June 2025
Columbia Records—19802876231
Format: LP
Musical Performance
Sound Quality
Overall Enjoyment
When Pink Floyd performed at the ancient amphitheater in Pompeii in October 1971, they were getting ready to release their sixth album, Meddle, which would appear in shops a month later. The performance took place in front of a film crew, with no one else in attendance. Filmmaker Adrian Maben had several ideas for a movie that would feature Pink Floyd’s music, but a visit to Pompeii gave him the idea of filming the band there.
The amphitheater’s acoustics and ambience, with strong winds blowing through, convinced Maben that this was the perfect spot for the project. The band had its equipment transported there, and they suggested that Maben’s crew record the music using eight-track gear. Pink Floyd: Live at Pompeii appeared in theaters in September 1972.
The recently released Pink Floyd at Pompeii – MCMLXXII, shown in a limited run at select IMAX theaters, is a 4K restoration of the film, now available on DVD and Blu-ray. There have been several edits over the years, but this new version appears to be derived from the 2003 director’s cut. Steven Wilson remixed the sound for the film in Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital 5.1, and stereo.
The CD, vinyl, and high-resolution releases of Pink Floyd at Pompeii – MCMLXXII reproduce the music the band recorded in the amphitheater. All three formats use Wilson’s stereo mix. Miles Showell cut the lacquers for the two-LP set at half speed, using Wilson’s digital file as the source. GZ Media in the Czech Republic pressed the vinyl. All the music releases include alternate takes or different edits of some of the tracks used in the movie.
Pink Floyd created “Pompeii Intro” for the film, so it hasn’t appeared on any of their other albums. The heartbeat that grows in intensity and volume in the first minute of the song anticipates the opening of The Dark Side of the Moon. The tune itself is more reminiscent of the band’s earlier records, which used distortion and studio effects to create strange, unsettling sounds that evoke the dark undercurrent of psychedelia.
“Pompeii Intro” segues into “Echoes,” from Meddle. The live interpretation of the song varies ever so slightly from the studio version, in anticipation of the direction the band would soon take. While the track ran 23 minutes on Meddle and took up all of side 2, the film and this release of the music split the song into two parts. This rendition of “Echoes” contains elements of the eccentric experimentalism of Pink Floyd’s records up to that point, while anticipating the more melodic, tightly written songs that started to take shape on Meddle and would soon define the band.
Two more songs performed at Pompeii originally appeared on Meddle. “One of These Days” is a bit slower in this performance than on the album, and the result makes it more forceful and dramatic. Roger Waters’s bass attack is majestic in this live performance, and the band does a great job recreating the atmosphere and sonic elegance of the studio version. “Mademoiselle Nobs” is an instrumental version of “Seamus,” from Meddle. In this performance, just as on Meddle, it serves as lighter fare that helps introduce some levity.
Pink Floyd also revisited some of their early recordings onstage at Pompeii. I miss the vibes that rang through the 1968 studio recording of “Careful with That Axe, Eugene,” but the version at Pompeii is as unsettling as the original. Roger Waters’s scream is even more hair-raising.
“A Saucerful of Secrets” successfully recreates the chaos and claustrophobic intensity of the recording from the album of the same name. Another song from that album, “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun,” is expanded to twice its studio length at Pompeii, but the extra time lets the group explore even more ideas, and the result doesn’t meander or drag.
The performance in Pompeii of this trio of songs from 1968 was the work of musicians who were now more confident and skilled. The newer interpretations varied in tempo from the studio versions, and that decision enabled some musical ideas and effects to come off more convincingly. More than that, Pink Floyd were simply better players. Nick Mason’s drum fills are smoother and his timekeeping more precise, David Gilmour’s guitar work is more cohesive, Waters’s bass is more rhythmic and fluid, and Rick Wright’s ideas unfold more easily.
Although some of the music in this set appeared on The Early Years 1965–1972, a box set released in 2016, this is the first time it has been released as a standalone set. In addition, Pink Floyd at Pompeii – MCMLXXII includes tracks that were not part of that earlier release.
I compared “Careful with That Axe, Eugene” on the 2016 CD set and on the new CD release of the Pompeii performance (Columbia—19802876242). Waters’s bass has more low-end impact and snaps harder on Wilson’s new remix. Mason’s cymbals have more shimmer, and Gilmour’s guitar chords are harmonically fuller and brighter. Wright’s keyboards are expansive and absorbing in Wilson’s new mix, whereas to me they sound flat on the earlier CD.
The Early Years 1965–1972 presents “Echoes” in its full 25 minutes. The keys on “Echoes - Part 1” on the new disc are more fleshed-out, and Gilmour’s guitar in the left channel cuts through more effectively. Smaller details throughout the track are now audible without having been pushed forward. Waters’s bass has more rumble on the earlier release, but individual notes are more clearly presented now, and Mason’s drums are more sharply defined. When the band comes together about two minutes in, Wilson’s mix gives each instrument room to register, and the music has a deeper soundstage. It’s crammed together and somewhat distorted on the earlier CD.
I moved to the vinyl copy of Pink Floyd at Pompeii – MCMLXXII to compare “Echoes - Part 1” with the CD version. Through my system, Waters’s bass punches harder and Mason’s kick drum thumps more forcefully on the LP, but in both cases Showell’s vinyl cut didn’t disturb the balance Wilson achieved with his new mix. The vocals are more three-dimensional on the LP, and the soundstage is wider.
When I switched from the CD playback to the vinyl version of “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun,” I could hear the resonance and bounce of Mason’s tom drums better. Wright’s keyboards are edgier and more foreboding on the LP, vocals are out in front, and Waters’s gong strikes have a more sustained, physically imposing impact.
I downloaded a hi-rez copy of “One of These Days” from Qobuz, and the sound of the wind that opens the track is larger and more enveloping than on the CD. Bass is more forceful, keyboard strikes are more impressive, and cymbal splashes sustain longer. I heard many of the same things on the LP, but the hi-rez playback had slightly more high-end sparkle on my system. On the other hand, Mason’s drums ring out more solidly on the LP. The differences aren’t pronounced, and I’d have a hard time choosing between the two formats sonically.
The packaging for the LP release of Pink Floyd at Pompeii – MCMLXXII is impressive. The artwork on the cover is vivid and colorful, printed on a matte finish. The gatefold interior has a glossier finish and features photos of the band members. The album sleeves have additional photos, and the package includes a full-sized reproduction of the lobby poster for the film. My copy was very good—flat and perfectly centered. I heard some surface noise on the first play, but a good Spin-Clean and vacuum cleaning eliminated it.
Pink Floyd at Pompeii – MCMLXXII sounds terrific in all three formats, although both the LP and hi-rez version breathe a little more realism into the music. Steven Wilson’s mix is markedly better than the one on the 2016 box set—more spacious, more detailed, and more involving. This album captures Pink Floyd on the verge of international stardom. It includes plenty of the group’s early, avant-garde flights, and it’s bracing to be reminded that they took such risks. Pink Floyd at Pompeii – MCMLXXII is a valuable, long-overdue addition to the band’s discography.
. . . Joseph Taylor
josepht@soundstagenetwork.com
