Lengthy compositions, complex song structures, the use of unusual instruments or vocal styles, and unusual time signatures are all vital elements of prog rock. Pink Floyd reflected all of these elements, especially in the early 70s before Dark Side of the Moon changed the course of the band. Besides the commercially-available Live at Pomeii there is not much video footage from this era to show the band recreating songs. There is the KQED video that was previously reviewed here in Spare Bricks (issue #19), but after that there isn't much, and what does exist suffers from lesser quality.

Recently, a rare video from the 1970 San Tropez "Festival de Musique" was released as a fan free-trade endeavour by Cochon Productions. It appears however that the profiteers have moved in and pirated this project, as internet vendors are hawking copies for $50 (and more).

The video is a valued addition to any Pink Floyd fans collection, but is it worth over $50? I guess that's up to the fan to decide, but whatever your price, it's a great look at the band during a very creative live experience with an entirely different look than what you we have seen on Live at Pompeii or KQED.

The video runs just over 50 minutes on a single layer disc. I would presume that there are both NTSC and PAL versions in circulation as I have a PAL version and am using that for my review. However, if this video is being sold openly in the US, then I would be certain there is an NTSC version available. Many inexpensive DVD players will play all TV formats.

The video opens with menu screen with an option to play all selections or choose one of the five songs directly. Featured on this video are "Atom Heart Mother", "The Embryo", "Green is the Colour", "Careful With That Axe, Eugene", and "Set The Controls for the Heart of the Sun". Also included is a brief but enjoyable photo slide show done to an audio soundcheck of "Cymbaline".

The picture quality is outstanding considering it is a 36-year-old film recording. The colors are very solid with no bleed. Overall the concert video can be a little dark, but throughout the film you see the enclosed outdoor venue this concert was performed in.

The film look gives this video a certain home movie quality that makes me feel like I am looking in on a family video more than watching a concert video, however I find this to be part of the charm. Originally filmed for the French TV program, Pop2, it appears to be shot mostly on 3-4 handheld cameras with edited non-performance clips, probably shot earlier in the day of the concert.

The audio portion of the DVD is in digital stereo, but is most likely from a mono source. The sound is great though, and there is little to no distortion even at high volume. Overall this gem is a great addition to your Pink Floyd collection.

Recently the folks at Harvested have offered the NTSC version of this DVD entitled Reach for a Peach with the same setlist, including the bonus photo show. Whatever version you have, it will be well worth the effort to get a copy.

As we look at Pink Floyd from a progressive rock viewpoint, I think of longer song, such as "Atom Heart Mother". Live versions are often much longer than their studio counterparts, such as "Cymbaline". Progressive Rock lyrics are typically intellectual and sometimes based on science fiction and fantasy, such as "Astronomy Domine" and "Echoes". And prog bands feature lots of improvisation, especially live. One outstanding RoIO that features many of these elements is the concert that took place at Philadelphia's Electric Factory on September 26, 1970.

The show starts with "Astronomy Domine" and it is interesting to note that at 8:44, this live version is almost twice as long as the original studio version. The performance of this song sounds a lot like the live version on the official Ummagumma album. I really like the middle 'orchestra' section, which is heavily ad libbed as compared to the aforementioned Ummagumma version. The orchestral sounds--as performed on Rick's keyboards--are so beautiful and I could just visualize the London Philharmonic Symphony doing the parts with Roger as the angry maestro!

The second song is "Cymbaline", my personal favorite from this show. The original studio version runs at 4:50, while this live version ran 11:57, almost three times as long! This live performance is so beautiful and peaceful, except that it can get quite loud at times. When you're listening to this song with your headphones, be sure to turn down the volume as compared to other songs. I like David Gilmour's guitar solo right before the section instrumental interlude--and heavily-ad libbed keyboard section played by Rick Wright that always sound so peaceful and relaxing, especially on this particular date. After that is the infamous Walking Sequence, as performed at their shows from 1969-1971. Listening to this section on headphones is amazing!

The last song of the first half is "A Saucerful of Secrets"--nearly 20 minutes long. If you're familiar with the Live at Pompeii video, then this song really needs no introduction. This live version starts out with Roger's bass line being slowly added by other band members' instruments. The heavy section, called the "Syncopated Pandemonium", involves Nick's heavily rhythmic drumming with David's loud guitar bashing and Rick's piano banging. On this particular show, the section alone runs from 5:31 to 12:10, almost seven minutes! My favorite is when things calm down and Rick adds his peaceful organ for a while until drums come in and David adds his 'ahh's.

The second half of the show opens with "Interstellar Overdrive". The Piper version was already pretty long, at 9:41. This show saw the song extended to 18:56! It starts out with Rick's spacey keyboards as very slowly, the song builds up with the rest of the band members joining in. The rest of the song is very improvised. I'll be honest with you--I'm not really a fan of this song as it is already too long on the studio album. Listening to nearly 19 minutes of it here can get quite boring at times. I guess I would have to have been there at the actual show to enjoy it.

"Fat Old Sun" is next. The studio version on Atom Heart Mother runs 5:22, while this show sees it at 14:01. This is a beautifully-performed song with Gilmour's vocals being loud and clear. The first guitar solo is a full two minutes long, then turning peacefully to Rick's slow organ, which very slowly builds up to a loud improvisation for another six minutes. As you can see, this is a very long and heavily-improvised song that is so beautiful.

"Green is the Colour" would have to be my second favorite song of this show. The studio version runs at 2:58, and this live version isn't much longer at 3:37. This song is so easy to listen to... beautiful enough that you can sit back and enjoy it as a romantic love song. Well-done, boys!

"Green is the Colour" segues into "Careful With That Axe, Eugene". Again, the instruments and vocals are loud and clear. When I mean vocals, I mean Roger's loud screaming, of course! The original studio single version of this song runs at only 5:45, but all live performances are always long--this one runs at 10:08. At around 4:00, he starts to do small screams which leads to a climax of screams at 4:57 that is quite extended. All instruments are loud and banging from that first screaming climax until 8:10, when the song slows down and fades out for the next two minutes.

The last song of the show is "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun." The studio version runs at only 5:27, but this concert sees 16:33! The song starts very softly, and at 1:10 the audience starts applauding, having figured out which song this is. This live version pretty much is like the version on Live At Pompeii, except longer. The heavy parts, with the hard drumming and loud bass and guitar, start at 3:40 and runs through 8:25, at which Rick's infamous keyboard noodling starts. This noodling runs all the way through 13:05. The rest of the song has the rest of the band join in for a slow, peaceful outro, which then ends the show. The crowd applauds and Roger thanks the crowd.

This is one of my favorite RoIOs, and it contains plenty of lengthy improvisation. If you don't have it, seek it out! Even if you are not a fan of the 1970-71 era Floyd, this show's fantastic sound quality will take your breath away!