Pink Floyd released a limited-edition EP of their earliest known recordings as part of Record Store Day on November 27.
“To mark 50 years since the tracks were recorded,” said the group, “Pink Floyd have released a limited edition set of two 7" singles, containing the band's first recordings.”
“Pink Floyd 1965 – Their First Recordings” features material from Syd Barrett-led lineup of Roger Waters, Nick Mason and Richard Wright with help from pre-Floyd lead guitarist Rado (Bob) Klose, who together were performing under several different names in the period including the Meggadeaths, the Abdabs and the Spectrum Five before settling on the Tea Set.
Klose’s arrival in the lineup in 1964 saw Waters switch from lead guitar to bass; his departure in mid-1965 resulted in Barrett taking over lead guitar in addition to handling vocals.
Recorded in multiple sessions between late 1964 and early 1965, the set includes four songs written by Barrett (“Lucy Leave”, “Double O Bo”, “Remember Me” and “Butterfly”), coupled with Waters' “Walk With Me Sydney” – with Wright’s first wife Juliette Gale on backing vocals on the track – and a cover of Slim Harpo’s “I'm A King Bee.”
Audio for the release was mastered from the original mono analogue tapes by Andy Jackson of Tube Mastering and Ray Staff of AIR Studios.
With just 1,000 copies of the EP released, the band says they "hope to make them available in some physical form towards the end of next year."
Rolling Stone speculates the songs may have been released before the 50-year copyright on them was in danger of expiring due to the United Kingdom's copyright laws, which would see the material enter public domain if the copyright hadn’t been extended with a reissue.
See also:
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Search Pink Floyd at hennemusic
