In a surprise move, with no official announcement or fanfare, a dozen recordings of Pink Floyd live during the years 1970 - 1972 have quietly been released to the various streaming services.

Whilst the sound quality in places leaves a little to be desired, much of it sounds great, and more importantly the recordings document a wonderful period of the band in concert. They find the band in fine form, having honed their craft so that many of the pieces performed enjoyed some extended improvisation and exploration. With one of the recordings coming from March 1972, there's also an early rendition of The Dark Side Of The Moon. As many of you will know, that was an album which changed quite considerably from its initial outings, so an interesting one to listen to if you haven't yet heard it.

The full list of albums the band released as part of their surprise drop is as follows:

• They Came In Peace, Leeds University 28 February 1970 & Washington University 16 November 1971
• Live At Grosser Saal, Musikhalle, Hamburg, West Germany 25 February 1971
• Mauerspechte, Berlin Sportpalast 5 June 1971
• Lyon & Tokyo, Lyon 12 June 1971, Tokyo 16 March 1972
• Palaeur Rome 20 June 1971
• Amsterdamse Bos Free Concert 26 June 1971
• Live In Montreux 18 & 19 September 1971
• KB Hallen, Copenhagen, Vol I, 23 September 1971
• KB Hallen, Copenhagen, Vol II, 23 September 1971
• Over Bradford Pigs On The Groove, Bradford University 10 October 1971
• Embryo, San Diego, 17 October 1971
• The Screaming Abdabs, Quebec City, 10 November 1971

Visit various streaming services, including Apple Music, Spotify, and Amazon Music, to hear the recordings. Our thanks to those who wrote in about the release of these live gems.