Dark Music (Sirene – 118)
Tokyo Taiikukan, Tokyo , Japan – March 6, 1972
FM Broadcast from audience source
Speak To Me, Breathe, On The Run, Time, Breathe (Reprise), The Great Gig In The Sky, Money, Us and Them, D. J. Talks
March 6 in Tokyo was the first show in Japan during Pink Floyd’s 1972 visit. The band would debut the Dark Side of the Moon, or “Eclipse”, as it was referred to in its early performances, the previous January and February in their three week tour of the U.K. Floyd always seemed to preview their new material live before it was recorded which would help develop the songs into their final arrangements.
This is another great (partial) performance of the Dark Side of the Moon in a somewhat embryonic stage. There have been a lot of 1972 shows coming out lately with Boston, Sapporo, Berlin, and Poitiers seeing some great releases. This is a fascinating era for Pink Floyd and is fortunately very well documented.
Sound quality is excellent here; a nice quiet atmosphere makes it easy for everything to be heard. Vocals are up front in the mix with only Gilmour’s guitar being slightly distant sounding. The tape fades in during the last minute of “Speak To Me” and only runs through the very beginning of “Us and Them” where there is a small cut followed by a fade before the Japanese announcer comes in.
I hope someday more of this source becomes available; the sound quality along with the great performance makes this essential listening. According to the You Gotta Be Crazy! website, there is a much more complete, alternate inferior source clocking in at about 108 minutes. The alternate source has the remainder of the Dark Side of the Moon material plus “One of These Days”, “Careful with That Axe, Eugene”, “Echoes”, and “A Saucerful of Secrets”.
This tape was previously released around July 2003 as Broadcast Tape on the cdr label, Ayanami. Dark Music presents this recording on silver disc for the first time and Sirene claim this to be an upgrade from the reel master. This is an excellent addition to any Pink Floyd collection, although it would have been nice to include the alternate tape for completion.
