Comprising two musical suites, The Man and The Journey, this was not a concert for the hit-happy casual viewer. Although many of the tracks, or at least elements thereof, are now familiar, the likes of "Grantchester Meadows" (aka "Daybreak"), "Cymbaline" (aka "Nightmare") and "Careful With That Axe, Eugene" (the marvelously titled "Beset by Creatures of the Deep" were all more-or-less new back then. Other "oldies" - "Pow R Toc H" (restructured as "The Pink Jungle"), and an improv based around "Interstellar Overdrive" ("Behold The Temple Of Light") are only marginally recognizable

But the audience’s silence (respectful or confused? You decide) works to the recording’s advantage. The Man And The Journey never made it into the studio in its own right, but the lack of interruption here is so pronounced that it might as well have.

It’s not all brilliant. The conceptual percussives of "Work" go on way too long and, in and around some moments of sublime loveliness, the band is clearly still struggling to locate the thin line that divides masterful improvisation from pointless noodling. There’s also, clearly, a lot more going on onstage than the microphones picked up ("Sleep" was very aptly titled). But an electrifying "Biding My Time" (aka "Afternoon") is a genuine treat, nailed down by a Gilmour guitar solo that transforms the familiar Relics ballad into a full-fledged rocker, and "Green is The Colour" (aka "The Beginning") is an absolute treat.

The sound quality here is superlative - this is surely the best rendering we’re ever going to hear - and the only real drawback lies in the fact that each of the suites is served up as one long track, meaning you cannot easily skip either the boring bits, or an endless drum solo. For all that, however, The Man And The Journey is a vital chapter in the Pink Floyd story, and this is its definitive rendering.

Note: Veteran music writer Dave Thompson is a regular contributor writing on hard-to-find rarities. Dave is the author of many well reviewed rock biographies, including the recent Virgin Books' Red Hot Chili Peppers biography, works on The Cure and Kurt Cobain. He wrote Cream: The World's First Supergroup which was published early last year. In the past, Dave has written for Live! Music Review and he is also a regular contributor to Rolling Stone, Mojo and Q magazines. Click here to buy Dave's e-books.

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