When I was in high school, I ate, drank, and breathed Pink Floyd. Oh, sure, I listened to a lot of other bands and was a verifiable FM AOR (Album Oriented Rock) junkie, but Floyd was by far my fave. I was once told by my physics teacher in a discussion of music that I could expect my tastes to change as I mature, and that I wouldn't be listening to Pink Floyd in 20 years. He was right about my tastes evolving, but he was dead wrong about the Floyd.

In fact, since I started downloading this stuff, I listen to a wider variety of their music than ever before. It seems that most of their shows since 1970, and many earlier shows, are available in some form or another. If you listen to enough of it, it becomes evident that the representation this band's music got in official releases borders on criminal negligence.

This cut from one of their sessions with John Peel illustrates my point. John Peel was a British radio personality that had a unique idea. He had weekly live studio performances with a wide variety of bands, both great and small. His show ran for ages and exerted a huge influence, bringing obscure bands out into the light of day. Peel favored bands that defied the norm, although he had the major acts as well, and many bands have released their Peel sessions officially.

Pink Floyd did many sessions with Peel, the final one taking place at the Paris Theater in London on September 30, 1971. If this had been officially released, it would be one of their best albums.

Since I've discovered the underground Floyd, the 1969 to 1971 era has become my favorite part of their history. At this time the band was stretching their blues roots into long, highly improvisational compositions. Listening to the shows in this period one hears a wildly different band, one that seems to let the songs flow and evolve as they will. After Dark Side of the Moon was released in 1973, a lot of that improvisational spirit had fallen to the wayside. If the only Pink Floyd you know is from "Dark Side" or later, you will hardly recognize the band you here hear.

This is a gorgeous tune called Fat Old Sun which started off that final Peel session. It's quite a bit different from the version on the Atom Heart Mother album, and also a far cry from the one they played at the previous session one year earlier, being almost 3 times longer than either of those. If you can, listen with headphones while watching a beautiful sunset. If not, listen with headphones while kicking back and imagining one. Enjoy.

Pink Floyd - Fat Old Sun- 1971/09/30 - Paris Theatre, London

And here's an interesting interpretation of some Floyd covers.

Next: The last night of the 70's.