Just announced: Pink Floyd is releasing two physical versions of their first newly recorded music in over 25 years, ‘Hey Hey Rise Up’.

The single, which was initially released digitally in April in support of the people of Ukraine and reached number 1 in 27 countries, will be available on 7” and CD single. Both formats will also feature a newly reworked version of ‘A Great Day For Freedom’ taken from the band’s 1994 album, The Division Bell. The single will be available on 15 July (excluding Japan, where it is released on 3 August - and USA, Canada, Australia and Mexico, where it is released on 21 October).

The lead track sees David Gilmour and Nick Mason joined by long time Pink Floyd bass player Guy Pratt, with Nitin Sawhney on keyboards, and features vocals by Andriy Khlyvnyuk of Ukrainian band Boombox. Proceeds for the physical release and the ongoing digital proceeds will go to Ukraine humanitarian relief.

For this limited edition release, David Gilmour revisited The Division Bell track ‘A Great Day For Freedom’. He has reworked the song using the original tapes which feature Nick Mason on drums and Richard Wright on keyboards, along with backing vocals from Sam Brown, Claudia Fontaine and Durga McBroom. The music for this song was composed by Gilmour with lyrics by Polly Samson and himself.

Talking about the inspiration for ‘Hey Hey Rise Up’ Gilmour commented, “Any war, but particularly a war that is started by a world superpower against an independent democratic nation, has got to raise enormous anger and frustration in one. As I said before, I have a small connection there; my daughter-in-law is from Ukraine. And the band Boombox are Ukrainian people that I already knew, not well, but from some time ago. It’s an enormously difficult, frustrating, and anger-making thing that one human being could have the power to invade another independent democratic nation and set about killing the population. It’s just obscene to an extent that is just beyond my belief.”

You can order through a growing number of retailers and as we discover them, we will list them here.

With Pink Floyd’s 10th studio album Animals marking its 45th anniversary this year, acclaimed Pink Floyd expert and writer (and creator of Brain Damage magazine, the forerunner to this website), has been busy documenting both the history of the recording of the album and the supporting tours which remains one of the most fascinating periods in Pink Floyd’s history.

The album, of course, was released around 10 years on from their psychedelic debut that launched the band on to the world stage, but couldn't have been much more different. The three central pieces, Pigs (Three Different Ones), Dogs and Sheep each extending to over 10 minutes each drew parallels with George Orwell’s dystopian nightmare Animal Farm” Its lyrics continued to project Roger Waters’ eternal themes of life’s struggles where the subservient masses are sheep controlled by tyrannical pigs and authoritarian dogs.

Recorded over the summer of 1976, in the space of time it took punk to both explode and promptly fizzle out, at their own Britannia Row studios in north London, it also marked a shift from their traditional base of EMI at Abbey Road. The album holds a fond place in many fans hearts and Animals has enjoyed a legacy – Roger Waters in particular reviving those tracks to shoehorn into his own politically charged live solo shows in recent years.

The corresponding tour through the first half of 1977 was also not without compromise and built on the stadium spectacular that had been successfully developed over the previous two years of touring. Creatively, there was no limit to their ambition as large-scale inflatable structures, screen films, special effects and state of the art sound reinforcement were utilized that enveloped the audience in an ever-increasing immersive experience. But, despite all this, as their fan base increased exponentially so too did the rowdy nature of the stadium environment which, coupled with band members personal issues, ultimately led to inter-band rifts and Roger Waters’ increasing intolerance of and disdain towards the adulation of the fans.

This all finally came to a spectacular head during their final show of the Animals tour in Montreal in July and the events that unfolded became the lynchpin of Waters’ vision of isolation and madness that eventually led to the creation of The Wall two years later.

If “Pink Floyd – The Animals Tour – A Visual History” is anything like the other books by Glenn, it should be an essential, and very well researched book that all Floyd fans should enjoy. It can be purchased through MusicGlue.com. There are three different editions - the standard hardback, a signed hardback, and a "deluxe edition" which comes with a range of reproduction memorabilia.

Last night, ahead of his US and Canadian tour, which starts July 6th in Pittsburgh, Roger Waters appeared on the US television programme, The Late Show With Stephen Colbert. The late night satirical show is broadcast nightly from the historic Ed Sullivan Theater on New York City's Broadway, and features guests being interviewed and performing. Roger was last night's musical guest and here's what he and his new touring band performed, as a bit of a preview for his upcoming tour:

Update: BD visitor Allen has been in touch to advise that some pairs of front row seats have just become available in various cities, including Boston, Miami, and New York's second show. Hopefully those who are after tickets still can snap these up before the scalpers get hold of them!

To be released in the UK on 23rd September (a slight shift from the anticipated date of 2nd September), the 'Analogue Productions 4LP Edition' of Roger Waters' incredible album, Amused To Death, is sure to be a popular (albeit very expensive) choice for those who want to hear the album hopefully at its very best.

This audiophile favourite — with its Analogue Productions 2LP reissue in 2015 being a rapid seller - is back with an upgrade. Now a 45rpm, 4LP 200-gram set, the remastered audio completed by long-time Roger Waters/Pink Floyd collaborator and co-producer James Guthrie is apparently "chillingly detailed — every cricket chirp and dog bark on this distinctive album has even more sonic intensity and dimension. An unblinking look at an entertainment-obsessed society, Amused to Death addresses issues that have only grown in complexity and urgency over the past two decades.

"With Amused to Death, Roger Waters sounded the alarm about a society increasingly - and unthinkingly — in thrall to its television screens. Twenty-three years later, it still speaks to our present moment in ways that could scarcely have been anticipated two decades ago. In 2022, television is just one option in an endless array of distractions available to us anytime, anywhere, courtesy of our laptops, tablets and smartphones. With eyes glued to our screens, the dilemmas and injustices of the real world can easily recede from view.

"[It is being] pressed at Quality Record Pressings [with] updated cover and gatefold art by Sean Evans, the creative director of Waters' 2010-2013 "The Wall Live" tour and movie." You can place your orders now though this direct link at RoughTrade.com. For those of you in North America, AcousticSounds are listing this release, but their details are much vaguer - they don't have a release date, and the product they are offering is apparently on four 180g pieces of vinyl, and not 200g as with Rough Trade's version. However, this might be an outdated listing. AcousticSounds do ship worldwide, although shipping costs can be high, so the Rough Trade option might be preferable (especially if it avoids import duties for you).