I Should Have Known Better

I just made the mistake of listening to the version of 'Echoes' from the 1974 Empire Pool gig that the BBC recorded.

After about ten minutes I had to turn it off and go listen to Stereolab instead.

It confirmed everything that I had ever thought about post-DSOTM Floyd, and I just had to come on here and rant for a few moments...

Listen, you lot: great rock music does not need sax solos or chick backing vocals. Especially when the chicks don't know the bloody words.

Bloody awful, lifeless, pile of poo.

Later...

Ha! Someone commented before I had finished! Hi Vincent.

I can't *quite* agree with you, I'm afraid. Certainly the first two albums are excellent, but I think that the 70-72 Floyd was also magnificent - though you wouldn't know it if you'd only ever heard their (extremely patchy) recorded output in that period. Search out the boots, though, and they were extraordinary.

The more I think about it the more I think they were the UK equivalent of the Grateful Dead, and the *real* story was the live shows. I saw them 4 or 5 times, and listening to the boots I'm reminded why. Maybe somebody should consider doing some official 'Dicks Picks' releases of the band during that period? Surely there must be some unreleased soundboard recordings that would stem the flow of ROIOs and earn the lads some (not-very-needed) money? Or would the Gilmour/Waters rift prevent this?

As for the Pompeii film, I recently bought the 'directors cut' edition. Why, for Bog's sake, why???, Why remove genuine live footage and replace it with 'goofing about in the studio three years later' footage? Why show us a fucking rocket taking off, can't we create our own visual metaphors for Echoes?