Pink Floyd - Total Eclipse: A Retrospective 1967-1993 (1993) {4CD Box Set, Bootleg}

TOTAL ECLIPSE was conceived in 1993, well into Great Dane's ambitious "Pink Floyd Project." Great Dane had wanted to put out a box set that would appeal to the fans who had been terribly dissapointed with "Shine On," Pink Floyd's official release. It's purpose was to attempt to bring to the fans a comprehensive overview of the band's career, substituting rare material and alternative tracks wherever possible. This is the reason why many of the early singles and B-sides were included. Much "Top Gear" material was also included because not only were the sound sources believed to be the better than on any previously released RoIO (RoIO = Record of Illegitimate/Indeterminate Origin), but also because it seemed that these tracks should also be represented in the band's history. TOTAL ECLIPSE was meant to be chronological (although a few tracks are out of order) and comprehensive; something that could be listened to from beginning to end.

In retrospect, things probably could have been different. Originally TOTAL ECLIPSE was planned to be a 5 CD set, but Great Dane wanted to utilize it's 4 CD "Book" format, presenting 2 CD's on the insides of the front and back covers (this was the first of many Great Dane releases to be packaged in this manner), with an extensive booklet sandwiched between. Although the 5 CD set was ready to go into production (as far as the remastered DATS were concerned), remastering had to start all over again, and cuts had to be made.

In hindsight, the extensive "Nick's Boogie" could have been omited, making room for a few other early tracks, as well as some of the material from DSOTM ("Breath," "On The Run," and "The Great Gig In The Sky"), previously issued on other RoIO's. This might have left room for rare tracks such as "Main Theme From More," "Obscured By Clouds" and "When You're In," and the much requested "Childhood's End." The recent live singles an B-sides from 1987's DSOT tour, "Run Like Hell," and "Money," could also have made room for these rarities. Quality was also a major factor, this being the reason why certain desirable rarities were omitted. Perhaps the biggest regret was the omission of "Lucy Leave" and "King Bee", whose authenticity were still questionable at the time. It was not worth taking the risk of compromising the integrity of this release with a few possibly bogus recordings.

But the efforts put forth, warts and all, seemed to have paid off. Over three years later, it seems that the fans hold TOTAL ECLIPSE in very high regards, and that was my intention to begin with.

Unfortunately, once all of the material (remastered tapes, photos, text, and original artwork) were assembled and shipped to Italy, the production and manufacturing were out of my hands, Great Dane's releases got more elaborate, more ambitious, and certainly more professional over the years, so I'm glad that I wasn't asked to produce TOTAL ECLIPSE at the start of the great "Pink Floyd Project" (which was to release definitive CD's representing each of the band's major tours).

Not being RoLO's, these projects obviously had their limitations. I helped to produce these CD's not only to preserve the best of my audio collection on a (hopefully) longer lasting and more durable format, I wanted to present something that I would buy for myself. I also wanted to show respect for the fans, offering them something that had some thought behind it, making it worth their hard earned cash.

TOTAL ECLIPSE went through three pressings before Great Dane went under due to the Gat Treaty. The second pressing had two even columns on the back cover displaying the track listing. The image on the cover was also sharper and closer to the color of the original artwork. Almost ten thousand copies were produced and undoubtedly sold.

To address other issues stated in comments concerning this RoIO, the "barely readable articles" were included, not to be "read," but for "artistic" purposes only. For some unknown reason, "Murderistic Women" was omitted (although it was included in the liner notes), and "The Massed Gadgets…" was split into two tracks (although it plays out seamlessly). If any tracks seem speeded up or too slow, that is unfortunately the nature of some RoIO's, and the lack of sophisticated equipment (at the time) on my end to make those corrections.

I'd have to say that I've been pretty happy with most of the public's response to Total Eclipse, although I really wish I could do it all over again….

~ ANON, Pink Floyd RoIO Database Homepage