49 | 17:44
f. "Remergence" | ..end | ..end
The first part, naturally, is "Father's Shout," with all the weird sounds,
horses, and ends with the motorcycle.
The second part, "Breast Milky," starts off as a duet for organ and viola;
and gradually includes drums, guitar, and the rest of the orchestra. (2:59)
Then "Mother Fore" begins. This section is a quiet choral section, with
mostly chorus and organ. (5:22)
"Funky Dung" has a lot of guitar, strong bass, and that weird choir singing
things that sound vaguely like "toast....coffee...yeah...." or "saa saa saa
saa saaa.....brrrrrrrrrroooooooooonnnn." (10:11)
"Mind Your Throats Please" is the strange (like it's not all strange?) part
that begins with alternating organ notes. After the slower beginning with
organ and such, a section that echoes has been calling the "Overload" section
begins, with lots of out-of-sync voices and sounds; sounding a bit like the
Beatles' "Revolution 9." This is either part of "Mind Your Throats" or
"Remergence," depending on whose opinion you ask. (15:25)
"Remergence," then, is the climactic final section, where the main theme
gradually "re-emerges." (17:44)
-=-
As you can see, the main argument lies in the question of the lengths of
"Father's Shout" versus "Remergence." I guess this just goes to show how
subjective some of these things can be...
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[-] 20. "Who is 'Alan's Psychedelic Breakfast' written for?"
It's named for Alan Stiles, a roadie of Floyd's back then. The band was
never very happy with this piece, even though it was played in several
concerts. Early British pressings of the album had the sound of the water
dripping from the tap continue into the trail-off groove in the record,
allowing some turntables to play dripping water forever (or until someone
turns it off, whichever came first).
The song is divided into three named sections:
a. "Rise and Shine" 00:00
b. "Sunny Side Up" 04:22
c. "Morning Glory" 08:17
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[*] 21. "Did Pink Floyd really do the music for a ballet?"
Yes, they did. Following their first experiment with orchestration on
the "Atom Heart Mother" suite, the Floyd decided to further their temporary
transition from "heavy metal" to "weighty brass" by collaborating with
choreographer Roland Petit. Petit had proposed a ballet based on Marcel
Proust's "Remembrance of Things Past"; in 1970 the Floyd were commissioned
to compose and play music for the ballet, accompanied by a 108-piece
orchestra.
This project never got off the ground, though -- especially when Petit
decided to change the subject matter of the ballet to "A Thousand and One
Nights," which would have doubled the amount of music needed. Eventually,
Petit did choreograph a ballet based around existing Pink Floyd songs --
"Careful with that Axe, Eugene," "Echoes," "One of these Days," and
"Obscured by Clouds." In late 1972 the Floyd spent a week in Paris and
Marseilles performing the ballet; there are pictures of this in the
_Shine On_ and Ruhlmann books, and some brief video footage on the _Video
Anthology_ VoIO.
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[-] 22. "Is Relics available on CD?"
Not currently.
It was at one time rumoured to be part of a special boxed set (of CDs from
_Piper_ through DSotM), and also has been available in the past as a limited
product in Europe. This rumour has never been proven true. Then, for a
while, it *was* available in New Zealand under the Axis label (with the
"ancient coins" cover); but this release wasn't approved by the band, and
has since been dropped.
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[-] 23. "What is said at the end of 'Fearless'?"
The chanting you hear at the end of "Fearless" is from a football (or
soccer, if you're American) game in Liverpool. It's "You'll Never Walk
Alone," originally from the Rodgers and Hammerstein musical "Carousel."
A really popular cover of "You'll Never Walk..." was done by Gerry and
The Pacemakers, and it was this version which was "adopted" as the sort
of anthem for the Liverpool team, and is even engraved over the gate at
their home stadium. The recording on _Meddle_ is sung by Liverpool's
loyal fans, and includes:
And you'll never walk / alone / in the dark / alone
Followed by some screaming, whistling, then
LIVERPOOL LIVERPOOL LIVERPOOL!
For "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" fans, part of "You'll Never Walk
Alone" is sung by Eddie, the ship's computer, at the end of Chapter 17.
