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Pink Floyd's Bio:

<I>Echoes</I> is a double-CD collection of some of Pink Floyd"s best songs. It"s also a fascinating document of the band"s history. They began life as Syd Barrett"s phantasmagoric plaything before clasping the wings of Icarus and ascending toward the sun on an epic space-rock odyssey+ eventually turning left once they reached the dark side of the moon and burning up on reentry+ crash-landing on every earthlings" home hi-fi. And it"s all here--30 years of the Floyd"s awesome back catalog trimmed down to two handsome CDs. It"s worth remembering that+ despite a fondness for pyrotechnics+ Pink Floyd were never a prog-rock band. Sure+ some of their songs are a bit long+ and they never released singles (at least not for 11 years)+ but the same could be said for Led Zeppelin. Clinically devoid of the faux-classical overtures and vainglorious musicianship of that era+ Pink Floyd were a pole apart; <I>Meddle</I>"s epic maritime tone poem "Echoes" remains the Floyd"s apogee. But here+ on this collection+ "the albatross" which "hangs motionless upon the air" has had its wings clipped--seven full minutes are missing+ but you"d never be able to tell. The sonar bleeps+ the screeching seagulls+ the howling winds are all retained+ and whoever wielded the editorial axe+ Eugene+ did so carefully. </p> <p> Interestingly+ the album"s nonchronological track listing works--the summery+ childhood enchantment of "See Emily Play" is right next to the school discipline of "Happiest Days of Our Lives"--and at least this way no one will switch off when material from <I>A Momentary Lapse of Reason</I> comes around. Despite the curious omission of "Atom Heart Mother+" this really is the very best of the Floyd--from the throbbing "One of These Days" to the pop operatic "Great Gig in the Sky" to the genius silvery fluidity of Dave Gilmour"s guitar work. This is timeless+ as many members of Sigur Rós+ Radiohead+ and the Beta Band will attest. <I>--Kevin Maidment</I>
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Pink Floyd's Albums
Star Profile
Knebworth - The Album (2 CD SET)
ANIMALS (LP Replica) (Ltd Collector&quot;s Edition)
Pink Floyd-Wish You Were Here
On Top of The World
Keep Talking
Pink Floyd The Wall Live Earls Court
Obscured By Clouds (Lp Sleeve) (Ecxclusive Special Collector&quot;s Edition)
Meddle (Lp Sleeve) (Ecxclusive Special Collector&quot;s Edition)
Take It Back
Pulse [Live]/ Hardcover Booklet Jewel &amp; 2 Cds Edition

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
2 CD Set Limited Edition with 42 page Booklet Jewel (size of an regular Jewel)_______Disc: 1______11tracks 1. Shine On You Crazy Diamond 2. Astronomy Domine 3. What Do You Want From Me 4. Learning To Fly 5. Keep Talking 6. Coming Back To Life 7. Hey You 8. A Great Day For Freedom 9. Sorrow 10. High Hopes 11. Another Brick In The Wall (Part Two) ________Disc: 2______13tracks 1. Speak To Me 2. Breathe 3. On The Run 4. Time 5. The Great Gig In The Sky 6. Money 7. Us And Them 8. Any Colour You Like 9. Brain Damage 10. Eclipse 11. Wish You Were Here 12. Comfortably Numb 13. Run Like Hell
Pink Floyd The Wall
Pink Floyd Interview Picture Disc and Fully Illustrated Book
Is There Anybody Out There?

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
Japanese version of 2000 release of live recording of The Wall with a limited supplement of a stcker with first pressing only. Standard double jewel case.
Interstellar Overdrive - Full Lenght Version Featuring Syd Barrett

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
Digitally Remastered - Interstellar Overdrive [Audio CD] Pink Floyd Friends 1. Alan Ginsberg - Tonite lets all make love in London 2. Pink Floyd - Interstellar overdrive 3. Fleetwood Mac - Man of the world 4. Mick Jagger - Interview 5. The Small Faces - Here come the nice 6. Pink Floyd - Nicks boogie 7. P.P. Arnold - Angelof the morning 8. The Nice - America 9. The Moody Blues - Stop
WISH YOU WERE HERE (LP Sleeve) (Limited Edition) (LP replica)
Animals [BONUS ALBUM] A Saucer Full Of Secrets [LIMITED EDITION] Pink Floyd
Final Cut
London 1966/1967
London 1966-1967

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
The Full Length Definitive Version of `interstellar and the Little Known `nicks Boogie Recorded at Sound Techniques London on the 11th and 12th of January 1967 for Peter Whiteheads Sixties Films Most Notably `tonight Lets Make Love in London. Some of the Footage Whitehead Filmed is Included as Enhanced Bonus Content.
Division Bell
Maximum Audio Biography: Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
Full Colour Picture Disc CD and Eight Page Illustrated Booklet with Fold Out Poster!


Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
Audio CD book on a full color picture CD. Contains a biography complete with comments and interview excerpts. Comes ina full color slipcase with an eight page photo booklet and a one-sided 10 inch x 10 inch full color poster. 55 minutesin length. 2000 release. Standard jewel case.
Maximum Floyd
Inside Pink Floyd: A Critical Review 1975-1996
Inside Pink Floyd: A Critical Review 1967-1974
The Final Cut
Dark Side of the Moon 30th Anniversary Edition

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
The Dark Side Of The Moon one of Pink Floyds most highly acclaimed albums (over 35 million copies sold since its release) is now available in SACD format. Listening to this influential rock album in full 5.1 channel surround sound is a thrill no matter how many times youve listened to the original releases.


Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
iDark Side of the Moon originally released in 1973 is one of those albums that is discovered anew by each generation of rock listeners. This complex often psychedelic music works very well because Pink Floyd doesnt rush anything; the songs are mainly slow to mid-tempo with attention paid throughout to musical texture and mood. The sound effects on songs like On the Run Time and especially Money (with sampled sounds of clinking coins and cash registers turned into rhythmic accompaniment) are impressive especially when we remember that 1973 was before the advent of digital recording techniques. This is probably Pink Floyds best-known work and its an excellent place to start if youre new to the band. Genevieve Williams
Momentary Lapse of Reason
Interstellar Overdrive
X-Posed
Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
IEchoes is a double-CD collection of some of Pink Floyds best songs. Its also a fascinating document of the bands history. They began life as Syd Barretts phantasmagoric plaything before clasping the wings of Icarus and ascending toward the sun on an epic space-rock odyssey eventually turning left once they reached the dark side of the moon and burning up on reentry crash-landing on every earthlings home hi-fi. And its all here--30 years of the Floyds awesome back catalog trimmed down to two handsome CDs. Its worth remembering that despite a fondness for pyrotechnics Pink Floyd were never a prog-rock band. Sure some of their songs are a bit long and they never released singles (at least not for 11 years) but the same could be said for Led Zeppelin. Clinically devoid of the faux-classical overtures and vainglorious musicianship of that era Pink Floyd were a pole apart; IMeddles epic maritime tone poem Echoes remains the Floyds apogee. But here on this collection the albatross which hangs motionless upon the air has had its wings clipped--seven full minutes are missing but youd never be able to tell. The sonar bleeps the screeching seagulls the howling winds are all retained and whoever wielded the editorial axe Eugene did so carefully. /p p Interestingly the albums nonchronological track listing works--the summery childhood enchantment of See Emily Play is right next to the school discipline of Happiest Days of Our Lives--and at least this way no one will switch off when material from IA Momentary Lapse of Reason comes around. Despite the curious omission of Atom Heart Mother this really is the very best of the Floyd--from the throbbing One of These Days to the pop operatic Great Gig in the Sky to the genius silvery fluidity of Dave Gilmours guitar work. This is timeless as many members of Sigur Rós Radiohead and the Beta Band will attest. Kevin Maidment
A Collection of Great Dance Songs

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
Digitally remastered Japanese limited edition featuring an LP style slipcase cover for initial pressing.


Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
Japanese remastered reissue of 1981 compilation packaged in a limited edition miniature LP sleeve. 6 tracks.
Wish You Were Here.
Star Profiles
Is There Anybody Out There

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
Trust The DJ. 2004.
Wish You Were Here

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
iWish You Were Here is a song cycle dedicated to Pink Floyds original frontman Syd Barrett whod flamed out years before: two grimly funny songs about the evils of the music business (By the way which ones Pink?) and two long touching ones about the bands vanished friend. The real star of the show though is the production: sparkling convoluted designed to sound deeply oh-wow under the influence--and pretty great sober too--with David Gilmour getting lots of space for his most lyrical guitar playing ever. And though the album is big and ambitious even bombastic it somehow dodges being pretentious--the Barrett tributes are honest and heartfelt beneath all the grand gestures and stereophonic trickery. Douglas Wolk
The Wall (Deluxe Packaging Digitally Remastered)

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
iThe Wall is less a collection of songs than a single work which is sometimes frustrating; the plot lacks enough coherence to hold the snippets of music together. However there are occasional flashes of brilliance on what ranks as Pink Floyds most ambitious project. Most of these come from the fully developed songs which have become classics in their own right. Hey You Mother and especially Comfortably Numb are subtle incredible pieces of music. Though complex they move at a relaxed pace allowing the listener to absorb them slowly; this kind of pacing was something Pink Floyd excelled at. Also worth noting is the Another Brick in the Wall/The Happiest Days of Our Lives medley which has become a staple of rock radio. Genevieve Williams
Collection of Great Dance Songs

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
For those who spent the whole of the 1970s actually living on the dark side of the moon rather than listening to it IA Collection of Great Dance Songs offers an opportunity to hear some of the most timeless thoughtful and influential rock music ever made by rich bitter Englishmen. The albums title certainly seems less deceptive now considering just how much of the Floyds instrumental ambience eventually seeped into the techno and dance scenes of the 90s. Initially released during one of those yawning epochs between studio albums (namely IThe Wall and IThe Final Cut) this best-of collection cherry picks from Pink Floyds 1970s material--the era when the band (and they were a band in those days) bestrode the stadiums of the world like light-show leviathans and sold records by the tons--and is only undermined by the omission of sprawling masterpieces such as Echoes and Atom Heart Mother (such were the time limitations of the old vinyl format). Never mind the dance floor this a great portable Pink Floyd collection for long car journeys. Kevin Maidment
Animals

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
Although not in the same vein as the deliciously hallucinogenic earlier Floyd works such as iUmmagumma and iDark Side of the Moon iAnimals is innovative and musically diverse in its own right. Inspired in part by George Orwells political fable iAnimal Farm Roger Waters condemns the avarice and inequalities of capitalism metaphorically and musically grouping humans as pigs dogs and sheep. The pigs are self-righteous hypocrites inflicting their beliefs on everyone else the dogs greedy money-grabbers and the sheep witless followers. Dark cynical and brilliantly composed Animals is an ingenious and under-acknowledged album. Naomi Gesinger
Is There Anybody Out There? The Wall Live

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
Exactly what was Pink Floyds iThe Wall? Rock opera? Concept album? Performance art? Mere entertainment? While the truth may lie in a combination of all of the above during the bands tour of 1980-81 iThe Wall was a bona fide Ispectacle. More than anything IIs There Anybody Out There? captures the volume the bombast and the grandeur of these famed performances with remarkable accuracy. Meticulously recorded these concerts are astonishingly faithful to the bands studio versions and flow out of the speakers with practiced authority and absolutely fantastic sound. That said there are few new revelations to be gained from hearing IThe Wall live that cant be gleaned from the studio version. Some moments do have an additional spark however. Run Like Hell is launched with blistering intensity and the first notes of Another Brick in the Wall Part 1 will surely raise a shiver. The release also includes two tracks (What Shall We Do Now The Last Few Bricks) left off the original release due to space constraints. Essential for Floyd fanatics as well as those wishing to hear just how terrific a live concert can sound. S. Duda
Is There Anybody Out There? / The Wall Live Pink Floyd 1980-81 (Deluxe Limited Edition)

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
Exactly what was Pink Floyds iThe Wall? Rock opera? Concept album? Performance art? Mere entertainment? While the truth may lie in a combination of all of the above during the bands tour of 1980-81 iThe Wall was a bona fide Ispectacle. More than anything IIs There Anybody Out There? captures the volume the bombast and the grandeur of these famed performances with remarkable accuracy. Meticulously recorded these concerts are astonishingly faithful to the bands studio versions and flow out of the speakers with practiced authority and absolutely fantastic sound. That said there are few new revelations to be gained from hearing IThe Wall live that cant be gleaned from the studio version. Some moments do have an additional spark however. Run Like Hell is launched with blistering intensity and the first notes of Another Brick in the Wall Part 1 will surely raise a shiver. The release also includes two tracks (What Shall We Do Now The Last Few Bricks) left off the original release due to space constraints. Essential for Floyd fanatics as well as those wishing to hear just how terrific a live concert can sound. S. Duda
In London: 1966-67

