No word on Pink Floyd’s $500 million catalog deal — though Roger Waters just released a ‘dark version’ of ‘Comfortably Numb.’
Sony Music released Roger Waters’ “Comfortably Numb 2022,” available today on all streaming platforms. The iconic song originally appeared on Pink Floyd’s The Wall, while Waters recorded the new version during his This is Not a Drill North American tour.
“During Lockdown, I made a demo of a new version of ‘Comfortably Numb’ as an opener for our new show This is Not a Drill,” explains Waters.
“I pitched it a whole step down, in A Minor, to make it darker and arranged it with no solos, except over the outro chord sequence, where there is a heartrendingly beautiful female vocal solo from Shanay Johnson, one of our new singers.”
Produced by Waters and Gus Seyffert, the track also features Joey Waronker, Dave Kilminster, Jonathan Wilson, Jon Carin, Shanay Johnson, Amanda Belair, Robert Walter, Nigel Godrich, and backing vocals from Rogers Waters’ The Wall Sessions. The accompanying video was produced and directed by Sean Evans, with photography by Kate Izor.
Roger Waters’ This is Not a Drill will tour Europe in 2023 with 40 shows across 14 countries. That leg of the tour kicks off in Lisbon on March 17, 2023, at the Altice Arena.
Bids for Pink Floyd’s catalog are reportedly much smaller now than in May when its availability was first announced, with the list of prospective buyers significantly diminishing. The lessened interest is due partly to crucial information previously omitted from comments provided by those familiar with the situation — that Pink Floyd is only offering its recordings, name, image, and likeness rights. The band’s underlying compositions are not included in the offer.
While Sony Music and BMG are both reportedly still in the running, with another prospective buyer hosting “regular calls with the sellers,” chances of a sale being finalized seem less and less likely.