So I thought I would finally break down and review something on here. I’m always getting a ton of new music and such, but once you’ve been collecting for so long, you start to either accumulate all the normal releases from a band, or get bored buying the same things over and over again with only slight variations. For a lot collectors, that’s where “import” releases come in. For those not in the know, that’s a fancy term sellers use to avoid using the word “bootleg”…since saying that is an instantly ban-able offense on most sales platforms.
The reality is, most of the shows these bootlegs are drawn from are available to anyone who’s decently savvy in the ways of the internet and has some patience to spare. I’m not going to get into that here, but if that sort of thing interests you, go and have a look. What these downloadable versions don’t have though, is some really beautiful and lovingly fan-crafted artwork. Lots of bands are bootlegged, but none with such care and creativity (or in as large of quantity) as Pink Floyd. For me, the artwork is the main draw to most of these types of “releases”. Made in extremely limited quantities, only available to those in the know and guaranteed to sell out quick, these things are very addicting to collect.
As far as Pink Floyd boots go, this one is a little more on the tame side as far as artwork. It’s so well done though, I could see someone mistaking this for an official release. By their very nature, the quality of bootlegs is a real crapshoot. Some are made really well, and others look like someone has been playing frisbee with them in a gravel parking lot. With a dog. Anyhow, Delicate Sound Of Psychedelia has none of those problems. Released by Soundcraft Records (Europe), this three LP set is pressed on high quality colored vinyl, has a nice heavy 3 way gatefold jacket with excellent artwork and came with good quality, heavy black inner sleeves. The labels on the actual discs are very nice as well, and are clearly marked so you know what music is on what side. This doesn’t always happen with bootleg vinyl, so it’s a plus for sure.
The whole package came in a resealable sleeve with a Soundcraft sticker. These stickers have the individual set numbers, and this one is supposedly limited to 150 copies. I checked to see if the sticker was removable, since I would have liked to have moved it to a better quality outer sleeve, but it was not. Don’t try it. If I have a complaint about this set, it would be that it would have been far better if they would have put the numbers on the actual sleeves instead of the brittle outer, but this is hardly a deal breaker. As far as exclusivity goes, internet sources have indicated that there were 150 sets made in this particular set of colors, 150 made with another set of colors, and then 50 more copies made with a gold and velvet cover. I haven’t seen any of those 50, but I don’t doubt they exist.
As far as the setlist for the shows (Germany, March 13 1970 and Rotterdam Netherlands, November 7 1970), this is the standard psychedelic-era Floyd that you often find on these albums:
Live At Konzert Saal, Technische Universität, West-Berlin – West Germany, 13th March 1970
A1 Astronomy Domine
A2 Careful With That Axe, Eugene
B1 Cymbaline
B2 A Saucerful Of Secrets
C1 Embryo
C2 Interstellar Overdrive
D Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun
E1 Amazing Pudding (Early Version Of Atom Heart Mother)
E2 Blues Jam
Live At Grote Zaal, De Doelen, Rotterdam, Netherlands, 7th Nov. 1970
F1 Fat Old Sun
F2 Green Is The Colour
Overall, the sound quality is quite good. At times it wavers a bit, but if you know your way around a bootleg and know what to expect, you’re probably going to appreciate this set. I extensively clean all my vinyl on a VPI 16.5 before I play it, but pressing quality is great all around here. I like a certain amount of vinyl noise, but there is really none to be heard here, so it doesn’t detract from the recording at all.
Unlike a lot of live audience recordings, this one is cut up to a certain extent, so there is silence between most tracks. That being said, there is also an abnormally large amount of dead space (this was part of the show, not a defect on the record), and the banter between songs was left in, at least in some spots. Roger is heard spinning such timeless yarns as “We have a new song… and it’s about an embryo.” There is also an unusual section that lasts for several minutes after Set The Controls where Roger is apparently trying to get Rick Wright’s attention. I would have loved to see a video to know what’s actually going on here.
The real highlight of this record is definitely “Amazing Pudding”. This early version of Atom Heart Mother sounds great here, and it’s pretty obvious they must have had nearly all of it worked out as far as the main suite goes. If you are a fan of the AHM record as I am, this set is worth seeking out for this track alone.
Overall, I’d give Delicate Sound Of Psychedelia a very solid 8.5/10 all around. I can’t tell you where to buy a copy of this, but at the present moment there are still one or two floating around for sale. I imagine it won’t take long before they are absorbed into collections and become harder to find, though. A nice set like this doesn’t exactly come cheap, so expect to spend anywhere from 100-200 USD for a copy.