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RoIO Review On the Air by Gerhard den Hollander and Sean Zloch
Gerhard: The problem with Syd (or Syd era) RoIOs is that there are many, many, many of them, and most of them are crap. Sean: I have to agree with you here, Ger. I think part of the problem is that lack of source material. Most of the Syd-era roios cannibalize each other, with each subsequent RoIO being worse than the one before it. Gerhard: The other problem with Syd-era RoIOs is that Scott Frank knows so much more about it that it's not really fair to write about it. However we have found a nice roio that actually meets our review criteria: On The Air, a collection of all available PF broadcast performances. Take it away, Sean. Sean: Thanks, Ger! I feel that this is an interesting set. The Floyd's broadcast performances are legendary, as a lot of the work that they performed live (i.e. The Man and the Journey or "The Violent Sequence") was never officially released. These recordings truly captured lightning in a bottle. It seems like there have been more disks compiling Pink Floyd's television and radio work than there are broadcasts. From Rhapsody in Pink to The Complete Top Gear Sessions, even up to Dawn of the Piper, most of this material has appeared time and time again. So what makes On the Air so special and what kind of RoIO is this? Whereas most compilations try to be a musical listening experience, On the Air is more of a historical document. It's more about the time frame of the sixties/seventies and the Floyd's place in it. Is this the kind of disk you'd listen to with the headphones on and the lights turned off? No, probably not. Gerhard: I don't agree with you on that Sean... pretty much any Floyd is excellent listening to with the lights out and headphones on. But I understand what you are saying. Sean: Right. While I agree with what you say, that any Floyd is excellent listening with the 'phones on, that's sort of the problem. You don't get any Floyd on some tracks, or they are completely eclipsed by dialogue. Also another problem I have with this being a "headphones experience" is that there's a bit too much repetition for my taste. I mean I like "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun," but not necessarily five times on one disk! Gerhard: I was actually thinkng of compiling all "Set the Controls" 2000 versions and put them on a single CD... Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Flesh. Sean: You are a sick man! Anyways, I don't want to come across negative. I really do like this set. While we don't get a "headphones experience", what we do get is a glimpse of the evolution of the early Floyd, and a view of the public's reaction to them. I can't think of any other RoIOs offhand that attempt such a premise, and I believe that On the Air succeeds admirably. Gerhard: Don't forget that On The Air is (as far as I know) the first RoIO that tries to be complete.
Sean: Some general comments about the set; considering the nature of these recordings (not recorded on professional equipment) and their age as well, the sound quality is really not that bad. There are a few tracks that sound as if they were coming over through a transistor radio, but otherwise the sound is fine throughout. I also want to commend Yogaman for the artwork. The classy packaging fits the contents. Too bad we don't have any liner notes on the packaging. Disk one starts off with "Matilda Mother" from Granada TV ("So Far Out, It's Straight Down"). This pre-Piper version has alternate lyrics, which are unfortunately obscured by the voiceover discussing underground/psychedelic music. At one point an unidentified voice defines psychedelic music as "music as an experience, not as melody". This is probably the best one sentence definition of the early Floyd you can get. There is also a short version of "Interstellar Overdrive" form the same broadcast that is also covered by dialogue. "Interstellar Overdrive" from CBC Radio (1967) is also more dialogue than music. Some of the interview material is very interesting (I like Roger's quote "It stopped being third rate academic rock, and started being an intuitive groove.") and what performance we hear seems all inspired. Nick's drumming at the beginning is great (this very cool, almost tribal drumming thing) and Syd's guitar before the final reprise of the song's main theme is fantastic. Syd had tremendous talent back then and one wonders where he would be now if things ended up different. Gerhard: Don't forget that this CBC interview is one of the very, very few preserved interviews where we can hear Syd Barrett talk about his music. Quite a few Syd interviews have been preserved in print, but hearing him talk (and hearing him talk coherently) about his music is something rarer. Sean: Good point, Ger! I hadn't thought of that! Next up, we have a track called "Outtakes" dated April 1967. This basically consists of what appears to be early mixes of Piper tracks ("Astronomy Domine" and "Scarecrow") set as a backdrop behind a Peter Jenner interview. I question the 1967 date as Syd is referred to in the past tense. The