Re-visiting Pink Floyd’s Early Years
The Early Years/CRE/ATION
Pink Floyd
Sony, 2016
Pink Floyd, of whom much has been said, was truly an act with a clearly defined BC/AD periods in their history. In this case, with Syd/post Syd. And much like the BC period of time, a lot of it doesn’t seem to be as cohesive a story as one might hope for.
With founding member Syd Barret, who was also the bands main songwriter, there wasn’t a definitive Pink Floyd sound yet. It can be surprising just how much they would fit in alongside other contemporary acts of the time. There’s the jangly pop of “Arnold Layne” and it’s not like it would be strange to hear it back to back with The Hollies “Bus Stop.” The soft psychedelia of “See Emily Play” which feels like The Zombies, and “Green is the Colour” is a pretty folk number in the vein of Crosby, Stills, and Nash. Syd and company were just starting to get their feet under them as they moved away from 3 minute pop tunes to increasingly, daring and experimental music.
There are two distinct versions of this release available. For the die-hard, purist/completists in the crowd there’s the awe inspiring, massive 28 discs, of singles, rarities, out takes, radio spots and live performances. And funnily enough, none of the actual albums from start to finish. Those will need to purchased separately. Something tells me if this massive audio collection whets your appetite, you may already own said albums. All told, Eleven CDs, nine DVDs and eight blu-rays, for a total of 250 tracks.
And for the more casual fan, there’s the 2 disc version. Smaller and easier to consume, this doesn’t delve into the patience trying, “Several Species of Small Furry Animals Gathered Together in a Cave and Grooving with a Pict,” but does offer “Interstellar Overdrive,” “Atom Heart Mother,” (in quadraphonic sound, naturally), and “Nothing, Part 14.” Alas poor Syd became more and more lost in himself and the remaining members, now rounded out with Roger Waters, soldiered on. The band creeps closer to their singular and more focused sound.
This is an intriguing prelude to a group who would go on to record several era-defining albums, become a constant and distinct presence on radio and popular culture, and whose enormous popularity can’t rightly be quantified.
