Pink Floyd – Amsterdam Rock Circus (Siréne-062)

Amsterdam Rock Circus (Siréne-062)

Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam, Netherlands – May 22nd, 1972

Atom Heart Mother, One Of These Days, Careful With That Axe Eugene, Echoes, Saucerful Of Secrets

Bonus DVD, Filmed at Olympic Stadium, Amsterdam, Netherlands – May 22nd, 1972: Saucerful Of Secrets

Amsterdam Rock Circus is another in a line of Siréne releases, which also include Racial Violence and Damn Braces:  Bless Relaxes, where they utilize every available piece of both audio and video tape to present the most complete picture of the event.  Here they present the most compete picture of their appearance in Amsterdam a day after their appearance at the Open Air Festival in Germany and documented on the Siréne release Double Bubble. 

There are two tape sources for this gig, neither of which are very good.  This is the first tape source which is the complete set and better sounding.  The second source is marred by people talking and is missing the encore “A Saucerful Of Secrets”.  The first tape source circulated on the cdr Rock Circus (Genuine Space Jewel Production GSJ-008) but with the incorrect sequence. 

Siréne have corrected this by placing the encore in its rightful position.  Sound quality on the audience recording is mediocre at best.  It’s distant and sometimes disturbing.  This is for the Pink Floyd collector only.  Casual collectors would find this too much to handle.  Once your ears adjust it can be enjoyed and you can hear a fantastic performance by the band.  Amsterdam Rock Circus was a festival where Pink Floyd were the headlining attraction and they played their truncated festival set without Dark Side Of The Moon or any material from Obscured By Clouds. 

“Atom Heart Mother” is played without orchestra. 

“Careful With That Axe Eugene” is one of the heaviest versions on record.  The bonus DVD is the only footage to surface from the event.  It’s a strict no-frills one camera video tape that begins with some serious tracking problems.  Once that is cleared up the picture becomes somewhat clear, focusing upon Roger playing the cymbals and Nick on drums. 

The camera then focuses upon the giant, flame encircled gong with lots of kaleidoscopic effects for the flames that look groovy.  By the end of the tape we get some shots of Dave and Rick in classic Pink Floyd poses before the abrupt end.  Hopefully someday a more complete tape in better condition can surface because this only offers a tantalizing glimpse into a classic early 70’s performance.  Until that day never arrives we have this release from Siréne that is the definitive collection for this festival.