Pink Floyd - A Fleeting GlimpsePosted on by Tony R
Surging in popularity due to the film Saltburn, the pop tune Murder On The Dancefloor by Sophie Ellis-Bextor has entered the UK charts again coming in at No. 8! For those who don’t know Pink Floyd later years bassist/collaborator Guy Pratt played bass on this tune. In an article posted on MusicRadar.com Sophie Ellis-Bextor talks about the song and its resurgence in popularity and she goes on to say:
There’s a crucial musical element to consider, too: what Ellis-Bextor describes as a “really brilliant bassline. This was played by legendary British bassist Guy Pratt, who’s also recorded with the likes of Madonna (Like A Prayer), Pink Floyd (The Division Bell) and Michael Jackson (HIStory: Past, Present and Future, Book I)
“He’s got such flair for bringing melody to a bassline,” Ellis-Bextor says of Pratt. “With disco, if you haven’t got the rhythm section doing what they need to do, then it isn’t disco.”
Those familiar with Guy’s Youtube channel know that he posted a video playing the bassline on his Lockdown Licks video series, but if you haven’t checked it out we highly recommend you do!
Guy Pratt Lockdown Licks Episode 8 Murder on the Dance Floor
Pink Floyd - A Fleeting GlimpsePosted on by Tony R
Last year Saucerful Of Secrets’ guitarist and co-founder Lee Harris wrote a really great piece on one of Syd Barrett’s tunes “Here I Go” from The Madcap Laughs with the help of Willie Wilson and David Gilmour. The piece was for a feature on the Syd Barrett website called Stories Behind The Songs. It is a really great read worth checking out, especially today as we remember Syd on what would have been his 78th birthday.
Syd Barrett-Here I Go
“Here I Go” is on the album The Madcap Laughs and was recorded on April 17, 1969 at Abbey Road in Studio 2. According to the late Malcolm Jones who produced the session it took Syd “a matter of minutes” to write.
However, Joe Boyd remembers hearing the song on a demo tape in 1967 and it originally being called “Boon Tune” – “what a boon this tune” is part of the lyric. Boyd was producing a band called The Purple Gang at the same time as he was working with Pink Floyd on “Arnold Layne”. Syd had put forward “Boon Tune” to Joe Boyd and The Purple Gang as their next single but their record company was not happy with them getting involved with other writers/publishers so the idea was shelved – although they did put a version out many years later.
The fact that the song was already written at least 2 years before it was recorded probably explains why Jones presumed it took minutes to write. I reckon those minutes must have been Syd going through it off the top of his head to remember it.
Malcolm Jones also said “Syd nearly always had lyrics with him on a stand in case of the occasional lapse of memory. This one was the only one I remember him having no cue sheet at all”. Perhaps he even changed something but we’ll never know this as the demo tape no longer exists.
Whilst writing this piece, I contacted the drummer Willie Wilson who is credited as the bass player on the song. Willie hails from Cambridge and played in Jokers Wild which was the band David Gilmour was in before Pink Floyd(he would later play drums alongside Nick Mason on The Wall tour). Willie told me he didn’t know Syd when growing up but that he got to know him when he would occasionally get up and play at Jokers Wild gigs. The band even ended up playing on the same bill with the Floyd who were still known as The Tea Set along with a then-unknown Paul Simon at a friend’s party in 1965. – continues
Pink Floyd - A Fleeting GlimpsePosted on by Tony R
We at AFG remember the late great Syd Barrett today on his birthday. Happy Birthday Syd, without whom none of us would be here if not for your contributions to the arts and pop culture. Shine on Syd, long live RKB.
Syd Barrett’s Official Youtube page has posted a new video, taken from Opel focusing on the track Clowns and Jugglers which became the Syd classic Octopus.
Released on the 1988 album “Opel”. “Opel” is a 1988 album compiled from recordings made by former Pink Floyd frontman Syd Barrett between 1968 and 1970. The album is a compilation of unreleased material and alternate takes of recordings from sessions for Barrett’s solo albums, The Madcap Laughs and Barrett. The album consists of eight previously unreleased songs and alternate versions of six already released songs. Video by ArtistontheBorder
Syd Barrett – Opel – Clowns and Jugglers (Octopus) Official Audio
Pink Floyd - A Fleeting GlimpsePosted on by Tony R
We at AFG want to wish a very happy birthday to longtime Pink Floyd/David Gilmour/Nick Mason bassist/collaborator Guy Pratt! Guy will be continuing with Nick Mason as part of the Saucerful Of Secrets this summer in Italy with 6 (so far confirmed) dates! Guy also played a part in bringing Steven Wilson together with Gala and Jamie Wright to remix and re-release Richard Wright’s debut solo album Wet Dream, which seen its re-release on LP and Bluray 5.1/Atmos spatial audio formats last year. Happy Birthday Guy! We hope you enjoy your day.
Pink Floyd - A Fleeting GlimpsePosted on by Tony R
For fans in the UK, the UK National Space Centre in Leicester is hosting two fulldome planetarium showings of Pink Floyd’s The Dark Side Of The Moon on January 20th, 2024. This is an immersive experience set to the latest audio remastering by James Guthrie and Joel Plante of das boot recording. Fulldome film production is by the multi award winning NSC Creative, who worked with Aubrey Powell, Pink Floyd’s creative director. Video below of how the visuals will look in a 360° setting.
The show itself will be divided between the 10 tracks of the album, and in chronological order, each having a different theme; some futuristically looking forward and some a retro acknowledgment to Pink Floyd’s visual history, all relating to a time and space experience, embracing up to the minute technology that only a Planetarium can offer. In the modern parlance it’s truly immersive; an all-encompassing surround sound and visual treat that will transcend reality and take you way beyond the realms of 2D experience.