Pink Floyd Release 1974 Live Recording Of ‘Any Colour You Like’
Words by Riley Fitzgerald
Graphic by Press
Pink Floyd have released a live version of ‘Any Colour You Like‘.
Recorded at the Wembly Empire Pool during the band’s 1974 winter tour, the song was previously only available on The Dark Side of the Moon Immersion boxed set.
‘Any Colour You Like’ is the latest in a series of rarities Pink Floyd have shared as part of their Syd, Roger, Richard, Nick, and David Spotify playlist.
“During this period of lockdown, isolation, and uncertainty,” Pink Floyd writes via Facebook, “it might help to make time each day to immerse yourself in music, so each day we will be adding a new track into the playlist that you can find at the top of the band’s Spotify page, if you choose that particular streaming service for this.”
“Each day,” the statement continues, “this will build into the perfect playlist to help you navigate these challenging times. From the best known classics, to deeper album tracks, you’ll find each day’s new track at the top of the playlist. As a bonus, each Friday we will be adding one of the currently unavailable bonus tracks that were featured in the Immersion boxsets a few years back.”
The song’s title comes from a common sales pitch from the 1950s.
“In Cambridge where I lived,” Roger Waters informed author Phil Rose Roger Waters and Pink Floyd: The Concept Albums, “people would come from London in a van – a truck – open the back and stand on the tailboard of the truck, and the truck’s full of stuff that they’re trying to sell. And they have a very quick and slick patter, and they’re selling things like crockery, china, sets of knives and forks. All kinds of different things.”
“[‘Any colour you like’] was just part of that patter,” Waters recalled, “So, metaphorically, ‘Any Colour You Like’ is interesting, in that sense, because it denotes offering a choice where there is none.”
(One of Pink Floyd’s early road managers Chris Adamson was also fond of using the phrase, often jokingly replying to requests for equipment with, “Any colour you like, they’re all blue.”)
“And it’s also interesting that in the phrase,” Waters shared with Rose. “‘Any colour you like, they’re all blue,’ I don’t know why, but in my mind, it’s always ‘they’re all blue’, which, if you think about it, relates very much to the light and dark, sun and moon, good and evil. You make your choice but it’s always blue.”
Waters, who was on holiday at the time of recording, did not appear on the track.
It was instead completed by David Gilmour, Nick Mason, and Richard Wright, making ‘Any Colour You Like’ the only classic-era Floyd song to feature a songwriting credit by all three.
The full The Dark Side of the Moon Immersion tracklist below.
Beginning today Syd, Roger, Richard, Nick and David is a new and evolving playlist from Pink Floyd. During this period…
Posted by Pink Floyd on Friday, 22 May 2020
Dark Side of the Moon Immersion Tracklist
CD 1:
The Dark Side Of The Moon digitally remastered by James Guthrie 2011
CD 2:
The Dark Side Of The Moon performed live at Wembley in 1974 (2011 Mix and previously unreleased)
DVD 1
– The Dark Side Of The Moon, James Guthrie 2003 5.1 Surround Mix (previously released only on SACD) in standard resolution audio at 448 kbps
– The Dark Side Of The Moon, James Guthrie 2003 5.1 Surround Mix (previously released only on SACD) in high resolution audio at 640 kbps
– The Dark Side Of The Moon, LPCM Stereo mix (as disc 1)
– The Dark Side Of The Moon, Alan Parsons Quad Mix (previously released only on vinyl LP/8 track tape in 1973) in standard resolution audio at 448 kbps
– The Dark Side Of The Moon, Alan Parsons Quad Mix (previously released only on vinyl LP/8 track tape in 1973) in high resolution audio at 640 kbps
DVD 2
-Live In Brighton 1972:
Careful With That Axe, Eugene (previously unreleased on DVD)
Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun (previously unreleased on DVD)
-The Dark Side Of The Moon, 2003 documentary (25 min EPK)
-Concert Screen Films (60 min total):
British Tour 1974
French Tour 1974
North American Tour 1975
BLURAY
-AUDIO: The Dark Side Of The Moon, James Guthrie 2003 5.1 Surround Mix (previously released only on SACD) in high resolution audio at 96 kHz/24-bit
-AUDIO: The Dark Side Of The Moon, Original stereo mix (1973) mastered in high resolution audio at 96 kHz/24-bit
-AUDIO VISUAL: Live In Brighton 1972:
Careful With That Axe, Eugene (previously unreleased on DVD/BluRay)
Set The Controls For The Heart Of The Sun (previously unreleased on DVD/BluRay)
-AUDIO VISUAL: The Dark Side Of The Moon, 2003 documentary (EPK)
-AUDIO VISUAL: Concert Screen Films (5.1 Surround Mix):
British Tour 1974
French Tour 1974
North American Tour 1975
-AUDIO VISUAL: Concert Screen Films (High Resolution Stereo Mix):
British Tour 1974
French Tour 1974
North American Tour 1975
CD3:
-The Dark Side Of The Moon 1972 Early Album Mix engineered by Alan Parsons (previously unreleased)
– The Hard Way (from ‘Household Objects’ project)
– Us And Them, Richard Wright Demo (previously unreleased)
– The Travel Sequence, live from Brighton June 1972 (previously unreleased)
– The Mortality Sequence, live from Brighton June 1972 (previously unreleased)
– Any Colour You Like, live from Brighton June 1972 (previously unreleased)
– The Travel Sequence, studio recording 1972 (previously unreleased)
– Money, Roger Waters’ demo (previously unreleased)
