Pink Floyd / London, UK – February 20, 1972 (Upgrade)

*The Best of Tour 72* is a legendary title in the history of concert recordings—one that fans have long yearned for—which has been conveying the true essence of the “Dark Side of the Moon Tour” since the days of analog tape. Now, the most famous “taper” recording from 1972 has been upgraded. Preserved forever in this release is, of course, the legendary audience recording of the Rainbow Theatre performance on February 20, 1972. The “Dark Side of the Moon Tour” was a monumental trek during which the live presentation of the *Dark Side* material evolved constantly; let us first examine the tour’s timeline and our shop’s collection to better understand the significance of this specific release. 1972: Jan 17–19: Rehearsals; Jan 20–Feb 20: UK (16 shows) ← ★Here★; Mar 6–13: Japan (6 shows) ← *e.g., Sapporo 1972*; Mar 29–30: Manchester (2 shows); Apr 14–May 4: North America #1 (17 shows) ← *e.g., Definitive Chicago 1972*; May 18–Jun 29: Europe #1 (5 shows) ← *e.g., Brighton 28th June 1972*; Sep 8–30: North America #2 (17 shows) ← *e.g., Hollywood Bowl 1972*; Oct 21–Dec 10: Europe #2 (23 shows) ← *e.g., Zurich 1972 Matrix*. 1973: Jan 13–Feb 4: Paris (4 shows) <<Mar 1: Release of *The Dark Side of the Moon*>>; Mar 4–24: North America #3 (16 shows) ← *e.g., Definitive Boston 1973*; May 18–19: London (2 shows) ← *e.g., Earls Court 1973 2nd Night*; Jun 17–29: North America #4 (13 shows) ← *e.g., Tampa 1973*; Oct 12–Nov 4: Europe #3 (4 shows) ← *e.g., Rainbow 1973*. *Note: Only representative titles are listed for each leg.* This was Pink Floyd in 1972 and 1973. The release at hand captures the very beginning of this period—specifically, a segment of the “UK” leg. It is a highly popular era, offering the chance to experience an early iteration of *The Dark Side of the Moon*, and a period from which numerous classic recordings have been unearthed. Let us now focus more closely on the schedule. Details of the “UK” leg: Jan 20 *BRIGHTON JANUARY 1972 REVISITED*; Jan 21 *PORTSMOUTH 1972 REVISITED*; Jan 22–Feb 13 (10 shows); Feb 17 *RAINBOW THEATRE 1972 1ST NIGHT*; Feb 18: Rainbow Theatre show; Feb 19 *RAINBOW THEATRE 1972 3RD NIGHT*; Feb 20: Rainbow Theatre show ← ★This Title★ The ultimate master among the three existing recordings. This Rainbow Theatre performance marked the final show of the 16-date tour and the conclusion of the four-night residency at the venue. It had been exactly one month since the world’s first complete performance of *The Dark Side of the Moon* in Portsmouth on January 21. The work-in-progress had evolved night by night, reaching its most refined form of the UK leg by this evening. And it was this very night that birthed a legend. It gave rise to the monstrous LP *THE BEST OF TOUR 72*—an audience recording said to surpass even soundboard quality, which renowned bootleg labels scrambled to copy. Few recordings in the history of Pink Floyd bootlegs have achieved such legendary status. However, that legendary recording did have its flaws. The LP was a single disc containing only the first set (*The Dark Side of the Moon*), and it suffered from three dropouts during the songs. In the CD era, the three existing source recordings were combined to reconstruct the full scope of the show. Naturally, this title follows that same approach. However, the source material itself has been upgraded this time. To clarify what this means, let us outline the three source recordings here. RECORDER 1: Ian Sippen recording (1st pressing LP)—the legendary *THE BEST OF TOUR 72* LP itself. This is the only stereo recording of the show and offers the best sound quality. However, since the original release was a single LP, it contains only *The Dark Side of the Moon* and has three gaps in the recording. This release utilizes the best-sounding surviving first-pressing LP as its source. We employed a proprietary transfer method using a laser turntable to create a definitive version—the highest quality available—that has never circulated online or elsewhere. RECORDER 2: A recording by Steve B (first-generation copy). This is the only recording that captures “Blues” and “A Saucerful of Secrets” (often referred to as “Solar Fire” or “Sun Hymn” in some circles), tracks not found on other sources. It lacks the *Dark Side* section but serves as the primary source for the second set here; there are gaps during the tuning between songs. RECORDER 3: A recording by John Baxter (newly discovered original master). It covers the set from *The Dark Side of the Moon* through the middle of “Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun,” with the key feature being the inclusion of the tuning between songs. For this release, we used the ultimate master transferred from the original cassette, which was newly discovered in 2026. The sound quality is vastly improved, and the venue ambience following the *Dark Side* set is 23 seconds longer. The newly discovered “RECORDER 3” original master… that is the situation here. And the highlight of this release is “RECORDER 3.” Remarkably, the original master was newly discovered in 2026. While it doesn’t displace the other sources as the primary recording—since it is still technically the same “RECORDER 3” performance—sections that were previously considered inferior have undergone a massive upgrade. The rough, muffled texture is completely gone, replaced by incomparable clarity. In terms of transparency alone, it rivals even “RECORDER 1,” the source of the legendary LP itself. Its quality becomes immediately apparent right from the start. The first track, “Speak To Me,” is presented entirely via “RECORDER 3,” and while the baton passes to the legendary LP source “RECORDER 1” at the second track, “Breathe,” the transition between them is seamless. Your ears will realize the difference just minutes into the show. This benefit extends throughout the entire performance; notably, “RECORDER 3” carries a massive segment of over four and a half minutes during “Us and Them.” Furthermore, “RECORDER 3” has been extended; it now includes—for the first time—approximately 23 seconds of venue ambience following the performance of “Eclipse.” This captures the lingering atmosphere of the Rainbow Theatre after the audience had finished listening to this early version of *The Dark Side of the Moon*. Achieving supreme transfer and mastering precision was the goal. The second key element involves “RECORDER 1.” While, as before, it is sourced from a first-pressing LP, this time a laser turntable was used. Unlike standard players that drop a stylus, this specialized device reads the grooves using a laser beam; by extracting information without physical contact, the transfer accuracy has been significantly improved. Moreover, this new master is unique to this release and has not circulated anywhere else online or elsewhere. “GRAF ZEPPELIN” handled the final production, applying a meticulous, painstaking approach. For “RECORDER 1,” they performed thorough pitch and phase corrections and seamlessly restored sections that had previously been edited out due to the nature of the LP source. For the second part of the show, “RECORDER 2” serves as the primary source, with “RECORDER 3” used to fill gaps after its hum noise was removed and its frequency range balanced. As a result, all missing segments have been restored, save for two brief gaps between songs in the final section. The difference in sound quality compared to “RECORDER 2” in the second part is now barely noticeable. This legendary LP has reigned supreme for half a century, and now its definitive version has finally arrived. Combining a newly discovered original master with a unique laser turntable transfer, “GRAF ZEPPELIN” has crafted the longest and finest edition of *The Best of Tour ’72*. This release features the legendary audience recording of the February 20, 1972, Rainbow Theatre concert. While it continues to utilize three different recordings, the discovery of the original master for “RECORDER 3” has led to a massive upgrade, including the debut of that 23-second post-“Eclipse” venue ambience. “RECORDER 1” also benefits from improved precision thanks to a unique transfer using a laser turntable. This is the definitive edition assembled by “GRAF ZEPPELIN,” boasting the longest runtime and highest quality to date. Rainbow Theatre, Finsbury Park, London, England – February 20, 1972. Disc 1 (74:26) 1. Speak To Me ★Entirely from Rec3 2. Breathe 3. The Travel Sequence 4. Time ★3:22–3:44 patched with Rec3 5. Breathe (Reprise) 6. The Mortality Sequence 7. Money 8. Us And Them ★2:03–6:41 patched with Rec3 9. Any Colour You Like 10. Brain Damage 11. Eclipse ★From 1:08 onwards patched with Rec3 / From 3:01 onwards (post-performance audience noise): 23 seconds of previously unreleased audio ★2nd Set 12. Tuning ★Track split ★Entirely from Rec3 13. One Of These Days ★Post-performance patched with Rec3 14. Careful With That Axe, Eugene ★Post-performance patched with Rec3 Disc 2 (66:34) 1. Tuning ★Entirely from Rec3 2. Echoes ★Post-performance patched with Rec3 3. A Saucerful Of Secrets 4. Blues 5. Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun