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News > The latest on Pink Floyd
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| Tim
Renwick releases new album
The album, available for sale only at Renwick's Web site, consists of material recorded in Renwick's home studio in Cornwall for the Audio Network Production Music Library over the past few years. "Media music represents my main source of income," Renwick told "Floydian Slip." "I'm lucky that the guitar is such a versatile instrument that I've been asked to produce many styles of music from punk and indie to classical and folk, country, blues and soul. "I got permission to re-package a selection of tracks, did a bit of extra overdubbing and editing, and remastered the whole thing with the help of my friend Martin Bell of Wonder Stuff, who also helped me put together my Web site," he explains. Renwick was a member of Sutherland Bros. & Quiver (SBQ), who had hits with "(I Don't Want to Love You But) You Got Me Anyway" (1973) and "Arms of Mary" (1976). But he might be best known as a prolific session player, providing guitar work for, among others, David Bowie, Elton John, Andy Gibb, Mike and the Mechanics, Paul Carrack, Joe Cocker, Dionne Warwick, Al Stewart, Kenny Rogers, as well as Floyd and its members. He toured in 1984 with Roger Waters's "Pros and Cons of Hitch Hiking" show — a gig that led to work with Eric Clapton, another guitarist on that tour — as well as Floyd's "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" (1987-89) and "Division Bell" (1994) shows. In July 2005, he made his 309th and most-recent appearance with Floyd when the band reunited with Waters at the "Live 8" festival. "Very strange having Roger Waters back after 17 years away," says Renwick. "It was a rather uncomfortable experience." "Privateer" is only his second solo album, after his 1980 self-titled album on CBS Records. "As a 'leaving member' (of SBQ) the record company have the option to take up your services as solo artist," he explains. "I enjoy singing, but, with hindsight, should have featured more guitar playing, really. Glyn Johns was the producer and he insisted on 'live' vocal performances as much as possible. This I found quite a challenge!" "Privateer" includes Guy Pratt on bass and Willie Wilson on percussion. Both musicians have Floyd connections: Pratt has played with post-Waters Floyd, and Wilson's association with David Gilmour goes back to Gilmour's early pre-Floyd bands Joker's Wild and Bullitt. As for future Floyd-related projects, Renwick is pessimistic. "From what I've heard, David enjoyed his recent solo touring so much that I think he would rather do more of the same in future," he says. "I know he has turned down a very large sum of money to do more Floyd touring in America. I think he's in that wonderful position of not needing the money! Just imagine!" (March 11, 2008)
Norman "Hurricane" Smith died March 3. He was 85. Smith was a staff producer at EMI in the late-'60s, recently promoted from a successful stint as engineer for The Beatles, when we was assigned to produce Pink Floyd's debut, "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" (1967). He went on to produce "A Saucerful of Secrets" (1968), "Ummagumma" (1969), and to executive produce "Atom Heart Mother" (1970). He also did production work for The Pretty Things, Freddie & the Dreamers and Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas. As a recording artist, Smith had a #3 hit in the United States with "Oh, Babe, What Would You Say?" in 1972. His cover of Gilbert O'Sullivan's "Who Was It?" reached #49 in early '73. (March 5, 2008)
U.K. publisher Reynolds & Hearn will release "Rex Collections: Pink Floyd" (ISBN: 978-1905287499) on May 28. The book, edited by Marcus Hearn, will be the sixth in the publisher's series of titles devoted to rock photography culled from the archive of Rex Features, a London stock photography firm. It includes photos of Floyd from the late-'60s through the present. Each copy of the limited edition of 1,500 will be individually numbered. List price is $45, with major retailers like Amazon selling it for less than $30. Hearn is the author and editor of a number of books focused on the entertainment industry, including "The Cinema of George Lucas," "Tarantino A to Zed: The Films of Quentin Tarantino," and "What Made Thunderbirds Go!: The Authorised Biography of Gerry Anderson." (March 5, 2008)
