Similar Albums:
- Artist: Pink Floyd
- Rating:
- Release Date: November 17, 1992
- Total Time: 378:56
- Type: Compilation (best of), Lyrics are included with the album, Box set
- Genre: Rock
Review
This box set devoted to Pink Floyd was somewhat frustrating at the time of its release. Priced at over 100 dollars, it included nine CDs drawn equally from their EMI and Columbia Records, starting with their second album, A Saucerful of Secrets. That seemed to confuse a lot of people who regard that transitional album as a lot less important and alluring than its predecessor, Piper at the Gates of Dawn. On the other hand, EMI was planning its own special edition of that album, and it could be argued that the hardcore fans who might be attracted to this set would certainly already own the debut album, and be prepared to buy EMI's special edition of it. The essential problem is that Pink Floyd, like most prog rock and psychedelic acts of its era, left behind precious few outtakes that would be viable as bonus features for a box such as this. It's not as though they followed too many blind alleys, or left behind multiple versions of, say, "Atom Heart Mother" the way, say, a blues-based band might've done some rehearsal jams on, say, "Crossroads" or some other standard; most prog rock works sort of stand as they are, and if outtakes do exist, chances are excellent that they never got to the point of getting vocals added. So that all one can really do is upgrade the sound, which was badly needed, and enhance the packaging, and that comes from the hardcover book in the box; and the bonus tracks, courtesy of EMI, come in the form of the ninth CD, titled "The Early Singles," which has proved so popular over the years that it's been bootlegged as a real CD (that is, not a CD-R).The book Shine On includes lots of illustrations and even a time line depicting the history around the band's releases, and while it all could have been a little better organized and a bit more ambitious, this is a handy small-scale coffee table book. The flaw lies in the packaging of the box, which is a little flimsy over time in terms of its ability to hold the book and the CDs, and the bonus art. On the other hand, the CDs are sort of packaged to be displayed -- the spine of the eight discs lined up properly on a shelf form the image of the light beam and prism from Dark Side of the Moon. In all, it was the perfect Christmas gift (hence its release in early November) for fanatical Floyd followers, and it still holds up reasonably well. The early singles platter is still a killer collection even if it is the shortest of the discs here, and the rest has its audience, none quite mutually exclusive, and it's understandable why some of the rest of their library -- such as the early soundtrack efforts and the live/studio composite Ummagumma -- was left out of what was supposed to be their best profile. And all of the missing works have now been upgraded as well. Indeed, coupled with the special mono and stereo editions of Piper at the Gates of Dawn done around the same time by EMI, this box would, indeed, make the ultimate Pink Floyd experience. ~ Bruce Eder, All Music Guide
Tracks
CD 1
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Let There Be More Light | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (5:37) |
| Remember a Day | Rick Wright | Pink Floyd | (4:33) |
| Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (5:27) |
| Corporal Clegg (Lyrics) | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (4:12) |
| A Saucerful of Secrets | Roger Waters, Nick Mason, Rick Wright, David Gilmour | Pink Floyd | (11:56) |
| See Saw | Rick Wright | Pink Floyd | (4:36) |
| Jugband Blues | Syd Barrett | Pink Floyd | (2:59) |
CD 2
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| One of These Days | Roger Waters, Nick Mason, Rick Wright, David Gilmour | Pink Floyd | (5:56) |
| A Pillow of Winds | Roger Waters, David Gilmour | Pink Floyd | (5:12) |
| Fearless | Roger Waters, David Gilmour | Pink Floyd | (6:08) |
| San Tropez (Lyrics) | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (3:43) |
| Seamus | Roger Waters, Nick Mason, Rick Wright, David Gilmour | Pink Floyd | (2:15) |
| Echoes | Roger Waters, Nick Mason, Rick Wright, David Gilmour | Pink Floyd | (23:28) |
CD 3
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Speak to Me | Roger Waters, Nick Mason | Pink Floyd | (1:13) |
| Breathe | Roger Waters, Rick Wright, David Gilmour | Pink Floyd | (2:46) |
| On the Run | Roger Waters, Rick Wright, David Gilmour | Pink Floyd | (3:34) |
| Time | Roger Waters, Nick Mason, Rick Wright, David Gilmour | Pink Floyd | (7:04) |
| The Great Gig in the Sky | Roger Waters, Rick Wright | Pink Floyd | (4:44) |
| Money | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (6:32) |
| Us and Them | Roger Waters, Rick Wright | Pink Floyd | (7:40) |
| Any Colour You Like | Nick Mason, Rick Wright, David Gilmour | Pink Floyd | (3:25) |
