LONDON - LIVE 66-67

Peter Whitehead's film Tonite Let's All Make Love In London focused on swinging London in the 60s. A friend of Syd Barrett's suggested that his band would be perfect for the soundtrack of the movie. Whitehead was already familiar with Pink Floyd from the days (1964) when they practiced in the cellar of the building he lived in.

This piece of history is now available for the first time from UK label Snapper Music. I was amazed watching this nugget of culture and music. It is hard to imagine that this happened forty years ago. It does not seem possible. Its comparable to jumping into some strange time warp when you get involved watching an absorbing film like this.

The focus of the film is the youth of London. The talk of the day was their literal lust for the good times found in the cities nightclubs, namely the thirst for sex. While Pink Floyds music was light-years ahead of its time so was Whitehead. He captured a time in the course of our history in culture and music that shaped the future. There is some shocking footage, considering it was 40 years ago. One the first scenes to open the film are a completely nude girl covered in paint and the British flag as she fondles her nipples. This is something you would expect to see today, not in 1967. While it did come as a surprise, it should not have. It was a time of free love and personal expression, which seemed to have no barriers.

The original lineup of Pink Floyd included Syd Barrett, Nick Mason, Roger Waters, and Rick Wright. The DVD shows the band performing their freaked out psychedelic tripped out tracks, which I refer to as progressive or experimental rock, "Interstellar Overdrive" and "Nick's Boogie." What is nice about this package is that they included a CD you can play on your stereo as well.

Whilst I felt swept away by the images before me, I was equally astounded of how advanced Pink Floyd was in the pre-David Gilmour era. I realize the importance of some other bands that were traveling down the same road like The Beatles and The Pretty Things but I have to say that this was simply an outstanding recording and film while providing a great example of the future of music developing and taking hold right before your eyes. They were truly innovative and a pioneer of a genre. This is history in the making for film and music-an all together awesome combination and a marvelous dedication to the creative arts.

© Keith "MuzikMan" Hannaleck-http://www.muzikreviews.com

November 9, 2005

This is to me is like a documentary video of who then to become a legendary band Pink Floyd. I could not imagine how it all started if I did not watch this DVD. Yes, I read some books about the band like "A Saucerful of Secrets" and Nick Mason's "Inside Out" and I knew how weird Syb Barrett on stage when he played the guitar the way he wanted without paying attention to the music. But as a documentary DVD this one does not provide complete information on the dynamics of the band. I watched this DVD once and after that I did not want to spin the DVD again because I don't think which is interesting from this DVD. It's just good to see the band members at their young age.

Peace on earth and mercy mild - GW

Superb time capsule of swingin' London

I think the folks that rate this low are understandably doing so because this is being sold as a "Pink Floyd" dvd, thus people expect something like Pompeii with Syd Barrett present. But it's nothing like that. This is a video time capsule of a brief flash in London history when a counterculture youth movement was peaking, still fresh, exciting, and somewhat naïve. The story here isn't Pink Floyd. The story is the audience, the youth, the living fashion, free sexuality, crushed inhibitions, and the experimentation of hallucinogens set against the backdrop of a vibrant club scene. Soon the media would catch wind and the masses would smother it, as they do once any cool scene becomes exploited for profit. Like the "Summer of Love" in the Haight-Ashbury, by the time the public realized something cool was happening in London, the best part of the scene would be spent and the tour busses would soon follow.

That's why I recommend this dvd so highly for those interested in the psychedelic scene-it catches things at their coolest using the footage of filmmaker Peter Whitehead. Revisionist advertisers who use 60s imagery to hawk breakfast cereals or worse, such as Dennis Hopper hawking investment portfolios, like to tell today's audience that the period was all about lava lamps, mini-skirts, and now apparently asset protection. No. It was about revolution, art, non-monogamy, non-conformity, and getting really high. It was paradise London style set to the music of the Floyd during some of their most happening experimental moments. We get to see Syd while he still "shone like the sun" torturing his guitar for the weirdest sounds he could find. I believe the Floyd footage is January '67, shortly before they signed to EMI and began working on Piper. We see writhing acid-wired bodies dancing, painted and glowing, free and in the moment. It all seems so dated in one sense and yet in another sense it couldn't be more fresh because the scene was authentic. No paying huge cash to Ticketmaster for some contrived show with a set list and a predictable experience. Anything could happen and everything did. Utopia couldn't last forever and it certainly didn't. But before it faded to memory it was one hell of a party, and thank God someone got it on tape so that we youngsters can have a taste of what we missed. The exchange from the later Astronomy performance applies here as well: Old guard music guy Hans Keller: "Why has it all got to be so terribly loud?" Roger: "Well I don't guess it has to be but that's the way we like it." A good quote for this release as well as this music is loud, obnoxious, and abrasive to pop sensabilities.

So don't think of this as a Pink Floyd dvd. This is basically a short documentary film with Floyd doing the soundtrack. Yes it is short so avoid if brevity bothers you, but frankly it is brilliant and priceless for what it captures in our cultural history. Some nice extra interviews as a bonus. Highly recommended to anyone interested in the real 60s

I have to concur with many reviewers in that this piece falls way short in terms of a live DVD. Albeit from a bygone era of 1966/7 the amount of cinematic material, musically speaking, is virtually non-existant. Yes, we need to cherish the archive material from these progressive legends but it does not mean the material will automatically be very good. Great seeing the four original members get stuck into a very psychedlic ' Interstellar Overdrive" but apart from that not much stu in the 'boogie'!! Loved Julie Christies interview, that without doubt the highlight on this very unusual release. One and a half stars.

I had a hard time finding this EP on the site here not realizing it would be located in the video section. I haven't even seen the video yet and I only bought this for the two long tracks from 1966/67. Man was this worth getting ! I couldn't help but think of Pete Townsend (THE WHO) who used to go to the UFO Club often to see THE PINK FLOYD during this period of time. He loved how dark, psychedelic, powerful and experimental they were live on stage. And these two long tracks certainly represent what he was talking about. Pete thought "Pipers At The Gates Of Dawn" was awful, complete rubbish because he was expecting the same music that he witnessed live not a bunch of silly pop songs.

I will eventually get to the video footage one day but first up on the cd is "Interstellar Overdrive" apparently recorded at the UFO Club in 1966. The intro certainly gets your attention then they get into this steady groove before a minute. I really like the organ here. Experimental sounds after 5 minutes then the organ and guitar turn aggressive before 7 1/2 minutes but not for long. A much fuller sound 10 1/2 minutes in and the guitar starts to light it up. Syd is amazing on this recording with his acid drenched freak outs. It settles back after 11 1/2 minutes. The guitar comes to the fore again before 13 minutes then it settles a minute later. It kicks in hard before 16 minutes.

"Nick's Boogie" opens with the drums beating in a dark atmosphere as the guitar expressions come and go. Love Syd's playing. It settles into a haunting soundscape around 7 minutes in. The guitar is insane 9 1/2 minutes in as Syd takes the spotlight. The drums with that dark atmosphere from the intro are back to end it.

I absolutely loved this. For me it means so much to hear this side of the band back in 1966 / 67 because this is how they were on stage back then. It would have been amazing to have been there.