Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd
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| Release Date: |
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| Label: |
Capitol |
| Rating: |
4.0 |
Description: Echoes 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;
Meddle'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.
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 A 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 Gilmour's guitar work. This is timeless, as many members of Sigur Rós, Radiohead, and the Beta Band will attest. --Kevin Maidment
Tracklist of Echoes: The Best of Pink Floyd
Reviews:
Great mixes
I'm gonna quote what people have been stating, that this is NOT their complete greatest hits, now my question is, what would be their greatest hits then? I am a massive Pink Floyd fan and the first record I got from them is, believe it or not, this greatest hits album. Indeed you can not make a greatest hits by this band since there wouldn't be enough space on the album to put all their greatests, unless ofcourse you make a second volume, but that won't do since you already have 2 cd's in one here. Now what people have to do in order to feed that hunger for more Pink Floyd music is definitely getting all their studio albums. Indeed not all my favorites are here but then again alot of great ones are, which made me forced in purchasing all their records like I mentioned, excluding Syd Barret's era which I'm not to fond upon that. Pink Floyd is by far the greatest band to walk on the face of the earth, creating dstinctive sounds, powerful lyrics and making records people still hale to til this date. This album is still a must to own, simply cos it's from the one and only, Pink Floyd.
I love Pink Floyd...but this...
I love Pink Floyd, but I dont like this. Each Pink Floyd album has its own special little meaning to it, you can't capture the meaning behind their music with a bunch of thier songs all scrambled up and mixed together.
The ONLY good purpose to this album would be to give a newbie a taste of what each album is like.
HOWEVER, I think this gives a terrible job of giving what of Piper At the gates of dawn sounds like. They put in two of their singles, which sound almost nothing like thier stuff at that time. (With exception to bike and astronomy domine.)
Like many others have said, if you want to capture the greatest music of pink floyd, you will have to buy all their albums. I like to say....dont get pink floyd songs, buy thier albums! But hey...im only 14.
If I had to make a greatest hit album, it would be long, but like this.
1.Breathe
2.Astronomy Domine
3.Time
4.Young Lust
5.Flaming
6.Fat old Sun
7.Jugband BLues
8.The Nile Song
9.Bike
10.Wish you were here
11.Dont Leave me now
12.Money
13.Hey You
14.Flaming
15.Us and them
16.Pigs
17.Summer 68
18.When the tigers broke free
19.Set the Controls for the heart of the sun
20.Comfortably Numb
21.Echoes ( Full Version!!!!)
22.Matilda Mother
23.Have a Cigar
24.Another Brick in the wall part two
25.In the Flesh
26.Shine on you crazy diamond part one
27.Welcome to the machine
28.Shine on you crazy diamond part two
29.Fearless
30.Brain Damage
31.Eclipse
32.One of these days
33.The Gnome
34.Sheep
35.Lucifer Sam
36.Atom heart Mother (Full version too!!!)
37.Scarecrow
38.Apples and Oranges
39.Let there be more light
40.Dogs
41.A pillow of Winds
the greatest compilation from a legendary band
I dont think i have enough words to describe how great this pink floyd compilation is.this is absolutely gorgeus.this superb compilation contains their big hits like comfortably numb,shine on you crazy diamond,set the controls for the heart of the sun,another brick in the wall,time,us and them and arnold layne.brilliant all the classics from this great band on a two disc compilation.very very highly recommended.five stars. ignore the one star reviews and avoid the compilation from the lousy backstreet boys.thanks