Pink Floyd – Hannover 1970 Review

Hearing Pink Floyd perform hour-long radio sessions in their early years is somewhat of a surprise. They were at the forefront of a psychedelic event and progressive rock shift, but their lengthier songs are not tailor-made for radio-friendly listening. Atomic Saucers, or at least an equivalent experience of their German radio station broadcasts, is a fascinating experience. Where the official recordings may have been removed from the Pink Floyd YouTube channel, we can, as ever, rely on bootleggers for these recordings. A performance in Hannover, West Germany, on March 15, 1970, is well worth a listen. Performances from the band which feature some of the earliest and most psychedelic efforts of the band, just a few short years before they changed tack entirely. A truly historic document, not just because it’s Pink Floyd, but because the aftershock of Syd Barrett leaving the band can, to a degree, be heard here.

Forget Atomic Saucers, then. Forget Barrett, to a degree, too. His influence on the band can still be heard on these live showcases of A Saucerful of Secrets, but replacement frontman Roger Waters suggests a new direction. A gothic tinge, an unnerving entry into first track Careful With That Axe, Eugene, brings a fresh instrumental spirit to the group. These are moments the band would expand on with their magnificent Live at Pompeii performance. But hearing the raw, early works from a group still adapting to the loss of their frontman is an interesting experience. Tracks like Cymbaline are sandwiched between introductions and tunings, time to kill and necessary speeches which are necessary. Not because Waters has much to say, but because dead air on the radio is a sin. Given the degradation of the tape quality, getting through this performance of A Saucerful of Secrets is a triumph. It sounds like a real mess is being made, but then that is the beauty of the song in other, remastered versions.  

We cannot fault the bootlegger, then. Embryo and Interstellar Overdrive on the second CD are of somewhat better quality. Listenable at the very least is what you should hope for. Hannover 1970 is a bit spotty when it comes to that, but it is likely due to the instrumental layers needed for these performances. Song after song which features the ambitious and often provocative style of a band still finding their footing. They would soon slip from psychedelic-like rock performance and shift gear, a focus on the fundamentals of their instruments would, thankfully, prevail. What Hannover 1970 offers is documentation of the band. A historic piece, an artefact of the time which makes for interesting listening if you want additional context to the shift in tone the group were crafting in the 1970s.  

Instrumentally interesting through all the crackles and tape decay. Hannover 1970 is a fascinating moment from Pink Floyd, a band whose stock and quality would only increase as the years went on. They were not quite at their The Dark Side of the Moon zenith but these are the precursor performances which informed their greatest years. There is no doubt value in that, to the diehard Pink Floyd fan at least. An interesting listen, absolutely. Much to learn about the touring unit at the time, and plenty of interest in the performance of Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun, though it serves more use as a document to learn from than listen to. Nothing wrong with that, but don’t expect a blistering performance with excellent sound quality.