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
Digitally remastered reissue of EP featuring Interstellar Overdrive (Full Length Version) Nicks Boogie both from the soundtrack to the film Tonite Lets All Make Love In London. Both tracks have been remastered using 20 Super Bit Mapping (SBM) technology. Also included is a bonus CD-ROM with the full length video to Interstellar Overdrive and interview footage of Mick Jagger David Hockney Michael Caine Julie Christie an overview by director Peter Whitehead. Double slimline jewel case. 1999 release.


Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
This recording appears in the 1967 Peter Whitehead rockumentary Tonite Lets Make Love in London which highlights some of better groups around from that era (Rolling Stones Small Faces Eric Burdon the New Animals etc.). Includes an extended version of Interstellar Overdrive the Floyd classic that appears on the groups debut record (Piper at the Gates of Dawn) a previously unreleased track Nicks Boogie. Booklet features unique stills from the movie.
The Wall: 1980-1981 (Live)
Mini Sampler
In London 1966-67
Piper At The Gates Of Dawn (Limited Edition)

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
While they took their name from blues musicians Pink Anderson and Floyd Council when they started out as an RB combo in the mid-60s Pink Floyds leader guitarist Syd Barrett soon began piloting the band through unprecedented sonic excursions typified by the title of their 1967 debut albums most celebrated track--the outsized instrumental Interstellar Overdrive. Equally adept at composing catchy-sounding Gothic-themed pop songs such as See Emily Play The Scarecrow and The Gnome Barrett seemed destined for greatness--that is until psychedelic drugs got the best of him and he abandoned the band to bassist Roger Waters and new guitarist David Gilmour. The rest as they say is history. Billy Altman
1967 Singles Sampler (Limited Edition)

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
Limited edition 1997 EMI release part of the bands 30thanniversary. It features the A and extremely rare B-sidesto their first three singles all from 1967: Arnold Laynew/ Scarecrow Candy And A Currant Bun w/ Apples AndOranges See Emily Play
A Momentary Lapse of Reason

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
Though many predicted that Roger Waterss acrimonious split with the band after 1983s aptly named iFinal Cut would ultimately spell the end of Pink Floyd the remaining band members confounded pundits by extending their status as classic rocks most ponderous dinosaurs into the 1990s and beyond. And if the title was a gentle jab at Waters after a years-long legal struggle over the Floyd moniker the music was all too familiar; some would say even formulaic. And lest anyone doubted that the absence of Waterss dour soul would lighten things up a bit guitarist and post facto leader Dave Gilmour gamely took on the Mantle of Conscience for topics ranging from the cold war (The Dogs of War) to yuppie self-indulgence (On the Turning Away). And if this album sometimes evokes an uncomfortable feeling of a band on autopilot its one that can still turn out the likes of the anthemic Learning to Fly on cruise control. Jerry McCulley
Picture Disc &amp; Book
There Is No Dark Side
Interview
London 66-67
Tonite Lets All Make Love
Obscured By Clouds

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
Commissioned as the soundtrack for Barbet Schroeders 1972 film iThe Valley iObscured By Clouds actually holds up rather well on its own terms. The title track is a trippy cinematic instrumental that features some searing guitar work from David Gilmour but full-fledged songs like Free Four (which sounds like a morbid inversion of Norman Greenbaums Spirit in the Sky) and the folksy Wots...Uh the Deal are the real highlights of the set. Essentially a transitional work iObscured By Clouds has long been dwarfed by iDark Side of the Moon the album which came immediately after it. In fact the funky Childhoods End and the ethereal Burning Bridges could well be dry runs for the iDark Side tracks Time and Breathe respectively. In all its a priceless snapshot of a band on the verge of immortality. Dan Epstein
More