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[-] 24. "'One of These Days' tidbits..."
The voice in the middle of "One of These Days" is Nick Mason, and he says
"One of these days I'm going to cut you into little pieces."
At about 3:00 or so, there's a faint organ riff that sounds a lot like
the Dr. Who theme to a lot of people.
Also, from Scott Eberline (with help from Gerhard):
In the Westwood One broadcast of Waters' Quebec performance of
_Radio KAOS_, a member of the audience asked Waters who it was he
wanted to cut into little pieces. Apparently this brought back
fond memories for Waters, who replied that it was an English disk
jockey named Jimmy Young. The song was meant as a personal
attack. The band used to play bits and pieces of Jimmy Young's
radio show spliced together in a completely nonsensical manner,
immediately before playing "One of These Days".
[Example -- on the RoIO "Lost in the Corridors," during "Alan's Psychedelic
Breakfast," you can hear things like "Georgia, lovely greenwood" and "And
here's for you, Monkey doo."]
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[+] 25. "I heard a concert recording with a different verse for 'Echoes'!"
[With the assistance of bear, Ray O'Hara, and Gerhard]:
The Floyd, in their pre-_Animals_ days, often performed as-yet unrecorded
tracks in concert ("Murderistic Woman," DSotM, "Raving and Drooling", etc.)
These would often undergo significant changes before appearing on albums,
and "Echoes" is such a case.
The opening verse of "Echoes" originally had a "space" theme, and several
RoIOs exist with these lyrics. One is from the 5 June 1971 Berlin show,
available on "Lost in the Corridors" and "Mauerspecte" (which, BTW, has been
known to be defective many times, so try before you buy). Another is from
a few weeks later; 20 June 1971, at Rome. Neither of these recordings is
all that great in terms of sound quality, but taken together I'm pretty
sure of the following...
Planets singing face to face
Bound to the air {of life/and land/and light}, how sweet!
If purposely we might embrace
The perfect union deep in space
Ever might this once relent
And give us leave to shine as one
Our two lights {singing better} <-- these two lines are
{Than one light can} pretty garbled
And in that longing to be one
The parting suns shine as one
I'll see you've got to travel on
And on and on, around the sun
-=-
This makes some sense in relation to the rest of the song -- which survived
unchanged -- if you take the whole third verse ("cloudless everyday...") to
be about sunlight.
There were also some earlier transcriptions of the lyrics done by the people
I mentioned above, that I used as aids. These are available at
ftp.halcyon.com/local/pink_floyd/lyrics/early.echoes
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[+] 26. "What was played on the BBC's John Peel show?"
These shows include some of the best and most popular "live" performances of
early Floyd material. Here's some information (from "A Journey" as posted
by Adam Stanley, with some corrections):
+ 19 July, 1970. BBC's Paris Theatre, London UK.
Sounds of the Seventies: John Peel Show, BBC 1 Radio.
Recorded on the 16th
Broadcast at 6:00 pm
"The Embryo" - 10:30
"Green Is The Colour"/"Careful with that Axe, Eugene" - 11:30
"If" - 4:30
"Atom Heart Mother" - 26:00
Total time: 55:00
This is the only live performance of "If" by Pink Floyd, with Roger on
acoustic guitar and Rick on bass and organ simultaneously (Roger did
perform it numerous times on his solo tours). "Atom Heart Mother" was
performed with the accompaniment of The Philip Jones Brass Ensemble.
+ 5 October, 1971. BBC's Paris Theatre, London UK.
Recording for the John Peel Show, BBC 1 Radio
Recorded on the 30th
Broadcast at 10:00 pm
"Embryo" - 10:30
"Blues" - 5:00
"Fat Old Sun" - 15:00
"One of These Days" - 8:00
"Echoes" - 28:00
Total time: 68:00
Note: "The John Peel Show" was only 55 minutes long. "Embryo" and "Blues"
were never broadcast in the UK. They were only aired on WNEW-FM, New York
City, USA (sometime in 1971?) This WNEW portion was broadcast only once,
unfortunately. The 5 October 1971 and 19 July 1970 shows are re-broadcast
nearly every year in the USA on the "King Biscuit Flour Hour." However, it
is a combination version of the two shows and is incomplete.
