Pink Floyd - Live at Pompeii (Original Cut)



Quote:
Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii is a 1972 concert film featuring the English
progressive rock group Pink Floyd performing at the ancient Roman
amphitheatre in Pompeii, Italy, directed by Adrian Maben. Although the
band are playing a typical live set from this point in their career, the
film is notable for having no audience.

The main footage in and around the amphitheatre was filmed over four
days in October 1971, using the band's regular touring equipment,
including studio-quality 24-track recorders. Additional footage filmed
in a Paris television studio that December made up the original 1972
release. The film was then re-released in 1974 with additional studio
material of the band working on The Dark Side of the Moon, and
interviews at Abbey Road Studios.

The film has subsequently been released on video numerous times, and in
2003 a "Director's Cut" DVD appeared which combines the original footage
from 1971 with more contemporary shots of space and the area around
Pompeii, assembled by Maben. A number of notable bands have taken
inspiration from the film in creating their own videos, or filming
concerts without an audience.Pink Floyd had already experimented with
filming outside the context of a standard rock concert, most notably an
hour long performance in KQED TV studios in April 1970. Adrian Maben had
become interested in combining art with Pink Floyd's music, and during
1971, he attempted to contact the band's manager, Steve O'Rourke, to
discuss the possibilities of making a film to achieve this aim. After
his original plan of mixing the band with assorted paintings had been
rejected, Maben went on holiday to Naples in the early summer.

During a visit to Pompeii, he lost his passport, and went back to the
amphitheatre he had visited earlier in the day in order to find it.
Walking around the deserted ruins, he thought the silence and natural
ambient sounds present would make a good backdrop for the music. He also
felt that filming the band without an audience would be a good reaction
to earlier films such as Woodstock and Gimme Shelter, where the films
paid equal attention to performers and audiences. Through his contacts
at the University of Naples, Maben managed to persuade the local
authorities to close the amphitheatre for six days that October for
filming.The performances of "Echoes", "A Saucerful of Secrets", and "One
of These Days" were filmed from 4 to 7 October 1971. O'Rourke delivered
a demo to Maben in order for him to prepare for the various shots
required, which he finally managed to do the night before filming
started. The choice of material was primarily the band's, but while
Maben realised it was important to include material from Meddle, he was
also keen to include "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" and "A Saucerful of
Secrets", as he felt they would be good numbers to film.

The band insisted on playing live, and brought their regular touring
gear with them. Their roadie, Peter Watts, suggested that their 24-track
recorder would produce a sound tantamount to that of a studio
recording. In addition, it transpired that the natural echo of the
amphitheatre also provided good acoustics for the recording. The
equipment was carried by truck from London, and took three days to reach
Pompeii. When it arrived, it was discovered there was insufficient
power to drive the equipment correctly, which blew every time it was
plugged in. This issue plagued filming for several days, and was finally
resolved by running a lengthy cable from the local town hall.

The first section of footage to be filmed were montage shots of the band
walking around Boscoreale, mixed with shots of mud, which can be seen
at various points in "Echoes" and "Careful with That Axe, Eugene". For
the live performances, the band recorded portions of the songs in
sections, which were later spliced together. After each take, they
listened to the playback on headphones. Maben closed all the entrances
to the amphitheatre, but a few children managed to sneak in, and were
allowed to watch the filming quietly from a distance.The original
release, running for one hour, only featured the live footage. The film
was scheduled for a special premiere at London's Rainbow Theatre, on 25
November 1972. It was cancelled at the last minute by the theatre's
owner, Rank Strand. His eventual explanation was that the film didn't
have a certificate from the British Board of Film Censors and they
wouldn't allow the Rainbow Theatre, which was a music venue, to be a
venue for showing a film and thus could be seen to be in competition
with their other established cinemas.

Maben was concerned that one of the problems with the film was that it
was too short. In early 1973, Maben was fly fishing with Waters, and
suggested the possibility of improving the film by watching them at work
in a recording studio. Subsequently, Maben was invited with a small
crew using a single 35 mm camera to Abbey Road Studios to film supposed
recording sessions of The Dark Side of the Moon, as well as interviews
conducted off-camera by Maben, and footage of the band eating and
talking at the studio cafeteria. Maben was particularly happy about this
footage, feeling it captured the spontaneous humour of the band. This
version premiered on 21 August 1974, and ran for 80 minutes. The
recording sessions were actually staged for the film, as the recording
of the album had been completed when these sessions were filmed in
January 1973 and the band was mixing the album at the time.
Tracklist of the original film:

"Intro Song"
"Echoes, Part 1" (from Meddle, 1971)
"Careful with That Axe, Eugene" (from Ummagumma, 1969)
"A Saucerful of Secrets" (from A Saucerful of Secrets, 1968)
"One of These Days I'm Going to Cut You into Little Pieces" (from Meddle, 1971)
"Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" (from A Saucerful of Secrets, 1968)
"Mademoiselle Nobs" (from Meddle, 1971)
"Echoes, Part 2" (from Meddle, 1971)

Pink Floyd

David Gilmour: lead guitar, slide guitar, harmonica on "Mademoiselle
Nobs", vocals on "Echoes", "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" and "A
Saucerful of Secrets"
Roger Waters: bass guitar, rhythm guitar on "Mademoiselle Nobs",
gong, cymbals, vocals on "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" and "Set the
Controls for the Heart of the Sun"
Richard Wright: Hammond organ, Farfisa Compact Duo organ, piano, vocals on "Echoes"
Nick Mason: drums, percussion, vocal phrase on "One of These Days I'm Going to Cut You into Little Pieces"



Disponible sólo a los usuarios