Well, it’s that time of year when would like to take this opportunity to thank you all so much for your support and kindness – the site is done purely for you, and as the current version of the site alone approaches 100 million visitors (with the previous version of the site reaching 21 million), we look forward to continuing to bring you news and information from the Floydian world! Whatever your plans for Christmas, the Holidays, and the New Year we hope you have a peaceful, happy and healthy time, and here’s to 2023! Roger Waters will be touring again with his striking This Is Not A Drill, this time in Europe, and fingers are crossed that Nick Mason’s Saucerful Of Secrets head out on the road again after such a superb 2022 tour. There’s also the small matter of the 50th anniversary of The Dark Side Of The Moon, of which there’s already been a couple of books (one of which is billed as an official publication) announced. In the meantime, there’s a couple of bits of interest which should help you tick away the moments that make up what would otherwise be a dull day! First, for those with access to the Disney+ streaming service, there’s a new documentary by Mary McCartney called If These Walls Could Sing. This is an absolutely fascinating look at London’s EMI Studios (as they used to be known) in Abbey Road. As befitting a place which has had so many top musicians through its hallowed doors, the documentary features new interviews with many of them, and from a Pink Floyd perspective, David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Roger Waters all talk about their experiences there. A solid and absorbing look at the building and the work undertaken there. The second thing, which will probably take up a lot more of your time, is this. As could be almost seen as a bit of a Christmas present to the fans, the band have quietly released a number of 1972 recordings on the various streaming services, and also the band’s official YouTube channel. The quality is rather variable – and some of the dates/venues aren’t necessarily 100% correct – but the shows give a fascinating insight into the development of The Dark Side Of The Moon. The earliest recordings are amongst the first full public performances of the initial version of the album, which underwent many dramatic changes as they refined aspects on the road before heading into the recording studio where songs changed heavily again, to what we all now know and love. The 1972 recordings released are listed with dates and venues as per the original bootlegs, and show as: Southampton Guildhall, UK, 23 January; Carnegie Hall, New York, 5 February (actually 2 May); Rainbow Theatre, London 17, 18, 19, 20 February; Taiikukan, Tokyo, Japan, 3 March (probably 6 March); Osaka Festival Hall, Japan, 8 March; Nakajima Sports Centre, Sapporo, Japan, 13 March; Chicago Auditorium Theatre, USA, 28 April; Deutschlandhalle, Berlin, Germany, 18 May; Hollywood Bowl, Los Angeles, 22 September; Empire Pool, Wembley, London, 21 October; Ernst-Merck Halle, Hamburg, Germany, 12 November; Palais des Sports, Poitiers, France 29 November; Palais des Sports de LâIle de la Jatte, Saint Ouen, France, 1 December; Vorst Nationaal, Brussels, Belgium, 5 December; Hallenstadion, Zurich, Switzerland 9 December; “Alternative Tracks 1972”. As with the batch released last year focused on 1971, these are not expected to be around for long, so make the most of them over the holiday and new year period before they disappear! Our thanks to those who emailed to let us know about these.
