The Massed Gadgets Of Hercules 1970 – 1974
Several Species Of Some Unique Performances Gathered Together In A Box And Making A Joy
(Godfather Records GR BOX 09)
"A Saucerful of Secrets" was originally known as "The Massed Gadgets of Hercules" in its earliest performance and became a Pink Floyd live staple from 1968 until 1972. The subtitle, Several Species Of Some Unique Performances Gathered Together In A Box And Making A Joy is a riff on the Roger Waters song on Ummagumma called “Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict.” It’s silly, but in keeping with the bootleggers tradition of coming up with absurd titles for their releases. Given the rarity of this material, this is a very good collection.
The Massed Gadgets Of Hercules 1970-1974 is the amazing new box set by Godfather documenting Pink Floyd’s greatest tangent of creativity from Atom Heart Mother through to Wish You Were Here and Animals.
Four of the five shows have never been pressed on silver disc before and the fifth was released almost a decade ago and is now out of print and impossible to find today. Godfather utilize the best available generations for the shows and all of them are listenable and enjoyable.
Nuremberg 1970 (G.R. BOX 09 A/B)
Meistersinger Halle, Nuremburg, Germany – March 14th, 1970
Disc 1 (46:37): Astronomy Dominé, Careful With That Axe Eugene, Cymbaline, A Saucerful of Secrets
Disc 2 (58:24): The Embryo, Interstellar Overdrive, Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun, The Amazing Pudding (Atom Heart Mother)
Farnborough 1971 (G.R. BOX 09 C/D)
Student Union Bar, Technical College, Farnborough, Hampshire, England – February 13th, 1971
Disc 1 (54:27): Atom Heart Mother, The Embryo, Careful With That Axe Eugene, Cymbaline
Disc 2 (36:42): Astronomy Domine, Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun, A Saucerful Of Secrets (cut)
Columbia 1972 (G.R. BOX 09 E/F)
Township Auditorium, Columbia, SC – April 16th, 1972
Disc 1 (43:09): Breathe (In The Air), On The Run, Time/Breathe (Reprise), The Great Gig In The Sky, Money, Us And Them, Any Colour You Like, Brain Damage (cut)
Disc 2 (66:39): One Of These Days, Careful With That Axe Eugene, Echoes, Atom Heart Mother
Munich 1973 (G.R. BOX 09 G/H)
Olympiahalle, Munich, Germany – October 12th, 1973
Disc 1 (65:06): Obscured By Clouds, When You’re In, Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun, Careful With That Axe Eugene, Echoes
Disc 2 (59:50): Speak To Me, Breathe, On the Run, Time, Breathe (reprise), The Great Gig In The Sky, Money, Us And Them, Any Colour You Like, Brain Damage, Eclipse, One Of These Days
Bristol 1974 (G.R. BOX 09 I/J)
Colston Hall, Bristol, Somerset, England – December 14th, 1974
Disc 1 (73:36): Jimmy Young Intro, Raving And Drooling, You’ve Got To Be Crazy, Shine On You Crazy Diamond, Speak To Me, Breathe, On The Run
Disc 2 (69:53): Time/Breathe (reprise), The Great Gig In The Sky, Money, Us And Them, Any Colour You Like, Brain Damage, Eclipse, Echoes
