Recently speaking to The Project of Australian television, Nick Mason discussed revisiting the neglected period of Pink Floyd with his band, Saucerful of Secrets.
When asked if people who came to his concerts are hardcore Pink Floyd fans as they don’t perform the classical works of the band, the drummer replied:
“Well, hopefully, they are people who might be interested in the fact that Pink Floyd made seven or eight albums before we made ‘Dark Side.’ I think that’s quite interesting about what we did earlier and how that became the later albums.”
Mason continued, sharing his thoughts on the band’s overlooked era:
“There is some good music there, and it got sort of lost because once you have sort of mega album, that’s what you end up flying rest of the time. So, it’s some of these things, particularly ‘Echoes,’ was a really a marker on where we were gonna go next.”
Later in the conversation, one of the hosts also wanted to learn how different life was for the musician before and after ‘Dark Side.’ He explained in his response:
“It doesn’t change your life, but it changes the way you operate, and that was the big thing. The thing I can talk about Saucerful is that sense of déjà vu; the first night we went out to Dingwalls, I thought I’d been here before, in 1967. A band that you know, you’ve got friends there, and you’re enjoying playing.”
During a July conversation with the Sydney Morning Herald, Mason stated that he avoids playing Pink Floyd’s famous songs with his band because he thinks many people are already doing it. He further clarified his aim to play early Pink Floyd songs:
“It’s not only the material, but it’s also the way it was played. For me, the interesting moment with this new band was the first night we played. It was a small venue with an audience you could see every one of, and it was a deja vu of that feeling of being four people on stage when we could all see each other and we could play with the music. We didn’t have to play it exactly as it was recorded.”
The drummer is currently touring Australia with Saucerful of Secrets. They will be playing six shows, starting September 16 and ending September 25.
You can watch the full interview below.