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
Concocted for director Barbet Schroeders dystopian hippie road flick this album marks Floyds first venture into film scoring a task they undertake with a verve that overshadows their lack of formal training in the field. With just a handful of cuts echoing the trippy atmospheric space-rock that was so much a part of their early career theres a surprisingly familiar dedication to songcraft evident here especially for a soundtrack. Roger Waterss acoustic ballads (Cirrus Minor Crying Song Green is the Color) dark and dirge-like are familiar predecessors to music that would highlight iWish You Were Here and iThe Wall while Dave Gilmours slashing riffs on The Nile Song also foreshadow greatness to come. Moody and surprisingly eclectic iMore has rightly earned its place as a Floyd cult fave. Jerry McCulley
Relics

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
This compilation and greatest hits package has the odd distinction of being released well before the band hit its stadium-filling prime in the mid-to-late 70s. This album essentially bridges the considerable gap between original leader Syd Barretts baroque psychedelic pop-single bent (exemplified here by the bands first chart hit See Emily Play and the cross-dressing mini-epic Arnold Layne both stellar singles left off the bands debut album) and the more ponderous musical pretensions of Roger Waters the bands de facto leader after mental illness sidelined Barrett early on. Its a good introduction to the bands foundations for Floyd novices and the inclusion of the early singles and two early outtakes (Julia Dream and Biding My Time) make it a must for aficionados. Jerry McCulley
London &quot;66-&quot;67

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
Digitally remastered reissue of EP featuring Interstellar Overdrive (Full Length Version) Nicks Boogie both from the soundtrack to the film Tonite Lets All Make Love In London. Both tracks have been remastered using 20 Super Bit Mapping (SBM) technology. Also included is a bonus CD-ROM with the full length video to Interstellar Overdrive and interview footage of Mick Jagger David Hockney Michael Caine Julie Christie an overview by director Peter Whitehead. Double slimline jewel case. 1999 release.


Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
This recording appears in the 1967 Peter Whitehead rockumentary Tonite Lets Make Love in London which highlights some of better groups around from that era (Rolling Stones Small Faces Eric Burdon the New Animals etc.). Includes an extended version of Interstellar Overdrive the Floyd classic that appears on the groups debut record (Piper at the Gates of Dawn) a previously unreleased track Nicks Boogie. Booklet features unique stills from the movie.
Pulse

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
A two-CD live collection from a band left splintered by the departure of bassist-songwriter Roger Waters IPulse is perhaps best noted for the blinking red light that was set in its spine upon initial release. It contains the remaining band (with guest musicians) performing the entire IDark Side of the Moon album the novelty of which wears off soon after the crowd noise interrupts any potential intimacy. The crowd also sings along for several songs which makes this either a great audio-video document or a misguided attempt at replicating the live experience. Rob OConnor
Interview Disc (+Book)

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
Full-colour Fresh Packed with Information the Must have Book Traces the Lives and Works of Pink Floyd. Limited Edition Interview Picture CD Fully Illustated 120 Page Colour Book Chronological Discography Collectable CD Format.
Baktabak Interview: The Interview
The Division Bell

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
As Roger Waterss solo career set into a sunset of suspiciously self-serving iWall revivals and compelling if modest-selling solo efforts his former band became one of the few outfits in the soft live market of the 1990s to burnish its stadium-filling appeal. But their recorded output wasnt quite so rosy. As all post-iDark Side of the Moon albums must have a Big Important Theme iThe Division Bell is vaguely about levels of separation (did you say duh!?) with more than one not-so-opaque lyrical jab at the estranged Waters. But theres a sense that the band may have put more thought into its trademark audio gimmickry (well represented here by the actual sound of the earths crust cracking--you dont get Ithat on Rage Against the Machine albums!--and a spoken intro by Dr. Stephen Hawking or rather his voice synthesizer) than it did into its songs this time around. The opening Cluster One has a hypnotic minimalist lure that dissolves all too quickly into the bluesy waffle of What Do You Want From Me while Floyd Mach III leader Dave Gilmours usually lyrical guitar work is uninspired throughout a definite Floydian slip. Still the band maddeningly manages a few moments of the old grandeur here and there. iThe Division Bell is not a great Pink Floyd album but an all-too-fallible simulation. Jerry McCulley
The Dark Side of the Moon - 20th Anniversary Edition
Interview Picture Disc
Shine On

