It’s been a while since I’ve gotten a nice, simple Pink Floyd release. Most of the stuff I have been listening to and talking about lately has been large, expensive, and sometimes difficult to find box set variety type deals. German Warm Glow by Casino Records is much more basic. It might make you wonder how many more versions of “Careful With That Axe, Eugene” you can possible listen to, and also who on earth names these things. But, if you are a fan of old school Pink Floyd, I think it’ll also make you wonder why more unofficial records can’t be this good.
To start with, I have to say that the set list here is pretty standard for Pink Floyd bootlegs. Recorded in Germany in 1970, we were still three years away from The Dark Side of the Moon breaking its way onto the scene. This is just a guess, but to me, it’s always seemed like about half of what’s been put out over the years, as far as boots are concerned, has focused on this particular period of the band’s career. I think it’s less about people wanting that material in particular, and more about the fact that there’s just so much of it available. I think the Floyd played a ton of shows during this period, and a ton of people recorded them. I’m certainly not complaining. Every single show is different, you know, and I gotta have them all.
German Warm Glow is a simple, but very beautiful two record set. It’s available on yellow marbled and green marbled wax, and each color is limited to 250 copies of each. As I sometimes do, I figured getting one color would be enough. When it arrived and I finally got a chance to scope it out in person, however, I decided that I needed both colors. Right now, I’ve got the yellow but am in the process of hunting down the green one too. Collectors are strange creatures, I know. I do think the yellow/back marble looks very nice, so it’s not like I’m disappointed with my choice. If you saw my last post about the Gilmour box set, this is the same type of cool marbling, just in different colors. The labels are also the same textured paper which adds a nice touch.
The jacket itself is the same high quality material people have come to expect from Casino Records. Everything comes housed in a thick, resealable outer sleeve, affixed with a numbered hype sticker. There is also a small sheet of liner notes included, which also adds some value to the set. The inner sleeves are standard paper, but my records were flat, looked clean, and are free from any scratches or defects. As usual, I gave them a clean and upgraded to some new inner sleeves before I gave them a spin.
Just like The Night’s Embrace, there is a little bit of noise in the runners on these discs, but it quickly goes away by the time the music starts. Otherwise, my copy was almost entirely silent throughout, which is an impressive feat for any record in 2024. This is an audience recording of course, but it’s a very good one. Someone had pretty decent equipment and at least a little bit of knowledge to capture this one. You can hear a bit of tape hiss from the original source, but it doesn’t take away from the experience in the slightest. I think most readers of a blog like this would also be pleased.
Audience Recording – Niedersachsenhalle – Hanover, Germany – 15 March, 1970
A1 Careful With That Axe, Eugene
A2 Cymbaline
B1 A Saucerful of Secrets
B2 The Embryo
C1 Interstellar Overdrive
C2 Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun
D Atom Heart Mother
As I mentioned, the set list is just what we would expect, and there aren’t really any surprises. There is a tape flip or a cut between “Embryo” and “A Saucerful of Secrets”, but otherwise, everything flows very well. I would say that the performance itself is above average, and the band were really on top of their game this night. There isn’t too much banter with the audience, but Roger does play Emcee from time to time, letting the audience know what’s going on. He announces “Atom Heart Mother” as what the band is currently working on, so that should help you get a feel for the exact time period we’re dealing with here.
This is one of those releases where there isn’t really a ton to say about it. I think many collectors will be seeing it around though and wondering if it’s worth picking up. I would say it definitely is. This is the complete concert, which I know a ton of people get excited about. According to Casino, it’s also the first time this show has been released on vinyl, and as far as I know, they are correct. It might be just another version of the same set we’ve heard a million times, but you can trust me when I say that this is a great version of it.
As long as you don’t overpay for a copy, I think most people will be very happy with this one. Packaging and pressing is an easy 10/10. I really like the marble color styles Casino has been using lately, and it looks like we’re going to be seeing a lot more of them in varying colors going forward. I have one or two other recent Casino releases I’m going to be talking about here shortly, so we’ll be seeing more versions very soon. While keeping in mind that that this is an audience recorded tape source from 1970, I’m also going to give the audio a 10/10. If someone reads that, thinks that it’s going to sound like a studio recording and is disappointed, I don’t know what to say at this point. For what it is though, German Warm Glow is just a really cool release. Don’t miss this one!