Best Pink Floyd live album

And pie with no crust!

On topic:

Those two BBC recordings from '70 and '71 are my all time favorites, especially the first one from July 1970 that starts with Embryo and included If. So that should be on the list. That said I also love the 74' material off the Immersion boxes, which I knew well for years previously from boots. But I had to vote for Ummagumma, which as has been pointed out was the definitive, nay, only official live Pink Floyd album ever with the original group (don't @ me, you know what I mean.)

I love Pompeii too. Watched the movie many, many times in college in the wee hours on a rented video disc player. "Feedback. Where would rock and roll be without Feedback?"

 

Yes, indeed. Although this says 4/29.

 

Was just thinking the same.

I have some great soundboard ROIOs from across the years and all versions of Floyd that are far better than any of the official releases.

Even some fan recorded ones are better.

 

Strange they co-mingled a 74 show with Atom Heart Mother from a whole other era.

 

Another all-time favorite, which was an audience recording.

 

I think it was because it was another perfect sounding 1970s era live Floyd track that was left off the Wembley setlist and just fit onto disc one to fill it to over 77-minutes (disc two runs over 79 minutes).

 

Yep definitely not DSOT, not Pulse either. Wembley gets my vote, with Earls Court as a second choice.

 

There are plenty of unreleased shows from 69-72 that I may prefer over what I chose, however the OP specifically asked for officially released. I too really like some of those 75-77 boots myself...

 

I personally started with the Wall, and went on to LOVE the Gilmour era. DSoT was probably my first real exploration of their back catalog, and I remember preferring AMLoR to DSotM at one point, very early on.

I'm not of that opinion these days, and have to chuckle a bit at my poor taste. But every once in awhile, I'll put in DSoT and be reminded of what initially drew my interest.

 

Well, it had been retired from setlist since '71 and none of the band members have any love for it whatsoever. The Floyd changed a whole lot during that decade.

 

I just listened to the 1974 show the other day, and it dawned on me that the oldest track (Echoes) was just 3 years old. The rest of the show is their most recent album played in its entirety, and three new, long-form songs that hadn't been released yet. It really shows how strong a band they were that they could do that.

 

Yes, they had been playing the likes of Set the Controls, Eugene, and Saucerful as the backbone of their shows for a long time, almost since the debut of the lineup with Gilmour, and adding in a few from AHM and Meddle down the road. They were happy to jettison all that stuff forever save for Echoes as the encore once they had Dark Side to fill one set and SOYCD/Raving and Drooling/Gotta Be Crazy for the other.

 

this.

 

I'll take Ummagumma (though it's brief) but Pompeii is a smasher as well.

I went with Ummagumma for the hushed, frightening take on Barret's "Astronomy Domine" that opens it, always a favorite.

I can't believe there are no multis of this era when nearly everything they did live seemed to be recorded going back as far as 1970 or more. The playing must have been that bad on that tour.

 

Pompeii, with Ummagumma a close 2nd

 

also, the dude was SUPER high.

 

Collecting many boots over the years, it never bothered me when bonus tracks were added, even from different eras.

 

Have you ever been there ? I visited Pompeji and Herculaneum half year ago...I will never forget these impressions...unbelievable.

 

Nice choice, but I'd go with the Washington DC show myself from just after this. Insane version of One of These Days and pretty much definitive versions of every song in the 1971 set. Easily my favourite pre-DSOTM show.

But since we're sticking with officially released stuff, I would have to say Live at Pompeii. Wembley 1974 feels just a little flat to me, especially compared to what was to follow in 1975 and 1977.

 

Oh, that bothered me to no end. A whole show and then at the end something else entirely, often soundwise as well. Or even worse, remixes. I often thought, why does a cd necessarily have to be filled up completely?

 

At the start though?

 

Ummagumma Disc 1. I prefer my live Floyd pre-Dark Side when improvisation was more important than a concept.

 

Yes, but nice artwork for that one.

Back on topic, I chose PULSE as I mostly listen in the car. Great sound and a wide variety of songs to flip through.

 

Live At Pompeii (DVD).
But I like Pulse, too.
Saw Pink Floyd live on the Division Bell Tour.

 

Wembley

Side note, I’m that one guy who likes the 87/88 tour better than 94 so dsot beats pulse