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
Available Again! this is Columbias Beautifully Packaged Nine-disc 1992 Box Set featuring Seven Classic Floyd Albums Digitally Remastered (a Saucerful of Secrets meddle Dark Side of the Moon wish You were Here animals the Wall (Two Cds) and a Momentary Lapse of Reason) plus a 10 Track Bonus Disc featuring Both Sides of Five Early Singles. 79 Tracks Total Including see Emily Play remember a Day one of These Days money have a Cigar pigs (Three Different Ones) another Brick in the Wall (Pt.2) And learning to Fly. When the Eight Discs Are Set Together on the Shelf their Spines Form the Prism and Rainbow from the Cover of dark Side of the Moon. br11. 5 Inch X br13. 5 Inch X Two Inch Box Identical to the One the Deleted USA Release Came In.


Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
Box sets are difficult phenomena. Their cost is often prohibitive and the weight of outtakes alternate takes chronological corrections and myriad other completist elements make them sometimes less listenable than the original recordings. But this mammoth nine-CD package is a different breed of cat. It collects a smattering of early Pink Floyd including the great hits and misses caught on iRelics iA Saucerful of Secrets and iMeddle and then moves into the bands Igreat period with iDark Side of the Moon and their first Sony titles IWish You Were Here and iAnimals. Their development from early psychedelicists to producers of suite-length musical ponderings is great to witness. And its even more fascinating to see where the band went with what theyd learned by 1977. To that end the set includes iThe Wall in its entirety as well as iA Momentary Lapse of Reason. No doubt about it this is a huge investment but the packaging thoroughness intent and impact all warrant that even casual fans should make the leap ahead into the fullness this box offers. Andrew Bartlett


Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
Available again! This is Columbias beautifully packaged nine-disc 1992 box set featuring seven classic Floyd albums digitally remastered (A Saucerful Of Secrets Meddle Dark Side Of The Moon Wish You Were Here Animals The Wall (two CDs)
Dark Side Of The Moon

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
iDark Side of the Moon originally released in 1973 is one of those albums that is discovered anew by each generation of rock listeners. This complex often psychedelic music works very well because Pink Floyd doesnt rush anything; the songs are mainly slow to mid-tempo with attention paid throughout to musical texture and mood. The sound effects on songs like On the Run Time and especially Money (with sampled sounds of clinking coins and cash registers turned into rhythmic accompaniment) are impressive especially when we remember that 1973 was before the advent of digital recording techniques. This is probably Pink Floyds best-known work and its an excellent place to start if youre new to the band. Genevieve Williams
Ummagumma

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
Released in 1969 iUmmagumma represents where the influence of departed founding songwriter Syd Barrett began to fade in favor of the rather less whimsical and pastoral visions of Roger Waters. iUmmagumma is a double album divided into live and studio halves. The live cuts--Astronomy Domine Careful with That Axe Eugene Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun and A Saucerful of Secrets--established the Floyds predilection for gloomily atmospheric and faintly preposterous sci-fi bombast that would turn them into such a successful stage act. The kindest that may be said of the studio compositions--by and large interminable avant-prog rambles in search of the lost chord--is that they havent dated terribly well. Andrew Mueller
The Dark Side of the Moon
Works

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
A concise if somewhat haphazardly sequenced introduction to Pink Floyds first era (1967-73 on EMIs Harvest label) this collection documents the bands evolution from their creative force Syd Barretts tinkly psych-pop (represented here by the standout singles Arnold Layne and See Emily Play) to the ubiquitous world-beating strains of iDark Side of the Moons Brain Damage and Eclipse. Its a decidedly different band than the one familiar to fans of iThe Wall iThe Final Cut and its post-Roger Waters incarnations one with an experimental bent that fueled an eclectic mix of driving space-rock (One of These Days) Roy Harper-esque folksiness (Fearless) and free-form sound collages (Several Species). Ironically this is also the Pink Floyd for whom younger alt-rock schooled music fans may find an unlikely affinity. Jerry McCulley
A Saucerful of Secrets

