In the world of Pink Floyd bootlegs, one title has always stood above the rest. OMAYYAD is an actual word, believe it or not. An actual word that actually has nothing at all to do with Pink Floyd. In fact, it was pulled out of a dictionary by one of the original bootleggers just because he liked how it sounded. I have to admit, it does sound pretty mysterious and Pink Floyd-like, anyway.
Astonishingly, it’s been approximately 52 years since the first version of OMAYYAD was released. During that time, it has been “reissued” many times since by bootleggers bootlegging the original bootleggers. Some sound good, and most sound bad. Such is the game. Personally, I have had an older copy for a while now, but I’m not sure who pressed it. I’ve always loved this particular boot, but it’s an elusive one to track down, even with all the subsequent pressings. For the ones that don’t totally sound like garbage (and some of the ones that do), you’ll also be talking about some serious money to buy one.
So here we are in 2024, with Andy Capp to the rescue. OMAYYAD Again, as the title suggests, is a unique take on the original version. This isn’t just another pressing of the same set of songs, but something more like an expanded re-make version. The original only had six songs on it, with all but two tracks coming from the “Zabriskie Point” soundtrack album outtakes. The other two apparently came from a recording at the Civic Center in Santa Monica, California taped during the fall of 1970. This new Andy Capp version contains ten songs, with all of them coming from the Zabriskie Point session outtakes. I imagine that in 2024, Andy Capp had access to much cleaner source material for these studio recorded tracks than was available in 1972.
First things first… this is a beautiful release. As a matter of fact, I would say this is one of the coolest looking albums in recent Floyd bootleg history. Paying homage to the original design, OMAYYAD Again comes in a plain record sleeve with a diagonal title stamp. It’s also got an Andy Capp sticker reminiscent of the TMOQ pig sticker that was on the original sleeves. The beautiful artwork, which is faithful to the original but also a bit reimagined, is on a loose paper insert. This is how almost all bootleg albums were packaged back in the day, and the printing of the artwork is top quality.
The actual pressing is also beautiful. It’s available in three colors: orange, green and purple. Each color is limited to 150 copies. There is also a test pressing that’s in black and white, and there are only 30 copies of that version in existence. The pattern on the actual vinyl is called “Egg Splash”, and that really is what it looks like. I was very happy to discover that the pressing I received looked just like the pattern that was in the picture I saw. All the colors look great, but I chose the orange one. The labels are also high quality, and I was pleased to find they are the classic Andy Capp style label, but with a different color for each side. This makes it easier to tell one side from the other, instead of having to look for matrix numbers in the dead wax.
Even though I was familiar with the original OMAYYAD and have enjoyed listening to it for years, I didn’t really know what to expect here with the extra tracks and different takes. I have to confess that I’ve never seen the Zabriskie Point film. Knowing what I do know about it as a Pink Floyd fan and having been subjected to some of the footage in old Floyd videos, I have concluded that… no thanks, I’m good. There is somewhat of an interesting story about how the soundtrack album came to be, though. If you are interested in that, a great place to look for the full story plus much more is in Nick Mason’s wonderful book, “Inside Out”.
Before spinning the record, I cleaned it as usual on my VPI. I will say that overall, I was disappointed a bit in the sound quality. There are no issues with clicks and pops, but there is a fair amount of surface noise, even after extensive cleaning. The audio source itself seems to be great, but the noise can be distracting at times. It’s not terrible, but it’s definitely there. To me, it sounds like a dirty record. This is always frustrating because I feel like I should be able to clean the noise away, but it just wasn’t possible with this pressing.
I won’t go through every song on the record, but I will fill you in on some highlights. I know it’s going to sound weird, but one of my very favorite Pink Floyd songs is on this record. It’s called “Rain in the Country”, and unless you are really into bootlegs, there’s a great chance you have never heard it before. Honestly, it sounds nothing like you would expect from Pink Floyd. I first discovered this magical track many years ago on another bootleg album called Total Eclipse, which was released as a CD box set by the famed Italian company Great Dane Records. Years after that, I discovered the song being used as the soundtrack in an absolutely wonderful fan made video short. I don’t usually include very many links in my posts, but this one is important. You can check it out here:
The version of “Rain in the Country” found on Side A of OMAYYAD Again is cut tragically short. Luckily, you will find the full-length version available on Side B under the title “Unknown Song”. I think it’s a great way to finish out the record, and that it really captures the unique spirit of the Zabriskie Point recording sessions.
“The Red Queen Theme”, otherwise known as “Country Song” in various other places, is also a great and unique tune. I’d say that it and “Crumbling Land” are the other two main highlights of this collection. “The Violent Sequence” is always cool to hear, but I guess maybe I’ve heard it too many times at this point for it to be particularly exciting. If you aren’t familiar, this is the track that eventually became the legendary “Us and Them” from The Darkside of the Moon. It’s sort of demo-like quality, but if you don’t already have a copy of that track, this record is worth picking up for it alone.
If you haven’t heard “Fingal’s Cave” before, you should hear it. Maybe just one time, but you should hear it. It’s not a great song in my opinion, but it’s better than listening to someone build a chair onstage for three minutes. You might want to get the kids out of the room for this one though, as it’s essentially a bit of weird music underneath the voice track for an adult film, if you know what I mean. It definitely ranks up there as one of The Floyd’s weirdest post-Barret tracks, that’s for sure.
Certainly, the other tracks on the record are worth a listen but those were the high points for me. Would I recommend fellow collectors to pick this one up? Well, the simple answer is yes, I would say it’s worth it. However, there are some points to take into consideration here. First of all, this isn’t the standard Andy Capp release we are used to seeing. Usually, they have full color printed sleeves complete with a cool Japanese style obi. In contrast, this release is an homage to classic bootlegs with the old style of packaging I have described above. While I am most other seasoned collectors will think this is amazing, some newer collectors might not like the detached artwork.
As I’ve mentioned, I have an older pressing of the original release. For me, OMAYYAD Again is a major step-up sound quality wise, as my old version sounds like total crap despite appearing to be in good condition. With that being said, the sound here isn’t perfect either. I would say the audio quality is about a 7/10, purely due to surface noise. It doesn’t bother me too much, but it might bother you depending on your particular tastes. The two live tracks are also omitted, but this isn’t a deal breaker for me. I already have better versions of “Interstellar Overdrive” and “The Embryo” on other records, so when I listened to OMAYYAD, it was mainly for the outtake songs. I will also say that on my particular copy, Side B sounds a little better than Side A. I prefer the songs on Side B, so I suppose this worked out.
I’m sure you can see from the photos, but packaging wise, we clearly have a 10/10 here as far as I’m concerned. If have reviewed other Andy Capp releases on this site if you want to get a look at what their stuff usually looks like. This one is clearly different, but I think it’s a cool departure from the norm. “OMAYYAD Again” also has more music than the original record, but the price is a bit higher than a single LP would normally cost. Some sellers do have competitive pricing though, so it may be worth looking around and not just buying the first one you see. Overall, I think there is a lot to be enjoyed here. If you have always wanted a copy of the original OMAYYAD, this might just be a better option in a lot of ways. If you are just getting started collecting unofficials, I don’t think you can go wrong here.