Last night, the premiere of Pink Floyd at Pompeii MCMLXXII - a newly restored version of the classic Live At Pompeii, with a superb new audio mix by Steven Wilson - took place in London.
Sited at the colossal, flagship BFI IMAX screen near Waterloo Railway Station, with the approach to it marked by people with suitably pink paddles directing the way, it was the perfect place to experience the film in its new version for the first time. It is home to the UK's largest cinema screen, with state of the art audio and a laser projection system. It's proudly the pinnacle of film presentation in the UK.
With the film itself painstakingly digitally re-mastered in 4K from the original 35mm footage by restoration maestro Lana Topham, with enhanced audio newly mixed by Steven Wilson, it proved a true feast for the senses! I doubt it has ever sounded so good (even in the amphitheatre itself) and visually it is truly stunning. The clarity and detail, and the corrected colour presentation, combines superbly with the new mix, stunning in its surround presentation. The audience included David Gilmour, Polly Samson and various members of his band, Nick Mason and his family, members of Richard Wright's family, Steven Wilson, Ben Worsley, Aubrey 'Po' Powell, four fifths of Nick's Saucers, with Lee Harris, Dom Beken and Guy Pratt being there along with Nick, of course. Sitting close to many of these, it was fun seeing reactions to various scenes, especially some of the sequences shot in Abbey Road Studios.
Following the screening, with people asked to remain in their seats, some chairs at the front were hastily arranged for the second part of the evening: Nick Mason in conversation with Steven Wilson. This Q&A proved a fun discussion about the film, how the audio remix was concocted, the unique split of Echoes for the film, larking around on the side of volcanos, what Steven would love to tackle next from the Pink Floyd catalogue, and Nick even mentioned pie crusts!
For those of you seeing the film in selected cinemas and IMAX worldwide from April 24th (tickets on sale now at PinkFloyd.film and of course, from participating cinemas directly), you will have an absolutely great time. If you are unable to catch it in the cinema, or indeed want to continue your enjoyment of it, Pink Floyd at Pompeii MCMLXXII comes out on double CD, Digital Audio (streaming, Blu-ray and DVD), and for the very first time in Dolby ATMOS and on double vinyl, from May 2nd. Full details and ordering information here.
As you know now, coming very soon is the much anticipated Pink Floyd at Pompeii MCMLXXII - a newly restored version of the classic Live At Pompeii, with a superb new audio mix by Steven Wilson. It will mark the first time the music will be officially available on vinyl.
Before the home release, the iconic performance returns to the cinema screen this month, in selected cinemas and IMAX worldwide from April 24th with tickets on sale now at PinkFloyd.film and of course, from participating cinemas directly. This coming Thursday, April 17th, there's a premiere at BFI IMAX in London with Nick Mason in conversation with Steven Wilson, although tickets for that are now sold out.
Painstakingly digitally re-mastered in 4K from the original 35mm footage by maestro Lana Topham, with enhanced audio newly mixed by Steven Wilson, Pink Floyd at Pompeii MCMLXXII comes out on double CD, Digital Audio (streaming, Blu-ray and DVD), and for the very first time in Dolby ATMOS and on double vinyl, from May 2nd.
Just released is another taster of PFaP, with the superb One Of These Days - featuring Nick as the focus of the song, an iconic part of the film. Obviously, YouTube has limitations, and the full releases should look and sound even better, but you can tell from the following that a superb job has been done by all concerned!
Make sure you crank up the quality (use the "cog" to adjust to the best your connection will allow) and crank up the audio for a real treat. It's such a memorable and key part of the film, and lovely to see in its newly polished audio and video quality.
ORDERING INFORMATION:
For ease, we've listed the various editions below. With Amazon's pre-order price guarantee, you should be automatically charged the lowest amount between the time you ordered the album, and release. All purchases made after using one of our links make a small but vital contribution toward the site running costs, at no extra cost to yourself, and we really appreciate it! This is because we participate in the Amazon Affiliate program.
A reminder, should you need it: to celebrate Record Store Day 2025 which is TOMORROW (Saturday, April 12th), there are three, very tempting, limited edition releases coming that will be of interest to Pink Floyd fans.
Firstly, Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets share an incredible live version of their interpretation of Echoes. Propelled by Nick Mason's drumming, this recording captures the band with Gary Kemp, Guy Pratt, Dom Beken and Lee Harris at the peak of their powers. The performance was recorded on August 1st, 2024 at the Centennial Hall in Frankfurt, Germany by Steve Carr. Echoes Live was mixed by Steven Wilson with consultation and assistance from Dom Beken. This 12" was half-speed mastered by Miles Showell at Abbey Road and plays from the inside-out for the ultimate sound quality. The B-side includes an exclusive etched design.
By the way - we've got an exclusive interview with Lee and Dom about Echoes coming on the site in the next day or so...well worth reading, so ensure you check back to see that.
Secondly, there's a special clear vinyl 12" of Between Two Points by David Gilmour with Romany Gilmour, from the album Luck and Strange. The four-track, vinyl-only release will feature an exclusive live version (coupled with Vita Brevis) from the Royal Albert Hall plus a new remix by Rob Gentry.
Finally, separate from his recently released super deluxe box set, Roger Waters releases a special version of The Dark Side Of The Moon Redux Live. Pressed on limited-edition neon pink vinyl and recorded during two sold-out shows at the London Palladium in October 2023, this album captures the only live performance of Roger's reimagined version of Pink Floyd's seminal album.
As with the other RSD 2025 releases, these are all limited editions: often the RSD releases are pressed up as just a few thousand or so worldwide, available to snap up on the day.
And, as we've mentioned in previous years, these limited edition items are ONLY released via RSD participating stores, this year on 12th April 2025 - go to RecordStoreDay.com or RecordStoreDay.co.uk for more details of who those will be, and to get the full list of all releases in this event. A reminder that it will ONLY be these stores participating; the stores themselves can't sell it online prior, or accept preorders - the record will become available for customers coming through the door of the store from the morning of the 12th (and not before), in limited quantities - first come, first served, and only one copy per customer. After RSD, if copies remain, they may put them for sale online (and of course, there'll also be copies on eBay inevitably...).
With the imminent arrival of the incredible looking (with Lana Topham's painstaking restoration of the film from original reels) and sounding (with Steven Wilson's superb new mix of the audio) Pink Floyd at Pompeii, they've understandably gone heavy on coverage.
They look back at the making of Pink Floyd Live At Pompeii, with recollections from drummer Nick Mason, director Adrian Maben and more. As well as the extensive article, they've also included a huge poster, and a laptop sticker with the classic stencil lettering seen on the side of equipment in the film.
There's also a seperate piece on Steven Wilson, who - apart from his work on Pompeii, and on Echoes for Nick Mason's Saucerful Of Secrets Record Store Day and digital audio release - has a great new album out, and Classic Rock explore that with him, along with his other work at the moment.
Elsewhere in the magazine, there's articles looking at Bon Jovi, Smith/Kotzen, the late Gary Moore, and The Darkness.
There's also all the normal features, including an extensive review section. You can order the magazine direct, worldwide, through this link.