Rare footage of Pink Floyd recording their beloved album The Dark Side of the Moon has been released after 50 years.
It comes as a newly restored version of Pink Floyd at Pompeii – MCMLXXI is set to be released in cinemas on April 24.
Metro can exclusively reveal a clip, which shows a young Pink Floyd blissfully unaware of the superstardom they are about to achieve.
In the unseen footage, the band – David Gilmour, Nick Mason, Roger Waters, and Richard Wright – can be seen adjusting new electronic equipment to create The Dark Side of the Moon’s iconic sound.
Speaking to the camera, David, now 79, said: ‘I don’t think the equipment could take over. We do rely on it a lot.
‘I mean, we couldn’t do what we do as we do it without it.
‘We could still do a good, entertaining musical show, I suppose, without it but all those things are down to how you control it. And whether you’re controlling it, not the other way around.’
The footage cuts between Pink Floyd preparing on stage to perform to the empty Roman Amphitheatre and fine-tuning equipment at Abbey Road Studios.
Fans of the Comfortably Numb hitmakers will be well aware of their 1971 one-off gig in Pompeii, Italy, to no crowd other than their crew.
Originally released in 1972, the new film remasters in stunning 4K, with enhanced audio and previously unseen footage of them beginning to work on the album which would change their lives.
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Known as EMI Studios until 1976, the London recording space was a favourite of The Beatles and has become legendary for creating iconic albums.
Their discussions about utilising technological advances are particularly poignant in the age of AI, something which drummer Nick, 81, endorsed last year.
He teased that digital versions of former bandmates Roger and David could put their differences aside and make new music.
In their 20s, Pink Floyd are just as keen to try out new technology but with an acute awareness that there is a ‘danger’ involved.
Roger, who left the band in 1985, explained: ‘We could become slaves to all our equipment and in the past we have been. But what we’re trying to do is to sort it all out so that we’re not.
‘It’s just a question of using the tools that are available when they’re available.
‘More and more now, there’s all kinds of electronic goodies which are available for people like us to use if we can be bothered. And we can be bothered.’
David added: ‘It’s all extensions of what’s coming out of our heads. You’ve got to remember you’ve got to have it in your head to get it out anyway.’
In a moment of foreshadowing, he continued: ‘The equipment isn’t actually thinking of what to do any of the time. It couldn’t control itself.’
Already feeling confident in their abilities, having released debut album The Piper at the Gates of Dawn to critical acclaim, Roger compares it to giving someone a Les Paul guitar.
‘It doesn’t make them Eric Clapton,’ he dismissed with a smirk as David confidently said they would ‘come off better’ than four men without their technical know-how.
Pink Floyd At Pompeii has been meticulously remastered and hand-restored, frame by frame, from the original 35mm negative, which was discovered in the band’s own archives.
It will be released in cinemas this month, with tickets for IMAX and standard viewings on sale now.
Lana Topham, Director of Restoration for Pink Floyd, said: ‘Since 1994, I have searched for the elusive film rushes of Pink Floyd At Pompeii, so the recent discovery of the 1972 original 35mm cut negative was a very special moment.
‘The newly restored version presents the first full 90-minute cut, combining the 60-minute source edit of the performance with the additional Abbey Road Studios documentary segments filmed shortly after.’
Steven Wilson, who restored the sound into Dolby Atmos, wanted to preserve the authenticity of the original 1972 version.
He shared: ‘Ever since my dad brainwashed me as a kid by playing The Dark Side of the Moon on repeat, Pink Floyd has been my favourite band. They are my “Beatles”, deeply ingrained in my musical DNA.
‘I first saw Pompeii from a grainy print at a local cinema. It made an incredible impression on me with its untethered and exploratory rock music made by four musicians that seemed to epitomise the notion of intellectual cool.
‘It was an honour to remix the soundtrack to accompany Lana Topham’s incredible restoration of the film, which looks like it could’ve been filmed yesterday.’
Nick Mason added: ‘Pink Floyd: Live At Pompeii is a rare and unique document of the band performing live in the period prior to The Dark Side Of the Moon.’
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