Pink Floyd live

Before Floyd hired additional musicians to help them on stage., how did they fill out the sound? I mean for instance, how did Atom Heart Mother sound live without the orchestra, Great Gig In The Sky without Claire Torrie, Shine On You Crazy Diamond without the female backing singers etc. Also, I know Roger played guitar on some songs, but which ones? Did Rick Wright use bass pedals then to fill out the sound and add a bass line?

Not exactly sure.

I do, however, regret that I was't alive in the late 60's/early 70's to go and experience a live Floyd show.Oh well, I can always pray for a reunion tour.Ha Ha

I know that The Great Gig In the Sky, was previsily called A Litte But Of Nothing, which was just the band twiddling around like how On The Run sounded way different before DSoTM.

They also used alot of recorded stuff mixed in with them playing live, so maybe a recording of claire singing played in the back? I dunno, can anyone prove or dissprove that?

No, they haven't used any recorded tracks or anything (Maybe only in "In The Flesh" because it was more of an art show than concert). Just some voices and whispers and stuff...

So how did they recreate GGITS?

They toured with Claire Torrie and other female vocalists.

Atom Heart Mother was done a few times live with an orchestra and choir (i'm listening to a bootleg of it right now, sounds nifty!) But later on in the tour they found other ways to fill up time, like start with a tractor engine chugging along for a minute or so before the band chimes in. Before Dark Side, the band played an early version of On the Run which was just a funky guitar jam often called the "Traveling Song"

Atom Heart Mother was played by just the four of them a few times as well though, wasn't it? How were the choir parts handled then?

I'm not so sure it was.

Atom Heart Mother was played a countless amount of times. It premiered with an orchestra at the BathFestival of Blues and Progressive Music on June 27, 1970. The ATOM HEART MOTHER album was released in the UK on October 10 later that year.

For the early part of 1971, Floyd toured with an orchestra.

The last time Atom Heart Mother was ever played was on May 22, 1972 in AMSTERDAM at the Olympisch Stadion, (Amsterdam Rock Circus). That night the set list included : Atom heart mother, One of these days, Careful with that axe Eugene, Echoes and A saucerful of secrets.


Hope that clears some things up.

~Fletch

Before Claire Torry was ever involved in the recording of GGITS, they played tapes of preachers live while Rick played the piano line. The vocal stuff was all thought up in the studio.

And I often wonder what AHM sounded like without the orchestra and choir.

do you mean for the Great Gig and such, or all around?

After Dark Side of the Moon was released, they toured with two backup singers (Vanetta Fields and Carlena Williams), both of whom sing on the studio version of Shine On You Crazy Diamond.

For Atom Heart Mother, they either had an orchestra and choir with them, or used their own instrumentation (which, for the "Breast Milky" section, had Rick and Dave harmonizing on falsetto vocals, very nice). It sounded just fine without the brass and extra singers (and also without that trying "Mind Your Throats Please" section). An excellent recording of the four-man Atom Heart Mother appears (with video!) on the PBS KQED-TV special from 1970.

Roger played guitar onstage with the Floyd only during the 1977 "Animals" shows, during which Snowy White took over on bass (and also added extra guitar to performances of the entire Wish You Were Here album).

Dick Parry toured with them frequently to play the sax parts.

And the Floyd have ALWAYS used backup tapes for sound effects, ever since the "Games For May" concert in 1967, through to "The Wall" concerts when the entire orchestra was on tape.

I have a roio recorded in Rome in 1971 where AHM is played without the fanfare, sound effects, orchestra, choir, etc. Just their instruments and their own voices. It's too bad they never did a studio version or high quality live recording of AHM this way. I like it better than the studio version. Their voices blend brilliantly, hauntingly. It's Floyd at it's best.

You should look for a recording of the KQED show, stratman... an excellent soundboard recording of Atom Heart Mother (and a few other songs... which reminds me...)
...AND during Grantchester Meadows and If, neither of which require bass guitar.

And during the Wall shows. But that's another story.