A Saucerful Of Pink Floyd

A Pink Floyd mix inspired by the September 2018 tour set list of “Nick Mason’s Saucerful Of Secrets” band.

Nick Mason, the drummer for Pink Floyd, formed his new band in 2018 to play pre-“Dark Side Of The Moon” psychedelic rock including many tunes from “The Syd Barrett Years”. They toured Europe in September 2018 and will be touring again in April & May 2019.

Read more at: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Mason%27s_Saucerful_of_Secrets

1. Interstellar Overdrive (live 1969)
2. Astronomy Domine (BBC TV)
3. Lucifer Sam
4. Fearless
5. Obscured By Clouds
6. When You’re In
7. Arnold Layne
8. Vegetable Man
9. If
10. Atom Heart Mother (band version) excerpts
11. The Nile Song
12. Green Is The Colour (BBC)
13. Let There Be More Light
14. Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun (BBC TV)
15. See Emily Play
16. Bike
17. One Of These Days (from Pompeii)
18. A Saucerful Of Secrets (from Pompeii)
19. Point Me At The Sky (BBC)
20. Paint Box (single version)
21. Up The Khyber
22. Pow R Toc H (BBC)
23. Explosion (from Zabriskie Point) Careful With That Axe Eugene
24. Nick’s Boogie

Please also take a listen to:
https://www.mixcloud.com/briancurrin/rock-legends-pink-floyd-1968-to-1972/
https://www.mixcloud.com/briancurrin/pink-floyd-solo-1967-to-2017/

Life Is A Long Song

[Thanks to Jethro Tull for the post title]

Just a few of my favourite really long songs.

Thick As A Brick – Jethro Tull

Supper’s Ready – Genesis

Karn Evil 9 – Emerson, Lake and Palmer

Close To The Edge – Yes

Tubular Bells – Mike Oldfield

Phallus Dei – Amon Düül II

Autobahn – Kraftwerk

Ma – Rare Earth

Get Ready – Rare Earth

Just A Poke (album) – Sweet Smoke: Baby Night & Silly Sally

Includes an excerpt from The Soft Parade by The Doors and a wonderfully phased drum solo.

Shine On You Crazy Diamond, parts 1-9 – Pink Floyd

On the ‘Wish You Were Here’ album, this song is split into two sections, separated by the other 3 songs on the album. Here it can be heard as one long piece.

Anonymus Two – Focus

Tarkus – Emerson, Lake & Palmer

Echoes – Pink Floyd

Salisbury – Uriah Heep

In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida – Iron Butterfly

Ordinary length songs are often stretched incredibly during live performances, here’s one of them:

Dazed And Confused (live 1973) – Led Zeppelin

And here’s another:

Space Truckin’ – live 1974 – Deep Purple

And just for laughs:

Metal Machine Music – Lou Reed

This double album, consisting of 4 sides of equal length, is like one of those really bad movies that you keep watching hoping it will get better.

Spoiler alert:  it doesn’t.

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Eleven Of The Best Classic Rock Songs Released in 2011

2011 has been a great year for an old Classic Rock fan like myself.

My sons: “what did you call “Classic Rock” when you were growing up, Dad?”

Me: “Rock!

Some of my all-time favourite bands either released new albums or re-issued classic albums with obscure and rare bonus tracks during 2011.

Here are eleven tracks that stand-out:

1. Wond’ring Aloud, Again – Jethro Tull
   Segued and extended version,
   from the 40th Anniversary re-issue of  “Aqualung“
2. The Painter (BBC, version two) – Deep Purple
   from “BBC Sessions“
3. Gotta Be Crazy (live 1974) – Pink Floyd
   early version of Dogs,
   from the 2011 re-issue of “Wish You Were Here“
4. Into The Storm – Yes
   from “Fly From Here”
5. The Travel Sequence – Pink Floyd
   early version of On The Run,
   from 2011 re-issue of “Dark Side Of The Moon“
6. The Hard Way – Pink Floyd
   from The Household Objects Project,
   from 2011 re-issue of “Dark Side Of The Moon“
7. I Can See You – Uriah Heep
   from “Into The Wild”
8. Ricochet (BBC) – Deep Purple
   early version of Speed King with different lyrics, including a guitar solo later used in The Mule,
   from “BBC Sessions”
9. My God – Jethro Tull
   early version with slightly different lyrics,
   from the 40th Anniversary re-issue of “Aqualung“
10. Smoke On The Water (live 2011) – Deep Purple and Orchestra
    from “Live At Montreux 2011“
11. Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd
    alternate version with Stéphane Grappelli on violin,
    from the 2011 re-issue of “Wish You Were Here“