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
iA Saucerful of Secrets is an uneven album that could glibly be called Pink Floyds sophomore jinx though its a bit more complicated than that. The problems behind the bands second outing can be summed up in two words: Syd Barrett. Or rather the absence thereof. The creative force behind Floyds first distinctively baroque collection is credited with just one track here (Jugband Blues) and the occasion marked the beginning of his decades-long withdrawal from public life battles with mental illness and burgeoning cult legend. Whats left is essentially the first album by the classic Floyd lineup though theyre understandably a long way from their focused 1970s prime (as witnessed by the 11-minute title track); the dense sound and effects collages that are mere seasoning on later Floyd records are too often the whole point here. Roger Waters barely hints at his later glories on Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun a would-be stellar journey thats ultimately rather pedestrian. An album that seems alternately driven by a genuine experimental spirit one moment and creative panic the next. Jerry McCulley
The Piper at the Gates of Dawn

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
While they took their name from blues musicians Pink Anderson and Floyd Council when they started out as an RB combo in the mid-60s Pink Floyds leader guitarist Syd Barrett soon began piloting the band through unprecedented sonic excursions typified by the title of their 1967 debut albums most celebrated track--the outsized instrumental Interstellar Overdrive. Equally adept at composing catchy-sounding Gothic-themed pop songs such as See Emily Play The Scarecrow and The Gnome Barrett seemed destined for greatness--that is until psychedelic drugs got the best of him and he abandoned the band to bassist Roger Waters and new guitarist David Gilmour. The rest as they say is history. Billy Altman
Meddle

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
For all that menacing hatchet-happy growl at the beginning of IMeddles opener One of These Days Pink Floyd really werent about to cut you into little pieces. IMeddle did however show that the reigning British monarchs of 1970s-era psychedelia could rip into galloping jams. It also showed what its predecessor iAtom Heart Mother promised--that the band could excel in long breathtaking suites that revealed strains of late-classical music Sun Ra-inspired space explorations and a patchwork approach to colliding sounds that together took on acid-drenched proportions. And if all that isnt enough San Tropez revealed a playful side of the band playing footsy with loungy jazz and having good fun in the process. Andrew Bartlett
Delicate Sound of Thunder

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
In the late 1980s Pink Floyd came roaring back with a decent studio album and an awesome stadium tour. iDelicate Sound is a postcard from that tour that has the impossible task of capturing the spectacle of flying pigs and crashing beds. Also without the brood and bass of the departed Roger Waters even a large backing band cant recreate the majesty of the original recording of Shine on You Crazy Diamond. Still On the Turning Away from iA Momentary Lapse of Reason sounds better than the studio version and a smattering of Floyds best cuts from iThe Wall and iDarkside of Moon make this live album a decent collection. Greg Emmanuel
Atom Heart Mother

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
In the grand color-bending tradition of psychedelic experimentalism Pink Floyds IAtom Heart Mother takes as its title an inscrutable phrase and under the title launches a similarly inscrutable--or at least dense--musical concatenation. The title suite features French-horn-led brass melodies riffed on by David Gilmours guitar and the rhythm section all of which veers into choral passages that recall György Ligetis vocal works and then almost atonal pulses of keyboards that mask reams of audio snippets swirling underneath. And then theres some moody folk from Roger Waters an almost Kinks-ish rambler from Richard Wright then more moody folk (this time from Gilmour) on Fat Old Sun and to close the spirited melodic runaround of Alans Psychedelic Breakfast. Theres a range of emotion here from doleful to crazed to humorous (especially the dramatized comments on macrobiotics in the closer). IAtom Heart Mother was a spotlight ahead for Pink Floyd showing the extensions of form the band would engage in so successfully on iDark Side of the Moon just a few short years later. Andrew Bartlett
The Wall

Pink Floyd Album Editorial:
iThe Wall is less a collection of songs than a single work which is sometimes frustrating; the plot lacks enough coherence to hold the snippets of music together. However there are occasional flashes of brilliance on what ranks as Pink Floyds most ambitious project. Most of these come from the fully developed songs which have become classics in their own right. Hey You Mother and especially Comfortably Numb are subtle incredible pieces of music. Though complex they move at a relaxed pace allowing the listener to absorb them slowly; this kind of pacing was something Pink Floyd excelled at. Also worth noting is the Another Brick in the Wall/The Happiest Days of Our Lives medley which has become a staple of rock radio. Genevieve Williams

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