Bootlegs are, at their core, a chance to hear songs which don’t fit in. Whether a Pink Floyd Christmas track or instrumentals with Frank Zappa are of interest is dependent on the listener. Those who think Interstellar Overdrive would be improved with the Peaches en Regalia hitmaker are in luck, as you can figure that out for yourselves with this release. But there is a crucial tie between all of these performances and renditions of familiar Pink Floyd classics – they’re all from 1969, a real turning point for the band. This is not just because of Syd Barrett’s imminent departure and how Roger Waters would reshape the band, but because the group sounds ready to shift their instrumental and musical styles a little bit further. Those psychedelic thrills are not dismissed by BBC Sessions: Volume Three, but it takes a backseat to straightforward performances which are as much a shock as they are a welcome change-up of what listeners may expect from Pink Floyd.
You can hear that in the charmed, acoustic-led Grantchester Meadows, a soft and folk-like first song for the bootleg. Subtle work and a lovely lead vocal piece from David Gilmour on follow-up track Cymabline set the tone wonderfully. BBC Sessions: Volume Three may be a collection of performances without a home, but they’re tied together by this period of transition tone. The Narrow Way, Part 3 has this too, the higher-pitched performance from Gilmour’s vocals is a nice fit for the drifting guitar style, the adventurousness at the core of these songs is what matters most. It’s not just that they offer a glimpse into the period of transition on display, but they also bring an effective understanding of what the band would go on to do. Instrumental brilliance is what remains constant across these songs, with BBC Sessions: Volume Three one of the tightest Pink Floyd bootlegs available. It paints an incredible scene, and that is partly thanks to the riches of the band’s appearances in 1969 but is also reliant on the strong instrumental spirit of the band at that time.
For those wanting a softer touch from the band, a borderline breezy experience, then look no further than BBC Sessions: Volume Three. It comes to the peak of this passive, stylish sound with Green is the Colour, a song which has the sentiment of Neil Young’s Harvest from three years after this 1969 compilation, and the folksy charms of the late 1960s to it. UK seaside sounds, the seagulls and crashing waves of Green is the Colour cements that feeling, and it’s delightful. That transition into Careful with That Axe, Eugene, is fantastic. Not so subtle, but strong enough to warrant the change of tempo it brings. Merry Xmas Song is a risk taken by the bootleg, it derails the point of the album up to that moment, but where else would a Pink Floyd Christmas song fit, really? It’s an interesting listen, though not quite essential.
Two instrumentals to follow, one with Zappa, feels more like an encore after the Christmas song than anything, a nice touch which gives the bootleg that little bit more depth. Those moody instrumental spots feel like the last gasp of psychedelic days for Pink Floyd, though they would do lengthy pieces similar to Moonhead on albums to follow. What changes though is the atmosphere, the message, and intent. Here is a chance to hear the band plugging away at instrumental work which is meant to stoke fear, and they do this very well. It’s what they traded off as they pursued a louder, more thought-provoking sound. There’s much to love in the broader tone the band details here, and much of it still stands tall as Pink Floyd at their most instrumentally ambitious.
