Pink Floyd surprise fans with release of a dozen live albums

Pink Floyd have surprised fans with the release of a dozen live albums documenting some of their gigs from the early ’70s.

The 12 LPs were added to streaming services this week with no prior announcement, spanning the years 1970 to 1972, covering the period in which the band released ‘Atom Heart Mother’ (1970), ‘Meddle’ (1971), and ‘Obscured By Clouds’ (1972).

The earliest recording, titled ‘They Came In Peace’, and featuring performances from Leeds University on February 28, 1970 and Washington University on November 16, 1971, features seven tracks and totals one hour 34 minutes in length.

The most recent of the recordings was taped in Tokyo on March 16, 1972; it hears the band performing seven tracks from ‘The Dark Side Of The Moon’ almost a year before the album was released, on March 1, 1973.

There’s also a full recording of the band’s September 23, 1971 show at the KB Hallen, Copenhagen, split into two volumes.

The full list of albums the band released as part of their surprise drop is as follows:

Meanwhile, Nick Mason has said he is “flabbergasted” by Roger Waters saying that he felt bullied by members in Pink Floyd.

The former Floyd drummer said in a recent interview that he was surprised to hear Waters claim in September that ex-guitarist/vocalist David Gilmour and ex-keyboardist Richard Wright were “always trying to drag me down”.