Station
that airs "Floydian Slip" has new buyer Clear Channel Communications, corporate owner of Classic Rock Champ (WCVP/WCVR in Colchester/Randolph, Vt.), plans to sell the stations to Vox Communications LLC. Previous plans to sell the stations to GoodRadio.TV, announced in May 2007, have fallen through. Vox, which maintains an office in South Burlington, Vt., will purchase seven Clear Channel stations including Champ pending FCC approval, which is expected this spring. Champ sister stations Star 92.9 (WEZF), The True Oldies Channel (WVTK) and The Zone (WXZO, WEAV and WTSJ) will be included in the sale. The Chief Operating Officer of Vox is Ken Barlow, who helped found Champ in 1994. The station was sold to Capstar Broadcasting Partners in 1999, before changing hands a number of other times. "Floydian Slip" has aired on Champ since October 1995. Barlow told The Burlington Free Press he plans no major staffing or programming changes for the stations. (Jan. 5, 2008)
New
David Gilmour album in 2008 David Gilmour will release a new album in 2008. According to the Floyd guitarist's official Web site, the album will be culled from Gilmour's show last August in Gdansk, Poland, and will contain "one or two assorted extras thrown in for good measure." Last year's "On an Island" was the first solo album from Gilmour in 22 years. (Nov. 27, 2007)
EMI Records is preparing to release the "Oh, By the Way ..." a 14-CD set including all of Pink Floyd's studio albums packaged as reproductions of the band's original LPs. The set is scheduled for release Dec. 11 in the United States (Dec. 10 in the U.K.). The set will include: "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" (1967), "A Saucerful of Secrets" (1968), "More" (1969), "Ummagumma" (1969), "Atom Heart Mother" (1970), "Meddle" (1971), "Obscured by Clouds" (1972), "The Dark Side of the Moon" (1973), "Wish You Were Here" (1975), "Animals" (1977), "The Wall" (1979), "The Final Cut" (1983), "A Momentary Lapse of Reason" (1987) and "The Division Bell" (1994). Each CD will sport the album's original artwork and dust jacket; and will include other miniaturized collateral included with the original release, such as posters and stickers. The box set, designed by long-time Floyd designer Storm Thorgerson, comes during the year that marks the 40th anniversary of Floyd's debut album, "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" (1967). Floyd's only other box set was "Shine On," released in 1992. Purchase "Oh By the Way" online now. (Oct. 15, 2007; Oct. 31, 2007)
Columbia Records will release "Remember That Night — Live at the Royal Albert Hall," a 2-DVD set by Pink Floyd guitarist David Gilmour, on Sept. 18. Disc 1 consists of a show from Gilmour's 2006 tour recorded in London. Songs include tracks from his 2006 solo album "On an Island," as well as Floyd songs "High Hopes," "Shine on You Crazy Diamond," "Comfortably Numb" and "Echoes." Backing Gilmour are Floyd's Rick Wright, Phil Manzanera (Roxy Music), and Steve DiStanislao on drums, as well as Floyd regulars Dick Parry, Guy Pratt and Jon Carin. The show features guest appearances by David Bowie, Robert Wyatt, David Crosby and Graham Nash. Disc 2 includes "Breaking Bread, Drinking Wine," a 46-minute road movie filmed during the 2006 tour; bonus tracks from the Royal Albert Hall; Gilmour's first performance of Syd Barrett's "Dark Globe"; "Astronomy Domine," live from Abbey Road; and the AOL sessions recorded while on tour in Los Angeles, Calif. Five songs
from the BBC Mermaid Theatre concert are also on Disc 2, along with
a five-minute documentary shot on tour in L.A.; and a photo gallery
featuring the tour crew, shot by Gilmour's wife and tour photographer
Polly Samson. Attendees at 166 movie theatres in the U.S. and Canada can enjoy an 85-minute theatrical version of "Remember That Night" on Saturday, Sept. 15. The one-time event, beginning at 3 p.m. Eastern time and broadcast in high definition, will include a one-song live performance by Gilmour prior to the concert, and end with a question and answer session, both live via satellite from Ritzy Picturehouse in Brixton, London. Tickets for the theatre event will be $12.50 U.S./$12.95 Canadian. View a list of U.S. theaters taking part in the event. View a list of Canadian theaters. No tickets are being sold for the Ritzy performance. Order "Remember That Night — Live at the Royal Albert Hall" DVD or order the Blu-Ray DVD online now. (Aug. 28, 2007)