interview doesn't say anything that we haven't heard before. BBC's "Look of the Week" is next with infamous Hans Keller interview. We are treated to a partial version of "Pow R Toc H", cut off prematurely by Keller. For those of us not raised on a string quartet, we are treated to a great version of "Astronomy Domine." High quality Syd-era recordings are indeed scarce and this one is a must have in everyone's collection. The SQ is great and the performance rocks. The only complaint I have is that the interview with Roger and Syd after "Astronomy Domine" is cut off. Given the documentary nature of this set, it seems strange not to present the complete interview, which I know is in circulation. Gerhard: True, however the complete interview is utterly boring. Hans Keller's string quartet remark, and Roger's reply to the question why the music has to be so loud makes this interview almost Pythonesque. Sean: Yes, but if you are going to attempt to be complete, you have to include things that are possibly boring. Gerhard: True. Sean: Next, circa 1967, we have "Reaction in G" and "Set the Controls" from British radio. Both tracks suffer from poor sound quality and "Reaction" is incomplete. "Set the Controls" is quite interesting. Pre-Saucerful of Secrets, it's almost as if this song was being presented as a pop single. This version is more up-tempo than the studio version and clocks in at around three minutes. The song has all three verses; only the freak out section is missing, which would make the song less "commercial". Since this track is from 1967, that should be Syd's guitar we hear. Gerhard: It also includes some inane DJ banter just before the song. If Jimmy Young's comments were anything like this; I can understand why they wanted to cut him into little pieces. Sean: Hear! Hear! "Astronomy Domine" from ORTF-TV has its moments. It's one of the earlier arrangements of the song not to use the sound effects tape before the song starts (think Ummagumma). Instead Rick plays Morse code on his keyboards. The Floyd are still into performing this song and the only minor flaw on the song is the off key guitar at the end. Also the final verse is missing. Both VPRO radio and the BBC documented Floyd's performance at the Rome Pop Festival 1968. While the sound quality is very good overall, I feel that the performance was very weak. Floyd wasn't having a totally off night; the middle section of "Astronomy Domine" is good and Rick's church organ chaos during "Interstellar Overdrive" is fantastic and the guitar right before the reemergence of the main theme is a definite goose bump moment. Unfortunately, this is all diminished by overall mediocre playing. Roger sings off key during "Set the Controls..." (and at one point his voice cracks). Roger's hissing "The HHHHEEEEAAAARRRRTTTT! The heart of the sun" is almost as bad as the "woo-woo" during Money ('87-'94). Feel free to jump in anytime, Ger!
Gerhard: Well, if you insist... I have a soft spot for those early versions (just as I have for the early 1970 shows); musically it can be bad, the sound quality is usually atrocious, and still I like it. Probably for the occasional goose bump moment. Sean: Another ORTF performance brings us a "Let There Be More Light". I've always liked this song, but the version here seems to be an exact copy of the studio version. The audience however gets into it and claps along. The track cuts off after the first verse. Gerhard: Ah yes, the early TV appearances. No one at that time apparently realised what they were getting, so all the masters have long gotten lost. A shame. Sean: "Set the Controls..." from the BBC's "All My Loving" rocks! The middle section here is awesome! Rick and Nick are both giving their best (not that the rest of the band is slouching). Unfortunately the song is cut short. This is one of my favorite tracks on the disk. Another performance of "Let There Be More Light" on ORTF-TV (the French must really like this song), and despite some of the flaws here, I think this version is better than the one that they did a few months before. The current Floyd line up sounds like a well oiled machine at this point. Ignore the botched lyrics and David's off singing. The band is just fantastic and that's really what I think. Also, have I mentioned that that Gilmour fellow can play a mean guitar? The band also plays "Flaming", which sounds a bit like they are going through the motions. I never cared for David singing this song. His vocals are a bit off here as well (yet it's Roger who has the bad vocalist stigma). The disk ends with a bonus goody. We are treated to the radio ad for Meddle, which I have never heard before. With slogans like "It's like throwing your ears a party when all they were expecting was a few friends over for pinochle!" they must have sold millions! Gerhard: The On The Air pack comes with a second disk, which chronicles the 69-70 Floyd radio (and TV) performances. Since it's not really relevant to our theme (and because we are lazy sods) we will only review the first disk. Rest assured that the second disk is as good as the first, and is required listening for Floyd fans.
