Around May 13th, Pink Floyd's 1988 live album Delicate Sound of Thunder was the subject of a reissue/reprint in the US. Having been out of print for more than five years there, the return to availability of the album (particularly in that country) is sure to be welcomed.

It is presented in packaging that seemed to appear at the end of last year in Europe, and is markedly different from how it appeared on its original release.

Moving from the old style "fat" double CD case, to the now normal slim 2CD format, it is immediately apparent how different it is. First, a slightly different image from the Mr Sound and Mr Light photo-shoot appears on the cover, and rather than the original which contained the picture in a box centrally on the front, the image now wraps around the removable booklet. The rear shows the baobab tree cluster, but again fully using the space available. Inside, the discs repeat (as red or blue 'negative' images) the baobabs with a small "PINK FLOYD" and virtually unreadable track names and copyright info, rather than the old style plain text ones from 1988.

There are also some changes to the booklet itself, with some different live shots and other changes. Sonically, there are no changes, as it is not a remaster, and its release is really due to the band's move from Sony to Warner in the US. The repackaging - done by StormStudios - was a good way to give a decent refresh to a fairly tired, and dated, package.

Our thanks in particular to Michael Nickel for his help with this, as well as BD's own Ed Lopez-Reyes. For those who either never bought this live album originally, or who want to update their collection with this new edition, you can order it through the following direct links: Amazon.com, Amazon Canada, Amazon UK, Amazon France, Amazon Germany, Amazon Espana and Amazon Italy.

Earlier this year, online publication The Drummer's Journal released their Spring 2014 issue, which amongst other things, includes an absorbing interview with Nick Mason about life behind the kit for Pink Floyd, and more specifically for TDJ, his thoughts on drumming, drum stores, and such like.

In the interview, Nick reveals the Floyd album which he feels encapsulates the band as musicians, and why he feels it was so successful. He talks of solo material, and how little appetite he has for another solo album, and of the historic Live 8 reunion. For those familiar with Nick's turn of phrase you will know that this is an entertaining read!

The online magazine is available now as a free downloadable PDF file (so you might need Adobe Reader or similar to read it) through this direct link.

The always absorbing UK magazine Record Collector has an unmissable article in the new edition (issue 432, cover date October 2014), which arrived in UK stores yesterday, September 12th, sporting an eye-catching promo shot of Pink Floyd from 1967.

Highlight of the magazine is a dual purpose, five-page feature on the Floyd. The first part takes a detailed look at some of the more notable global rarities, with updated valuations (the last set of valuations was almost six years ago) by Joe Geesin (yes, son of Ron, most notable for Floyd fans for Atom Heart Mother) with help from our friend, BD contributor Herve Denoyelle. Some incredibly rare examples are listed, where just one or two are known to exist, along with more regular releases which are nevertheless boasting a hefty value these days. Who knows what pricey gem you might have lurking in your own collections, that you are unaware of? The discography of Pink Floyd's global rarities makes for fascinating reading, particularly for those of us who have been collecting various things for many years now.

This is coupled with a look at what is known so far - and what has been rumoured - about the band's upcoming studio album The Endless River, which of course is based on the recordings done around the time of 1994's The Division Bell. The writer takes the little which has been officially revealed, and picks away at comments made on various Facebook pages by those involved to try to understand what we are likely to get when TER eventually is released (and as yet, there is NO official release date, despite the rumours and suggestions of dates such as October 27th and November 10th, both possible candidates based on normal scheduling of albums). The writer also takes a look at those known to be working on the recordings, particularly The Orb's Youth, bringing in the collaboration between them and David Gilmour on 2010's Metallic Spheres.

Elsewhere in the magazine are features on modern female metal, Kate Bush, Foreigner, British Soul, and a fascinating look at the huge variety of punk memorabilia and collectables. The magazine should be appearing now in all good UK stores, and will be available worldwide in selected outlets shortly as an import. It is also available to purchase online here.

As regulars here will know, on Saturday night - which was the occasion of his 71st birthday - Roger Waters presented the film of his Wall tour, as well as undertaking a Q&A afterward. BD contributor Peggy Shanks was amongst the lucky ones present, and kindly presents her report (and pictures) from the evening here...

When the announcement was made that Roger and Sean were going to be premiering their film, "Roger Waters The Wall" at the Toronto International Film Festival, I was shocked. It was a pleasant surprise but I hadn't realized that the film was finished (we've been speculating about a concert film since the fall of 2010). To learn that the premiere was happening just a couple of hours down the road from us, and on a Saturday night, was really exciting. I had never been to TIFF before and it's been about 17 years since Mark had been so we weren't quite sure what to expect.

We got up early on Sunday, August 31 and spent about 2 hours in an online queue, trying to get tickets. Eventually, we had our tickets, 2 seats for the world premiere screening. Honestly, we would have been happy to get tickets for any screening of the film but this was what we'd hoped for; seeing the movie, at the premiere, with Roger and Sean in attendance, on Roger's birthday no less.