Rick
Wright hints at solo album Pink Floyd co-founder and keyboardist Rick Wright says he plans to release a solo album, perhaps next year. He talked about his plans during an interview Friday with Reuters. "I'm going to do an instrumental album, based on the piano, and I've (got) loads of stuff recorded," he says. "It depends how I treat the piano, and whether I need other musicians to play on it. I've got the compositions down. But it's not imminent — hopefully next year." It would be the fourth album Wright recorded outside Pink Floyd, following "Wet Dream" (1978); "Broken China" (1996); and "Identity" (1984), an album released under the moniker Zee, a duo that included guitarist Dave Harris. (Aug. 19, 2007)
"The Piper at the Gates of Dawn," Pink Floyd's debut album released in the summer of 1967, will be reissued as a three-CD 40th anniversary set this summer. The first two discs will contain the entire album as mono and stereo mixes. Both will be remastered by longtime Floyd producer James Guthrie. The third disc will include bonus tracks, including all of Floyd's singles from 1967 ("Arnold Layne," "See Emily Play," and "Apples and Oranges"), plus the B-sides "Candy and a Current Bun" and "Paintbox." Other tracks include an exclusive edit of "Interstellar Overdrive," previously available only on an EP released in France; and the '67 stereo version of "Apples and Oranges," which has never before been officially released. Packaging for the reissue will be by Floyd designer Storm Thorgerson and will resemble a cloth-bound book with the original Vic Singh photo on the front. It holds the threeCDs, along with an 8-page reproduction of one of Syd Barrett's notebooks. The current single-disc version of "Piper" will be replaced with a new two-disc version that will feature mono and stereo versions of the album. This package will not include the Barrett booklet or the third disc of extras. EMI Records will release the remastered "Piper" on Tuesday, Aug. 28 in the United States, and Sept. 3 in the U.K. and Europe. Purchase the 3-CD set or purchase the 2-CD set online now. (July 1, 2007; July 31, 2007)
"Piper"
named Top 10 album from "Summer of Love" MSN Music Editor Sean Nelson has named Pink Floyd's debut album "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn" one of the best albums of 1967. As media attention focuses on the 40th anniversary of the "Summer of Love," MSN's article "Summer of Love's Greatest Hits" singles out 10 albums as the year's best. "Piper" comes in at #9. "'Piper at the Gates of Dawn' is the only existing record of (Syd) Barrett firing on all cylinders before aggressive LSD intake and looming mental illness combined to render him first unreliable, and then basically vacant," Nelson writes. "It's also the most '60s-sounding record of the '60s that also sounds good." EMI Records plans a three-CD remaster of "Piper" in August. (July 1, 2007)
Syd Barrett, the co-founder of Pink Floyd who died last summer, left nearly $3.4 million to family. Records opened to the public last week revealed Barrett bequethed nearly £1.7 million, the equivalent of approximately $3.4 million, to his two sisters and two brothers. Brother Alan received £425,000. Donald, Rosemary Breen and Ruth Brown each received £275,000. Rosemary, who took care of Barrett in his later years, also received £310,000, the proceeds of the sale of the Cambridgeshire house where the late singer lived since dropping from the public eye in the early 1970s; and Barrett's personal possessions, some of which she auctioned for £119,000. Read more about Barrett's death. (May 21, 2007)
