A remnant of
Pink Floyd
's pioneering early-'70s experimentalism,
Live at Pompeii
has survived for over half a century as a cult film slow to receive its due. Part of this is because of its changing nature -- originally filmed in late 1971, the project endured a confused succession of iterations, beginning with a 1972 festival premiere that was deemed too short, followed by the addition of new footage and a wider 1974 theatrical release that was largely eclipsed by the success of the group's landmark
Dark Side of the Moon
album. Decades later, in 2002, filmmaker
Adrian Maben
released a director's cut, then a 2013 documentary that used some of its footage. Prior to what will hopefully be the film's definitive release, a proper soundtrack had never materialized. 2025's
Live at Pompeii MCMLXXII
is that soundtrack, and it sounds magnificent. Remixed by latter-day prog rock guru
Steven Wilson
(
Porcupine Tree
), it contains every song from the newly expanded version of the film along with a second disc featuring alternate takes of "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" and "A Saucerful of Secrets." Historically,
Pompeii
falls at a significant hinge point in
's career. By the time they set up among the deserted ruins of the ancient Roman amphitheater outside Naples, they were in many ways still an undefined entity. Their output after
Syd Barrett
's 1968 departure was exploratory, often thrillingly so, but they had yet to find the sense of cohesion and polish that would mark their catalog from
Dark Side
forward. And that's a big part of
's charm, both on screen and disc.
Before the mainstream success of the late '70s and the fractious in-fighting of the '80s, this was the egalitarian
, a quartet of sonic explorers who'd built up plenty of clout, but were still somewhat under the radar. The chosen material favors their earliest post-
Barrett
work and that of the album they were about to release, 1971's
Meddle
. The standouts are the two sections of "Echoes" that bookend the concert, as well as "One of These Days," a showpiece for drummer
Nick Mason
, who does some amazing work. Likewise,
David Gilmour
and
Richard Wright
's lush harmonies foreshadow some of the grandeur of the emerging
sound. But it's
Roger Waters
' bold vision that helped carry
into their prime, and his gnarly peregrine scream on "Careful with That Axe, Eugene" is one of the soundtrack's biggest thrills. By the time
was shown in theaters, the band was already into their next phase as stadium behemoths. Never again did they sound as spontaneous and free as they did here. ~ Timothy Monger