Pink Floyd
Stay at Pompeii – MCMLXXII
In Cinemas Now & Amazon Prime
Pink Floyd at Pompeii, restored from the unique 35mm lower unfavorable which was present in ‘5 dubiously labelled cans in Pink Floyd’s personal archive’, in line with Lana Topham – Director of Restoration, has lastly been launched in 4K. The movie was launched in cinemas across the UK on the 24th of April in common and IMAX types.
The movie has at all times been thought to be one thing of a curate’s egg amongst Floyd aficionados; 4 lithe, younger English rock stars bashing out their biggest hits beneath the fierce Italian solar, in opposition to the chilly monolithic backdrop of Pompeii’s amphitheatre.
These had been the times when bands transitioned via rising genres that will shine brightly for a couple of months earlier than melting away. Pink Floyd, who began out as a bread-and-butter blues band shortly fell into, and arguably pioneered, the psychedelic motion within the mid ‘60’s with their prolonged freak-outs at London’s notorious UFO membership, alongside Gentle Machine and AMM. The ensuing album Piper at The Gates at Daybreak, named after a chapter from Wind in The Willows, was a landmark launch, a few years earlier than the band formally grew to become the bombastic behemoths they’re thought to be as we speak.
By means of the later sixties Pink Floyd continued to launch progressive and authentic experimental rock, and although they often launched singles (with diminishing success), it was the prolonged soundscapes that they had been well-known for. Let’s not overlook that they had been additionally adept at contributing to, (and writing) movie scores, via their work with Antonioni on Zabriskie Level, Tonight Let’s Make Love in London, Extra and later, Obscured by Clouds.
Stay at Pompeii sees the band in 1971 simply after releasing Meddle, an album which constructed on the success of Atom Coronary heart Mom, (their first primary), launched the earlier yr. Each albums adopted a standard theme; one facet, brief tracks, pieced collectively from disparate genres – Fats ‘Ole Solar, Alan’s Psychedelic Breakfast, One in every of today, Seamus, and the opposite facet, prolonged 20 minute progressive items, developed on from 1968’s Saucerful of Secrets and techniques and lots of the earlier freak outs.
Other than displaying full variations of Meddle’s Echoes, Cautious With The Axe Eugene, (a dwell favorite) and One in every of These Days, the movie cuts away to dramatic pictures of Pompeii’s usually grimacing stone statues, Solfatara’s effervescent volcanic mud swimming pools, and the dying solar in opposition to the amphitheatre’s structure. Adrian Maben’s path is paying homage to the aforementioned Michelangelo Antonioni’s Zabriskie’s Level the place the hillside explosion is revealed in a sequence of pictures from completely different angles, repeated again and again.
The movie is lower with scenes of the band recording The Darkish Facet of The Moon at Abbey Highway, in addition to discussing their tools and different points of the recording course of – Roger Waters – “Increasingly now there are all type of digital goodies which can be found for individuals like us to make use of if we will be bothered”. David Gilmour “It’s all extensions of what’s popping out of our heads… it might be fascinating to see precisely what 4 individuals may do if simply given the tools, we didn’t know something about it actually, and simply informed them to get with it and do one thing”.
Operating at an hour and thirty minutes Pink Floyd at Pompeii is an incredible movie, a snapshot in time, which sees them on the cusp of mega stardom. Launched in September 1972, simply six month earlier than The Darkish Facet of The Moon can be launched, it’s very a lot the cool lull earlier than the storm.
~
The premiere for the re-release of the movie happened within the modest Barnsley Parkway Cinema and featured the unique sound rig from the Pompeii movie together with a reproduction Allen & Heath sound desk, equivalent to the one proven within the movie. Each the rig and desk would type a part of the Darkish Facet of The Moon excursions from 1973. The PA and desk are owned by Chris Hewitt from CH Classic Audio, who personal the most important assortment of authentic sound tools on this planet.
See The Movie
You possibly can see the movie on common launch in cinemas now, or stream from Amazon Prime.
Pink Floyd at Pompeii – MCMLXXII – The Stay Album Out Now Out there on CD, Digital Audio & For The First Time On Dolby Atmos & Vinyl Right here
Acclaimed Movie Enters High Field Workplace Charts Round The World Tickets On Sale Right here
See The Gear
7th and eightth June 2025 – Pompeii mixing desk, cabs and reproduction touring Ford transit on show – Middlewick Home Open Day ( Nick Mason’s Home) –
21st and 22nd June 2025 – Pompeii full PA System & mixing desk working open air taking part in the brand new mixture of Stay at Pompeii soundtrack – North West Hello Fi Present, Cranage Corridor Resort, Holmes Chapel ,Cheshire
Phrases by Nigel Carr. Extra writing by Nigel on Louder Than Battle will be present in his Creator’s archive. You will discover Nigel on Twitter and Fb. Nigel is the Co-Producer of New Daybreak Fades – A Play About Pleasure Division And Manchester which excursions this October. Barnsley photographs by Chris Hewitt.
A Plea From Louder Than Battle
Louder Than Battle is run by a small however devoted impartial crew, and we depend on the small amount of cash we generate to maintain the positioning operating easily. Any cash we do get shouldn’t be lining the pockets of oligarchs or mad-cap billionaires dictating what our journalists are allowed to assume and write, or hungry shareholders. We all know instances are robust, and we need to proceed bringing you information on probably the most fascinating releases, the most recent gigs and the rest that tickles our fancy. We aren’t pushed by revenue, simply pure enthusiasm for a scene that every one in every of us is keen about.
To us, music and tradition are eveything, with out them, our very souls shrivel and die. We don’t cost artists for the publicity we give them and to many, what we do is completely very important. Subscribing to one in every of our paid tiers takes only a minute, and every sign-up makes a huge effect, serving to to maintain the flame of impartial music burning! Please click on the button beneath to assist.
John Robb – Editor in Chief