Animation cells and concept drawings from the 1982 film "Pink Floyd The Wall" will be shown and sold at an exhibit in Colorado in June. "33.33 — The Art of the Album" will show June 1-30 at the Walnut Street Gallery in Fort Collins, Colo. In addition to artwork by Gerald Scarfe from "The Wall" film, the exhibit will include limited edition silk-screen prints of cover art that's graced albums by Pink Floyd, Led Zeppelin and The Who. The prints have been signed by the artists, including Hipgnosis's George Hardie and Storm Thorgerson. In some cases band members, including Floyd's Roger Waters, Pete Townshend and Jimmy Page, have also signed the pieces. Preview of the show runs May 29-31, from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Opening night reception is June 1, 6 to 9 p.m. "33.33 — The Art of the Album" is free and open to the public. All works on display will be for sale. For more information, call (800) 562-3387, or email darleen@walnutst.com. (May 15, 2007)
Pink
Floyd members surprise performers at Barrett tribute The surviving members of Pink Floyd were surprise performers at last night's sold-out Syd Barrett tribute concert in London. "Madcap's Last Laugh," co-produced by Floyd producer Joe Boyd at Barbican Hall, promised names such as Chrissie Hynde, Robyn Hitchcock, Kevin Ayers and others. But the audience got more than they planned for when Roger Waters, accompanied by Jon Carin, took the stage to perform "Flickering Flame" at the end of the evening's first set. David Gilmour, Nick Mason and Rick Wright performed "Arnold Layne" at the end of the second set, only to join most of the evening's performers in "Bike" to close the show. Not a bad line-up for the show's $30-50 ticket price. (May 11, 2007)
The video for "Hello (I Love You)," the new song by former Pink Floyd member Roger Waters, will be included as an extra on the DVD release of "The Last Mimzy." The song was co-written by Waters and the film's composer, Howard Shore. The video shows Waters recording the song in-studio. The DVD is scheduled for release in the United States July 10. Order your copy of "The Last Mimzy" DVD now or order "The Last Mimzy" soundtrack on CD. Read more about "Hello (I Love You)." (May 8, 2007)
Station
that airs "Floydian Slip" to be sold (again) Clear Channel Communications, corporate owner of WCVP/WCVR in Burlington/Randolph, Vt., will sell the station to Florida-based GoodRadio.TV, according to the Vermont Guardian online newspaper. WCVP/WCVR, better known as "Classic Rock Champ," has aired the weekly Pink Floyd show "Floydian Slip" since 1996. The sale is contingent upon FCC approval, which isn't likely until after August. 96.7 FM "The Zone," and "Star" 92.9 FM will be included in the sale. Altogether, GoodRadio.TV plans on purchasing stations in 36 markets in a $452 million deal. The station has traded hands a number of time since it went on-the-air in late-1994/early-1995. "I honestly can't remember every logo that's graced my paycheck," says "Floydian Slip" host Craig Bailey. "The good news seems to be that each new owner seems to be hip to the Floyd." "The stations are doing well, and are profitable and that's what I think makes them attractive — these formats are working and working well here in Vermont," Clear Channel vice president and Vermont market manager Tom Barney told Vermont Guardian. "You can never say never, but I don't anticipate any major changes." GoodRadio.TV is owned by Dean Goodman, former president and COO of ION Media Networks. Read Clear Channel's divestiture announcement. (May 8, 2007)
Syd
Barrett tribute concert May 10 "Madcap's Last Laugh," a tribute to the late Pink Floyd founder Syd Barrett, will take place at Barbican Hall in London on May 10. The event, co-produced by Joe Boyd and Nick Laird-Clowes, will feature Kevin Ayers, The Bees, Vashti Bunyan, Mike Heron, Robyn Hitchcock, Chrissie Hynde, Captain Sensible, Sense of Sound and others. The house band for the evening will include: Andy Bell (Oasis), bass; Simon Finley (Echo & The Bunnymen), drums; and Ted Barnes (Beth Orton), guitar. The show will include rare film footage and projections of Barrett's paintings. Boyd produced Floyd's "Arnold Layne" single in 1967. Laird-Clowes is a former member of The Dream Academy ("Life in a Northern Town") and was a contributing songwriter on Floyd's "The Division Bell" album. Tickets are £15-25. For more information, visit the Barbican Web site. (May 8, 2007)
