Pink Floyd at Pompeii - MCMLXXII by Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd at Pompeii - MCMLXXII by Pink Floyd, released in 2025, was so eagerly awaited and acclaimed by the public that it rocketed up the charts, reaching number one in Italy, the UK, Germany, and many other countries within a few days. This is astonishing considering the live performance itself was filmed in 1971, 52 years ago.

There's not much to say about the songs; they're all masterpieces. In my opinion, while I love all Pink Floyd albums, I consider the ones from which the concert tracks were taken to be among the most magical and most appropriate for a performance in the context of the Pompeii excavations. "One of These Days" and, of course, "Echoes" are immense.

- From the album Meddle:
- Echoes
- One of These Days
- Mademoiselle Nobs (an altered version of Seamus)
- From the album A Saucerful of Secrets:
- A Saucerful of Secrets
- Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun
- Also featured on Ummagumma:
- Careful with That Axe, Eugene

Additional versions of
- Careful with That Axe, Eugene (alternate version)
- A Saucerful of Secrets (unreleased version)

My impressions of the audio quality and therefore of the mixing by the genius Steven Wilson: excellent as expected, but I had no doubts. I don't have much to compare it to, but honestly, the ones I have aren't valid for comparing this version to a live vinyl recording from the same concert.

The only audio I'd heard of this concert came from videos online (I don't buy bootlegs on principle), so I personally can't make a comparison with previous vinyl releases. Judging the album on its own, I have to say that the mix delivers surprising sound quality and clarity. The drum sound seems much improved, even though you can hear the compression in some parts; there's a general feeling of "artificiality." Some sounds seem to have been "linearized." Ironically, I miss that "non-linearity" of sound that I perceived as a flaw in the versions I'd heard from videos. But that's a completely personal thing.

If you love Pink Floyd, you have to own it, and from the charts, I'd say most people agree with me: the album is beautiful, and beyond the technicalities, it remains a masterpiece of a concert with a magical, unique, and unrepeatable atmosphere.

In a word? Considering that it's the first official version of a concert performed over fifty years ago and that, after so long, has garnered so much enthusiasm and public success, I consider it simply "Epochal."

Track List (vinyl version)
1. Pompeii Intro
2. Echoes - Part 1
3. Careful With That Axe, Eugene
4. A Saucerful of Secrets
5. One of These Days
6. Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun
7. Mademoiselle Nobs
8. Echoes - Part 2
9. Careful With That Axe, Eugene - Alternate Take
10. A Saucerful of Secrets - Unedited

Lineup
- Roger Waters - bass, rhythm guitar, gong, spoken word, screams, additional piano on "Echoes"
- David Gilmour - lead guitar, slide guitar, harmonica, lead vocals
- Richard Wright - Hammond organ, Farfisa organ, grand piano, lead vocals, VCS 3
- Nick Mason - drums, percussion, spoken word
Mixing & Mastering
- Steven Wilson