PINK FLOYD - Echoes: The Best Of Pink Floyd

While some rock gods have a playful edge, the dark, serious tones of
Pink Floyd set them apart from most of their contemporaries and a magnitude who rose & fell by the wayside during the band's multi-decade existence as "Pink Floyd" with and without Roger Waters via his solo career. It wasn't hard for them to come up with a great melody or hook with "hit" written all over it, but it's the deep, somber, introspectively melancholic reflection of emotions that bleed into every aspect of their music. Sure, a mere two discs are not enough to highlight their most notable accomplishments (but then, not everyone can afford the box sets released in the past - this more consumer friendly version affordable and well selected). Stretching from the late 1960's through to the Pink Floyd period sans Waters through the 80's into the mid-90's, this collection encapsulates the bulk of the band's music, including the better and lesser known triumphs from the days Syd Barrett was still sane enough to be a part of their musical journey. While the 70's epitomize the definitive Floyd era, their body of work constitutes an incredibly rich and memorable heap of great tunes. From albums like the early, more psychedelic-infused The Piper At The Gates Of Dawn, to timeless classics like The Dark Side Of The Moon and the angst-ridden masterpieces like The Wall, or the more commercially acceptable "New" Pink Floyd of The Division Bell - it's all here. Then all there are all the inbetweeners: Animals, Meddle, The Final Cut, Wish You Were Here, Momentary Lapse Of Reason and so on.
As to be expected, a wide range of
Pink Floyd cover art, photography and graphics are scattered throughout the booklet with lyrics toall the songs.
Pink Floyd is one of those bands without which our rock history could simply not have been written. And while it is obvious that not everyone can get into it too easily because of its weighty and momentous approach, with deep intellectual textures spun throughout, this remains one of those bands that you cannot deny, no matter what.

6 / A
- PB


Click here for a review of
Pink Floyd The Wall
on DVD,
the jaw dropping film version of their album

 


This cover design you'll find on the CD booklet printing while the
image at the top of this page is the carton slipcase
over the jewel case

 

6 - Volcanic
5 - Blistering
4 - Hot
3 - Smolder
2 - Room Temperature
1 - Fizzled
0 - Extinguished

A - Multiple Listening Possibilities
B - Deserves Another Spin
C - Once Should Suffice