Voiceprint Records will release "Madcap's Flaming Duty" by Tangerine Dream on April 2. The album by the venerable German electronic band pays tribute to Syd Barrett, a co-founder of Pink Floyd, who died last summer. The album was recorded in Vienna, Austria, and Berlin, Germany, in October 2006. It features Tangerine Dream founder Edgar Froese, Thorsten Quaeschning, Chris Hausl, Bernhard Beibl, Linda Spa, Gynt Beator, Thomas Beator and Iris Camaa. Lyrics for the project were adapted from English and American literature from the 17th and 18th centuries, by writers such as Emerson, Whitman, Blake and Shelley. Barrett died in his Cambridgeshire home Friday, July 7, 2006. He was 60. Purchase "Madcap's Flaming Duty" online now. (March 6, 2007)
Serpent's Tail will publish "White Bicycles: Making Music in the 1960s" (ISBN: 1-85242-910-0) by one-time Pink Floyd producer Joe Boyd. The book will be in U.S. stores in April. Boyd, a native of Boston, Mass., ran the London branch of Elektra Records until late 1966. In early '67, he produced Pink Floyd's first single, "Arnold Layne," and its B-side, "Candy and a Currant Bun." "Arnold Layne" reached #20 on the U.K. charts, despite a ban by Radio London prompted by the song's storyline of a man whose fondness for borrowing women's undergarments lands him behind bars. Boyd's resume includes work with Nick Drake, Bob Dylan, Fairport Convention, REM and many others. As the head of Warner Bros. Films, he worked on the soundtracks of "Deliverance," "A Clockwork Orange" and others. "White Bicycles" is Boyd's account of helping shape the music scene of mid-'60s London, including starting the UFO Club, the one-time center of that city's counterculture, where the Floyd first gained attention for its full-on psychedelic jams. Fledgling Records will release a companion CD for the book in May. The 23-track album will include "Arnold Layne," as well as music by Eric Clapton, The Purple Gang, Nick Drake, Nico, The Incredible String Band and others. Boyd lives in London and writes for The Guardian, The Independent and others. Serpent's Tail is a 20-year-old independent book publisher in London owned by Profile Books Ltd. "White Bicycles" is 282 pages and retails for $18 (£11.99). Order your copy of the book online now. Place your order for the companion CD, too. Or ... register to win a copy courtesy of "Floydian Slip." Winners will be announced March 18. (March 1, 2007)
New
song from Roger Waters The film "The Last Mimzy" will feature "Hello (I Love You)," a new song from Pink Floyd co-founder Roger Waters. The song will be featured in the film, and will play during the end credits. It will also be included on New Line Cinema's release of the official film sountrack this spring. Waters collaborated with James Guthrie ("The Wall") and composer Howard Shore ("The Lord of the Rings") on the new song. "It has been great collaborating with (director) Bob Shaye and Howard Shore on 'The Last Mimzy,'" says Waters. "I think together we've come up with a song that captures the themes of the movie, the clash between humanity's best and worst instincts, and how a child's innocence can win the day." Musicians on the track, which was written by Waters and Shore, include drummer Steve Gadd (Eric Clapton, Paul Simon, Steely Dan), guitarist Gerry Leonard (music director and guitarist for David Bowie), and Waters on bass and vocals. The film's 6-year-old star, Rhiannon Leigh Wryn, sings along with Waters on the chorus. The film stars Timothy Hutton ("Ordinary People"), Joely Richardson ("Nip/Tuck") and Rainn Wilson, and is based on a science fiction short story by Lewis Padgett. It tells the story of two children who discover a mysterious box that contains some strange devices they think are toys. The film will be released nationwide on March 23. Order your copy of "The Last Mimzy" DVD now or order "The Last Mimzy" soundtrack on CD. (Jan. 7, 2007; May 8, 2007) More news:
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News
archive
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Tim
Renwick has
released "Privateer," a collection of instrumentals.
Norman
Smith dead at 85
New
Floyd photo book coming
Pink
Floyd box set coming this winter
"Piper"
to receive 40th anniversary reissue
Syd
Barrett estate measured in millions
"The
Wall" animation art on display, for sale
Tangerine
Dream records tribute to 
Early
Pink Floyd producer writes book
