A reminder: in one week's time (21st October) in the US, Canada, Australia and Mexico, the two physical versions of Pink Floyd's first newly recorded music in over 25 years, 'Hey Hey Rise Up' are released.

The single, which was initially released digitally in April in support of the people of Ukraine and reached number 1 in 27 countries, has been available on 7” and CD single in other regions, so next Friday's release will complete the release schedule for this single. Both formats also feature a newly reworked version of 'A Great Day For Freedom' taken from the band's 1994 album, The Division Bell.

The Floyd community has given a good reaction to the release. With the lead song being available back in April, the principle talk (other than the decent packaging of this limited release) is of the B-side/second track, 'A Great Day For Freedom', which is detailed below. This new version seems to be going down very well with fans, with its stripped back sound and fresh approach working well.

The lead track sees David Gilmour and Nick Mason joined by long time Pink Floyd bass player Guy Pratt, with Nitin Sawhney on keyboards, and features vocals by Andriy Khlyvnyuk of Ukrainian band Boombox. Proceeds for the physical release and the ongoing digital proceeds will go to Ukraine humanitarian relief.

For this limited edition release, David Gilmour revisited The Division Bell track 'A Great Day For Freedom'. He has reworked the song using the original tapes which feature Nick Mason on drums and Richard Wright on keyboards, along with backing vocals from Sam Brown, Claudia Fontaine and Durga McBroom. The music for this song was composed by Gilmour with lyrics by Polly Samson and himself.

Talking about the inspiration for 'Hey Hey Rise Up' Gilmour commented, "Any war, but particularly a war that is started by a world superpower against an independent democratic nation, has got to raise enormous anger and frustration in one. As I said before, I have a small connection there; my daughter-in-law is from Ukraine. And the band Boombox are Ukrainian people that I already knew, not well, but from some time ago. It’s an enormously difficult, frustrating, and anger-making thing that one human being could have the power to invade another independent democratic nation and set about killing the population. It’s just obscene to an extent that is just beyond my belief."

Being a limited release - with proceeds to Ukraine humanitarian relief - it is worth securing your copy soon to avoid disappointment or hiked prices trying to track down a copy on eBay. Here's a selection of places you can get the two editions:

Announced this lunchtime: Canada has been confirmed as the sixth country to host The Pink Floyd Exhibition: Their Mortal Remains, the magnificent and critically acclaimed major retrospective of Pink Floyd, their music and the impact the band had on art and culture.

Following its hugely successful debut at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum in 2017, which saw over 400,000 people attend, the exhibition has subsequently traveled to Italy, Germany, Spain and the United States attracting over 500,000 people and will now take residency in the cultural hub of Montreal.

The Exhibition opens on November 4 at Arsenal Contemporary Art Montreal, which should be the perfect venue for the immersive experiential journey through Pink Floyd's world. The band played in Montreal a number of times, including the concert which concluded the 1977 tour, and inspired The Wall. The exhibition is due to run for the rest of the year, with an anticipated closing date of December 31, 2022.

Tickets for the exhibition have just gone on sale via PinkFloydExhibition.com and as before, advance booking is highly recommended as popular times and dates will no doubt sell quickly. Opening hours each week for the exhibition are as follows:

• Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays: 10:00am to 6:00pm (time of last entry)
• Fridays, Saturdays: 10:00am to 7:00pm (time of last entry)
• Sundays: 10:00am to 5:00pm (time of last entry)
 

Ticket prices include the excellent audioguide which attendees to previous stagings of the exhibition will know is an extremely well designed facility which will really enhance your visit.

For more information about the exhibition, either check out the various articles here on Brain Damage, or visit www.pinkfloydexhibition.com.

A new podcast episode, hosted on Spotify from "I'm In Love With That Song" ties in with the current Nick Mason's Saucerful Of Secrets Echoes Tour in the US and Canada, with a detailed look at one of the songs in the band's set list.

It breaks down the song with a number of isolated instrument sections, giving an unusual perspective on how the song was created. Definitely worth a listen!

A potential addition to your Floydian bookshelves is published on March 23rd next year, tying in with the 50th anniversary of the release of one of the most iconic albums of all time. Martin Popoff's Pink Floyd and The Dark Side of the Moon: 50 Years is a new, slipcased hardback book promising to delve into the detail of the band's 1973 epic.

The publicity for the book notes that "veteran rock critic Martin Popoff leaves no stone unturned in taking apart Pink Floyd's generation-spanning masterpiece, The Dark Side of the Moon, while exploring each of the album's 10 tracks and their themes of madness, anxiety, and alienation. Chapters cover:

• The state of Pink Floyd as of 1972, with special emphasis on deposed founder Syd Barrett
• The recording sessions at famed Abbey Road Studios, including techniques used and the roles of personnel such as engineer Alan Parsons
• Song-by-song studies of each album side, including analyses of lyrics and the guitars, drums, keyboards, and synthesizers employed by members David Gilmour, Roger Waters, Nick Mason, and Richard Wright
• The ground-breaking art and packaging created by design firm Hipgnosis and its co-founder Storm Thorgerson
• The continent-hopping tours that supported the album and also introduced the songs before its release
• The rock group’s trajectory post-Dark Side, including notable albums, tours, and the departure of Waters

The publishers also note that "Popoff... takes you on side journeys examining each band member, session players, prog rock, the Live at Pompeii concert and film, Waters' singular writing technique, Dark Side collectibles, awards, and more. There's even a brief discography and complete LP tour dates. Presented in a 10" × 10" slipcased book, Pink Floyd and The Dark Side of the Moon is illustrated with stunning performance and candid off-stage photography as well as rare memorabilia."

Certainly sounds interesting, and we're looking forward to checking it out around the time of the album's anniversary.

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