Anything that is titled
“Best Of” is always suspect to the usual
problem of why isn’t so and so on it or
what is so and so doing off it. Well.
Let’s get that bit out of the way. Firstly,
in this Dog House Best of any Pink Floyd
album would contain “Saucerful of Secrets”
from “Ummagumma”, “Remergence” (the end
of Atom Heart Mother), and “Mudmen” from
“Obscured by Clouds”….. and certainly
would not include the dreadful “When Tigers
Broke Free”. Its inclusion must be because
it is not available anywhere else on C.D,
as it has only ever been released as a
single (failed) in 1982 from additional
material written for “The Wall, The Movie”.
Also, nowhere on a “Best of Pink Floyd”
should there be anything from the awful
last album by the Roger Waters led Pink
Floyd “The Final Cut” represented here
by the extremely boring “Fletcher Memorial
Home”.
Still, enough of griping, the rest of
the two hours thirty-five minutes you
get here is wonderful. Three from “Piper
at the Gates of Dawn”; “Set the controls
for the heart of the Sun” (the only track
ever recorded by Pink Floyd as a five
piece before the lovable, but totally
mad Syd Barret scuttled off into the sunset);
“Jugband Blues” from “Saucerful of Secrets”;
“One of these days”; the mighty “Echoes”
from “Meddle” (magnificently edited down
to a more manageable seventeen minutes
from the original twenty three, although
keeping all the beeps, bonks, clangers
and David Gilmour’s soaring guitar solos
- probably amongst the best he ever laid
down in the studio); fortunately the best
half of the tracks from “Dark Side Of
The Moon” - five in all; two from “Wish
You Were Here”; one from “Animals”; four
from “The Wall” (about as many as you
need. Let’s face it, when you are “Comfortably
Numb” who cares); and four tracks carefully
selected from the last two Waterless albums
(Momentary lapse of Reason and Division
Bell). But unfortunately nothing from
their 3 wonderful live albums.
Altogether this proves that Pink Floyd
still reign as the finest band in space.
Best of all though the album is topped
and tailed by two fine Syd Barret songs,
which not only bring a bit of light to
the generally gloomy Pink Floyd thoughts,
but should hopefully bring a few pennies
into Syd’s coffers as I’m sure they will
be more than welcome at his reclusive
home in Cambridge.
Disc two climaxes with the soaring “High
Hopes” which looks like being the final
expression of their moody majesty, the
last track from the last Pink Floyd album.
But there’s one final twist in the tale
as the closing chord decays, a bell rings
and up pops Syd to sing “Bike”, a genuinely
cheerful, pleasantly bathetic coda to
a brilliant career. That is what makes
this such a wonderful “Best Of” as 1994
songs slip faultlessly into 1967 songs
without missing a beat. Wonderful! That’s
Pink Floyd.
Bye Bye.
Thank you for sharing.
Have a nice retirement.
Pawed by Mott The Dog
Remastered by Ella Crew
E-mail: review@mott-the-dog.com