This is some additional information that I have figured out on my own. The
version of "Embryo" that most people have is from the 1970 show. It is
easily identified by the "Echoes"-like section in the middle. The version
of "Embryo" from 1971 is much different; it's available on the "Wavelengths"
RoIO. Almost all of the CD RoIOs of these shows are combination, except
for the Swinging Pigs discs, and one called "Early Tour Years," which is a
double disc with each show on its own disc. And as a side note: When the
BBC recorded the _Dark Side_ show at Wembley in 1974 for a broadcast, they
also recorded "Echoes," but it has never been aired. So as a result, we
are missing a great version of "Echoes," with a sax solo!
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[-] 27. "The lyrics to 'Echoes' on the server are wrong!!!"
Well, maybe they are, and maybe they aren't. This has been discussed to
death (and then some) on the list, and what you see on the server represents
about the best compromise that we have been able to achieve.
Okay. We'll get into one particular about this song, and hopefully that'll
help keep the noise level down. Does the line say "Everything is green and
submarine" or "Everything is green and summery?"
Proposition: It says "submarine."
Supporting evidence: [thank you, Dean Herbert]
1) "Overhead the albatross" - albatrosses are ocean birds.
2) "Deep beneath the rolling waves" - Certainly implies the ocean.
3) "Labyrinths of coral caves" - Coral, get it? CORAL. OCEANS.
4) "Everything is green" - it's the color of the OCEAN WATER.
5) "And submarine." - submarine is being used as an adjective here,
not a noun. ADJECTIVE. ADJECTIVE. NOT NOUN. GET IT?
And, of course, in the _Shine On_ lyrics, it's "submarine."
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[-] 28. "There's a different verse for 'Free Four' in the movie."
[Thanks to Geoff Rimmer ([email protected]) for this one.]
I don't remember seeing this in the FAQ or on the mailing list, so for those
who haven't rushed out and bought the video of "The Valley Obscured By
Clouds" (Warner Home Video. Cost me $69.95 + POSTAGE!), here are the lyrics
of Free Four in the film version:
(fades in ...)
Are the deeds of a man in his prime
You shuffle in the gloom of a sick room
And talk to yourself as you die
And life is a short warm moment
And death is a long cold rest (*)
You get your chance to try
In the twinkling of an eye
In eighty years with luck
Or even less
So take my advice }
And cut yourself a slice } This is roughly the same
And try not to make it too big } tune as "So all aboard for
'Cos things are hard to grow } the American tour...
And I can tell you } you may find it hard to get
'Cos I know } off"
It's better not to make yourself sick. }
(jumps horribly to the following...)
He was buried like a mole in a foxhole
And everyone's still on the run
And who is the master of foxhounds
And who says the hunt has begun? (*)
And who calls the tune in the courtroom (*)
And who beats the funeral drum? (*)
The memories of a man in his old age
Are the deeds of a man in his prime
You shuffle in the gloom of a sick room
... (fades out)
(*) are sung differently from the OBC album.
[Note that the film has dialogue over the top of the music, and this version
isn't available without the dialogue, at least not that we know of.]
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[+] 29. "The running order on the OBC tape is wrong."
Because of the peculiarities of 8-track machines (see also P3Q15), an album
had to be divided into four roughly equal sections for an 8-track release.
This frequently necessitated re-arranging the order of the album tracks.
When cassettes came along a few years later, record companies often used the
8-track masters they had made to make the cassettes, because they were
already nicely subdivided. This is the origin of the change in running
order on the OBC cassette.
The original running order was as follows:
Obscured by Clouds
When You're In
Burning Bridges
The Gold it's in The...
Wots...uh the Deal
Mudmen
Childhood's End
Free Four
Stay
Absolutely Curtains
And the "modified" running order is:
Obscured by Clouds
When You're In
Burning Bridges
The Gold...
-> Free Four
-> Mudmen
-> Childhood's End
-> Wot's ...
Stay
Absolutely Curtains
NOTE: A similar discrepancy has been noted for the tape of _Ummagumma_, which
excludes about half the album (all the live material except "Astronomy
Domine") for a one-tape release.
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