Gerhard: So I take it you actually like this set ? Sean: Yeah, I suppose it's all okay! Gerhard: I think it's required listening for everyone who's into the early (Syd era and beyond) Floyd. But if you're more into recent Floyd (Dark Side and later) you might be better off chasing another RoIO.
Gerhard den Hollander and Sean Zloch are staff writers for Spare Bricks.
The Camera Eye by Richard Mahon NOTE: The following concert videos are being graded as a guide to documenting the live performance history of Pink Floyd and Roger Waters. Past video reviews are posted at the following site - http://web.tampabay.rr.com/richm/sbarchive.htm
In keeping with the topic of this issue I will be taking a look at some of the Pink Floyd videos in circulation that feature Syd Barrett.
UFO
Club, 33 Tottenham Court Road, London January 20, 1967 There are two excerpts from this performance in circulation. One is sourced from a Granada TV documentary "Underground Scene." A different segment was broadcast from a look at the music revolution of 1967 titled "It Was 20 Years Ago Today" (in honor of the 20th Anniversary of the Beatles' Sgt. Pepper album). More recently, this clip was featured on the Pink Floyd special "Behind The Wall", although the audio has interviews with the band members dubbed over the music. Though the clip is short it gives an excellent view of the UFO club. I grade this video A- and the audio VG-E.
Edited
promo for "Arnold Layne" March 1967 This
video has been shown as a sample many times but a complete version has
never surfaced. Some of the footage was included on the MTV Pink Floyd
Rockumentary in 1989. Other clips have surfaced from German TV. The
video shows the band on the beach with a mannequin and includes excellent
close-ups of the band members as they play to the camera. Stills from
the video were projected on the background screen during Roger Waters'
1999-2000 tour. The video was aired in its entirety as a break during
Waters' 1987 Radio KAOS tour. I grade this video A and the
audio E-.
"Look
Of The Week" BBC-TV May 14, 1967 One
of the best live Syd Barrett performances was re-broadcast on the BBC
TV series "Sounds Of The Sixties." This video was previously mislabeled
as being from The Roundhouse. The clip begins with Barrett's face on
the screen as the band starts into "Pow R Toc H". This ends after just
30 seconds. The band then performs "Astronomy Domine." A backdrop of
liquid slides and a strobe light are used to great effect. Afterwards,
Hans Keller conducts an (unintentionally) humorous interview with Waters
& Barrett. Another segment of Barrett being interviewed during the broadcast
appeared from a BBC TV special in 1988. I grade this video A and
the audio VG-E.
Promo
for "The Scarecrow" Pathe Newsreel BBC TV July 8, 1967 This video has been aired by quite a few sources. This is a more conventional music video as opposed to a performance set up. Stills from this film were also aired on the back projection screen during Waters' In The Flesh tour. Set outside, the band walks from place to place with a scarecrow. There aren't many good close-ups in this video. The video is also humorous as the band plays to the camera. I grade this video A and the audio E-.
"American
Bandstand" US-TV November 6, 1967 This video, more than any other, offers the viewer a glimpse of Syd Barrett beginning to break down. His eyes are glazed as he half-heartedly mimes "Apples And Oranges." The band is set up on a small stage and the video provides nice close-ups of each band member. The video has a time code running through its duration. There is an interview from this appearance that appears briefly in a recent Pink Floyd video release. A complete version, without the time code, has never fallen into circulation. I grade this video A and the audio VG-E.
Richard Mahon is a staff writer for Spare Bricks
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Sean:
It's a shame that we aren't reviewing the second disk, as I like it
more than the first. That's all right. I recommend On the Air to any early Floyd enthusiast. It's like throwing your ears a party
when all they were expecting was a few friends over for pinochle!