Pink Floyd Division Bell Faces and other collectables for sale at Mabu Vinyl

Gramophone His Master’s Voice

Columbia “Viva-tomal Grafonola” in black carry case

Large variety of 78 records

Gramophone needles, 25 metal boxes with 100 needles each, Tuck, Gallotone, Lipsilva, Meritone, Elkah

Pink Floyd ”The Division Bell” poster in 120 x 180cm frame

Pink Floyd “The Division Bell” faces in 180cm high sheet metal

Contact mabu@sugarmusic.co.za

Shine On, Syd – A Tribute to Syd Barrett

Syd Barrett & Pink Floyd – Shine On, Syd [2006]

With Syd Barrett’s passing on the 7th July 2006, I decided to compile my own virtual collection (will fit on a single CD, I think) in honour of his music and influence. I included Pink Floyd songs that do not feature Syd’s playing, but that are definitely about him. I made a cover to look like an old cassette as if this really was a mixtape. And I thought Syd would appreciate looking at the world from a different angle.

1. I’m A King Bee – Pink Floyd [02:56]
2. Astronomy Domine – Pink Floyd [04:02]
3. Shine On You Crazy Diamond, part 2 [Syd’s Theme] – Pink Floyd [02:30]
4. See Emily Play – Pink Floyd [02:48]
5. Scream Thy Last Scream – Pink Floyd [04:32]
6. Lucy Leave – Pink Floyd [02:47]
7. Interstellar Overdrive (extract from January 1967 version) – Pink Floyd [04:50]
8. Shine On You Crazy Diamond, part 4 [1st vocal section] – Pink Floyd [02:20]
9. Wish You Were Here – Pink Floyd [05:09]
10. Interstellar Overdrive (closing section) – Pink Floyd [02:31]
11. Octopus – Syd Barrett [03:41]
12. Arnold Layne – Pink Floyd [02:49]
13. Bob Dylan Blues (demo) – Syd Barrett [03:05]
14. Vegetable Man – Pink Floyd [02:22]
15. Paintbox – Pink Floyd [03:22]
16. Candy & A Currant Bun – Pink Floyd [02:38]
17. The Scarecrow – Pink Floyd [02:04]
18. Jugband Blues – Pink Floyd [02:54]
19. Gigolo Aunt – Syd Barrett [05:39]
20. Dominoes – Syd Barrett [04:00]
21. Shine On You Crazy Diamond, part 7 [2nd vocal section] – Pink Floyd [01:24]
22. Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun – Pink Floyd [05:15]
23. Bike – Pink Floyd [03:20]

My Top Ten Favourite Rock Albums of All-Time

1. Piet Botha – ‘n Suitcase Vol Winter (1997)

I first heard ‘Sien Jou Weer’ on radio KFM in Cape Town and I became an instant fan. I bought this album the same day. ‘Suitcase’ opened up a whole new genre for me: Afrikaans Rock, and I’ve never been the same since!

I was so in awe of this album, of Piet Botha the artist and of songs like ‘Goeienag Generaal’, that I set up a small fan website for Piet and Jack Hammer (his English hard rocking alter ego). This website has now become the official Piet Botha website! Please visit: www.pietbotha.com

2. David Bowie – The Rise And Fall Of Ziggy Stardust And The Spiders From Mars (1972)

We wore our hair like Ziggy, we bought the platform shoes, we tried to play guitar. Bowie was Ziggy and Ziggy was Bowie and he sang: “let all the children boogie”… and we did.

