Watch Pink Floyd Working on “Echoes” in 1971

Pink Floyd recently released a rare video that shows the group at work in the studio on their epic track “Echoes,” from the 1971 album Meddle.

The video is a segment from a 1971 documentary about bootleg albums, in which Pink Floyd are seen listening to a bootleg recording of what appears to be a work session for “Echoes.” The video includes the group’s reactions, followed by documentary footage of them working on “Echoes.”

The video is one of the items included in the group’s box set The Early Years 1965–1972. Released in 2016, the 27-disc package features outtakes, demos, TV recordings, BBC Sessions and other artifacts from the band’s early period. Pink Floyd have made this particular video available to announce the March 24 release of individual albums from that box set. This video comes from the volume titled 1971 Reverber/ation.

As for the original source of the video, it appeared in the 1971 documentary 24 Hours—Bootleg Records. Broadcast in the U.K., the documentary deals with the issue of bootlegged records and includes an interview with Pink Floyd and their manager, Steve O’Rourke.

The segment opens with a record dealer explaining that he’d been offered a Pink Floyd bootleg and called O’Rourke to ask permission to carry the album. The man claims O’Rourke said he was thrilled with the idea and would let the man know if he heard of any complaints.

The film then cuts to O’Rourke who responds, “Well, I can’t remember talking to this geezer at all. No, it’s not true at all. Obviously, I wouldn’t be happy about a bootleg album coming out, released by anybody.”

From there we get to glimpse Pink Floyd’s response and watch them in the studio at work on “Echoes” at 1:36.

Take a look below.