Sunday, July 6, 2008

FRP 22-23 - For Reasons I Don't Understand


Emerson Gym, Case Western Reserve University
Cleveland, Ohio
6-November-1971

A long, strange trip for this gem. It ended up in our intrepid hero's hands as the surprise diamond in a trade.

In his own words--
"The person who I received this show from was not able to provide me with any useful information. He actually told me it was from a radio show in 1967 with the songs Astronomy Domine and Green is the Colour among others. There was no artwork, just multi-colored stick on labels with the name Pink Floyd, the letters CWRU, and 1967 on them. When I inquired about the source he just said that he was glad I liked it. Further inquiries were given answers unrelated to the question or not answered at all... Either he was just reluctant to reveal anything or was just unaware of what it was he had."

So for once we have no lineage information for you. However what we do have is an amazing and complete document of the Floyd in their prime giving us an utterly stunning performance. Of special note is the "jam sessions" mid-song that seems to take place during each track. FOS gets a bit of a Beatlee-sque/Abbey Road type of treatment, Set The Controls is a free for all about half way through, and is that a bow solo ala Jimmy Page during the break during One Of These Days? Careful With That Axe is full of angst and just... well, rocks! Echoes is perfect as well! Finally, we get a rare treat with Blues included for good measure.

As a result of our cleanup efforts there's great definition of the instruments and you can hear some things that I know I've never heard before in these live recordings. These surprises make this one a keeper and a welcome addition to the collection.

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