In the first bit of news, Roger Waters’ current 2011 touring of his criminally overrated snorefest The Wall, threw out a surprise for those fans who’d paid to see it at the O2 arena on Thursday night and somehow managed to stay awake. For only the second time in 30 years, he was joined on stage by the surviving members of Pink Floyd. Former adversaries, Dave Gilmour and Nick Mason.

Now, thankfully, I wasn’t there, but I can imagine it to have been a smug burying-of-the-hatchet type moment, accompanied by the musical equivalent of an overdose of Mogadon. Apparently, Nick Mason played a tambourine.

Of course, this is mere speculation and I’m sure there’s an army of post-Barrett Floydians out there, who actually witnessed this once in a generation spectacle and can tell me just how wrong I am; some in a witty and erudite manner that would put Oscar Wilde to shame and others less so. Such is the anonymity teh internetz brings, where the common-or-garden obsessive can issue death threats without fear of recrimination… or, indeed, having to carry them through.

This reunion of former warring factions – in Gilmour’s case during the performance of The Wall’s centrepiece ‘Comfortably Numb’ and Mason’s during the album’s spoken word tail-end ‘Outside the Wall’ – came in the same week as the second item of news was announced. Coincidence? That’s not for me to say.

This was the moderately more interesting revelation that this year will see the reissue of the complete Pink Floyd backcatalog and, more significantly, that three of the albums had been chosen for so-called “Immersion” treatment. This entails, multiple discs featuring all sorts of rare material, including live recordings, demos, documentaries, footage, as well as vinyl editions, booklets and other assorted “value-added” tat, roped together in a desperate bid to justify its extortionate price tag.

So what are the three albums chosen for this treatment? Should we be jumping for joy at the promise of a Piper at the Gates of Dawn to end all Pipers at the Gates of Dawn?

Well, no. Somewhat predictably, the albums receiving this gargantuan overhaul are Dark Side of the Moon, the aforementioned The Wall and Wish You Were Here… With the exception of the latter, a veritable voyage into the drearier reaches of sonic paint drying. There was also something about these three albums appearing in less extravagant “Experience” box-sets, but I’d completely lost interest by the time I got to these and have since forgotten individual details.

It’s worth noting that all 14 original Pink Floyd studio albums will be reissued in “Discovery” editions: single-disc remasters with absolutely no extras whatsoever. Like there aren’t enough of those already.

So it’s a big well done to Roger Waters, for once again overlooking the Syd Barrett years when it comes to putting these swanky packages together; and well done to EMI, for another shameless stab at fleecing the fans. I suppose new owner Citigroup needs some way of reclaiming that 2.2 billion debt they so “generously” wrote off.

In other news, I fear I may well have just diminished, considerably, my chances of copping hold of a few review copies.

The “Discovery” reissues and all the associated Pink Floyd box-sets are available for pre-order from Amazon.co.uk, should their acquisition be your particular bag.

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At the risk of sounding like some Luddite with his head stuck in the late 60s and 70s – though I’m sure I probably do – I must ask the question, WHY?

Why download only? Surely Polydor are missing their market completely – or maybe it’s just me. Granted, I’m fully aware that the day will soon arrive when newborn babies are born with every single piece of music ever recorded, pre-programmed into their tiny brains and archived for immediate access whenever the mood takes. That’s progress for you. But until that happens there are those of us who still purchase the quaint artefact known as the compact disc – though we are ostracised and casually harangued on the street for our peculiar preference.

True, I occasionally download albums from Amazon or iTunes myself – making me not only a Luddite but a ruddy great hypocrite – but I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that the majority of people who would be interested in a remastered reissue of an album by progressive art-rockers, The Soft Machine, would appreciate the choice of either going the electronic route or having something they can actually hold in their hands.

A download only track may be all right for the latest single by Lilly Allen, Beyonce Knowles or Eminem, as their music is targeted specifically at a disposable generation seeking instant gratification, but these two albums hark back to 1968 and ’69 respectively, long before the humble CD even, in the days when the gatefold sleeve was an artform in itself.

I for one prefer the packaging, the informative booklet – something to look at, something to read (Am I sounding like a simpleton here?). You only have to look to the likes of Repertoire or Fly Records with their lush digipack reissues to see how this should be done.

So have Polydor dropped a bollock here?

Maybe I’m way off mark and it’s just me. Maybe this is what the rest of The Soft Machine’s audience have been screaming out for. I doubt it though – particularly when you consider that not everybody has access to their own computer, let alone an MP3 player.

Let me know what you think.

Update Both The Soft Machine Volume 1 and Volume Two reissues are scheduled for a CD release on July 20th 2009 and available from Amazon.co.uk. Thanks to Martin Westmacott for the letting us know.

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Granted, it may well be my prejudices colouring my opinion, as the Head Full of Snow musical tastes tend to start late 1966 and peter out around 1979. Despite the occasional sojourn into the realms of the modern, albeit admittedly retro (see Matt Berry’s Witchazel review), it’s between these 13 solid years that they largely remain.

Unfortunately (for me, anyway) the magazine had too many items on modern progressive rock. I wanted to read about the bands of the 70s in all their barmy, spaced out, self-indulgent glory. I wanted tales of excess and folly from the likes of Camel, Web, Arthur Brown, Gentle Giant, The Pink Fairies et al. Fickle, I know, but that’s the cut of my jib. The review pages were largely made up of post 1980 stuff too.

Another prejudice reared its ugly head with the selection of Phil Jupitus to write about the Genesis album covers. His smugness grates with me and isn’t helped by the fact he seems to pass himself off at every given opportunity as an expert on every musical genre going.

Then there’s the cardboard wallet the magazine came in. Pretty? Yes. But what’s the point of it other than to bump up the cover price? Which raises the final gripe. The cost.

Seven pounds and ninety-nine of the Queen’s own! I fear this peculiarly high price may deter many from buying. I know I was in two minds while I stood in WH Smiths staring blankly at the cover and trying to come to a bloody decision. I’m aware that for such a niche subject they need to cover their costs and might very well end up running at a loss but even so, £7.99 is way too much for a magazine, beautifully designed cardboard wallet or not.

But personal prejudice and minor gripes aside, Classic Rock Presents… Prog! is a move in the right direction. It’s certainly a brave move to bring out a quarterly magazine dedicated to such a derided and, in this day and age, ostracised genre as prog rock. Whether it will find an audience remains to be seen. The inclusion of the modern-day stuff is clearly to cast the net as wide as possible and it might just work.

However, in three months time I would personally like to see a lower cover price or at least something a bit special other than a bit of cardboard to justify it.

Classic Rock Magazine website

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