| Brain Damage | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (3:50) |
| Eclipse | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (2:02) |
CD 4
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Shine on You Crazy Diamond, Pts. 1-5 | Roger Waters, David Gilmour, |
Pink Floyd | (13:38) |
| Welcome to the Machine (Lyrics) | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (7:29) |
| Have a Cigar (Lyrics) | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (5:24) |
| Wish You Were Here (Lyrics) | Roger Waters, David Gilmour | Pink Floyd | (5:17) |
| Shine on You Crazy Diamond, Pts. 6-9 | Roger Waters, Rick Wright, David Gilmour | Pink Floyd | (12:28) |
CD 5
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Pigs on the Wing, Pt. 1 (Lyrics) | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (1:24) |
| Dogs (Lyrics) | Roger Waters, David Gilmour | Pink Floyd | (17:04) |
| Pigs (Three Different Ones) | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (11:26) |
| Sheep (Lyrics) | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (10:18) |
| Pigs on the Wing, Pt. 2 (Lyrics) | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (1:25) |
CD 6
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| In the Flesh? (Lyrics) | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (3:19) |
| The Thin Ice | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (2:29) |
| Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 1 (Lyrics) | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (3:10) |
| The Happiest Days of Our Lives | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (1:50) |
| Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 2 (Lyrics) | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (3:59) |
| Mother (Lyrics) | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (5:35) |
| Goodbye Blue Sky (Lyrics) | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (2:46) |
| Empty Spaces (Lyrics) | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (2:09) |
| Young Lust (Lyrics) | Roger Waters, David Gilmour | Pink Floyd | (3:30) |
| One of My Turns (Lyrics) | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (3:35) |
| Don't Leave Me Now (Lyrics) | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (4:16) |
| Another Brick in the Wall, Pt. 3 (Lyrics) | Roger Waters, Bob Ezrin | Pink Floyd | (1:14) |
| Goodbye Cruel World (Lyrics) | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (1:14) |
CD 7
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Hey You (Lyrics) | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (4:41) |
| Is There Anybody Out There? (Lyrics) | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (2:40) |
| Nobody Home (Lyrics) | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (3:24) |
| Vera (Lyrics) | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (1:33) |
| Bring the Boys Back Home (Lyrics) | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (1:26) |
| Comfortably Numb (Lyrics) | Roger Waters, David Gilmour | Pink Floyd | (6:25) |
| The Show Must Go On | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (1:36) |
| In the Flesh (Lyrics) | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (4:16) |
| Run Like Hell (Lyrics) | Roger Waters, David Gilmour | Pink Floyd | (4:24) |
| Waiting for the Worms (Lyrics) | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (3:57) |
| Stop (Lyrics) | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (:30) |
| The Trial | Roger Waters, Bob Ezrin | Pink Floyd | (5:19) |
| Outside the Wall (Lyrics) | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (1:43) |
CD 8
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Signs of Life | Bob Ezrin, David Gilmour | Pink Floyd | (4:23) |
| Learning to Fly | Pink Floyd | (4:53) | |
| The Dogs of War | David Gilmour, Anthony Moore | Pink Floyd | (6:08) |
| One Slip | Phil Manzanera, David Gilmour | Pink Floyd | (5:06) |
| On the Turning Away | David Gilmour, Anthony Moore | Pink Floyd | (5:41) |
| Yet Another Movie/Round and Around | David Gilmour, |
Pink Floyd | (7:28) |
| A New Machine, Pt. 1 | David Gilmour | Pink Floyd | (1:46) |
| Terminal Frost | David Gilmour | Pink Floyd | (6:17) |
| A New Machine, Pt. 2 | David Gilmour | Pink Floyd | (:38) |
| Sorrow | David Gilmour | Pink Floyd | (8:47) |
CD 9
| Track Title | Composers | Performers | Time |
| Arnold Layne (Lyrics) | Syd Barrett | Pink Floyd | (2:57) |
| Candy and a Currant Bun (Lyrics) | Syd Barrett | Pink Floyd | (2:47) |
| See Emily Play | Syd Barrett | Pink Floyd | (2:54) |
| The Scarecrow | Syd Barrett | Pink Floyd | (2:10) |
| Apples and Oranges | Syd Barrett | Pink Floyd | (3:08) |
| Paintbox | Rick Wright | Pink Floyd | (3:47) |
| It Would Be So Nice | Rick Wright | Pink Floyd | (3:46) |
| Julia Dream | Roger Waters | Pink Floyd | (2:35) |
| Point Me at the Sky | Roger Waters, David Gilmour | Pink Floyd | (3:35) |
| Careful with That Axe, Eugene | Roger Waters, Nick Mason, Rick Wright, David Gilmour | Pink Floyd | (5:44) |