There is a whole website dedicated to just this one album at: www.5years.com

3. Deep Purple – Made In Japan (1973)

THE classic live album from a classic rock band. “What a rip-off!”, I thought to myself when I first saw this album, “a double album with only 7 tracks on it!”. And then the energy in those 7 songs (the shortest being about 7 minutes) blew my mind, melted my speakers and drove my Methodist church organist father nuts. This album was my first introduction to Deep Purple and I was hooked for life. And they are still around, much to my father’s surprise, and possibly their own as well. www.deeppurple.co.za

In September 2001 a 4CD box set was released titled ‘On The Road’, which chronicles Deep Purple on stage across the years and around the world from 1969-1993. Full track list and review at: Deep Purple On The Road

4. Genesis – Selling England By The Pound (1973)

“Can you tell me where your country lies, said the Unifaun to his true love’s eyes” sang the plaintive voice of Peter Gabriel to open this album. I still have no idea what he was on about (or what he was on), but this pastoral, gentle progressive rock album captured my ears and my heart and will always be a favourite. Also contains the hit single “I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe”). This was back in the days when Phil Collins was just a drummer…

5. Golden Earring – Hearing Earring (1973)

This album was a compilation of tracks from 2 previous European-only releases: ‘Seven Tears’ (1971) and ‘Together’ (1972). As far as I know ‘Hearing Earring’ has never been released on CD, but it is one of my all-time favourite rock albums, so I eventually bought the CDs of ‘Seven Tears’ and ‘Together’ just to have all these great tracks.

‘Jangalene’ is a classic rock song with its long acoustic intro and then thundering full-tilt climax. This album goes from light to dark, soft to loud in an instant and is very comparable to the Deep Purple or Zeppelin stuff from the same era. www.rock.co.za/files/hearing.html

6. Jethro Tull – Aqualung (1971)

“Sitting on a park bench watching all the pretty panties run”. No wonder our parents hated it. Jethro Tull at their hardest and rockiest. Before the self-indulgence of ‘Thick As A Brick’ and ‘A Passion Play’, this was the spirit of early 70s rock captured on one album. And ‘Locomotive Breath’ is on it… worth the price of admission alone. www.rock.co.za/jethrotull

7. Pink Floyd – The Dark Side Of The Moon (1973)

I remember hearing this album when it was just another new release, “the new Pink Floyd album”, nothing more. Who would have guessed the impact it would have on future generations? Well my friends and I did, for one. We knew this was nothing like we had ever heard before: sound effects, spoken words, hidden messages, cool cover, a swearword (this was South Africa in 1973, remember?), songs flowing one into the other… and David Gilmour’s guitar, oh that guitar sound…

Pink Floyd is still one of my all-time favourite bands and I have a fan site for them at: www.rock.co.za/pinkfloyd

8. Ramases – Space Hymns (1971)

A Sheffield central heating saleman thinks he is re-incarnated as an Egyptian God. He gets his wife to sing with him, the fledging 10cc to play with him, and Roger Dean to paint the LP cover for him and produces a stunning work.

From acoustic love songs with gentle flutes to sitars and rock guitars this album explores the themes of alienation, loneliness and searching with a particular “other-world” feel. Hard to find but well worth the search. www.spacehymns.com

9. Rodriguez – Cold Fact (recorded in 1969, first released in South Africa in 1971)

If you’ve heard of Rodriguez (and amazingly most of the world hasn’t), then you probably love this album like I do, so you don’t need me to tell you how good it is.

In 2002 I was asked for my input for a re-issue CD, and Terry Fairweather from PT Music and Bill Robb from Robb Graphics allowed me the freedom to fix many mistakes with lyrics, track listings, etc, as well as including one of my personal concert photographs from the 2001 South African tour. ‘Cold Fact’ album producer, Mike Theodore, provided some valuable info, as did Gary Harvey, co-composer of 2 songs on the album. And Rodriguez, the original Sugarman, supplied a quote or 2 and a signature. www.sugarman.org

10. Rick Wakeman With The London Symphony Orchestra – Journey To The Centre Of The Earth (1974)

Majestic sounds, choirs, synthesizers, the London Symphony Orchestra, narration of the Jules Verne classic by David Hemmings… this album was the ultimate fusion of rock and orchestra pioneered by Jon Lord (with Deep Purple) and Keith Emerson (first with The Nice and then ELP). Rick Wakeman – keyboard wizard? Oh yeah!

And yes, the years 1971 to 1974 were probably some of the best years of my life, and thanks to music, the net, my children and friends I am still very much in touch with my inner teenager. “Too old To Rock and Roll” – never! “Too young to die” – damn right…

Further reading

Brian Currin’s Top 50 Rock Albums of All-time